pc desktop?

[Mr.A]

Hi, I am looking to get a pc desktop and have been looking at the inspiron 546. I was just wondering if this setup below looked good for editing pictures and possibly some games, dvds, etc. I will also be upgrading most of the options but I cannot attach a link with it customized. What would you guys recommend I upgrade on this? Thanks!

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...=DDCWTA3&s=dhs

[basroil]

Base thing is fine, but you can get much more by going with home built or other dell products. Wait two weeks first, the new i5 chips are cheap and much more powerful.

As for games, unless you are going to be playing four year old games, you need to look at better systems (at least phenom II, core 2 quad or i5/i7 is much better)

[Mr.A]

Would the vostro 430 i5 or i7 be better?

[basroil]

i5/i7 will be between 20% and 80% faster than the best phenom, 50% to 100% faster than a high end athlon.

EDIT: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2...CS-4,1387.html

[StudioBin]

basroil, Do you know what's the deal with 6 cores and when they will start rolling out to the public?

[basroil]

Originally Posted by StudioBin

basroil, Do you know what's the deal with 6 cores and when they will start rolling out to the public?

Has nothing to do with this thread, but not a clue. Engineering samples are out and about, so you should have seen them released with the i3/i5/i7 refresh. Maybe they are waiting for AMD to release their refreshed phenoms before coming out with the chip that will push amd to the dark ages once again.

[Mr.A]

So, I have been looking at the Dell Studio XPS 9000. Is this computer good for photo-editing? Also, what monitors would you guys suggest I look at? Thanks

[basroil]

Originally Posted by Mr.A

So, I have been looking at the Dell Studio XPS 9000. Is this computer good for photo-editing? Also, what monitors would you guys suggest I look at? Thanks

I have the little brother, the 435MT (9000 is technically called the 435T), and I can tell you it's fast, blazing fast. However, unless you plan on upgrading it yourself, or want to do heavy gaming, go with the Studio XPS 8000 with the i7 860. In either case, it's likely cheaper to get the minimum amount of ram and buy it elsewhere (you can get 8gb for $200, 12gb for $300) and upgrade yourself, same with graphics card if you need it (unless you do heavy video editing, no need). Upgrading the HDD yourself (or just adding more) is easy and cheaper than going though them too.

Monitor wise, 2209WFP, 2408WFP, u2410, u2711. There are also 23" 1080p IPS panels from other manufacturers, but don't know much about those.

[Mr.A]

On Dell's website, they only have the XPS 9000 and XPS 8100. Is the 8100 pretty much the same as the 8000? Thanks

[basroil]

Originally Posted by Mr.A

On Dell's website, they only have the XPS 9000 and XPS 8100. Is the 8100 pretty much the same as the 8000? Thanks

Yea, the 8100 is upgraded 8000 with a few extra options.

[Mr.A]

How is this set-up for photo-editing, casual gaming, basic schoolwork, etc?

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i7-920 processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007
2 Year Basic Service Plan
McAfee SecurityCenter, 36-Months
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs
1TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
21.5 inch Dell S2209W Full HD Widescreen Monitor
ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Logitech Illuminated Keyboard
Dell Studio Optical Mouse
No Modem Option
Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet

My Accessories
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

Also Includes
Studio XPS 9000
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language

[basroil]

i7 900 series is overkill for what you want, but it'll work. 4350 won't do any modern games, but fine for online games.

[Poe]

Staples has the Dell XPS 8000 with i5-750 for only $699 right now.

[basroil]

Originally Posted by Poe

Staples has the Dell XPS 8000 with i5-750 for only $699 right now.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...tudio-xps-8100
with i5 750 option, 698... dollar cheaper from dell, and newer motherboard.

[MT Stringer]

I'm not a PC pro but I have been rebuilding my box for years. Everything has been swapped out at least twice. Although I have been using the AMD processor, it runs pretty fast and the parts fit my budget. The latest upgrade was to put in a new graphics card (w/1gb memory) that can handle dual monitors. I can see the difference in the speed.