Challenge: Who here can beat Dell the most? $5 to the winner

[Twisted_Sister]

So most people claim that you can save a ton by building... we'll lets put your money where your mouth is!!!

Here's the challenge, beat this system using the same specs (where available) without putting junk into the computer (e.g. mobo, ram). I've put a "EXACT" next to the items that must be exactly the same.

For others items, you must provide the same quality or better.

<EDIT>
When I say "BEAT" I mean $$$ saved for the same level of performance as the Dell rig. I know it's tempting to pile that $$ into better parts, and it goes against our natural desires to avoid building closed/obsolete systems... BUT RESIST YOUR URGES. YOU ARE DELL!

<END EDIT>

Just to make it interesting.... $5 Newegg gift certificate will be emailed to the winner... and bragging rights of course!

This will end in 3 days... if you want, you can PM your specs and links to me to keep them hidden (I'll post your entry at the very end).

Post edits are not allowed.

Have fun!

-----

Dell Quote - $3,769

PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (EXACT)

OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows® XP Professional with re-installation (EXACT)

MEMORY: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs

HARD DRIVE: 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

ADDITIONAL HARD DRIVE: 160GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (10,000RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

VIDEO CARD 768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX (EXACT)

SOUND CARD Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card (EXACT)

SPEAKERS Logitech Z5500 500 Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Speakers w/control pod

KEYBOARD & MOUSE LOGITECH G15 Gaming Keyboard (EXACT)

MOUSE LOGITECH G5 Laser Gaming Mouse (EXACT)

POWER PROTECTION APC Back-UPS ES 650 VA with Phone and Coax Protection

ANTI-VIRUS & SECURITY McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months (Must be a paid service from a major company... no freeware)

WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service

SYSTEM DETAILS 2.5MM aluminum thickness Chassis with front & back customizable LEDs

SYSTEM DETAILS 7-slot, BTX design motherboard

SYSTEM DETAILS 750-watt Power Supply

SYSTEM DETAILS Tower Six-heat pipe, Copper base Heat Sink with aluminum fans

SYSTEM DETAILS Two 120mm x 38mm front fans

FREE SHIPPING

 

[desolationw]

I will later, but just want to point out that even if the price(somehow) is more than the DELL, the quality of parts you use in a custom build and upgradeability compared to a DELL will easily beat it.

Also, this should prob be in General Homebuilt.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

I dunno. Can Dell Beat Dell? I just posted to:

!HELP! Building new Dual Xeon Quad Core Video Editing Sytem

thread a dual quad Xeon 4GB RAM system that would likely grind up this PC and smoke it for exactly $231 more!!!

 

[dasickninja]

Sunbeam Tuniq Tower 120 $54.99
http://order.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/wg-order?ysco_key_event_id=&ysco_key_store_id=extremepcgear&sectionId=ysco.cart&yscob=MpNLON8mAUdT_tTCB.5VFjWwIyxGSK.CjGic7xuop8K7tfaBe70ylLx.guhZ24IKLeczyqv2IJTo7lV0thSfo5SH2T9_xietJ.3jV9d_W3H7woaO9hJNPq1pdKhHmk.UHw--

Shin Etsu X23-7783D $8.00
http://www.ajigo-store.com/se7783d.html

From Newegg:

ASUS 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe and 14X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model DRW-1814BLT - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135145
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $40.99

SILVERSTONE TJ09-BW Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811163073
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $294.99

Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM x2
Item #: N82E16822136032
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $329.98
($164.99 each)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD2000JB 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822144129
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $62.99

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130072
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $559.99

Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102189
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $182.99

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 1000W ATX Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817189016
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $379.99

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126179
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $71.99

Logitech G5 2-Tone 6 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Laser Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104191
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $45.99

APC Back-UPS BR1500 1500VA 865W UPS - Retail
Item #: N82E16842101125
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $214.99

GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX22GB5300LDCK= - Retail
Item #: N82E16820144046
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $194.99

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128323
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $194.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115003
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $314.00

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116213
Return Policy: Software Return Policy $199.99

McAfee Virusscan Plus 2007 3 Users - Retail
Item #: N82E16832284008
Return Policy: Software Return Policy $49.99

SILVERSTONE FM121 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Item #: N82E16811999344
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $31.98

Total:
$3607.70 w/ 1 year full warranty.


I'll tell you why I didn't go for certain items. for instance, the UPS from APC that I found is rated higher than the one on your list. I went for ATX factor boards and cooling because of the upgradeability and the fact that few BTX boards sold are overclockable. The DQ6 is one of the best on the market. The TJ09 instead of the BTX case because it is the best case out today. the Tuniq Tower 120, because it is undeniably the best air cooler available on the market. The Shin-etsu X23 thermal interface because it too, is the best thermal grease generally available to the public. I was able to add a second 500GB HDD in and still come in under budget. As a matter of fact, I choose some options that were far more expensive than necessary.

 

[desolationw]

DaSickNinja sorts it out as usual :lol:

More money can be saved by using AVG as apposed to McAfee(waste of money) and time is saved as you wouldnt have ot do a reformat to remove all that crap that dell put on their computers.

 

[dasickninja]

I could go for even better ram if I feel like it. And I feel like it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227078

 

[Twisted_Sister]

Hmmm... very interesting. I'm reserving comments for the end.

Just keep in mind, looking to see a similar performing system - what it would cost the enthusiast to build vs. what dell is charging.

I know if you used the same budget, you could probably get better parts or more extras... but that's not really the challenge.

Build a system as close to Dell specs as possible and lets see how much Dell is pocketing over a Do-it-yourself person.

In some instances the exact item is not available or unknown or strictly OEM (e.g. the case)... so just put in a equal part or better.

Since the DaSickNinja took the first shot (and posted publicly)... I'll give him a shot to edit the post if he'd like. Strip out the extras (e.g. the extra hard drive).

Cool, looking forward to seeing the various entries.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

I find it interesting and telling that the very first product on the list was the Tuniq. That's the right way to do it, Ninja. Get the cooler first and then build the rest of the system around it! It's hard to beat the Tuniq!

 

[Twisted_Sister]

I find it interesting and telling that the very first product on the list was the Tuniq. That's the right way to do it, Ninja. Get the cooler first and then build the rest of the system around it! It's hard to beat the Tuniq!

BEGIN Threadjack

Capt,
FYI - The word on the street is that CS3 is launching Mar 27th.

END of Threadjack.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

BEGIN Threadjack

Capt,
FYI - The word on the street is that CS3 is launching Mar 27th.

END of Threadjack.

BEGIN reply to threadjack

WOW! HOT DAMN! THANKS DUDE! THAT'S GREAT NEWS!!!

END reply to threadjack.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program. :lol:

 

[geminireaper]

LITE-ON 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model LH-18A1P-186 - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106043

Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-BA Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811166004


Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136012

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136073

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130072

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 70SB073A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102006

Broadway Com Corp Okia-black-650 ATX 650W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817162014

Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
Item #: N82E16836121120

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16823126179

Logitech G5 2-Tone 6 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Laser Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104191

APC BE650R 650 VA 390 Watts UPS - Retail
Item #: N82E16842101003

Transcend JETRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model JM2GDDR2-6K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820208246

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128012

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115003

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116175

McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007 - Retail
Item #: N82E16832284011

Thermaltake CL-P0370 92mm Enter CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835106085

subtotal $2,414.84
shipping $88.22
Mail in rebates - $95.00

Total: $2408.06
Hell for another 600 you can throw in a Quad core and stay under budget.

 

[dasickninja]

I find it interesting and telling that the very first product on the list was the Tuniq. That's the right way to do it, Ninja. Get the cooler first and then build the rest of the system around it! It's hard to beat the Tuniq!

For air cooling, its damn near impossible. I also avoided BTX because its really a dead end. Most BTX board utilize the P915 chipset. Old as focking hell. Or even worse, a VIA chip set. There is no way in heaven or the seven depths of hell that I'll ever recommend a VIA chipset with a E6600. I have my pride to uphold.

 

[mpjesse]

Shipping for that configuration would probably come in near $80.

Both configurations are good deals. If I didn't want to deal w/ the hassle of building i'd definitely go for the dell. But being an ethusiast, I like to do everything myself.

 

[dasickninja]

Dell receives a lot of OEM exclusive parts. But just because they are exclusive, doesn't in anyway make them better. Their power supplies are crap. The cases are shit. They add too much bloat ware. They overcharge for lower binned parts. I could go on and on. The only place Dell will win is when it comes to building sub $600 PC's.

 

[CaptRobertApril]

For air cooling, its damn near impossible. I also avoided BTX because its really a dead end. Most BTX board utilize the P915 chipset. Old as focking hell. Or even worse, a VIA chip set. There is no way in heaven or the seven depths of hell that I'll ever recommend a VIA chipset with a E6600. I have my pride to uphold.

Tuniq 120, Scythe Infinity, Zalman 9700, why would anyone buy another cooler?

Shipping for that configuration would probably come in near $80.

Both configurations are good deals. If I didn't want to deal w/ the hassle of building i'd definitely go for the dell. But being an ethusiast, I like to do everything myself.

No doubt about the fact that it's better to be able to cherry pick your own components, but if you're looking at the bottom line (as I am) I doubt that you'd be able to put together a dual Quad Xeon, 4GB RAM, dual 500GB HDs, etc. for exactly $4000. There are some advantages to dealing with a company that buys CPUs by the containerload! But like I said, I'm very wary of Dell's builds as there have been reports lately of screwups.

 

[dasickninja]

Shipping for that configuration would probably come in near $80.

Both configurations are good deals. If I didn't want to deal w/ the hassle of building i'd definitely go for the dell. But being an ethusiast, I like to do everything myself.

I think there are free shipping coupons on the Internet that can be found.

 

[Threshold]

I've toyed with the idea of creating a "competition" where all the parts had to follow a certain theme-for example, you can only build with items that have free shipping. Or maybe you can only build with items that have mail in rebates. Or maybe volume discounts. Y'know, mix it up a bit.

Yes, I'm crazy.

*builds this system EXACTLY and puts it up on ebay for $0.99, then links it*

I win.

Yeah, it's cheating, I'll give you a real attempt later, but hey, I had to do that.

 

[Twisted_Sister]

I've toyed with the idea of creating a "competition" where all the parts had to follow a certain theme-for example, you can only build with items that have free shipping. Or maybe you can only build with items that have mail in rebates. Or maybe volume discounts. Y'know, mix it up a bit.

Yes, I'm crazy.

*builds this system EXACTLY and puts it up on ebay for $0.99, then links it*

I win.

Yeah, it's cheating, I'll give you a real attempt later, but hey, I had to do that.

No, that's legit to build it on ebay and sell it for $0.99. PM me when you do, I'll be the first "BUY IT NOW" bidder.

 

[geminireaper]

You added vista in the build..he said he needed WinXp Pro and it had to be reinstallable aka..not OEM.

 

[Twisted_Sister]

You added vista in the build..he said he needed WinXp Pro and it had to be reinstallable aka..not OEM.

I think that even though Dell lists it as an "reinstallation DVD"... it's still OEM. I think their term "reinstallation" means... we give you a DELL disk with the computer in case you need to "reinstall" it on the same exact PC. They're tricky like that!

Also, this is not for my build or anything... strickly a contest and to see how much we could save to build the same system.

Vista is an upgrade to XP... (we'll depending on who you ask) so that is fine. Not sure of the price difference though... I'll leave that to the contest.

 

[geminireaper]

hmm well you did say exact so Ill still stick with WinXp Pro since it runs better but Ill go OEM on this one. That knocks off $130 bucks. Ive edited my setup.

 

[BaldEagle]

You added vista in the build..he said he needed WinXp Pro and it had to be reinstallable aka..not OEM.

I think that even though Dell lists it as an "reinstallation DVD"... it's still OEM. I think their term "reinstallation" means... we give you a DELL disk with the computer in case you need to "reinstall" it on the same exact PC. They're tricky like that!

Also, this is not for my build or anything... strickly a contest and to see how much we could save to build the same system.

Vista is an upgrade to XP... (we'll depending on who you ask) so that is fine. Not sure of the price difference though... I'll leave that to the contest.

That is correct it is reinstallable only on the hardware it was sent with and the installation checks to seeif you have Dell hardware as well. My son's roomate in college had a PSU failure and replaced his motherboard, CPU and hard drive with non-dell parts and couldn't use his Dell installation disk for the OS.

 

[nobly]

Build a system as close to Dell specs as possible and lets see how much Dell is pocketing over a Do-it-yourself person.

Dell is pocketing much much more than just the difference between the parts list. They buy in bulk and get big discounts. Its not the same in just building it from retail parts. Especially w/ the OS, graphics cards, and processors. probably RAM too.

I find its hard to beat Dell on the low-end (in regards to strict dollar amount), but its easier to beat on the high end (as others have proved already).

 

[Twisted_Sister]

So far, GeminiReaper has gotten it down a full $1k, or 28% less, than Dell. 8O

Can anyone else do better?

I do see one glaring opportunity... and I think it's because people give too credit to Dell for getting better versions of the same hardware...
which we all know they don't.

 

[Twisted_Sister]

Build a system as close to Dell specs as possible and lets see how much Dell is pocketing over a Do-it-yourself person.

Dell is pocketing much much more than just the difference between the parts list. They buy in bulk and get big discounts. Its not the same in just building it from retail parts. Especially w/ the OS, graphics cards, and processors. probably RAM too.

I find its hard to beat Dell on the low-end (in regards to strict dollar amount), but its easier to beat on the high end (as others have proved already).

Yeah, no doubt. But the best we can do, as consumers, is build ourselves. Newegg buys in bulk too... but probably just a fraction of what dell buys.

This is why I also picked a upper-midrange system for the competition... just to see how much they are gouging the gamers and power users.