Core i7 - Dell or Homebuilt?

ddjmagic

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I looking to buy or build a i7 desktop for work and mild gaming.

Dell offer

i7 920
640gb hdd
6gb ddr3 tri-channel
dvd burner
hd 4670
vista 64bit
case, mouse etc
23" full hd monitor
2 yr warranty

$1050

Looking online, to build something with the same specs is going to cost about $1250+

Is it worth $200 more to build myself or should i just go with Dell?
 

Helloworld_98

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I'd just go with the dell since it's so cheap, don't expect to be adding a better gfx card though as they'll cut down the PSU so it's the minimum amount of energy output needed for 6 or 7 years.

 

foolycooly

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uh...that's an outstanding deal and hard to believe coming from dell...link? If you can get the deal I would probably go for it. Can you get specifics on what kind of hard drive, RAM and power supply it contains?
 

foolycooly

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another thing to consider is your need/want to overclock. Dell's BIOS might be locked to prevent changes from being made and i'm not sure of the overclockability of Dell's mobos and HSFs
 

ddjmagic

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I just had a quick look on newegg

Core i7 920
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366
G-Skill ddr3 1600 triple channel ram
Western Digital 640gb sata 3gb/s
Sapphire hd4670 512mb gddr3
HEC black steel atx mid tower with 585w psu
Samsung 22x Burner
Asus 23.6" full 1080p monitor
Vista 64bit
mouse & keyboard

$1120 shipped

Would this be better for future upgrades/overclocking etc?
 
It's a good price, not a great deal though.

You will probably want a beefier video card, so there's an extra ~$160
That means you'll need a bigger psu, an extra ~$75

I'm not sure what brand HD is in it, but Dell likes to use Maxtor. Unless it's got a seagate or western digital, I'd recommend replacing that as well.

You are paying for an OS, but Dell isn't going to send you the full copy. You will get a restore disc. In your build, you get a full copy of vista.

Dell's cases don't provide much cooling, so there will be heat buildup.

The gigabyte board you picked will be better than anything you find in a dell machine.

I'd be leary of the RAM too. It's likely a no-name manufacturer with no heatspreader and terrible timings.
 
Why would you think that? The HD 4850 is one of the optional video cards. So a future upgrade in the same power draw range is always an option.
 
Yeah the Dell offer is a good price. I'm sure you could cut back on an i7 system to compare. But if you are looking for flexibility a custom PC is the way to go. The Dell will have limits. You probably won't be able to Overclock it. The PSU is probably, Just enough to run the system.

A 4670 is a good card but only for mild gaming at low to mid settings in most newer games.

Honestly I always go with custom if you know what you are doing and are a gamer.
 
None of the Dell owners are reporting Maxtor HDDs being shipped. From the Dell forums they're saying they're getting Seagate, Western Digital and Samsung HDDs.
No reports of overheating systems, as you suggest, either.
The Dell restore disk is pretty much the same thing as the OEM Vista you would buy from NewEgg.

@ ddjmagic;
Instead of getting guesses, why not cruise over to the Dell forums and read about what the Dell owners are talking about. There have been some complaints about noisy fans but it looks like they're getting replaced by Dell. A few other issues also being reported, but probably no deal breakers.
 

snurp85

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Im going to say build your own...

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$59.95
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
$59.99
SAMSUNG SYNCMASTER 943SWX High Glossy Black 18.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
$129.99
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$194.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
$99.99
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
$72.00
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$199.99
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
$279.99
Subtotal: $1,119.88
Shipping: $12.19

Theres $85 in mail in rebates, which brings your total to ~$1050


I really cant see any reason to buy Dell when they use crappy no-name parts. Build your own and buy quality for less.
 
^Build your own, especially if you game. You will be sorry down the road because the Dell offing has a very limited upgrade path. A Custom PC has so much more and will save you money down the road. You can reuse parts during future upgrades. Besides, Unless you get an XPS you are getting parts from the lowest bidder.


^
Kill@dor loves me
 


The problem with heat isn't always overheating. The constant higher temps can decrease the life and efficiency of the hardware.

The restore discs are customized for their hardware. They are packed with all kinds of annoying extra garbage. Down the line if the OP decided to upgrade the hardware inside the case, he couldn't use that restore disc to install windows. It's more like an image of the factory settings.
 
It all depends on the amount of heat and the quality of the part. Put a cpu or a psu in 30C and 80C. The cpu or psu in the 80C temps will fail first. It's the same concept of overclocking and getting high temps on a cpu.

 
Thats true no matter if you're talking about a Dell case, the HEC case the OP mentioned or the Antec 300 snurp85 listed.

You claimed the Dell system would have decreased life span and efficiency. How much decrease over the OPs build or snurp85's suggested system?
 

liquidcool72

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I bought a Dell and it is what I am on now, at the time I thought it was a great deal then I learned what a bad decision I made after I figured out how much money I would have saved if I had done the research to built my own. Dell locks you out of all kinds of settings that could be beneficial to upgrading down the road and also shuts you out of any future overclocking hopes.
 

grieve

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I love that line! SOOOO true.

Build your own my friend. It may cost you $100-$200 more however it will be a far better quality machine.
 

randomeyes

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I've both built my own & bought from Dell.
In fact, I recently built my own i7 with the Asus P6T motherboard and I'm very happy with it.

But before you make the decision, you should consider a few of the advantages about Dell that haven't been mentioned.
1. When you have a problem that you can't figure out, are you going to call yourself or Dell to get the problem fixed?
2. A 2 year warranty and Dell pays the postage both ways for replacement parts. I've received parts overnight from Dell.
3. A centralized site to download updates and bug fixes for your computer.
4. The forums page that discusses issues and remedies for a known platform.

The restore disk is irrelevant, when you upgrade to Windows 7, the Dell forums page will have full instructions.
By the way, you can always upgrade the video card if you want.
 

ddjmagic

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WP2, if i built my own what case/psu would you recommend over the Dell/HEC/Antec 300 for <$100, thanks

randomeyes - Thanks for the insight.
 


Yes, there is heat inside all cases. However, some are much better at blowing that warm air out.
The antec is a nice case. It has a 120mm rear and 140mm top fans.
The HEC is garbage. It only has a side air duct and an 80mm rear fan.
The Dell case is garbage. It also only has 1 fan and has a vent without a side duct.

You sound like you don't believe heat buildup can reduce hardware lifespan.?