Dell XPS 8300 899.99 from Costco. Opinions?

[gotkylestyle]

Thinking about picking up this CPU (tower only) from costco online for 899.99. Can it be built cheaper? Will upgrading GPU void costco/dell warranty? Opinions? Complete spec list below:

Processor & Memory:

Intel® Core™ i7-2600 Processor (3.40GHz)
8MB Cache
16GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM
Drives:

1TB Serial ATA 2 7200RPM HDD
6x Blu-ray Rewritable Drive
Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Graphics & Video:

1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450 Graphics
Communications:

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Audio:

THX TruStudio
Keyboard & Mouse:

Dell USB Keyboard
Dell USB 6-button Laser Mouse
Expandability (Total Slots):

Total Memory Slots: 4 DIMMs
1x PCIe x16
3x PCIe x1
2x Sata 3
2x Sata 2
1x Mini-PCIe
6x Internal USB 2.0
Top I/O Ports & Slots:

2x USB 2.0 Ports
Microphone/Headphone Port
Front I/O Ports & Slots:

2x USB 2.0 Ports
1x 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Rear I/O Ports & Slots:

4x USB 2.0 Ports
1x eSATA
1x HDMI/VGA
Standard 7.1 Audio Jacks
Digital SPDIF
Productivity Software: Office Home & Student 2010 - Full Version

Microsoft® Word
Microsoft® Excel
Microsoft® PowerPoint
Microsoft® OneNote
Additional Software:

McAfee (30 day)
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
Additional Information:

Power Supply: 460W
Color: Black
Dimensions: 7.31" W x 17.9" D x 16.02" H

 

[o1die]

That system was on sale recently for around $800. If you understand that the windows installation only works with the dell motherboard, and you can't overclock the processor, then you can decide for yourself. You may be able to upgrade the gpu even with the dell ps; just check the video card minimum ps requirement first. Building your own sounds easy, but you may get discouraged and screw it up. Takes a little patience and ability to read the motherboard manual. Do the research and decide. Youtube has some videos for building your own. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJNp6wdfqI

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Even OPENING IT UP ...WILL void the warranty....

All the best Brett

 

[jaguarskx]

You can build it for less.

 

[esrever]

You can always build it for less and with better quality parts. Thats the good thing about building.

 

[ali2837]

What do you want/need from your computer.
It all depends on whether you want to overclock and How comfterable you are with opening up pcs and building one.

Bear in mind your system has a rather low psu wattage and If you want to get a new Gpu your old one will waste.

 

[seumas_beathan]

It comes with a hd 6450, SERIOUSLY? Terrible terrible card

 

[BadTrip]

I would never own a OEM box, but it would be hard to build it for that price counting software.

 

[rage33]

I agree, just build or have a friend build for you if your not comfortable. The best part about building is future upgrading. You will always be able to recycle parts from old rigs to new ones. plus OEM box computers are notorious for using cheap power supplies, and flimsy cases. Not to mention absolutely no options to tweak your system to improve performance. And of course as mention before the copy of Win7 that it comes with is married to your Motherboard forever.

 

[jimmysmitty]

You can always build it for less and with better quality parts. Thats the good thing about building.

This.

I see soooo many XPS systems at work with bad PSUs, bad mobos or well almost any part except the CPU. Not worth it when in a year or less it will go bad on you.

 

[signor]

After working for the DSGi/dell tech support I can only tell you one thing......dont....just dont.

The PC's are sold with the sole purpose of making future money.

 

[Cazalan]

I've used a number of Dell servers and desktops without issue.
The power supplies don't leave much headroom but you can usually add a 100-150 Watt video card.

Price seems a bit high though. Dell has tons of sales. Go to techbargains.com or slickdeals.net to find a good one.