Hi,
I'm trying to replace my ailing lap-top (Lenovo w500) with a new desktop. I will be using it primarily for 3d modelling, drafting, and rendering. I primarily use Catia, Rhino, Vray, Autocad, and Adobe Creative Suite. I prefer to have a couple of these open in addition to iTunes. My school has an academic discount with Dell, so I'm conflicted between the relative advantages of that with building my own.
I have priced out a home build on Newegg trying to stay in the same ballpark as the Dell. I am trying to get this sorted in the next month or so. Here are the two setups:
School Dell:
OptiPlex 990 SFF Workhorse
- 512MB AMD RADEON HD 6350 (2 DVI)
- 8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio & Cyberlink PowerDVD
- 3 YR Next Business Day Onsite Service
- Upgrade to 500GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
- Upgrade to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- (Req. 64-bit OS) Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
- Upgrade to Intel Core i7 2600 Processor (3.4GHz, 8M)
total with 3 year on site warranty/service: $915.75
Newegg Build:
- Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115071
- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
- MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127573
- Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358
- G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422
- Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V V2.2 PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023
- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
- HP FQ480AA#ABA Black 2.4GHz Wireless Standard Elite Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
- LiteOn DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823700011
total with all available newegg warranties: $971.14
I don't need a monitor or a mouse.
My reasons for going with the dell are the convenience of the warranty/service and the smaller form-factor. My reasons for going with the home build are obviously a slight bump in performance and more control of the components. Opinions?
(edited to add component links)
I'm trying to replace my ailing lap-top (Lenovo w500) with a new desktop. I will be using it primarily for 3d modelling, drafting, and rendering. I primarily use Catia, Rhino, Vray, Autocad, and Adobe Creative Suite. I prefer to have a couple of these open in addition to iTunes. My school has an academic discount with Dell, so I'm conflicted between the relative advantages of that with building my own.
I have priced out a home build on Newegg trying to stay in the same ballpark as the Dell. I am trying to get this sorted in the next month or so. Here are the two setups:
School Dell:
OptiPlex 990 SFF Workhorse
- 512MB AMD RADEON HD 6350 (2 DVI)
- 8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio & Cyberlink PowerDVD
- 3 YR Next Business Day Onsite Service
- Upgrade to 500GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
- Upgrade to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- (Req. 64-bit OS) Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
- Upgrade to Intel Core i7 2600 Processor (3.4GHz, 8M)
total with 3 year on site warranty/service: $915.75
Newegg Build:
- Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115071
- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
- MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127573
- Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358
- G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422
- Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V V2.2 PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023
- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
- HP FQ480AA#ABA Black 2.4GHz Wireless Standard Elite Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
- LiteOn DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823700011
total with all available newegg warranties: $971.14
I don't need a monitor or a mouse.
My reasons for going with the dell are the convenience of the warranty/service and the smaller form-factor. My reasons for going with the home build are obviously a slight bump in performance and more control of the components. Opinions?
(edited to add component links)