Dell Value, sort of

[preacher9t7]

I am on the fence between a Dell XPS 8500, with the ivy bridge i-5, and 8 gb of ram and the Dell Inspiron 620 with 8 gb of ram and the sandy beach i-5. With a sale coupon, the Inspiron prices in at just over $500.00 USD. The stock xps 8500 is $750.00 USD. Either way I plan to upgrade the graphics, although I may be able to avoid a PSU upgrade on the XPS.

As far as graphics, any advice on HD 6850, 6870, and 7770 would be appreciated. I guess it's clear that I'm looking to confine the GPU to les than $200.00 USD.

Thanks

 

[preacher9t7]

Hey Preacher,
I would be thinking of building you own, I would not be thinking of buying a computer and planing to upgrade it right away.

I certainly have that idea, but I am typically more comfortable getting a stock PC, then changing the graphics card. By the time I add Win 7, I am close to even w/o the construction headache.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

for $700 (500 PC + 200 GPU & PSU) you can build a very solid i5 sandy bridge, and $950 (for the 8500) is plenty for a very very nice PC.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

ok, specs I'm seeing at Dell are

$599 for Inspiron 620:
i5-2350 w/ HD 2000 graphics
6 GB RAM
1 TB HDD
20" monitor (Probly 160/00x900)
Win 7 home

and you want to add $200 for a GPU and better PSU. total $799. call it $800 there.

----

The 8500 has, for $749
I5-3450
8 GB RAM
no monitor
AMD 7570
1 TB HDD
Windows 7 home premium

You have a low-end gpu here, but need a Monitor, say $100 extra, for $850

I think we can do a better system in the $850 range.

I5-3450: $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506
same cpu as the 8500

Gigabyte B75M-D3V motherboard: $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128540
basic, but all we need

Team 8 GB DDR3-1600 $40.99 + 6ft HDMI cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313255
same speed as the 8500.

Win 7 Home Premium: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
yes, OEM version.

Samsung DVD burner: $14.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
simple, but cheap

seagate 1 TB Sata II hdd, 7200 rpm: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148321
you won't notice the difference between SATA II and SATA III with a mechanical hard drive

Sapphire HD 6850 graphics card: $134.99 plus $15 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908
far BETTER graphics

corsair CX 430 W PSU: $44.95 plus $10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
plenty of juice for this system.

Rosewill Ranger-M Case: $24.99 w/ promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147122
its on sale right now, and has a cool LED in front

IO Gear US Keyboard and Mouse: $11.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823176008
basic but functional

Acer 20" monitor, 1600x900: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009256

total: $842.89

 

[preacher9t7]

ScrewySqrl:

Thanks for the build details. I have been away for a while, so missed your detailed reply. I am not much in the confidence arena for a build, yet. I will likely be putting aside the build option for later. My main rule in buying a PC is get as much processor as I can. I am looking now at the Dell XPS i7 with the coupon until July 4, and will keep base graphics for a while. I think that most gaming I do on the PC is real time strategy/Total War/ etc type stuff, where the GPU can wait a while.

Thanks for your help.

 

[preacher9t7]

Best answer selected by preacher9t7.