In practical terms not really. You give up a little clock speed and some cores you probably won't use. TBH, for gaming you are probably better off going to down in CPU and using the difference to get a real GPU. There were no i5s when I looked or I would have mentioned it originally.
Cool. Order'd.
I should have put your name down as my Dell sales rep.
Nice! Should be a good machine for a good while!
If after arrival your invoice includes a line item for "premium support" you can sometimes call and say something like you didn't realize you were paying for premium support and would like to return the PC. They will typically scramble and either offer $50 back or sometimes refund the premium support which can be up to $100. Doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot.
Also, FWIW, the XPSs have a mSATA slot, so if you find a good deal on an mSATA SSD you have options.
Obviously I am not qualified to say what is a good deal or not.
Would that really help with RTS/turn based games like I mainly play on PC? I don't do much at all, with photo or video stuff, besides moving them around and cleaning them up a bit.
Possibly with RTS games, and even with turn-based games. Loading new textures and assets should initially be slightly quicker. But with a well-coded game I wouldn't think that there would be a noticeable difference.
Yeah, not something I'd go out of my way to pursue. First order of business is definitely a video card.
^ Thanks. That's very helpful to me. I'm teetering on the edge of a purchase very soon, if I could just convince myself that it's okay to spend that much money for a "toy". All of our computing needs are currently met, so this would be a luxury purchase, and that's the part I just can't wrap my brain around.Originally Posted by thesameguy
Anyway, initially I was looking for something powerful enough for multi-track audio recording (guitars, etc.) without latency and as long as I can plug in a large monitor, whatever video capability it happens to have has is good enough. I mean, it always has been. I've never not been able to watch a YouTube video or play a game, so why should I pony up the extra bucks for super-spiffy video? But, there must be something to having a better video card, or all this discussion wouldn't be going on. And I do remember playing an online first-person shooter for many years back east when we had a fast internet connection via the cable TV company and yet I'd get sniped constantly before I could even see who was shooting at me. I guess that's the expensive video card at work, huh?
I shouldn't skimp on a new - yes NEW, not used from a trusted used PC shop I've enjoyed doing business with before - computer, I realize. I've been buying the cheapest possible version of everything (except some guitar and bass gear) my whole life and it's time to spend some money, as much as I hate to. As I was telling someone here recently in a PM, my current (old) laptop has four USB ports, but apparently only one of them works anymore, so for example if I want to plug in my digital camera to copy pictures to the hard drive, I have to unplug the mouse in order to plug in the camera and then use the trackpad for the dragging and dropping. Same if I want to use the scanner, printer, or mp3 player. That ain't no way to live!
Our son loves video games and is developing an interest in video filming and editing, too. I'm starting to regret saying "A video camera? Yeah, I think we have one around here somewhere", as he's a budding young Seņor Spielbergo now. Our daughter is a born artist and I could see getting a drawing tablet for her (and me) also. I want to have a "family computer" in the basement that's good for gaming (hey, I love video games too!) and scanning and printing, and I also want to run a HDMI cable to a not-yet-purchased HDTV for Netflix and other streaming as well. And the Xbox, too! Gotta keep priorities straight. And yes, my wife has a laptop that's perhaps a year old and seems to have enough horsepower for all this stuff, but that's hers, even if the boy thinks it's his. I want a separate desktop machine in the basement that isn't an old wreck like my two ancient laptops and the even older Mac with the rainbow apple logo.
It's interesting that TSG mentions a Dell XPS 8900, as for a few minutes yesterday I was thinking of just getting in the car and driving to my local Micro Center store and buying a computer. That's the one I saw on their website that made me think, "okay, that one might be good!".
Just for price comparison, here's what a local corporate-chain computer store is charging for the two versions of the XPS 8900 that TSG posted above...or two similar ones, anyway. The specs aren't exactly the same, but I figure it's a close enough comparison, but maybe I'm missing something. I confess I don't know what all the acronyms and abbreviations mean in the lists of specifications.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...sktop_Computer
Dell XPS 8900 Desktop Computer; Intel Core i7-6700 Processor 3.4GHz; Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit; 8GB DDR4-2133 RAM; 1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
Intel Core i7-6700 Processor 3.4GHz
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
8GB DDR4-2133 RAM
1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 2GB DDR3
DVDRW Drive
19-in-1 Media Card Reader
10/100/1000 Network
Dell 1801 802.11b/g/n Wireless
Bluetooth 4.0
Display Not Included
$700 plus tax
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...sktop_Computer
Dell XPS 8900 Desktop Computer; Intel Core i7-6700 Processor 3.4GHz; Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit; 16GB DDR4-2133 RAM; 2TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
Intel Core i7-6700 Processor 3.4GHz
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
16GB DDR4-2133 RAM
2TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 745 4GB
DVDRW Drive
19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Dell 1801 802.11b/g/n Wireless
Bluetooth
Display Not Included
$900 plus tax
However, as I have no interest in Windows and choose not to spend as much as a good used car for a similar Macintosh, and as I seriously dig the Ubuntu operating system, I'm also considering supporting local business and buying a machine from Denver-based System76 (www.system76.com), such as something like this: https://system76.com/desktops/ratel or this: https://system76.com/desktops/wild-dog
I'm wondering if the money I'd save by not having to buy a copy of Windows from Dell would get me a better spec'd PC with an OS I'd install myself, but perhaps I'd get more bang for my buck with Dell hardware that I assume is shipped here by the thousands, or tens or hundreds of thousands, from China on those giant container ships. Another interesting source in the USA that I'd consider in addition to System76 is www.pugetsystems.com.
Well, I guess I don't really have a question here. I'm just rambling on, as usual, but I appreciate all the info in this thread. It's helping me get on the "everyone is buying a gaming computer" bandwagon, even if that means I have less cash for the kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects I really should be focusing on, and then there are fence repairs, too, and my car isn't getting any younger, and the kids need this, that, and the other, and on and on and on...
Last edited by George; May 1st, 2016 at 07:20 AM.
TLDR both options will be fine.
Most places probably get big discounts on Windows. I'm not sure how much you'd really save buying a pre-configured machine w/o windows. You'd probably be able to save quite a bit if you built it yourself though.
If you go to a custom builder like cyberpower (MegaMothersDaySale
It largely depends on the size of the outfit. Someone like Dell or HP probably pays $20 or $40 for a license for Windows. But speaking from experience mom & pops don't get a big discount off what you can buy OE Windows for (about $80). They might pay $50 or $60 at the low end, it depends on volume.
From a quick perusal of System76, it seems they are very competitive with Dell, spec for spec. Dell gets you a Windows license for what amounts to free, so there's that. I will damn near guarantee System76 has better support, though.Now, if I'm my dad, and I can't stand the thought of "buying used" (ie, refurbed) because of some bizarre sense of self-importance, why not buy local? it's probably the better option.
On the subject of PCs for most non-gaming purposes, there is *zero* advantage in a discrete video card vs onboard 6th gen graphics. Zero, don't spend the money. The one exception would be video editing where the software can take advantage of hardware acceleration - Premiere Pro w/ discrete graphics vs. onboard graphics isn't even a conversation. I recently built a pair of machines running Quadro K2200s for Premiere, and they are FAST. It really makes me wonder what "outdated" workstation graphics cards can do in this environment. An old GTX570 still has some value, but old Quadros have about none. I really wonder if there is some economy there. But, uh, for audio or surfing the net or pretty much anything else, discrete graphics win you nothing. Video and gaming, that's where they're useful. And those super-low-end video cards like the GT745 or R5-370 aren't as good as the onboard stuff in an academic sense anyway. Save yo cash.
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