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Thread: Somebody stop me... (Gaming PC Build Thread)

  1. #141
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    Agreed. Great deal. Swap in a good graphics card and you'll be away for the next couple of years anyway.

  2. #142
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    Linky no worky?

  3. #143
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    Still works for me... Maybe try cut and paste? If not, just go to Dell -> Desktops -> Work -> Inspiron and you'll find it.

  4. #144
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    WEIRD! Works now. Thanks!
    Sent it to my buddy, he's looking for a way to get into PC gaming without breaking the bank. This could be perfect gateway buy.

  5. #145
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    I am 99% sure this Inspiron shares the metal part of the chassis with the XPS 8x00 PCs, which means it has a standard-sized PSU. There is a depth restriction (160mm comes to mind) but you can find all manner of 500-700w PSUs that will fit. The factory PSU is probably a 380w or 430w, so it will limit video card selection, but you do have upgrade options if you want to move into a better card. But, for entry level gaming I think the R9/360 will at least get you going. The rest of it is pretty solid - DDR3 instead of DDR4 with Skylake will lose some performance, but whatever. It's $600! The CPU is worth half that!

  6. #146
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    General question, if there's a general answer: is it better/cheaper/smarter to buy a Dell machine with lots of RAM from Dell, or to buy aftermarket RAM and install it soon after?

    The same question could be asked of video cards as well, now that I think of it.

    Asking specifically about XPS 8900s I see in the Dell Outlet. Some come with 8GB RAM and lesser video cards. Others are higher spec'd, but at a much higher cost, obviously.

    Just wondering if there's a general rule about these things, such as "better to buy the Big Boy up front" or "always get your upgrades separately".

  7. #147
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    There isn't really a general rule - sometimes it's cheaper to buy it altogether and sometimes it's better to upgrade after. You really have to look at any given configuration and both sides of it and see if you're better of going aftermarket. One thing that is true is that you virtually never want to change a configuration with the customization options. Those are always are rip off. Dell charges you a pretty penny for customization; the prefab shrink-wrapped setups are always superior values.

  8. #148
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    Quote Originally Posted by thesameguy View Post
    There isn't really a general rule...[yet]...the prefab shrink-wrapped setups are always superior values.
    Fair enough. Thanks. I'm still teetering on the verge of indecision and weighing important factors such as New PC or New Timing Belt and New PC vs Home Repairs/Improvement and Fun of New PC vs Smaller Fun Money Account Balance.

    I'll get there eventually, despite my blessed or cursed trait of indecision where money is involved.

  9. #149
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    How short are the valves?

    IMO buy cheap or not integrated.

  10. #150
    High Plains Luddite George's Avatar
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    Well, after several weeks and possibly months of watching the Dell Outlet like an eBay sniper and also comparison shopping Macs at apple.com and used ones at macofalltrades.com and a couple local sources, I saw something that was as good a deal as I'm likely to ever see, and I finally screwed up my courage and pressed the "Buy" button at the Dell Outlet today. Yay. I was happy for about two minutes.

    Then my old flip-phone rang on my desk at work. It was my bank calling, wondering if I, the guy who never charges anything, had finally dusted off my old credit card and actually made a purchase. I said yes, that was me, and thanked the lady for checking. I'd hope they'd do that if someone was trying to use my CC number fraudulently to buy four fried chickens and a coke or whatever the crooks are stealing this year.

    Not so fast, she told me. It seems I entered the expiration date incorrectly, she said, and Dell rejected my card. WTF? As I nearly never order anything online, I quadruple-checked everything and even spent some time wondering what's the point of having that three-digit security code on the back if everyone wants it to let you buy anything. How is that any more secure than the number on the front and the expiration date? And I'm an accounting nerd with excellent close-up eyesight. That shit was RIGHT before I pressed "Buy" or "Order" or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter her" as I actually purchased a Windows 10 computer. Eww. I feel like I need a shower. That;s okay, as I got a BigAss(TM) hard drive that I hope is large enough to support a partition for Linux (the UbuntuStudio 16.04 OS, specifically) so I can choose between good and evil.

    Turns out my current card expires at the END of this month, 08/16, but they had already put a replacement card in the mail with a date of 08/19. After going back and forth between Dell's customer service phone lines and my bank's phone lines (both of which have me ready to gnaw off my phone-holdin' hand so I never have to re-live that hell again), I learned that once the bank mails the replacement card, without bothering to mention that fact to the card holder, the card in my wallet is no longer valid for online and telephone purchases.

    This is why I live like Jack Reacher and pay for stuff in person with sack full o' cash and an angry glare when asked for my personal details for their corporate databases.

    And, of course, by the time I learned this, Dell's phone lines closed, so I don't know if my order is still in their system or if I'll have to start all over and potentially miss what I thought was a good deal at the Outlet, combined with their current coupon of 35% off what I bought...or tried to buy...or whatever the heck went on here today.

    Stay tuned. I'm tryin'.

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