1. Is this* a good gaming computer?

2. Is it worth the price? (divide with 7-8 to turn into dollars)

3. Anyone have any ?B3R/good/bad/life-destroying experience with Dell?

I mean, it is (suspeciously(spell?)) cheap compared to the specs, so it might crash the moment i open the package. :razz:

Not too much off topic, please :smile: (Trying to stop the un-stop-able :biggrin: )

The only thing that ever worried me with Dells is that I've opened up a couple of their machines, and none of them had fans over the processors. Instead, they had plain heat sinks with a piece of plastic to direct the air flow to a fan on the side of the case. For me, that just isn't good enough. On top of that, a lot of pieces are clipped in place with unnecessary pieces of plastic.

Despite that, they seem fairly reliable. So in short, if you want a machine which will work, but won't be upgraded, then okay... maybe...

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My site

IMO, any name brand PC is crap by default.

If you have the option, have your new PC built.

/story

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I built my machine, and it's great if you have the skills to look after it. If you do build your own machine, it will be you that has to fix it. But, self-built computers are usually cheaper and allow you to buy exactly want you want.

If you go with win xp, go pro, home and media center suck.

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/

i agree with everything d-k said

Dell ... using brand name? What world do you live in?

The thing you have to remember is that if ANYTHING goes wrong with it (even a fan failing) you have to send it back to Dell to get it fixed if you wish to keep your warranty.

The Bad:

Doesn't say who made the HDD. I'm not really one to pass judgement based on a brand ... usually. However, when it comes to Hard Drives you have to be sceptical. It's been my experience that if they don't say who made it: It's Fujitsu. And if that's the case you ought to stab your eyes out right now, it'll cause you less headache in the end.

The only company it says it actually uses is Intel and that's for the processor. I can only guess that the ram is Rambus (type), which is far too expensive in the long run, since if you want to upgrade ... it'd actually be cheaper to build another computer than to buy more ram.

The video card has no listed manufacturer. It just says what chipset it uses ... barely.

I'm just pointing this stuff out, since, it's really something you'd want to look for. It doesn't even tell you what board the machine uses so you can't the chipset to see if it even works on average (chances are it doesn't).

The best alternative is to build your own, with well selected parts. It does cost a little more at the beginning, but it pays for its self. You don't have s**tty parts bailing on you (unless you have poor choice in parts that is)
If something goes wrong, you can just open it, fix it ... end of that. (No shipping it off to a company which is in another country.)

The only things it comes with that looks decent are: the specs on the video card (Which, surprisingly enough, isn't built in). And the monitor. Because monitors is about the only thing dell makes which are nice.

Up to you, of course, but dells blow ass. They always have and they always will. There is a reason why they cut such low deals. Most of the parts they use aren't good enough to buy (they can't hold up in the market compared to other manufactures, in other words)

If you're cautious about building your own, there's an unprecidented amount of tutorials online on how to build a computer, hell there's tutorials on how to pick the right hardware for you (no, it isn't the biggest baddest and most popular). Most motherboard manuals even have instructions on how to install everything. (setting the board up being the most important part)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Yeah, I agree with all the talk about Dell (and other name-brand comps) being crap. Build your own, go with an Athlon 64 (probably 3200 - 3500) and a 6800GT or X800 Pro, maybe better depending on your budget. X600 with hypermemory is crap. Also, XP Home is crap. But yeah, Crono hit the nail on the head, if you want crappy components buy a Dell. Drop by www.computersoc.com for ideas of what parts some people have used to build gaming computers, it's a small overclocking and computer help forum with helpful, active members. Also, I don't know what online computer parts retailers there are in Europe, I just know American ones. Online is probably your best bet for getting a good price on everything, retail stores tend to have slightly higher prices than (good) online stores. Though there are online retailers that are way too expensive, so be careful and shop around before buying anything, if that is the route you choose of course.

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o

I have only purchased two computer's so I cannot give a good judgement however if your interested then read:

My first PC was a Gateway and first of all I found some of the hardware was damaged...The service was terrible.

So I got a Dell a year later and it has been perfect, never breaking, plays games on high and looks nice in my little room.

So try to build your own custom PC and if that is not possible then purchase a nice Dell...You can customize it by choosing the bits and bobs.

If you do plan to build your own, I recommend you buy from newegg. I found their service to be excellent.

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/

newegg.com and maximumpc.com have some of the best hardware vs. price
ratios I have seen, I got most of the parts for my sweet compy I'm
typing on right now from maximumpc, and I have friends who love newegg.

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Also change the texture of the dock. Docks are rarely tile. -Facepunch
As I Lay Dying

unless you want a laptop build your own

and unless you got extra cash i'd say don't worry to much about looks

I fix a lot of computers for people, and lots of people have Dell PCs. They're crap.

Hardware: They use a lot of stuff that has problems and the cases are near impossible to operate on.

Software: they always come with Home edition XP. You may not think that this is a big deal until you REALLY need to do one of the things that is not IN the home edition. Then its gay. They make you load THIER drivers and a bunch of extra programs that are SO unnecessary like "dell help desk." and crap like that. It just uses up your resources.

Dell = Hell

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I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com

Yeah I agree, all name brand computers are bad by default. Dell
especially. They have gotten better recently though. But before they
would have like 40gb Hard Drives, 128mb of crappy ass RAM, then they
make their entire ad campaign aim how great it was because it had a
pentium 4. Woopdy doo, you have Intel. Personally I like AMD, I have a
AMD 64 Athlon now, and I have to say its better then any Intel.

But, if you are going to go with a name brand PC, try HP, they seem to
know a little what they are doing. PLus a lot of them have card slots
for your sd cards and such so if you have a digital camera you don't
need any cords.

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http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/8521/windows981dk.jpg

Nickelplate is my dad

If you need a basketball player to advertise your computer, give up.

HP is just as bad, if not worse.

At least Dell uses ATX form factor (for the most part).

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Don't buy a Dell unless you want a s**tty computer, and you enjoy being ripped off. I'm not saying this to jumop on the bandwagon and bash Dell, I own one sadly. :sad:

The only brand computer I've had was my first one. It was an IBM PS/2
with a 386 20mhz processor and 2 megabytes of ram. Since then I've
either built the comp myself or asked someone to do it for me. No
regrets only cheaper and better working packages.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

The only brand-name computer I ever had was a Tandy 80/86 in the year 1988. I was 3 and a half. and we played JumpJoe.

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I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com

I went through my "Named Brand" phase just like most everyone else. Its easy to fall back on the "ease of acquisition".

The hardest thing about buying a built PC is the uneasiness you feel where "serviceability" is concerned.

I am a totally self taught pc builder. I cannot do everything BUT I have enough friends here who are to almost guarantee my success with any mishap.

Since I discovered Pricewatch I have never come across any deals better. Yeah, you can buy a PC in Wal-Marts today, but you will never be as satisfied with it. Somehow, having control over its results by choosing the parts it contains is simply... Inspirational.

I suggest you have one built, by a credible manufacturer, but chose the contents.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Building a PC is about as close as I'll come, at least anytime soon, to building something physical with my bare hands. And a screw driver. It's a completely enjoyable experience and a lot simpler than you would otherwise think.

I actually used a setup from PC-PowerPlay magazine, since every issue they build a Beast and alternate between a Beastie and a Mutant. Obviously the Beast contains the best of the best, the Beastie is limited to the best for $2000 AUS, and the Mutant is the best setup for overclocking. The point is they built systems that actually ran well, had no conflicts, and were aimed at the three basic PC users.

I built the mutant a couple of years ago its served me extremely well.

I'm also looking at getting a laptop. Has anyone looked at AlienWare? They seem to be similarly priced to Dell, except their systems go further than Dell in beefyness.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

AlienWare has really gone downhill in the last few years. I used to give them some accolade because they used some good parts, but now they're starting to use crap and overcharging for it. Such as if you built the same machine yourself (identical, mind you) it'd be ~$700 cheaper.

I would imagine the same ideas have gone into their laptops. However, with laptops you can't be too picky, since you can't really build your own since everything is very specialized.

I liked IBM's ThinkPads for a long time, but they've always had battery issues. I'd suggest a PowerBook or something as such because of the all around badass-ness of the laptop, but a lot of people refuse to make that type of switch. (and they're pricey ~$1500 for a 15")

Dell, Compaq, and Gateway are just things you shouldn't touch. HP (Compaq part II) has always had underhanded methods. Toshiba is alright. They have pretty broad support (covering many OS's) and they make a wide range of laptops (from bare stuff to tablet screen), But I'm not too sure about the specifics.
One thing I'll give IBM is they may hide things about batteries (their batteries really are not as good as advertised, there's a defect in all their "smart" chips) they will (on everything else) tell you how to replace or fix almost anything that can go wrong with the laptop. Which is damn nice and most companies don't do that.

But the biggest deciding factor is money. Also what you plan on doing with it. Playing games? Well ... something like AlienWare is pretty much all you can go with, since they're pretty much the only people who put beefy video in a laptop (some others are now too though)

I'd suggest trying to find an alternative to alienware though, if you can. Just because of their prices.

I'd personally get a 15 or 17" PowerBook. They're tough, nice to look at, accomodating ... and I wont use it for games, so the entire needing DirectX compatability goes out the window. But that's also the view of a programmer who uses a Unix environment.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

With apple's switch to Intel processers, soon you should be able to run windows on an apple laptop. If you do however, I will personally hate you for defiling a nice machine like that :smile:

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/