The Dell Dimension XPS (it's XPS, Uprising) looks pretty hot. I think they have a special service department for the XPS series, which might be an advantage for you. Check it out: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&kc=6V528&l=en&oc=XPSSO&s=dhs
I get email from Directron all the time. They're always running some sort of special. As for building a computer. I've done it, and I can barely tie my shoes, so it's obviously not hard at all. The only reason I use Dells now is because I was able to get them so cheap that it was a better overall deal than building at the time. But they aren't usually as cheap as I got the two I have.
talk about quiet pc. I personaly is not a heavy game user. and I also do not overclock. so for me, a case fan is not even necessary. the quiet (without paying a premium) pc system I could be think of right now: ( and will very likely try it myself in the summer): 1. a seagate barracuda IV hard drive. some claim this hard disk is really really quiet. 2. A quiet powersupply such as this one: http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SPS-300&cat=CAS 3. A cpu heatsink without fan such as this one: http://www.directron.com/ncu1000.html 2 might not work well with 3. so might need to replace 2 with a powersupply that has a different fan.
you guys are funny. How come you do not know it's in Houston? Directron.com, RMA #______ for Order #_______ 10402 Harwin Drive Houston, Texas 77036 I would love to live in those type of IT rich state/city.
my problem with dell is that it might take me months to get the right deal from dell so that it will be as cheap as build it yourself. I do not know how to do deal hunting and I hate mail in rebates. and I believe everyone should at least built one pc in their life time. otherise life is not complete.
WOW. Never even heard of this thing until I checked out the site. A cooling fan for cpu's that uses water to cool it down. http://www.directron.com/silentstream.html
Watercoolers are common among overclockers, check www.xoxide.com I've seen people overclock their 3ghz p4 ee to around or close to 4ghz
I plan on buying parts and what not over the summer to build one, but i dont know how to build one, so my friend is going to do it for me, he just built one of his own about a month ago. I think he used all online tutorial things too, i would really like to learn how to build one though, just for the experience really.
If you're willing to pay for an alienware computer, you might as well look at these sites as well: www.velocitymicro.com falcon The fragbox is an interesting deal if you're into shuttle pc's. voodoo Like others have said, if you're building your own computer definitely check out newegg.com. It rocks for sure. Here are some other places similar to newegg and also sell some systems of their own: accessmicro digital storm Finally, if you ever come across a site that you've never heard of but seems to have great deals, always check reseller ratings Real customers review their experiences from tons of resellers. Anyway..good luck on your new pc!
update: after looking around, I found a computer I'm seriously considering of going ahead and ordering. Wanted to check-in with the expertise of the BBS first Case: ENERMAX CS5171LBFS-B BLACK MID TOWER CASE W/350WATT Motherboard: EPoX 4PDA2+ Intel 865 800FSB Motherboard w/1Gb LAN,SATA RAID, IEEE1394 - Retail (MTBEP4PDA2+ ) Processor: Intel P4 3.0GHZ 512K 800FSB SOCKET 478 RETAIL CPU (CPPIN473.0B ) RAM: OCZ Dual Channel Platinum Edition PC3200 1024MB Kit (512MB x 2) Memory - Retail (Lifetime Warranty) Video Card: ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB DDR w/TV-Out DVI - Retail (VGAAT9800PRO ) Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Plug n Play (SNDCLPCMP3B) Hard Drive: Seagate 120GB SATA-150 7200RPM 8.5MS 8MB Cache - OEM (HDPSE120ATA ) DVD: LG Electronics 16X DVD-ROM Internal IDE Drive Black Bezel - Bulk Pack (CDDLG8162BK ) Speakers: Juster 5.1 Dolby Ready PC Home Theater System 6PCS DHT-601 (SPKJUDHT601 ) Those are the main highlights.. Final Price: $1,275 Thoughts?
I would get 2 sticks of 256MB instead of 512MB, so you can take advantage of the dual channel feature on the 865 motherboard. Dual channel gives you a bit of extra performance
I don't know if you got the computer already or not, but I can recommend www.gentechpc.com. It has great customization options, is cheaper than Alienware, or Dell or just about anything else. It's only slightly more than building it yourself and you don't have to build it yourself. If you don't have to get a monitor you can easily get a system with more than 2 gig RAM. Either top of line P4 or AMD processors(they offer both), top of the line video card NVIDIA or RADEON(they offer both.) You can get a wide variety of speaker systems, sound cards dvd burners etc. Remember to remove the monitor and you will be set. I have two computers from them, and use them for gaming a lot. Each of my computers cost less than 3k, and one of them included a monitor for that. The only thing that you might want to eventually replace is a higher powersupply, but I think they offer 550w which should be plenty.
