Dell XPS Studio Desktop 8GB Tri-channel DDR3 Question

[abstrait]

Yep, this is correct. But also add that the memory will be running at the speed of the slowest RAM module installed. So if you somehow ended up with any combination of three, six, nine, or 12 DDR3 1333MHz and 1066MHz sticks, the RAM would run at the 1066MHz speed. This is even stated in the Dell service manual for the Studio XPS 435MT.

Actually, if you still have to have the Dell Studio XPS solution, the most cost effective option both from a performance and configuration standpoint would be to opt for the 3GB solution, or their lowest price option in the first customizable selection, and then UPGRADE via Newegg or some other online provider to a better RAM option with something like Corsair DDR3 1333MHz via 2GBx3. Not only would this be CHEAPER in the long run, but it would make for a better upgrade path, be better quality RAM, and a higher performance solution to boot, at a far better deal than Dell delivers. This is almost a no brainer.

Lastly, I'm thinking that Dell will never provide a BIOS option that will configure the i7 920 platform to anywhere near its potential. And when all is said and done, even if not opting for an upgrade in the graphics department, thereby bringing on a needed upgrade in your PSU, you WILL want to upgrade the cooling capability of this system.

I'm thinking that the stock CPU cooler implementation can be hit or miss, which is why some of these machines are bringing that CPU fan to cycle into Porsche 956 mode as if barreling down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Some of these Dell Studio XPS machines bring more cycles of this CPU fan than others, perhaps even resulting from differences in Thermal Compound application between the CPU and cooler. And if sensitive to the overall noise of the machine, wanting the most acceptable solution before the CPU fan is even in the picture, it appears an upgrade of the 92mm CASE FAN is a much needed solution. Thankfully, this is VERY inexpensive and as easy a mod as can be with four screws and and a plug. In addition, there is a spot on the front of the case for another 92mm fan, though powering this fan would be more problematic. Still, this machine with the ATI 4850 option is a bit toasty inside. And with a few mods, this might be helped enormously, even bring down noise levels in the process.

That being said, one must still weigh in all the variables with this system. At a discount price via the outlet when a loaded configuration comes up, it's still a deal. And if clicking the right options, and going for well-considered upgrades, the machine might be even better. Just dont expect the ultimate configuration that would take the i7 920 to its capabilities or a case and motherboard with the best upgrade potential.

 

[FEChariot]

Good point on the frequency taking to path of the slowest module.

I do plan on replacing the fan from what I've heard already when I get it. Its too cheep not to. That is interesting about the spot on the front of the case for a second fan. Is there no additional plug for a second fan? Can 2 fans be spliced together and ran off the same plug without overloading it? Would you recommend having the front fan blowing into the machine and the rear exhausting?

 

[abstrait]

Good question on the splicing of the two fans into that one plug. You know, in this case, I have no final answer as to what the board can handle here. I've not heard of anyone doing this but it's a good question, especially if no other power options are present. I need to look one more time at the power supply to see what it provides for extra plugs.

As far as I can see, with the stock setup, there is no place for that front mounted fan to be powered specifically. The mounting holes are plainly visible, however. I remember reading somewhere that Dell does not provide another power point. Be interesting to know if the kludge would work.

On the direction, I would think that drawing cool air in would be the wise move, thus keeping the air running from front to back in the same flow as the case fan and and CPU cooler. The front fan, drawing cool air in, would flow a nice stream over the drives and the ATI 4850, probably the hottest thing in the case. In addition, might be be wise to take off that last lower slot cover to give some more flow below the video card so some of that hot air can escape.

One other slight bummer with a dual drive option with the 4850 is you have to remove that second HD to get at the card. The clearance is just too tight.

I'm literally on my 21st day of owning this machine, the LAST day to return the whole beast, lock stock and barrel. I've been giving serious thought and need to make up my mind within the next few hours.

 

[FEChariot]

is the fan a 3-pin motherboard socket or a 4-pin Molex connector?

I found a splice wire on newegg to add a second fan for a 4 pin connector and it sounds like one of our tech guys uses this all the time in his units.



I don't think you can get the 3gb version and upgrade it to 12gb. The sales rep from dell told me yesterday that there are two different motherboards in the studio XPS. The cheaper one only has 3 or 4 dimms I can't remember which, but it wasn't 6. Also if you buy the unit with 3gb you also lose out on the bundled savings and would have to upgrade the HD, monitor, video card, etc. FYI

 

[abstrait]

is the fan a 3-pin motherboard socket or a 4-pin Molex connector?

It's a 3 pin connector on the board.

I don't think you can get the 3gb version and upgrade it to 12gb. The sales rep from dell told me yesterday that there are two different motherboards in the studio XPS. The cheaper one only has 3 or 4 dimms I can't remember which, but it wasn't 6. Also if you buy the unit with 3gb you also lose out on the bundled savings and would have to upgrade the HD, monitor, video card, etc. FYI

Hmmm...this sounds really strange to me regarding the two boards. Are you sure on this? Yeah, I guess the 3GB option would really work for the guys overseas, especially in Australia, that is, if it's not a whole different motherboard. I would be completely pissed. The online and included manual for the Studio XPS 435MT only mention ONE motherboard, too. Im not sure I would believe that. Actually, I was thinking people were buying this beast sans monitor. IF doing that, and it IS the same motherboard, you really arent losing much, and could buy a second hard drive, a better option that Dell offers, for peanuts. Still have a hard time believing that different MB thing. I have seen no mention of it anywhere, from documentation to advertising. Given Dell's history in faulty info, I wouldnt bank on it.

 

[FEChariot]

Given Dell's history in faulty info, I wouldnt bank on it.

Well that is one thing I have learned you can count on in this experience. I would double check with a sales rep prior to buying one to make sure, or at least to have a scapegoat.

Thanks for the fan info

 

[abstrait]

I posted these elsewhere but thought you might find it interesting, if only to see some more shots. Here are two shots of my own Dell Studio XPS 435MT interior as configured with the i7 920, 6GB DDR3 Tri-Channel RAM, 1.2TB via 2 Samsung 640GB HD run RAID 0 Striping, and ATI RADEON 4850 512mb video card (you'll also notice a wireless card, an option that came with this refurbished outlet choice along with a DVD/RW and additional CD drive).

See the self explanatory labels, the mediocre fan in full view. Without a doubt, the greatest heat producer is the ATI 4850. The Samsung 640GB SATA drives are extremely quiet and run quite cool in this configuration, cooler than the WD drives I have. The PSU runs rather cool as well.

Still, I am wondering how much the i7 CPU Cooler plays an effect in this beast's fan up, fan down aural blastoff....

See full view1 from side at 1200px (apologies for somewhat mediocre pic)
http://i39.tinypic.com/2nujde8.jpg

View w/labels

 

[FEChariot]

Thanks for the pic. I placed an order for 2 fans and a y cable from newegg. I am noticing a potential hot spot problem with that GPU. Looks like the 4850 being that close to the bottom of the case will only suck back in its hot exhaust. That seem right in your case?

I actually went with the smaller 4670. I really wanted a 4870 but that wasn't an option so I went the cheaper route to upgrade in the near future. Although I will give the 4670 a chance since I don't do a lot of gaming - more photo editing and such.

The 4870 exhausts from the second slot out the case so it would seem a better option for cooling too. Check out this guy's mod.

http://www.voidware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=2

 

[abstrait]

Indeed, that was one of the first pages I found.

As for the cooling and the 4850, see my quote below from several posts up:

The front fan, drawing cool air in, would flow a nice stream over the drives and the ATI 4850, probably the hottest thing in the case. In addition, might be be wise to take off that last lower slot cover to give some more flow below the video card so some of that hot air can escape.

But to be honest, I dont see it that bad down there and I've put my hand there and the heat does not feel too bad. The bottom of the card facing up is another story as it's a real hot beast. That's why a front fan drawing air in and blowing it toward the vid card, drives, and the CPU fan might help.

But to be honest, you night not even need the front fan. I'm wondering if the CPU cooler is a bit mediocre and if the application of said cooler varies enough to make some have these cycling on and off issues without enough load to warrant. I need to take a serious closer look to see if and how this front fan would take.

You might even wait till this machine is in hand to see what you think, how your machine is put together, and whether you'll ultimately find it the right choice. Although the fan order is always a good thing. What fan(s) did you go with?

btw, if you dont do games at all, then I dont even think you need the 4850. The less hit the better. indeed, I had a lowly 3450 256mb in house for a month, pushing a 24" HP w2408h via HDMI at 1920x1200 and it did perfectly fine. Ive seen almost no difference in casual use between that card and this 4850. I might even have given the lower spec 3450 the advantage in picture quality by a hair.

when is your system due to arrive?

 

[FEChariot]

I went with these fans:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119034

Do you think a pci slot fan like this one would fit under the GPU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119065

That would help a ton.

I do play games although not near as often as before I became a parent. When I do get a chance to play it is mostly RTS type that isn't as taxing on the video card as the first person shooter games are.

It is supposed to ship on Thursday so about Tuesday next week I should have it. I went with the 8bg + I bought a 3rd 2gb to run a 3x2 +3x1 for 9gb total. If I would have done my homework before buying it, I probably would have just gotten 6gb and been fine with it. I also just got a single 750gb drive

 

[Poke13]

I am also in the same boat!!

Hello people!

I am glad I found this thread! I too have the Studio XPS system and went (unknowingly) for the 8gb option which as people on here have said seems to run in dual channel mode (grrr!!). I am quite sure,but not 100% that before christmas when I spec'd up the machine it didnt say dual channel on the 8gb option, and this was at the limit of my knowledge whenit came to RAM.

I got a good deal on the system through the college that my dad works at but now I am a bit pissed off about a few things:

a) The rediculously noisy fan which is very quite and then WOH! it goes mental if you encode or even if your system is doing a virus scan, poor show for such a fast machine, it should be quiet until its really going hell for leather!

b) this whole 8gb dual channel balls I can not believe they even had it as an option, do people that know less about PCs than I do spec these things up???

Well anyway I am now thinking of getting another 2gb stick to do the same as FEChariot and go to 9gb, what I want to know is whether this would be a good move? and would it work in tri mode with 3x2gb and 3x1gb?

I am glad I am not the only one who has stumbled across this annoying problem that lets face it isn't that bad but just shouldn't be an issue AT ALL!

Thanks

Poke13

 

[abstrait]

FEChariot, the only thing the worries me is the comments on that fan. Did you see the customer reviews? Not sure on that one as many of the later reviews mentioned it as a noisier fan than average (the problem with the one you're replacing) and not a fan that moved a lot of air for the RPMs. I would really shoot for the best reviewed fan for quiet that moves the most air, since those are the two critical things. To be honest, the stock fan move some air but the quiet issue is the only reason you're changing it. And the customer comments dont look very promising on either front. IF they haven't shipped, I'd consider another option although you could always return if not to your liking. Others have used Noctura and Xilence but they do move less air than the stock fan by rating.

On the slot fan, I do think it would fit though it might be a bit flimsy in the dell slots. Not sure if you're really going to need this one but they are cheap enough to try. One review mentioned how it removed heat of the backside of the card, actually the more problematic temp area.

The last issue, even though mentioned numerous times (cant be mentioned enough in my view), is really the leaf blower of a CPU cooler fan that comes on when the system is pressed, if only briefly. It sounds absurd when it ramps up and down. I'm telling you, besides the annoying drone of the lame inexpensive case fan which can even be tuned out, this ramping up of the CPU cooler is a culprit that needs to be addressed by Dell. I'm betting a new CPU Cooler would aid here but unlike the case fans, this is not an inexpensive option. As I mentioned above, now wondering if the factory application of the stock cooler might even be circumspect or even if it shifted during shipping, now not contacting the chip properly. Even a slightly variation in the application of the thermal paste could make a difference. Regardless, the noise when this beast comes into play is totally unacceptable.

a) The ridiculously noisy fan which is very quite and then WOH! it goes mental if you encode or even if your system is doing a virus scan, poor show for such a fast machine, it should be quiet until its really going hell for leather!

See my post above. Yep, it's absurd alright. What is obvious here from perusing numerous forums and comments from Dell Studio XPS 435MT owners is that SOME have this issue more than others. That could be from the difference in user load, something that makes sense. But it could also be the application and effectiveness of the cooler, as mentioned above. Of course, the lack of overall cooling in the case is a culprit but I'm thinking there is more here.

b) I am now thinking of getting another 2gb stick to do the same as FEChariot and go to 9gb, what I want to know is whether this would be a good move? and would it work in tri mode with 3x2gb and 3x1gb?

Yes, this would work and would be the cheapest solution to Tri-Channel.

Please reference the Dell 435MT manual page for configuration.

When RAM prices come down, you can even opt for a wholesale replacement, starting with 6GB of Corsair 1333MHz, putting your old RAM on eBay etc. But for now, I think that extra stick to bring Tri-Channel would work following the Dell link above for implementation.

EDIT: See below for helpful tell-tale Dell 435MT MB with connection locations etc.

- kh

 

[Poke13]

thanks for quick reply abstrait. I will investigate this further but I am def interested in getting the RAM into tri mode as it should be!! what a waste eh!

as for the replacement do you think it would be a waste on the dell motherboard?

I am planning by the time the years warranty runs out I will be able to afford a new case and better motherboard for it as these seem to be the two things that would give it the start in life it should have had!!

 

[abstrait]

You mean, will the move to DDR3 1333MHz RAM from Corsair be a waste in this application? Well, I think it would add some speed perhaps and if you are a normal user, 6GB wouldn't be a liability. That being said, after seeing your interest in moving to a new case and motherboard, it's probably wise just to add a single stick to make it Tri-Channel at 9GB for the year you have it as configured by Dell.

When you move to the new MB and case, you can buy the higher performance RAM at a reduced price due to time passage and usual decrease in memory prices. In addition, the BIOS upgrades and prices for the X58 boards will be more in play, along with subsequent price drop due to time.

With a new MB and case, you'll be able to take the insanely overclockable and best deal Core i7 920 into the over 4GHz range, pushing the RAM as well, making for a blazing system. From all reports, the i7 920 is one of the best overclockers in quite a while.

 

[Poke13]

Yeah I agree with everything you have said. I am interested in the future to make this, well whatever is left of it prob just the hard drives and processor, into a monster. Soon after I bought the system I heard that the 920 core i7 was a beast when overclocking using the right motherboard, I will be playing the occasional game but nothin that would prob strain the 4850 at the moment just some hl source stuff, looking forward to the black mesa rebuild of the original half life!

I will be using the pc for photoshop and am hoping to use it for 3ds max too and maybe even in the future some hd video editing. These are all the reasons why I wanted a decent processor and I am glad that out of the whole deal at least I am getting that! but overall it does what I need it to right now and with the tri channel sorted this should give a performance boost.

Do you know any ways of testing the speed of the system? to compare with other systems? similar to 3D Mark??

 

[EnigmaMan]

Hi Chaps,

I'd appreciate it if you could please answer the following :-

1). Does 1333MHz RAM generate more heat than 1067MHz RAM ?

2). Is the 2.93GHz Core i7 worth the extra £278.26 (Ex VAT) and all the extra heat that it generates ?

3). Did we establish whether this PC has two different motherboards, according to the specification chosen ? If so, do they both have 6 RAM slots ?

 

[FEChariot]

3). Did we establish whether this PC has two different motherboards, according to the specification chosen ? If so, do they both have 6 RAM slots ?

I talked to a sales lady from Dell and she said there was. However, giving the amount of wrong information she was stating on how the memory configurations worked, I don't know if I would trust her. The best thing to do is call or chat with Dell and hope you get someone more knowledgeable than I got.

FEChariot, the only thing the worries me is the comments on that fan. Did you see the customer reviews?
- kh

Those fans were the lowest noise rating fans that have a minimum flow of 40cfm at newegg. I did read some of the reviews and I guess I took them with a grain of salt and went by the stated rating. From the sound of what you are saying, the real noise issue is the cpu fan. I figured if I had the 2 case fans at a higher flow rate in there it would help keep the cpu fan from going into 'leaf-blower' mode as much. Worse comes to worse with these fans, I'm only out $15.

I like Poke's idea about upgrading the mtb and case after a while.

 

[abstrait]

I seriously doubt there are two separate motherboards here. There is only one 435MT manual online and linked with this computer in download and that sole manual's depiction of said motherboard is copied in full on the preceding page. This layout mimics mine. I dont see any mention of two motherboards anywhere, nor have I seen a separate board pictured, mentioned, debated in any forum (besides here, now), review, or e-zine. That's not a 100% positive but you'll have a hard time finding someone at dell that knows for certain.

Not sure how much more heat the 1333MHz DDR3 ram would bring. I wouldnt think it a huge issue and the manual states that it can safely run 1333MHz ram. Of course, the Dell bios is not a very feature-rich beast in the least. You have no control over the performance you get with most aftermarket, non OEM boards. Who can blame them for not wanting to deal with the customer headache involved for the headscratcher users that would be plowing them with even more calls/mails.

On the fan issue, the real noise issue IS the CPU fan but the stock case fan is also annoying, and unlike the CPU fan, running at all times so the drone can wear. If the substitute fan is no quieter, there's no reason to bother as the Dell stock fan is rated to move more air than most.

Lastly, the best deal in performance and price is the i7 920 by far. Reason is this processor is the most overclockable. I dont think either of the other two are worth the ducats right now. Moved into another board, and that processor will hit over 4GHz, higher than the $1000 stock 965.

 

[EnigmaMan]

Thanks for that Abstrait.

One other thing I don't understand.

If you select the 8GB RAM option and leave the graphics card unchanged (i.e. "256MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 3650 graphics card", the page displays an incompatibility warning message.

3, 4 and 6 GB RAM options are all fine and it's only the 8GB option that is apparently not compatible with the 256MB ATI® Radeon graphics card.

Not that anyone would now choose the 8GB option (by the way, the Dell UK website has now been corrected).

 

[FEChariot]

Not that anyone would now choose the 8GB option (by the way, the Dell UK website has now been corrected).

Actually it not a bad idea as long as you know you need to buy a second 2gb chip to go to 9gb.

Dell charges $100 to upgrade from 6gb to 8gb and $300 to go from 6gb to 12 gb. Logic would say they would charge $150 from 6gb to 9 gb, if they had their heads on straight. From Dell the additional 2gb module is $67. So doing it that way, it is costing you $167 to go from 6gb to 9gb.

If you go 6gb, then you have to replace all of the modules to go to 12gb and 3 of them to go to 9gb if you need more in the future.

If you want 1333 speed, then you have to replace them all anyhow however

 

[abstrait]

I still believe if you are not needing a monitor, it makes the most sense to forgo the lessor quality Dell memory they are overcharging you for and just go ahead and get Gskill or Corsair et al RAM at 1333MHz, avoiding the upgrade headache and starting right off the bat with the best ram. I'm still not seeing the "different motherboard" for the 3GB option, as they would just give you 3 1GB sticks for three of the six slots. I'd save the ducats buying the lessor ram, putting it towards top notch ram at better spec all the way around. You could have the ram waiting for you. When it's time to upgrade, get another round of 6GB for the other three slots, for a total of 12GB of DDR3 1333MHz ram. And it would still be cheaper buying a second HD from the Newegg etc. Why spend more for less product? I would think the 3650 would do fine for most users as well, at least for image quality. Again, I had a 3450 at 256mb that was actually fine with my 24" HD monitor at 1920x1200.

 

[Poke13]

Reading all of this just makes me want to sort mine out, I mean its a beast of a pc (compared to my old athlon xp 2600 32bit from like 2004 ) but the annoying things that you can only sort out once you actually own it and only find out about once you own it can be infuriating! The fans and ram are my main concern and hopefully without spending too much I will be able to sort these (as I have only just started paying for the unit through the 0% interest deal through the college my dad works at!).

The pc was not as quiet as I thought it would be when I got it, it has an annoying hum, it is relatively quiet but still doesnt have the whisper quiet sound I was expecting from a 'studio' pc. I suppose some of the humming in mine could be because I have two HDs in RAID 0 and they need extra dampening or something. Well basically now to get this pc as I want it theres some investigating and fiddling to be done.

One thing I did find which may be a future upgrade in the current case (if it will fit) is this CPU heatsink:

--- I am unable to post links as yet as I have only posted 3 replys so far but in place of a link search Xigmatek Thor in Google and you will see some previews, one from TweakTown which has good pics on page 2. -----

I was going to build my own pc and bought a 775 socket heatsink from xigmatek which is similar to the above 'THOR' model (good name ha). The 775 model cost my about £16 on ebay brand new and it had very good reviews and kept up with some £35-40 models. But as you can see from the pics of the THOR this model is massive so would be interesting to see if it will fit in the Dell case (it probably wont but lets hope!).

Sorry for these long posts but I have much to say about this as I want this pc to be as it should and help others in similar situations. Plus everyone else's input has been really good and useful so far so lets keep it going and we can sort Dells mess out!

Poke13

 

[FEChariot]

I'm still not seeing the "different motherboard" for the 3GB option,

Here is a cut of my chat with the agent:

5:01:56 PM Agent XPS_RR_Rep_Marilyn
so the amount of the dimms depends on the system you are configuring
5:02:04 PM Agent XPS_RR_Rep_Marilyn
how many are on the system you have there
5:02:23 PM Customer FEChariot
6 it is a dell studio XPS Desktop
5:02:34 PM Agent XPS_RR_Rep_Marilyn
well the base version has 3 dimms the higher priced has 6 dimms

I have looked at the on-line manuals at Dell.com and there is nothing showing 2 mb options for the studio XPS. I am completely convinced she was as clueless on this as she was about the rest of the conversation.

Also Dell just told me my unit was going to be back ordered for another 10 days. I'm going to start pricing out custom build options from newegg now......

 

[abstrait]

Dell Studio XPS 435MT Case Fan is Culprit

UPDATE: REAR CASE FAN TOTAL NOISE CULPRIT

Ok, I'm believing I have been wrong about the main noise culprit this entire time. One, I had always read that the CPU COOLER FAN was roaring to life, sounding like a Porsche 956 heading down Mulsanne Straight. Yes, the stock 92mm CASE FAN was annoying, droning the entire time and too loud for its own good, but when the CPU FAN supposedly roared to High, it was something else entirely. I theorized it was the cooler itself, its implementation, or perhaps even the Thermal Paste differences between various units. Whatever it was, the CPU FAN was needing to shift to high to cool that beast down.

Fast forward to the last few hours of testing and discovery. Alas, the CPU COOLER FAN is NOT THE CULPRIT. It's actually the 92MM CASE FAN THAT ROARS TO LIFE, sounding like the leaf blower on a late fall morn!

I've been running tests on my machine for the last few hours while working, using CPU-Z, Real Temp 3.0, and Core Temp 0.99.4.

You can learn a lot about your system with these programs, and while they are more useful for system builders with something besides OEM motherboards, they provide valuable insight into ANY system.

See the actual readouts that I have saved via screenshots, each labeled above test. My Dell 435MT is actually running at close to 2.800MHz instead of the stock 2.67. The core voltage is 1.04v. Notice the RAM, which is actually SAMSUNG, with clocking and latency specs. The memory is pretty standard with nothing too compelling here. Moving to higher quality 1333MHz would aid but this is ok.

Now notice the CPU temperature reports. The Real Temp on the left was done with the case fan connected while the temps on the right via Core Temp was done with the side panel off and no case fan. Regardless, the core temps are hovering around 50C which could probably be brought down with better case fan cooling and perhaps a better CPU cooler (the stock cooler is rather mediocre). The max core temps I've hit are 64C so far (again, no gaming).

Lastly, see the ATI 4850, which is slightly overclocked, something I did with the auto-tuning feature. Temps for the card are toasty, averaging around 70C. Better air flow would help.

The biggest find here is that the CASE FAN is what is coming on at full throttle, sounding like a blower on steroids. And so far, I see absolutely NO rhyme nor reason for it turning on as it has nothing to do with the core temps in the CPU OR the video card temps. It seems to cycle at whim, perhaps triggered by load but I don't see it mirroring the load in the Core Temp software. Its not clear whether the motherboard/bios is telling it to do this or not.

One thing, this STOCK fan pushes a lot of air so your replacement better do this as well. Perhaps with new fan solutions, the temps and turn/on would come down. People are easily getting the core temps of the CPU down in the upper 20s and 30s in other i7 920 systems I read about. In the case of my 435Mt, at least I've narrowed down the culprit to this case fan. I've not seen a single real answer at Dell (remember, I'm in the USA, too).

NOTE: See the wattage as well, not even at 150w. This PSU is not being taxed with my current load which includes two DVD and a 500GB external drive along with the ATI 4850 and twin 640GB SATA drives in RAID 0.

I too have been pricing custom builds and it's going to be 400 + more USD to get something I'm happy with though it would surely be a step up in quality.

- kh

 

[FEChariot]

I too have been pricing custom builds and it's going to be 400 + more USD to get something I'm happy with though it would surely be a step up in quality.


- kh

I priced a bunch of stuff out in comparable systems and i couldn't get near Dell's price off their website much less the package deal that included an extended warranty and much needed software that they offered me. I guess I'm just going to have wait. Dell told me the reason for my delay was that they are selling so many of these studio XPS desktops that they are having a hard time stocking parts to build them. I guess the economy isn't hurting Dell too much so far.

I think I'll just upgrade the video card and PS in a while.

Thanks for all the detailed info abstrait. Good stuff