I hate dell....

[{CLR}geneSW]

So, Bought the wife a dell laptop, and a few other goodies as well.

Got the desktop home, had a Nvidia 9600GT ready to go into it. Poped the thing in... and noticed that the PSU doesn't have any molex connectors or PCIe connectors in it... but the box says PCIe ready.... I'll be calling up tech support at best buy tomorrow to complain and see if they can ship me a 400W PCIe pinned PSU, or i'll simply return it and find one that does have what I need.

[juneau]

I thought Dell had stopped cutting corners. Or is this just with desktop PC's?

[WalkinTarget]

Dell stopped using proprietary power supplies, but thy didn't say they would be using a better standard power supply !!

I've run into a few of the Dell proprietary ones, and its fairly easy to smoke the mainboard if you don't check your color coded wiring before swapping the new one in, so be aware of that as well if you work on an older Dell, circa 2002-2006.

[Murder Simulator]

I'm sure they meant only that it's PCIe ready in that it had the correct slot. That's their cost cutting for you.

[Duke{CLR}]

I thought Dell only stopped the propitiatory stuff with the XPS series. Anyway, unless they have changed, you have 30 days to return it no questions asked so I would do that if they don't satisfy you.

[JohnyRico]

I have a Dell XPS and the only problem I have run into is the complete inability to connect wirelessly. Tried 2 different cards and at least 15 hours with tech support. (Dell, MS & Linksys) I finally just moved the router and ran a hard wire to it.

[Pumpkin_Jack]

Dell sucks bad, although i gotta say that was a wrong choice to buy from best buy. I have had many problems with that fricken store, expecialy when it comes to there warrenties.

[Hammy]

So, Bought the wife a dell laptop, and a few other goodies as well.

Got the desktop home, had a Nvidia 9600GT ready to go into it. Poped the thing in... and noticed that the PSU doesn't have any molex connectors or PCIe connectors in it... but the box says PCIe ready.... I'll be calling up tech support at best buy tomorrow to complain and see if they can ship me a 400W PCIe pinned PSU, or i'll simply return it and find one that does have what I need.

Is it a laptop or a desktop?

First-- the Dells you buy at Best Buy are made for Best Buy- they arent the same as when you order one.

Second-- All OEMs do not include a PCI-E PS unless the machine is equipped with the PCI-E card when it leaves the factory. Since discovering that you can get more bang for your buck by buying a bare-bones OEM and modifying it, I've done this upgrade 7 times for the kids/cousins in my family and we are batting 7 for 7 on models made since 2007. If they dont have the PCI-E card in it when it ships, they slam a crappy 250 W PS in there and the Memory is probably very weak as well. You need at least 400 W to power everything cleanly, perhaps more depending on the actual spec on your card. I bought a generic Antec PS very cheaply each time for less $100.

Last thing, Dell used to have a military account for people like you Gene. If you can, look into that and if its still around return what you have for the discount.

[Savage_Hobo]

Wow... I've got a Dell Inspiron 6400 that's about 2 and half years old... and have had no problems (other than a little bit of a flakey dvd+rw)... I can't really comment on upgrading Dell desktop's (as I don't have one) but I love my 6400...

[{CLR}geneSW]

returned it.... Got a HP with a amd quad core and 4gb of ram along with a 500gb HD and vista 64bit for about 600, also bought a 650W PSU for about 80, threw the PSU in there, poped in the Vid card, and now the wife is ready to game. But she's using my new acer 19" LCD because her desktop doesn't have the space for a CRT like mine does....

[MR_MADHATTER]

This is why I don't buy turn-key systems. I custom build or have someone custom build for me.

[Hammy]

I now buy OEM's that have gamer motherboards in it.

In pricing out build vs. buy- I always run into the problem where the eCommerce site I want to order from doesnt have everything I want.

Then here is the problem:

Do I- Buy something else (perhaps inferior?)
Do I- Order from another eCommerce store? (extra shipping costs)
Do I- Have a problem that causes back and forth shipping (extra shipping costs)
Do I- Call all the mom and pop merchants and price out what I am looking for? (calling 15 stores to finally get one you want, then going in to discover it is either open boxed, or out of stock, is just aggravation)
Do I- order from NewEgg ? (on average- I have spec'd nearly 15% more costs over my current strategy)

The answer to all these is no unless I am buying either memory, PS, or Vid Cards.

Go to stores like:

CompUSA.com - Computers, Laptops, Televisions, Software, and Electronics from the All-New CompUSA!
Best Buy
TVs, computers, cameras, DVD players, video games, consumer electronics, and more at circuitcity.com

Look for two things: CPU clock speed and Motherboard that you want.
Example 3.0ghz Core Duo - Asus Mobo FSB whatever- chipset: take your pick
Remember that you are getting onboard audio and you dont have to deal with buying a case

Then find the one that is on sale with nothing in it.
You probably already own a hard drive- and if it is full you should already own a Terabyte external Hard Drive- empty those drives and reuse them.

Now go to Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! and find:
1) the vid card you want
2) the mem you want
3) the powersupply you need (PCI-e compatible)

You should be able to buy the OEM computer at less than 600 bucks. I have found deals in the 350 -400 range usually when doing this.

I find the Vid card on sale (9600GT is a great buy right now).
I get some memory that will be supported by the mobo
I get a generic PS ( I buy Antec usually- there are always great clearance items for this)
and I am walking out of there with less than $400 out of pocket with name brand products (nothing generic)

Now here is the part where debates get heated- some of you are going to say you can do better build better etc. But while that may be true, I often find when pricing out- you are getting early revision mobo's, you are getting generic memory (Patriot memory is a great example), you are pricing a generic or unproven vid card manufacturer, and you are buying open box from egghead (Im not one for the short warranty on these things).

The biggest cost of all my systems has been the Operating System, which is not a problem if you already own the software.

I also dont build SLI rigs. They have a low return on investment. You spend an extra $1000 for something like an extra 20 fps? Thats a personal choice, but then again, SLI is the Ferrari Class in building gaming computers.

Anyways- I have pondered and wrestled with this over and over. Some of you have helped me out with specing out a bargain. Then when I wasnt happy we built a massive ugly machine. Hell- I even placed an order on a machine that was to be custom built and would have cost over 8k, then I cancelled the order.

The happiest I have been with a machine has been this OEM I converted into a very powerful machine. It runs Vista Ultimate- has never had any real problems, and keeps up with many of you very well.

~Hammy

[{CLR}geneSW]

I will have to keep OEM's in mind for future builds!

[Duke{CLR}]

Hammy the problem with this is that you end up with a lame looking rig.

I'm a build it from scratch guy and your cheesy OEM case wont ever look as good as this. http://www.cainslair.org/album.php?albumid=11

[Hammy]

Hammy the problem with this is that you end up with a lame looking rig.

I'm a build it from scratch guy and your cheesy OEM case wont ever look as good as this. http://www.cainslair.org/album.php?albumid=11

Nothing a bag of stickers wont fix- My Little Pony, Rainbow Unicorns, Skate or Die bumper stickers, etc. lol