It's Time For Something New : thoughts on this ?

So my Dell XPS 410 - is about 7 years old. She's still running, but starting to
show signs of age.

I keep everything updated and do regular maintenance as required -
Antivirus scans, Ccleaner, etc. Opening the case and blowing it out with air.

The next machine I get, I want ( need ) it to run as good as this XPS. Now the XPS 410
has XP, Intel Core Duo proecssor - 3GB mem, 500gb hd. lower end Nvidia video and basic sound card.

It's been more than enough for how it's being used. It was also totally "tweaked" out for performance.

Our PC at home is used mainly for web surfing, some low graphics games ( pogo / facebook ) storing some pictures and music - I also use it often for playing music and burning CD's. The wife has expressed an interest in
getting into maknig videos and doing more with pictures and music.

I fully intended in staying with an Intel processor, either the i5 or i7. However, a friend has said that the new
AMD's are really good if not better.

So here's what I'm looking at :

Dell XPS 7100 --
Windows 7 Home Prem 64bit

AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T - processor
ATI Radeon™ HD 6670 1GB - video / graphics
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
THX® TruStudio PC™ - sound card.

Price $599.

I'm leaning towards this and wanted to get a few thoughts on this set up and
the money, etc.

So thanks in advance,

I got the amd phenom quadcore and it is a beast.

Bought it two years ago..

Handles battlefield 3 on all levels high.

I had to put in the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560

I have not had any problems..

I think it is a good computer.

reply to post by popsmayhem


The AMD I'm looking at is a 6 core

reply to post by elevatedone


If you are SERIOUS about gaming then the only choice is Nvidia and Intel. PC game developers are ON RECORD saying the their games generally get more "time and polish" on the Nvidia side of things.

Do NOT go for ANYTHING AMD unless you don't care about graphics and are just trying to save money.

Originally posted by elevatedone
reply to post by popsmayhem

 

The AMD I'm looking at is a 6 core

As long as you got windows 7 x64
(which mine came with vista and I put windows 7 x64 on it)

It will be able to utilize all the cores.

From what I can tell Windows 7 Home Starter and Home Premium are limited to 2 physical CPUs, but can use any number of cores available to those processors. Microsoft distinguish between Physical processors and number cores available on a processor, so while there is little difference between a single 8 core processor and 4 dual-core processors from a user perspective Microsoft will treat them differently.

Taken from the EULA on the Microsoft site:

Licensed Computer. You may use the software on up to two processors on the licensed computer at one time. Unless otherwise provided in these license terms, you may not use the software on any other computer.

I've been looking at the number of cores that are permitted in Windows and all I can find is anecdotal evidence that Windows 7 is limited only by number of physical processors, not by number of cores available on each of the processors.

superuser.com...

Where the limitation is (which will change in a year or two)
Is the programs or apps that will be able to use all 6 scrumptious cores)

reply to post by Ashertron


I care a little about graphics.... we don't play WOW or Starcraft or any of the other "intense" graphics games.

Definitly want to save $$$$

reply to post by Ashertron


ATI Radeon™ HD 6670 1GB - video / graphics

I had to update my graphics card that came with the quadcore amd

This card that comes with the computer which OP is talking about
will be able to run any of the latest games.

Originally posted by elevatedone
reply to post by Ashertron

 

I care a little about graphics.... we don't play WOW or Starcraft or any of the other "intense" graphics games.

Definitly want to save $$$$

Yeah...if you consider WOW to be "intense graphics" then im sure you'll be fine with WHATEVER you choose. Just get a cheap laptop or even a tablet, more than enough power for you.

www.tigerdirect.com...
24" Widescreen Full HD Monitor - 1080p, 1920 x 1080, 5ms, DVI, VGA

Thats the monitor I have full 1080p. Off brand but works just as good. for half the price.

What kind of monitor does OP have?

reply to post by elevatedone


The rig you posted will more than handle what you need it to. You can indeed save a few bucks getting a high clocked AMD phenom compared to an intel i7.

AMD also tends to keep their socket alive for multiple generations, in one old case a new slot plugged into the old cpu port to allow the next gen of amd processors to work.

If you go intel be prepared to have to buy an entire new motherboard if you intend to upgrade the cpu at a later date.

Other than that your quoted specs are pretty good, you can always upgrade the video card at a later date (which would be around the price of your entire quoted system)

The only suggestion I could offer is a solid state drive.

When dealing with an SSD you've got to keep in mind that it's lifespan is limited to a specific number of read/write actions. there are no mechanical parts to fail, but the nand chips CAN and DO fail (my friend just replaced his Vertex 2 after like 6 months it died cold.) but either way there is a limited life span on those drives.

They are incredibly fast (as long as your motherboard firmware supports it) and I personally have 1 60 gig SSD as my windows / games / applications drive. Any file storage is handled via a standard hard disk as the price versus storage capacity is pretty lame for SSDs right now.

The thing is, if you are knowledgeable enough to build the rig yourself, you can save a bundle buying parts instead of a prebuilt system. You'd be on your own for an OS though.

With that, windows 7 home is crap. I run win7 ultimate and it fully utilizes all of the cores of my cpu. Not all games and apps are coded to take full advantage of this, but you can always set the processor affinity if they aren't so the app uses a specific core fully.

reply to post by Ashertron

Do NOT go for ANYTHING AMD unless you don't care about graphics and are just trying to save money.

And that would be why AMD had the best cards on the markets for most of the last few years? Talk out your ass much?

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


"Best" cards on the market?? Dont make me laugh....

Sure if all you care about is raw framerate and being a cheapskate, not things like 16x AA (ATI's MSAA is GARBAGE btw) or Physx. And don't even try to say Physx isnt worth it, go look at the comparison videos AND try it out. I LOVE physx and will NEVER go back.

Look, I have a 120hz monitor. When the ATI 5870s came out I bought one because it was the first dx11 card. Turns out ATI doesn't, or at least didn't, support 120hz when Nvidia had been supporting it for YEARS. When I contacted ATI regarding this (both through email AND through forums) the response I got was "Yeah...120hz is an Nvidia 3d thing, don't expect us to support it anytime soon". ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME??
First: 120hz is a REFRESH RATE thing that make games appear smoother and reduces ghosting. Serious gamers have been using it for YEARS
Second: IT'S EXTREMELY EASY TO PROGRAM 120hz SUPPORT INTO YOUR DRIVERS...and ATI just couldn't be bothered. What a joke.
Needsless to say I returned it, got an Nvidia card and haven't looked back since. I remember the clerk at the return desk saying "Yep, that's ATI for ya".

Also, like I mentioned earlier but you seemed to miss it, developers put more time and effort into the Nvidia side of the games than ATI. Look it up. PC Gamer even had an article on it a few months back when the head guy for ID Software (Doom, Quake, RAGE) confirmed all of this and even went on to say that Nvidia had a better developer relations department too, which was no surprise to me after my piss-poor experience with ATI.

So no, not talking out my ass, just a SERIOUS gamer. Not a casual budget-gamer like yourself.

reply to post by popsmayhem


The monitor I currently have is a 17" - Dell, not sure of the model, it's also
7 years old, it came with the XPS 410 when I bought it.

I can get a Dell 20" hd for $160. Probably going with that one.

I hope to get about 5 years use out of the next machine I buy.

I don't plan on any hardware upgrades after purchasing a new pc.
Whatever comes with is what I'll use and live with.

I can't build my own... wouldn't know where to start...

Thanks for the info guys, I do appreciate it.

Originally posted by elevatedone
reply to post by popsmayhem

 

The monitor I currently have is a 17" - Dell, not sure of the model, it's also
7 years old, it came with the XPS 410 when I bought it.

I can get a Dell 20" hd for $160. Probably going with that one.

I hope to get about 5 years use out of the next machine I buy.

I don't plan on any hardware upgrades after purchasing a new pc.
Whatever comes with is what I'll use and live with.

I can't build my own... wouldn't know where to start...

Thanks for the info guys, I do appreciate it.

You should do fine with that setup.

My phenom is running like the first day i bought it.

Building them yourself 5-10 years ago was about half the price then buying at store
You might save 100 bucks now a days.

Unless you like building your own computers and want everything custom/high end.
Building them yourself is not worth it.

Whats the diff in the AMD video cards and the Nvidia ?

Cant go wrong with the amd phenom quad core

I would recommend the m5a evo asus mobo

radeons hd 5xxx series gpu is still runnin good, their hd6990 hold the world record as most powerful microprocessor on the planet.

I'd grab another 500 gb hdd and raid 0 it with yer current one.

Optionally i would pick up creatives' newest sound card too.

Just for fun ill post my own system specs:

Asus m4n78 se pro mobo
3 gb ddr2 ram
radeon hd3850 overclocked edition gpu
creative soundblaster soundcard (lil old)
1 750 Gb hdd and 1 70 gb hdd
I have the coolermaster v8 cpu cooler
and a coolermaster HAF X Full tower case.

reply to post by Vortiki


I don't have a choice on MB's when buying.... this is a "package" system from Dell.

Also, about adding another HD / raid it... ummmm yeah.... I have no idea what that means.

reply to post by elevatedone


Well you get the same hdd that spins at the same speed and in bios set them to raid 0 and they will run as one drive.

Also don't listen to the noob that said dont go for amd and ati products, because ati owns the most powerful gpu on the planet.

Originally posted by elevatedone
reply to post by Ashertron

 

I care a little about graphics.... we don't play WOW or Starcraft or any of the other "intense" graphics games.

Definitly want to save $$$$

Even if you buy a new computer, don't throw away the old one! Consider putting a linux distro onto it such as: www.linuxmint.com... - won't cost you a penny, 100% free open-source software.

Generally runs better on older hardware than windows does. LinuxMint has everything you need (that you wrote in your post) including flash, java (for the online games) and all the basics, such as firefox and office software.

It may need some getting used to (windows habits), but overall the interface/desktop is similar to windows with a start bar style menu and all the other similar features. I mean, if all you use the computer for is browsing the web, reading email, and writing the odd document you don't need to buy a new computer. Also good to point out that you do not need to run an antivirus under linux, which boosts the whole system speed when compared to windows (antivirus use up lots of resources).

I have claimed 3 old computers (one that originally had windows 98 installed) as "broken" by their previous owners, simply wiped the harddrive and installed a lightweight linux desktop. They always feel like brand new budget desktops. Its amazing at what you can do with old hardware. Also take into account that linux based operating systems don't degrade in performance over time like windows does, the hardware will fail of old age 99% of the time before the operating system does.

Sorry for the long post, but its worth looking into if you want to save money

reply to post by Vortiki


A very wise man, who ,knows me once told me to " never mess with the BIOS"....