So I've milked my current (5 year-old) Dimension 2350 for all it's worth. Despite numerous cleanups, re-frags, etc... she runs slow and is very out-dated. 512MB RAM, 55 GB HDD. So yeah, she's a dinosaur.

I am looking to purcahse a new Dell, but I am torn between two models. I am looking at either a Dell XPS-One (wannabe MAC) or the new Dell Studio Hybrid. XPS has a wicked look, but I've heard upgrading the system in the future could be a pain.

I like both for their minimalist, sleek design as my office is very open/contemporary. So style is as big a motivating force in this purchase as the hardware is. I am not a big gamer, so I don't need a system so powerful that it could run half of Tokyo.

Having said that, I DO want one powerful enough to run Vista Premium/supplemental software without bogging down. So either machine will have at least 3GB RAM, if not 4GB. I don't watch DVD's/Blu-Ray on my computer, so I don't need anything crazy there. Just a reliable, sleek, stylish system that I can use for hi-res photo/video editing. I do plan on wirelessly networking several periferals (printers, surveillance cameras, etc.

I need feedback/opinions... I'm really leaning towards the Studio Hybrid, built as-so:



I plan on pairing that with a Dell Ultra Sharp 2208WFP 22-inch wide flat panel.

Opinions?

 

Sounds like a pretty nice machine. Make sure that Vista is installed as a 64-bit OS or you will be limited to 3.12 Gig of RAM-that's all Vista 32 will recognize.

Then you have to make sure you can get 64-bit drivers for the peripherals.

Sound like some research is coming...

 

Hi JHM2K
Slot Load = Terrible. Avoid slotloading drives at all costs. I've owned slotloading drives in both PC and Mac laptops and they have both gone bad within two years.

Buy the core 2 quad, don't bother with the core 2 duo.

DDR2 is just fine, no need for DDR3.

Wireless keyboards and mice - a total waste of money (IMHO)

Get a good hardware graphics card - Nvidia 8800GT's with DVI output go for cheap nowadays, that's the bare minimum. 9000 series are even better but are still expensive. Unless you are an ATI fanboy, go NVidia all the way! Unless you are some kind of hardcore gamer (and even if) then multi-graphic-card setups are a waste of money.

Buy a drive-bay mount 30-in-1 flash card reader, that will save you a lot of headaches.

Buy a bigger power supply than you need, 525+ watts. Your computer will be much more reliable for it.

If you don't mind surfing at 1168x768, then there's always the option of buying a 720p lcd TV instead of a computer monitor.

When in doubt, shop at newegg.com they have some excellent prices and what's better is that they have a great ranking and review section for hardware/software.

 

Cool looking system - the bamboo is pretty cool too.

However, if you are seriously looking at photo and video editing I would look at a system where you can get 2 hard drives. One to hold your OS and programs and a large one to store all of these Hi-Res photos and videos. and faster than 5400rpms - stick to the 7200 or 10K. - 5400 more than likely means you are getting a laptop HD.
Also look for a computer that already has all of your video connections built in to the graphics card. I prefer using 2 (3 or 4) screens over one larger screen - allows you to have a large work space but still have important information or pictures visable.

Check out www.thetechzone.com the site lists daily deals and coupons (sometimes exclusive) for use at Dell.

Good luck with the purchase!


I sort of agree - forget the wireless KB, but I love my wireless Logitech MX Laser mouse.

 

I would definately look into the new i7 processors. They are very impressive. Besides I would go with the newest processor if you want to make it for nother 5 years with out blowing the dust off your machine as it tries to catch up to everyone else.

 

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...mco=MjE0NDk5Mw


Take it up a notch! Run Windows in Boot camp if you want windows.

There are less expensive models as well, The refurbs give full Apple warranty.


Just an idea!

 

Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of Dell. They don't lend themselves to upgrading very easily in the future.

In general though:

~Definitely try for a quad-core or i7 processor if you plan on keeping the machine a few years.

~64 bit is mandatory for anything over 3.5 Gb Ram. (64bit is good for up to 128Gb!)

~ Absolutely forget a 250G 5400RPM hard drive. You're better off with a faster drive speed and smaller drives if price is that important. (think of shovelling 100 tons of dirt alone, or 50 tons with a helper!) Faster drives will cut seek and store times wayyyyyy down. This is especially important if you plan on doing a lot of photo editing.

~Don't let the Dell "freebie" printer's sway your decision. The replacement ink cartridges for Dell printers cost a fortune.

~You have no mention of the video card. You really want a stand-alone card.....not the "on-board" graphics card/accelerator. Usually the "on-board" systems use the computer RAM instead of having their own. Preferably a stand-alone card running on a PCI-E x16 slot. This also allows you to upgrade in the future if necessary. I personally use nothing other than Nvidia.

Hope this helps.

 

Excellent info, guys.

I've taken a step back to review, and I carried all the information with me tonight and did some PC shopping.

Long story short, I tried to apply bits of info from each post, and this is the system I am going to purchase. The surprising thing, it is $160 LESS than the Dell Studio Hybrid.

Tell me what you guys think:

• AMD Phenom™ X4 9650 quad-core processor with true multicore processing,
• Direct Connect Architecture,
• 7GB (OMG!! ) DDR2 SDRAM and 640GB hard drive;
• Built-in high-speed wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
• Double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with LightScribe labeling
• NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics, 15-in-1 media reader and
• Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 (64 BIT)

Package includes an excellent monitor:

• 22" widescreen LCD HD monitor with BrightView panel, HDMI with HDCP and VGA inputs (cables included); double-hinged base, wall-mountable

AND a decent printer:

• HP Deskjet all-in-one printer, copier and scanner with support for borderless 4" x 6" and panoramic photos; direct printing from USB-enabled digital cameras

All for <$1,000 before taxes.

The tower is MUCH larger than I was hoping for (the Hybrid is only about 8" tall, 3" wide) but the performance of the latest "interest" is too superior NOT to buy it over the Dell.

For me to buy a Dell over this one would be like paying 20% more for a base Crossfire than the SRT-6, and expecting similar performance.

As for the sleek look... I'll ventilate the desk's CPU storage and keep it completely hidden, yet cool-running. NO computer on the desktop will always be sleeker than a "sleek" computer on the desktop.

 

Looks like a pretty good system to me! I think you'll be much happier with it than the Dell.

I recently got a new system as well.....but I do a lot of very large spreadsheets and gaming. I couldn't find anything that fit what I wanted so I just shopped the parts and built it myself. It cost a bit more than I wanted to spend.....but I have never had a setup this good in my whole life.


Enjoy the new setup......you'll end up wondering why you didn't do it sooner when you see what a new computer can do!

 

I usually build my own as well - looks like a pretty good combo. I would still spend more on graphics card, less on memory, and get dual hard drives instead on one. Vista Ultimate has some nice auto-backup features but you want to BU on a second hard drive. (unless you are doing off-site BU)
Good luck on the purchase!

 

May want to look at a RAID setup as well if you're looking for reliability. Software RAID is slow. Another thing that you may want to consider is that Microsoft maybe bailing on Vista. Do a search on Windows 7. Could be some interesting reading.

I have seen many benchmarks that the quad cores aren't that much better than core 2 duos as far as price vs. performance.

I'm currently building my own system centered around Intel's E8700 Core 2 Duo. Great overclockability and nice price.

 

I know one person suggested it but any thoughts on getting a mac? I used to build my cimputers for gaming back in the day and I went back and forth on the idea of a mac. Now I have a Macbook Pro and I have windows on it via Bootcamp and VMWARE FUSION and the only time I use it is when I want to play a game or check my logbook. Just a thought, not to steer you away from the PC thing or be a MAC ****...just think they make a quality product that actually works. I've had mine for a year and a half with not one problem at all.

 

Sorry, double post.

 

Rats, wish I would've spotted this thread a few days earlier. I've been a Network Administrator for the past 7 yrs. & a computer field tech for 26 yrs. before that. I've worked on everything from IBM mainframes to PC's & laptops. ****, Sun, Qantel & other stuff no one else has probably ever heard of.
JHM, all the above are valid points but remember the majority of applications out there do not use quad or even dual processor threads. Not even today with multi-core processors being out for the past several years! The number of processors on any core are only good if the application you're using can utilize them. Same goes for 64 bit.
I love 64 bit ops., near endless memory & speed that can't be beat. We have 4 servers that are presently running 64 bit & they just sing.
But.....
There aren't a whole lot of applications out there that can use all that. The computer world keeps waiting for the application developers to catch-up but nothing happens overnight!
I've never been a big fan of getting sold something I don't need hence my views on multicore processors. Since you plan on keeping the computer for a few years let's hope the developers start working on the demand!

Like Apkano, I'm not a big fan of Dell, lean towards HP instead, but one manufacturer is much like any other. Hope it works out for you!!