Dell XPS 8930 Desktop: i5-9400, 8GB DDR4, GTX 1660, 256GB PCIe SSD, 1TB HDD $630

mrpickem

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Seems like a fair deal for a pre-build

$1099 Regular price

$630 + free s/h with codes SAVE10 & XPSDTAFF01

SPEC:
  • Core i5-9400 6 Core 2.9 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo, 9MB Cache)
  • 8GBx1 DDR4 2666 MHz Ram (64GB Max)
  • 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
  • GTX 1660 6GB GDDR5 Graphics
  • Dual Band 802.11ac (1x1) + Bluetooth 4.2
  • 460W PSU
  • Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
  • PORTS:
    • FRONT:
      • 3x USB 3.0
      • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1
      • 1x Headphone; 1x Audio Combo Jack
      • 1x SDXC Card Reader
    • BACK
      • 3x USB 3.0
      • 1x USB 3.0 Gen 2 10GB/s
      • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
      • 1x HDMI (Motherboard)
      • 1x DisplayPort (Motherboard)
      • 2x USB 3.0
      • 1x RJ-45 Gigabit Lan
xps-tower-rtx.jpg
 
This one even looks a little better

Lenovo has Lenovo IdeaCentre T540 Gaming Desktop (90L10007US) on sale for $719.99 - 5% with eCoupon code EXTRA5 (apply in cart) = $683.99. Shipping is free.

Note, refer to the forum thread for additional deal ideas and discussion.

Specs:
  • Intel Core i5-9400 Processor (9th Generation)
  • 16GB DDR4 2666MHz
  • 256GB PCIe SSD
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB Graphics
  • 802.11 AC (1 x 1) + Bluetooth 4.2
  • Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
  • USB Keyboard & USB Optical Mouse
  • Ports:
    • Front:
      • USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type C
      • 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 2)
      • 2 x USB 3.0 (Gen 1)
      • 7-in-1 card reader
      • Microphone-in
      • Audio combo jack
    • Rear:
      • Headphone
      • RJ45 Ethernet
      • 4 x USB 2.0
 
The lenovo wins spec wise at the loss of an hdd. Does anyone know the expandability of these boxes?
 
The lenovo wins spec wise at the loss of an hdd. Does anyone know the expandability of these boxes?
Looking at those cases and my experience with some of the older generation Dells, your limits will be anything that takes a beefy amount of power like a gpu or needs a ton of slots. Also card length is usually a bit of an issue for the longer cards like gpus.
 
I have an 8930 XPS desktop in the office, it can be expanded storage wise.

3x HDDs (2 on bottom one on top)

CPU heatsink is limited due to clearance issues. It’s all 80mm case fans (1x at top) other than unfinished slots in the front (2x 120mm) Meaning they don’t have actual mounting options but they have the honey comb venting. I put one at the bottom as intake with Velcro.

GPU would need a new PSU due to 6+2 availability. It will fit an OEM blower cars just fine. I would not use open air GPUs in the Dell. It has limited venting and a single 80mm on top as exhaust. The PSU pulls air from outside the case, not inside.

It’s fine for office work or light gaming but it’s certainly not a center piece for anything. CPU will skyrocket to 99c before lowering the turbo in any heavy tasks. It does not thermal throttle though. I have the 8700, paid 900 for it over a year ago with a 1070 Ti 512SSD. I do work on it and generally rely on Dell on site warranty.

My gaming setup is obviously very different lol. I would not get these for gaming or to part out. You’d be far better suited doing a custom builder like Cyber Power or something cheap if you want a prebuilt. Playing games on these are far louder than just a blower GPU. The 80mm fan on top with the small CPU heatsink are also pretty loud. That’s never the case in more custom solutions.
 
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It's the 8GB RAM that gets under my fingernails. I rarely have a use for 8GB, and after replacing it with 16GB your sunk cost is up there with a home build system.
 
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