New development system needed

C

Cat

n00b
Joined
Dec 1, 2003
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46
I was pretty set on Dell's 730x, but realized it only has 3 slots for RAM. We have some 630s at work that I really like, build-wise.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Heavy C/C# and 3D development. I'd like it to be decently quiet (hence the first look at a Dell)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1,500 w/o tax and shipping. That seems like it should encompass a lot.


3) Where do you live?
D.C. area

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need a i7 (or whatever Lynnfield will be named)
I need at least 8GB of RAM now, and I'd like more than 3 DIMM slots. 4GB sticks are too expensive, and it'd be great to have 24GB a year from now.

I would ideally like two x16/x8 PCI-E slots, not for SLI, but for running both an NVIDIA and an AMD card, under Windows 7.
Radeon HD4890
GeForce GTX 275

I can live with a single video card, however.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No reuse.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
2x24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within two months.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Stability. :)

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes, via MSDN.
 
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I'm now looking at a Precision T3500, with a W3540, and the minimum spec for everything else. I'll buy 12GB of RAM and the video cards from NewEgg.

Anything dumb about this move?
 
The 435 is tempting. Why does it seem like the odd man out in Dell's desktop lineup?

Would the Precision be quieter?
 
Why buying from Dell? Are you unable to put it together yourself or something? Or do you need a lot of them?
 
Purely convenience. The last desktop I assembled for personal use was a P4 3.0C, although I built my last for-work-station around an E6600.

I want something quiet, stable, and without any fuss.

I also want something for the SC2 beta. :)
 
I don't think the stupid markup in price is worthwhile... if you want to order the parts I can assemble it for you for 50$ since I live in near the DC area.
 
damn that is cheap, I normally charge about 2.5 time that much for samething.
 
Thanks for the offer, but I can grab a friend of mine who's still quite into building if I'm that lazy.

AFAIK, the absolute minimum costs for an equivalent to the T3500 or 435 are these:

~3 GHz i7 = $570
Nice case to move around in = $150
X58 Motherboard = $250
PSU = $100

That's ~$1100.

The T3500 has a markup of 300 bucks or so over the Newegg prices. That doesn't seem bad.

Is there anything terrible about that reasoning?
 
Powersupply units in those Dell's are generally crap. I would suggest getting one from newegg like corsair 650watt.
 
Cat said:
AFAIK, the absolute minimum costs for an equivalent to the T3500 or 435 are these:

~3 GHz i7 = $570
Nice case to move around in = $150
X58 Motherboard = $250
PSU = $100
Is there anything terrible about that reasoning?
Click to expand...
Just get the i920...the i950 isn't worth it.

Also dell case is worth 50$ at most probably. Dell Power supply is 50$ at most (jesus probably less...)
so...now you have a 450$ price markup at least. Not to mention the motherboard from Dell will probably be worse than a motherboard off newegg.
 
Dell cases are generally easy to get in and out of. I prefer it to the Lian-Li PC-V1000 and their similar cases. What's wrong with them?
 
What's the expected socket lifetime for these i7s? I don't mind getting a 920 if I can expect a nice jump next year. Otherwise I'll eat the cost for the faster one.
 
Define cheap, though. Materials are heavy? I'm okay with that. Loud and rattling? Not so much.
 
Hah. I think all cases are made out of inexpensive materials and are massively overpriced. What makes these Dell case worse to use, listen to, work with, open, etc. compared to other cases?

I have a Sonata which I personally feel is a piece of crap compared to the newer Dell cases.
 
Nothing really. A case is a case. Just don't assume think are comparable to a 150$ case.
Also, there is no way in hell the Dell PSU is going to support 2 video cards.
 
The T3500 is "qualified" to run dual Quadro equivalents of the GTX 260. I don't what amperage it provides, but Dell is specifically claiming that the PSU is good for it.
 
Jospeh said:
Nothing really. A case is a case. Just don't assume think are comparable to a 150$ case.
Click to expand...

You just said nothing differentiates them but they aren't comparable. How are you comparing the two? I'm not trying to be a jerk.
 
Overall cooling/size/design is how I am comparing them. If you want a case similar to the Dell case you can probably find one for 50$ or so. If a 50$ case is the same as a 150$ case to you, just get the 50$ case. Personally I would probably go for a ~50 dollar case.

Also, it seems that the T3500 has a 525 watt power supply with "Support for 2 PCI Express x16 Gen 2 graphics cards up to 225 watts (total) including:"
I don't know but that seems to be pushing it for 2x graphics cards. Especially with a Dell PSU...
 
Thanks for explaining. :)

What would you recommend for a very quiet, stable, never-going-to-be-OC'd system?

Motherboard, case, and HS/F.

I'm using a notebook with a 2.6 GHz mobile C2D with 4GB of RAM and an X-25M, and I'd like my home machine to be significantly faster to warrant the upgrade, yet nice and quiet like this laptop.
 
I've been sittin here reading Jospeh try his hardest to get you off the Dell train, lol. Here are my 2 cents...

Dell's are plain and simple: easy. They work right out of the box -- just don't try to add much to them. :p If thats what you're looking for, then go for it. I use Dell for all my workstations, and don't regret it. I separate my business machines from my personal machines... I play around and build my own machines to OC with, but when it comes to business, I just need them to work without much fuss -- and when a part dies, I need it same or next day -- and Dell provides that. Time is money, so you have to minimize the time you spend jerkin around with a system if you're on the clock. If you can't afford such a luxury and/or don't mind spending the time just to save a few bucks, then by all means, build it yourself.

I also use Dells for friends and family if they don't require much customization/specialized usage needs. Dells/Pre-builts aren't for everyone, so you have to decide what you need and whether or not Dell (or some other OEM) fulfills that need.

Dell cases are designed to hold together through the shipment process without breaking, and are also designed for easy access for repairs. I haven't found an aftermarket/DIY case thats as easy to work with as Dell's workstations. If you like them, great... if not, oh wellz. Though, many are BTX, which the DIY industry has pretty much rejected. Their low end ATX cases aren't too different from standard, cheap cases you can get for $30.

As for the PSUs, they handle what they claim. There would be massive outcries if they didn't. A decent GTX260 SLI system only needs around 400W at full load, so a 525W unit from Dell is definitely capable. IIRC, Dell's XPS/workstation PSUs are not crap. Now, their lower end systems' PSUs may be quite incapable of some things. :p You have a 24" monitor, so you don't really need a dual vidcard system -- just get a dual GPU vidcard instead and you won't have to replace the 525W PSU of the Dell.

Dells are pretty stable. If the system isn't stable from the first day, return it for replacement immediately. Call your Dell rep and tell them what you need, and they'll configure it for you - simple as that. This machine is for work... not play. Now, if it is for play... then sure, build it yourself; but if its mostly for work, I wouldn't bother.
 
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Thanks for the reassurance.

I want heterogeneous video cards; not SLI/CrossFire for performance, but I want to debug 3D code on AMD/NVIDIA without switching workstations.
 
Still, it doesn't sound like the system you want will draw more than 400W. (sorry, skipped most of your OP, hehe)
 
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