Built a Computer on Dell

[Jiggles]

It has the MSRP of a new Ninja 250

Someone please, tell me no

[Apex]

No.



You're welcome.

[Jiggles]

Whew close one! I'll wait till I pay off my 650

[Apex]

Toys are tempting. I have to practice self control myself. It is tough, especially when I see something nice in the bicycle shop, some accessory, a gadget, etc. It is tough, but I can and have been doing it.

My wife has held me back at times too. lol

[Jiggles]

Haha currently I don't have a Gf to tell me know, only people that would say, dud that's awesome get it!!!!

And that dell credit is tempting until you look at the rates. I almost went for it, think I'll wait till windows 8 comes out tho

[Meltoff]

Sounds like you configured a pretty tricked out system, IMO build a computer from scratch. It's very easy to do and much more cost effective; not to mention if you enjoy working on things with your hands it will be a fun project too!

[NikkitaNinja]

Wait, first of all, not Dell...please. No Dell is worth as much as a Ninja 250, even their Alienware (*cough* garbage *cough*). Build something from scratch like Meltoff said and you'll end up with a far far better machine than anything pre-built for a pricetag like you mentioned. I spent roughly $2,000 building my rig from scratch, specially built for gaming and graphics/editing and can run absolutely any game on fully maxed settings with 100+ fps average. No Dell can match that.

Also, if you need any help building one I'd gladly help you out to fit something in your price range.

[Jiggles]

What!? I love Dell! They have awesome customer service and really take care of their customers and computers. I've bought 2 laptops from them over the course of 6 years and have loved them. On my current one I got the extended warranty with accidental damage coverage. I kinda screwed up my HDD by holding down the power button when my comp froze. It completely erased my HDD but I've accepted that it was my own error. Dell still sent a technician out to replace it no charge. I was also having issues with the laptop over heating when I was gaming. Had a technician come out 3 separate times to replace the Motherboard and heatsink. I finally accepted that I just needed a fan underneath the laptop. Anyway my point is I've always been happy with Dell

And yes it was an Alienware that I built haha. Their alienware stuff tends to be more expensive than a comparable Dell, but for the one I built there is no comparable Dell.

I would like to build my own computer, it sounds like a lot of fun, but honestly I have no idea where to start.

[NikkitaNinja]

Ok, sure dell has decent customer support. But if you register on the Overclockers Forums and tell them any issue you have, they'll give you an exact answer on whatever type of computer you have, custom or not.

Building a new computer is not as hard as it sounds or looks. My brother has built computers for 5+ years and I had just built my first one on my own last Fall without any issues, and started up the first time. Once you have the pieces its just a matter of hooking them up in the right place. If you really wanted to build your own and want help assembling it, get skype and a webcam and ill help you set it up. There's a good satisfaction building your own from scratch, its worth it for the time and money.

[AznJoJo]

Although I love my custom PC, to be fair I've had my rough moments with home-built machines as well. I remember that my HD wouldn't be recognized at boot for the longest time. I would sit there trying to figure out what's wrong for days. Another time, bad ram was the root of a friends machine constantly crashing.

I guess the difference is your tolerance to troubleshooting issues on your own versus the ease of calling upon customer service.

[NikkitaNinja]

The customer service for custom PC's is a helpful forum filled with thousands of people waiting to answer your questions with the utmost of knowledge.

[kyrider]

The first computer I built in the 90's had a 2gb HD and cost me $1700 not including my huge 15" monitor. I save hundreds by building it myself.

[Jiggles]

Let's talk custom built computers then! Should I go with a 4 core proccessor or a 6? As I understand it the majority of applications can only utilize 1 or 2 cores. So 4 would be enough for pretty much anything right? But I also read that 6 can hold a serious advantage over 4 for video editing purposes, somehow utilizing all 6.

RAM, 8 is enough right? I have 8 in my current laptop and with all my stuff open including starcraft 2 I'm at 4.44GB, just about the highest its ever gone. If I get into video editing though perhaps more would be beneficial.

Solid State Drives, goddamn do I want one of these but they are super expensive. I also saw some Solid State Hybrids, essentially an HDD with a huge cache? I think ideally I'd like an SSD that runs the OS, programs and whatnot, and an HDD for media.

Video Cards, do dual video cards make a significant impact or is it better to just go all out on a single card?

Motherboards, idk **** about motherboards....

[CynicalC]

Build your own for a fraction of the price. Mine is about four year old. I'm into it for well under under $2k and it'll still wreck just about any store bought in terms of performance. The only think I've upgraded is the hard drive (ssd) and the video card will probably be next, though th card I have now will still be used as a dedicated physx card.

[NikkitaNinja]

Hey Jiggles, PM me so we can talk elsewhere.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by NikkitaNinja

Hey Jiggles, PM me so we can talk elsewhere.

Ah thats lame! Lets spread the knowledge!

[NikkitaNinja]

Alright then.

Processor: I would go 4 core as they are the most stable and reliable. Unless you're opening 20 windows of Photoshop at time then it's not worth going 6. A 4 core processor can be overclocked to be just as efficient as a 6.

Ram: 8 is more than enough and will suit your needs just fine! The more the better in the RAM area but 8 is a good medium.

SSD: If you can get your hands on one, look for an OCZ Agility SSD. They make quality drives and last forever. While the prices are up there, its worth saving your information.
(dont bother with hybrids)

Video card: It's all preference when it comes down to either Nvidia or ATI. I've used ATI all my life so I cant really vouch for Nvidia, but they make just as good of a product. Dual cards is always nice, but a pain when it comes to games that only support one. I decided to go overboard with my Dual GPU card which is basically 2 video cards mashed into one (if you have the money its nice).

Motherboard: Asus makes a solid motherboard and have seen very successful and stable builds with them, always been a top performer and rarely have issues from what I've seen.

If you want me to compile a list of exactly what you want in your computer, I would be more then happy to. Just give me a price range :P

[Jiggles]

Let's say $2500 at the most.

Ready, Set, Go!

[NikkitaNinja]

Haha well damn, I may as well set you up with what I have if thats the case!

[Jiggles]

I'd imagine this thing is going to need a kick ass ventilation system right?

[NikkitaNinja]

Definitely, a good case is the epitome of good ventilation along with fans. Take a look at these # 1-5 and tell me if you like any. These are very good cases and allow premium airflow. Similar case I have.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...ermaster%20HAF

[Jiggles]

Number 4 looks pretty awesome, but I don't really know the difference between any of them lol

[NikkitaNinja]

As long as you like the way it looks then you're fine haha. The difference between them is mostly just size, virtually the same building platform. Now do you want 2 video cards? or one?

[Jiggles]

Honestly, I have no idea. What offers more bang for the buck?

[NikkitaNinja]

For you, i think dual would be better. I'll set you up with 2 cards to give you the power of my single one.

[NikkitaNinja]

What size SSD did you want out of these: 60 120 or 240 gb?

[Jiggles]

I really only want the SSD for the windows OS and programs, videos pictures and music I'll want on a separate drive. Lets say 128gb SSD and 1TB HDD?

[NikkitaNinja]

Sounds good.

[NikkitaNinja]

Well I'd say we did pretty good. Definitely a nice looking build, cost should be about $2200 with shipping or so.

[Jiggles]

Hmm, can you send me these shopping cart lists somehow?

[NikkitaNinja]

Haha I wish I could. Just use the product codes. The top picture is from www.tigerdirect.com the code is the ###-#### or whatever before the '::' and the bottom picture is from www.newegg.com just use their search function to find the items there since you only have 2 different ones from them.

[NikkitaNinja]

Scratch the current Power Supply in your Tiger Direct cart. Get this one instead;

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...013&CatId=5115

It will give you more than enough power just to be safe, those video cards draw a lot.

[Jiggles]

So, all this stuff will just, fit together right?

[NikkitaNinja]

In a way, yes, haha.

[NikkitaNinja]

Like I said though. If you do decide to go through with this and want help putting it together, I'll give you my skype SN and ill help you via webcam

[Jiggles]

Its funny, when I put close to the same spec hardware onto the alienware one, the price comes out pretty similar

[NikkitaNinja]

Eh, i mean you can do what you want really, but I'd build my own just for the sake of customization.

[Jiggles]

This is true. And I do have an already activated disc for win 7...... Hmm... Decisions decisions. I'll wait till I pay off the 650 and save up a bit of cash to decide

[NikkitaNinja]

Haha sounds good.

[CynicalC]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Its funny, when I put close to the same spec hardware onto the alienware one, the price comes out pretty similar

Alienware has been owned by dell for years now. I would never buy another one in my life.