I'm in the process of accumulating parts via Newegg deals. It will take probably a month to 2 months to wait out the deals on various parts, but well worth it. I only go for a minimum of 4 star items and try to stick to 5 stars and read reviews, plus visit tech sites for opinions. Catch is you don't get the warranty of Dell or whoever on the whole system, it is part by part. I've built 2 now, and have no issues, so far. One is 5 years old and the other is 2.5 years old. I also have Dells one is 7 years old now and still running. I also haven't had any hardware issues with the Dell. I will say if you can find a deal and have the space, a full size tower is great. Putting everything in my full tower was easy, and the cabling was easy to make look nice and clean. Builiding isn't for everyone, and the idea of a full system warranty is a bonus.
hey Scataphagos... what is the diff between the 3400 and the 3500? also how bout noise on either? with a passive video card are they quiet? i bought a 400sc a few yrs back and that was a pretty quiet system any ideas when to look for a 500-600$ deal on system? thanks boze
T3400 has an X38 mobo and runs C2D and C2Q CPUs. The model has been discontinued, so if you want one you'll have to find it on Dell's Outlet site, if any, or used. T3500 has X58 mobo and runs on certain Xeon CPUs. Should be quiet enough, T3400s are. If you're going to run only 2 monitors, you can use just about any computer. If you want to run 3 or more, you'll want to be more particular about the mobo.
Has 3, x16 slots. Good for 6 monitors without using a quad video card. Should be excellent at the right price.
the dells are ok but the problem i ran to when i had to replace my puter in got a new inspiron and it would only run 1 monitor at a time(i'm not too savvy tech wise but something about sli or sli bridge) not good when your trying to run 6 screens at a time i had found a perfect one with similar setup at staples and cheaper like 500 w/ intel quad but of course only 1 monitor at a time(well thats what the assocatiate said who i think wasn't sure) ended up just going to comp usa getting them to build one from scratch which was a bit more but knew what i was getting and didn't mind it since downtime costs $$$
Sounds like mostly you didn't pay attention to good advice. Inspiron is an el-cheapo. Not likely run 6 monitors regardless... and has nothing to do with "SLI bridge"... the Inspiron line isn't SLI capable. You probably paid at least 50% more than you could have... maybe 100% more.
I keep hearing about Dell. I just priced a Dell on their website and for what they charge $2K I could make off Newegg for $1K. Top of the line computer btw.
So? Whoever in his right mind told you it was a good idea to buy Dell's overpriced, highest-end upgrades? There have been deals on Dells where you couldn't come within $200 of Dell's price if you bought all the parts from Newegg and BIY. Anybody who buys stupidly can overpay... not limited to Dell.
Dell Outlet has a T3500 w/Xeon W3530 CPU for $759. Best price in a while. They only have ONE of those listed... another for $749, but it has Vista OS. They have some as low as $639, but with slower CPU. Decent price on a good rig... if interested, better snap it up quickly... good deals don't last long... FWIW...