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DellXPS630 vs ?????

Post Date: 2008-03-11
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SteveB View Drop Down
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Posts: 2 		  Quote SteveB Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: DellXPS630 vs ?????
    Posted: 11 Mar 2008 at 11:50am
I'm in the market of a gaming computer and naturally my search began with Dell.  While researching components to determine what I need vs what impresses me and speaks to my ego I came across DS.  I must say, from what I've seen and read the company is very impressive and I would like rather do business here then elsewhere. 
 
How does this, 130566, build compare with the Dell? 
Case: Digital Storm 650Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 550W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (6MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 250GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Recommended)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes)
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Overclock Memory: Yes, Overclock the memory timings (Includes Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan)
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: Samsung 24 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model R20) (Includes Subwoofer)
Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)
vs
 
XPS630
NVIDIA® nForce 650i SLI chipset
750W PSU
Intel® Core™2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.40GHz,1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 DIMMs
500GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
24 inch E248WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
Dual nVidia GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card
Dell USB Keyboard
Dell Optical USB Mouse
Microsoft Works 9.0
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1
 
Computer used exclusively for on line gaming, WoW and AoC. 
Dual GPU's vs single, OC'd vs out of the box CPU?
 


Edited by SteveB - 11 Mar 2008 at 12:30pm
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2008 at 12:49pm
To be honest i dont think youd need duel anything for just online gaming, as those games have to be tuned to work for a very large audience and while pretty are rarely cutting edge graphic wise. You could probably get away with a single GT or GTS whichever you prefer. (keep in mind the new 9800 cards now x2, GTX, and GT, are all now supposedly less then month away from being out)
 
I think the 630 is a nice computer for its price. But keep in mind that you probably are not going to get brand name componets for the most part like youd get with DS. Also i believe dell only has a 1 year warrenty. DS covers you base for 3 years and that includes any overclocking that they do.
 
Dell doesnt really offer much in improving their air flow, dells are known to run very hot. I have an old 8400 right now with a 6800GT and a P4 and it gets blazing hot.
 
So while DS might be slightly more expensive, they cover that cost with better componets, a much longer warrenty, better service, and by offering changes and items that Dell doesnt offer, like overclocking and improved cooling stages.
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SteveB View Drop Down
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Posts: 2 		  Quote SteveB Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2008 at 2:21pm

Thank you, and I agree on the intangibles which is why I'd rather spend my money here than elsewhere.

 
Would the DS system shown perform far better, better or just as good as the Dell?  Dell Quadcore CPU + 2xGPU vs DS Dual core + a better single GPU.  From what I've learned I expect the DS build would be a better performer especially considering overclocking, better RAM and cooling.
 
 
 
These systems represent the minimum I would want in a new computer.  Would it be worth the money to upgrade a few things as a hedge bet against future demands and scaleability/upgradeability?  Is my $2100 computer going to be a tax write off in 3-4 years vs a $3200 computer that may only need a CPU/GPU or RAM upgrade?
Something along the lines of this:
 
Case: Digital Storm 850Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (1066MHz FSB) (8MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 780i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 780i SLI)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Card: Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive 1: 80GB Western Digital (8MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: 250GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Recommended)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Zalman Case Fans)
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: Enhanced Interior Air Flow (Optical Drive & Floppy Cables (Blue Cables)
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Overclock Memory: Yes, Overclock the memory timings (Includes Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan)
Tweak Windows: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: Samsung 24 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
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Slicer View Drop Down
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Posts: 78 		  Quote Slicer Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2008 at 4:05pm
While I am not the biggest expert around I have been doing about 3 months of intense research and reading about various components/parts etc as it relates to gaming as I'm in the process of building my rig for that very function.
 
Couple notes about your build:
 
1.  CPU Battle,  Quad vs Dual, From the benchmarks I've seen and compared the Dual Core seems to do better for FPS Rates than the Quad in gaming,  the only question the pros could answer is will the Higher Resolution Gaming affect these scores giving the Quad a better score than the Wolfdale 8500 or 8400 chips.  Keep in mind that future games could make use of Quad Technology while most games right now do not.  You probably will get a high Ghz out of the Dual Core OC'ing than the Quad Core.
 
 
 
2.  Since you are going widescreen and I'm assuming higher resolution gaming, I believe the best bet is SLI config or X2 depending on your decision for ATI vs Nvidia
 
 
At worst you could start with the Dual Core and upgrade to the newer Quad's due out later this year as an upgrade.  As far as the GPU's I believe your on the right track as the GTS's appear to still be superior to the newer 9600x2 in price vs. performance


Edited by Slicer - 11 Mar 2008 at 4:13pm
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Mar 2008 at 3:04am
Since you seem to believe, as I did, that customer service and high quality components are worth a slight price premium, I'd just as soon leave Dell out of my reply, and concentrate on addressing your second post Steve. 

I hate trying to scry into the future with regards to upgrades and longevity of system components. I believe you hit upon the key to a successful build in your first post, namely separating want from need. The companies that build all of these amazing pieces of technology do a very good job of confusing that issue as much as possible.

"Computer used exclusively for on line gaming, WoW and AoC. "

I play MMO's also, and find that a quad core is great when I want to surf the net while the game is open. I don't play WoW, but if it's at all like the MMO's I have played, there is plenty of time spent waiting around. A quad lets you surf, listen to music, and play the game without slowdown in any of those tasks. Dual cores may take gaming benchmarks in a sterile, fresh OS install, nothing-else-running type environment, but that does *not* describe my situation. For this reason, I prefer the core 2 quads. Give either type of processor a sufficient overclock, and you won't bottleneck on your CPU anyway.

Here's another article to look over. Of interest, is the difference between the frame rates seen with different processors, or rather the lack of. There are disadvantages to a quad core, chief among them being power consumption followed closely by heat generated. Being a gaming liability is not among them.

Looking at the build in your second post, that's a very well balanced system, and should give you years of enjoyment. I also think you can get decent support for gaming on a 24" screen without breaking the bank:

$2292

It's a little bit more than the first configuration you listed, but much less than the second one. A pair of 9600's is roughly equal to a single GTX for gaming at 1920x1200. Here's an article comparing the two setups.
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traylorc View Drop Down
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Posts: 73 		  Quote traylorc Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Mar 2008 at 9:00pm
Originally posted by SunfighterLC

To be honest i dont think youd need duel anything for just online gaming, as those games have to be tuned to work for a very large audience and while pretty are rarely cutting edge graphic wise. You could probably get away with a single GT or GTS whichever you prefer. (keep in mind the new 9800 cards now x2, GTX, and GT, are all now supposedly less then month away from being out)
 
I think the 630 is a nice computer for its price. But keep in mind that you probably are not going to get brand name componets for the most part like youd get with DS. Also i believe dell only has a 1 year warrenty. DS covers you base for 3 years and that includes any overclocking that they do.
 
Dell doesnt really offer much in improving their air flow, dells are known to run very hot. I have an old 8400 right now with a 6800GT and a P4 and it gets blazing hot.
 
So while DS might be slightly more expensive, they cover that cost with better componets, a much longer warrenty, better service, and by offering changes and items that Dell doesnt offer, like overclocking and improved cooling stages.
 
Not that I am a huge fan of Dell, but I have been researching various computer manufacturers and comparing configs. 
 
Dell only offers a one year warranty standard on the 630, but a three year in home warranty is available.  It will cost extra, so you have to account for the extra cost.  I'm sure Digital Storm could do the same thing, but they chose to include the cost of a three year warranty in every computer offered.  Not neccesarily a bad thing, just a different business model.  Also Dell offers in home service.
 
The 630 has not properietory parts, so it's totally upgradable (you can't say that about Dell's current gaming flag ship the 720 XPS).
 
While Dell doesn't offer to overclock the 630, they do offer overclocking and liquid cooling options on the 720 XPS.
 
I have read a couple of reviews of the 630, so far no negative comments about the rig running hot.  That was a common complaint I read about the 720 XPS.
 
My real complaint regarding Dell is that if you do have a problem with your computer it would not be unusual to spend a tremendous amount of time on the phone before you talk to a live body.  I currently have a Dell and the few times I needed to call to talk to someone it seemed as if I spent hours on the line just waiting.  Conversely, when I finally did get someone on the line it was nice to exercise that in home service option. 
 
My gut feeling is that if you have a problem then the guys / gals from Digital Storm will go out of their way to help.  Customer service will be a huge factor in my next computer purchase.
 
 
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