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To buy now or wait..

Post Date: 2008-02-19
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: To buy now or wait..
    Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 12:09am
Hi Everybody,
 
Im kinda new here, in fact i stumbled upon this site mostly by accident just doing a search for other options to a Dell 720 Red.
 
My price range is decent around 2000-2500 bucks w/o monitor, speakers, keyboard, etc.  So a pretty healthy system.
 
Ive heard reports that Nvidia and Intel are both going to be releasing their new lines of products sometime within the next month or so, so ive kinda come to the ideal that maybe right now isnt exact a great time to buy, and to maybe to hold off a month or two and wait to see what these new products have to offer and/or grab a nice deal on some of the now older date products that have reduced their prices.
 
Do you guys think it is wise to maybe hold off for a while and wait?
 
 
 
------
 
A second question would be about a system i configured on here, Ive spent a few weeks now researching on various tech sites and what have you on the current tech. So i think i have a pretty good handle on what i want, and what has a good bang for its buck. Though any advice would be welcomed. This is what i would get if i had to buy here and now...
 
Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 620W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (1066MHz FSB) (8MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 680i LT Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance)
Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE (Up to 7.1 Channel)
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink (Copper Heatpipes)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks

Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
 
The total came to i believe around $2180 or so. If anybody sees anything that could be tweeked to maybe get a better quality for not a huge increase in price, please say so.
 
 
I gotta say though, I love the 3 year warrenty and the TONS more options given over what dell offers. Though its sad to see you guys dont offer then E8400-8500 CPUs either. Well Dell offers them with the XPS 420, but not the XPS 720 (makes no sense at all does it?). I like the options to have you guys overclock, but im not sure if its worth the 90 bucks, if it is worth it, let me know. For right now though i lean towards accepting it, because its less work for me to do overall. I can handle the windows cleaning and memory myself =P.
 
My concerns though are these:
 
The power, im not certain if its enough or not. I know the 720 Red comes with a 1KW power supply with the same basic get up (CPU, GFX SLI) but i think thats overkill really.
 
The case for the pro seems rather bland looking if you ask me compared to the others and a lot more bland then the XPS 720. But im not one to worry about the bling look because 90% of the time this thing is gonna sitting under my desk out of sight. But my real concern is with the airflow. Looking at the box, it seems rather...not airflow friendly, at least in the pictures. And with a OCed duel SLI and OCed CPU, I am concerned about the heat being generated within that box.
 
I also cant seem to find the sales tax anywhere...I know dell charges sales tax..so i assume you guys do too.
 
Ill stop rambling now, but I wanna say im happy i randomly found this site. I was kinda ticked that Dell was looking to be my only option for getting the best bang for my buck, all the other sites i went to wanted insane amounts for the same stuff the 720 Red was offering, your site was the first one to come within a reasonable amount for the same items. And with superior parts and service and 3 times the warrenty...you guys are the new frontrunner in my hunt for a new PC.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 1:19am
I personally don't think it's worth to wait a month just for a die shrink. Intel is scheduled to release their 45nm quads sometime in March and Nvidia is scheduled to release their new flagship (9800GX2 - basically two 8800 cards stuck together using one PCI-E slot) on March 11th.

620W will be able to handle SLI. 1000W is definitely overkill =x
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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syn View Drop Down
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Posts: 150 		  Quote syn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 3:25am
Make sure to ask for the mesh drive bay covers and fan if you get the pro case and are concerned about ventilation.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 9:42am

I noticed they changed the product line today, with the old pro case now moving a level down and the ultra case becoming the new pro line case (with different names of course) this ups the price a bit, about an extra 200 bucks.

They have a new CPU option too...8400 hmm... Id want a 8500 tho =P
 
This is why i was thinking about waiting, this seems to be about the time of the year when all the companies begin to shift around and change up their lines.
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Rank393 View Drop Down
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Posts: 72 		  Quote Rank393 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 9:58am
Man I'm facing the same dilemma Buy now or wait. The Jedi in me says  patience, but the Sith in me says buy now that money is going to burn a hole in your pocket! Yes, i'm  a "Star Wars nerd" as my wife so eloquently puts it.
 
btw is there an official release date for the 9800 series? And anybody have a good guesstimate on how much the 8800s will go down in price....if at all?? 
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cronedog View Drop Down
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  Quote cronedog Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 11:29am
If you keep waiting for the next big release, you will never own a computer.  What you have listed is a damn fine computer, but waiting for the 9800X2 wouldn't be so bad either.
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ColoradoKevin View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote ColoradoKevin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 3:25pm
Why not buy now with a lower end graphics solution then upgrade when the 9800 series is released if it concerns you?  You could always sell your old graphics card(s) on ebay and make back some money. 

I agree with cronedog, if you wiat, there is always something new around the corner that will peak your interest, thus you will never own a PC.

Just my $0.02.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 4:13pm

Maybe i should get a single 8800GT and then buy 2 9800s when they come out.

Though ive never done a SLI myself, how hard is it really to do?
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Dashuu View Drop Down
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Posts: 407 		  Quote Dashuu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 4:53pm
You can always use the EVGA step up program to upgrade your video card. You only get 90 days from the time of the purchase to upgrade, but the 9800GX2 should be out by then. You'll be able to get a computer now and upgrade for the difference when the new card comes out. 
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ColoradoKevin View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote ColoradoKevin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 4:56pm
Originally posted by Dashuu

You can always use the EVGA step up program to upgrade your video card. You only get 90 days from the time of the purchase to upgrade, but the 9800GX2 should be out by then. You'll be able to get a computer now and upgrade for the difference when the new card comes out. 
 
Upgrade within 90 days, I had no idea.  Is that a DS policy?  Sweet if it is and worth it.
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Dashuu View Drop Down
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Posts: 407 		  Quote Dashuu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 5:00pm
No, it's the EVGA step up program, which we are a part of. So you can do this with hardware that you get from us. You'll just have to register the product once you get it, on the EVGA website. All you need to register the product is the serial number, which is usually found on the product itself. 
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ColoradoKevin View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote ColoradoKevin Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 7:49pm
Great.  Thanks for the info Dashuu.
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cronedog View Drop Down
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Posts: 62 		  Quote cronedog Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 8:10pm
It is a EVGA policy.

I personally jumped on my machine shortly after the 8800GT came out.  I did wait a bit to see if the new amd architecture would be any good. 

The new intel chips just got added, and in a few days the new Geforce 9K series will be out.  If you do decide to wait a few weeks it might be worth while since the next new thing after that would be a ways in the future.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 8:12pm
Yea im gonna wait a few weeks to see how the new 9x Nvidia cards show. And maybe catch a bit of a price decrease on older cards =). Plus maybe DS will have some 8500's by then woo!
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 8:33pm
Oh, i might add that im definally getting a DS computer now over a Dell.
 
I wrote a message to dell asking why they were offering the E8400-8500 chips for their lower grade XPS 420 computers and not for the XPS 720 computers. Cause id like a 8400-8500 instead for my potential 720 Red.

Basically they replied that the 720 was on the way out and was going to be replaced with in the next couple months. I never heard of that. To make it worse, It costs 50 bucks to 'upgrade' on the XPS 420 from the standard Q6600 to that E8500 chip. No big deal, but that same 50 bucks "upgrade" (Q6600 to a duel core) on the HIGHER END 720 will only net you only a E6850 CPU. So apparently for the next couple months, they are gonna be screwing their higher end customers.
 
Not saying the 6850 is bad, but an 8500 is better. It just seems bizzare theyd do that.
 
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 10:03pm
There isn't enough E8500 to go around so even if you do order one, you will probably be waiting until April to receive it.

The high end 720 Red has SLI 8800GTs which require a nvidia motherboard. None of nvidia's motherboards except the 780i supports 45nm CPUs. And I'm 100% certain that Dell doesn't use 780i boards.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 10:22pm
See, why couldnt Dell just tell me that instead, then maybe id understand and not think they are trying to rip people off.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 11:07pm
Originally posted by skyR

There isn't enough E8500 to go around so even if you do order one, you will probably be waiting until April to receive it.

The high end 720 Red has SLI 8800GTs which require a nvidia motherboard. None of nvidia's motherboards except the 780i supports 45nm CPUs. And I'm 100% certain that Dell doesn't use 780i boards.


 
by the way, does this mean that if i want to use the 8400 CPU offered here, that id have to pick up a non nvidia 680i Mobo, or have to get the 780i?
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 11:18pm
Yes you will need an intel mobo or 780i to use the E8400.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2008 at 11:21pm
gotcha thanks
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Alex View Drop Down
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Feb 2008 at 10:47am
Actually, eVGA released (well NVIDIA) bios updates for the 680i series, etc and they now support the 45nm processors. However, only the dual core series, not quad.
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