$809 i7 with 6GB DDR3 RAM, TWO 640GB Hard drives and a Radeon 4850

[bkwegoharder]

You trying building an i7 with so much ram and a 150 dollar graphic card for 639 dollars total. The i7 itself costs about half the price of the WHOLE SYSTEM!

Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
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Memory
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (4 DIMMs)
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Hard Disk Drive


640 GB SATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
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Video
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850
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Processor
Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Processor (8MB L3 Cache, 1MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
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Media Bay
16X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
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Software Upgrade
Windows Live
64BIT Operating System DVD
Microsoft Works 9.0
64BIT Operating System CD

There is a catch though. It's certified refurbished from Dell. But it is in the same condition as a fresh factory pc, and any parts that were not up to factory standard were replaced with new parts. You might as well say it's like an Ecollege.pc build. There are no dents, and no really noticeable scratchs. It looks as if it were in mint condition. Also, Dell trusts in them enough to give the same warranty that freshly built computers get, for free just like a fresh computer. Dell is also known for their good customer service.


System Specification

$809 i7 with 6GB DDR3 RAM, TWO 640GB Hard drives and a Radeon 4850

System Specification

Here is another one for 20 dollars more, with 8GB of DDR3 ram, and 1 750 GB HDD

System Specification

Here is one that is the same as the above but with only 6GB of ram, and a 1505 wireless network card. It costs $919

System Specification


And this is a scratched and dented one for 779. It has 2 640 GB HDD a 4850 and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The parts are still up to factory standard though and you still get the 1 year warranty for no added price. The warranty is parts and labor, so the dell guy could still come to your house and replace a dead part for free.

System Specification



These are these 4 available so people will have to act fast. I remember showing a guy here that asked for a prebuilt the 4GB version that had a 640 GB HDD for 687 dollars. That was insane, but it looks like that one is gone, he probably bought it already or someone else did.


Also, for the people who want overclocking, you could still buy a new modo with this since it uses ATX cases. That way it's still a very good deal and you could overclock.

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Last edited by bkwegoharder; May 27th, 2009 at 04:31..

[makotech222]

nope, not worth it from dell because you wont be able to OC. Custom pc FTW
It would be better to just get all new parts, and the parts you specifically want. It'll be cheaper in the long run, too.

__________________

Desktop: [Windows 7 x64][Asus P8P67 Deluxe][Intel i5 2500k @4.4ghz][EVGA GTX 570][Corsair DDR3 8gb] [Corsair 550w][Viewsonic 23inch 120hz 1680x1050 Display]
Lenovo X200Tablet: [Windows 7 x64][L9400 @1.86ghz][Intel GMA 4500MHD][2gb Ram][160GB 7200rpm][LED-lit Touchscreen/pen-abled]

[sgsavvy]

yea i agree with makotech... you wont be able to OC but not too sure whether you will save in the long run, depends on what parts you get and your budget as well.[IMG]http://**************/img/3322/n09x0302vnsn/clear.gif[/IMG]

[bkwegoharder]

What's the point over overclocking an i7? It already is the strongest cpu on the market.

I doubt that anyone can make an i7 like this for the same price. The parts are also very good. The HDD that Dell uses are Western Digital Caviars. The RAM is samsung ram, and it has some good latencies. You get 2 HDD as well.

It's impossible to build a pc like this for 809 dollars, with the OS and other stuff as well.

And it's not like you can't upgrade the ram, graphics card and cpu later on. The deal is freaking insane.

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Last edited by bkwegoharder; May 26th, 2009 at 03:28.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

[PCXL-Fan]

Well since you are on an emulation forum there is a point to overclocking.

To get many games for pcsx2 and some for dolphin running at full speed.

__________________

Try @ES the ultimate emulator frontend and all in one media player

Originally Posted by Exodus

Yes, I like anime, Street Fighter, Japanese music and download video game music. Yes, I know... I've changed.

gamersat678's Bug Reporter ||| cottonvibe's pcsx2 guide for noobs ||| GSdx plugin ||| DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

[makotech222]

Originally Posted by bkwegoharder

What's the point over overclocking an i7? It already is the strongest cpu on the market.

I doubt that anyone can make an i7 like this for the same price. The parts are also very good. The HDD that Dell uses are Western Digital Caviars. The RAM is samsung ram, and it has some good latencies. You get 2 HDD as well.

It's impossible to build a pc like this for 809 dollars, with the OS and other stuff as well.

And it's not like you can't upgrade the ram, graphics card and cpu later on. The deal is freaking insane.

Because my overclocked E8400 is better than a stock i7, thats why.

__________________

Desktop: [Windows 7 x64][Asus P8P67 Deluxe][Intel i5 2500k @4.4ghz][EVGA GTX 570][Corsair DDR3 8gb] [Corsair 550w][Viewsonic 23inch 120hz 1680x1050 Display]
Lenovo X200Tablet: [Windows 7 x64][L9400 @1.86ghz][Intel GMA 4500MHD][2gb Ram][160GB 7200rpm][LED-lit Touchscreen/pen-abled]

[skoreanime]

Originally Posted by bkwegoharder

And it's not like you can't upgrade the ram, graphics card and cpu later on. The deal is freaking insane.

You could, but what would be the point? Would be cheaper to just build it from cheaper parts yourself. You still get warranty from it and save more money and get better performance.

Plus, at 2.6Ghz, it's not really much better then the Core 2 generation for emulating PCSX2.

[bkwegoharder]

Originally Posted by makotech222

Because my overclocked E8400 is better than a stock i7, thats why.

No, it's not. Even when it's overclocked like that, it doesn't come close to the i7 when changing videos from one format to the other. It also can't multitask like the i7. I could schedule two anti viruses to run at the same time, and play GTA 4 perfectly. And at stock the i7 doesn't really run at 2.66, it runs at 2.8 GHz because of turbo boost.

In games, the i7 is also better off. Games that don't support more than 2 cores run fast with a stock dual core anyway so it doesn't even matter, in the games that count there is multi core support which really improves performance.

And about PCSX2, why would you buy a computer for 8 times the price of the ps2, just so you could play ps2 games? The ps2 is just 99 dollars now. Even if you wanted to do the The graphical quality increase isn't all that it's cracked up the be either. It looks better yes, but it doesn't even have 50% compatability, there are graphical glitches in most games, most games probably won't even run at full speed. If you wanted pcsx2 for "you know what", then you could easily do the same with a memory card, a usb drive, and an action replay, or access to a friends ps3 or something and a ps2 memory card to ps3 reader. All in all it would cost you no more than 50 dollars for everything, and chances are you'll have an ipod or something you can use as a usb drive. Then just put a special program on your ps2 memory card, then boom your good. Most of the games that I own, or games that I want to play won't work on it. PCSX2 isn't supposed to be a main reason for buying a pc. I definately would get a core 2 duo over an i7 because of PCSX2. For the most part, overclocking doesn't help in pc games anyway. PCSX2 is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not the sole reason for getting a good computer. Unless you like to spend many times more thabn what you need to spend.

Originally Posted by skoreanime

You could, but what would be the point? Would be cheaper to just build it from cheaper parts yourself. You still get warranty from it and save more money and get better performance.

Plus, at 2.6Ghz, it's not really much better then the Core 2 generation for emulating PCSX2.

It runs at 2.793(you might as well say 2.8 because the 13mhz don't make a difference) because of turbo boost. And it's not all just about GHz rating you have to remember the architecture, for one the i7 has the memory controller on the cpu itself, it has much faster cache. The deal give you DDR3 ram as well.

And it's just not possible to build a computer like that from the parts yourself for the same price. you wouldn't come close.

The i7 costs nearly 300 dollars, a motherboard for it is 200 and the 4850 is 150, two 640 GB HDDs are 140.

That's just about 800 right there.

Then you have to get 6GB of DDR3 ram, a Case, a power supply, a dvd disk drive, an Operating system, keyboard and mouse, and even then, you probably won't have a good warranty on all the parts. Vista home premium is 100 dollars by itself.

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Last edited by bkwegoharder; May 26th, 2009 at 05:25.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

[dudeman1635]

O_o Holy cow My rig is almost the same and I PAID $2000! WOW is all I have to say!

__________________
My rig
Intel core i7 920 3gb ddr3 geforce 9800GTX+ SSC 600gb hdd.

Yeah who needs consoles lol

AND btw dolphin is the chuck norris on all emulators

[skoreanime]

I'm not saying the deal is bad, but for most of us with some general knowledge of computers, we could definitely strike up a deal just as good.

For non-enthusiasts, it's a great deal. But for most of us, if you haven't realized, building our own is the only way to go

Plus, dealing with Dells warranty is f'ing annoying. It was a pain to deal with them when my dads Dell laptop hard drive died. With most component manufacturers like Asus, Sapphire, eVGA etc... just phone them, talk for a few minutes to straighten out the info, box up the part, ship it away and a couple weeks later, it's either fixed or brand new. And unlike Dells 1 year warranty, most of the listed manufacturers offer life warranty

[bkwegoharder]

I'm not saying the deal is bad, but for most of us with some general knowledge of computers, we could definitely strike up a deal just as good.

for most pre builts that's true, but for this no. I just checked newegg for prices and I'm positive that it can't be matched or beat. The mouse is also one of those crazy expensive logitech mice. I never saw the use, but a lot of people love them so it's good. It's not like it just has a cheap keyboard and mouse that you can get from anywhere.

[Princess Garnet]

I'm not sure where you're getting that most games are better off on the Core i7 because the two cores of a Core 2 Duo aren't enough. The Core i7 has shown to be better overall, yes, but as far as core count goes, that's not the main reason why. The Core i7 is simply a better architecture, and at the same speed, it often equates to as though it were a few hundred MHz faster. Given that, a 4.0GHz+ Core 2 will often be better than a sub-3GHz Core i7.

This review says it good.

Originally Posted by Anandtech

Expecting a sequel to be a reincarnation of the original is just setting yourself up for disappointment. A good sequel will be able to stand on its own, independent of whatever may have come before it. Nehalem is Intel's Dark Knight, it lacks the reinvention that made Conroe so incredible, but it continues what was started in 2006.

The Core i7's general purpose performance is solid, you're looking at a 5 - 10% increase in general application performance at the same clock speeds as Penryn. Where Nehalem really succeeds however is in anything involving video encoding or 3D rendering, the performance gains there are easily in the 20 - 40% range. Part of the performance boost here is due to Hyper Threading, but the on-die memory controller and architectural tweaks are just as responsible for driving Intel's performance through the roof.

Originally Posted by Anandtech

It seems odd debating over the usefulness of a processor that can easily offer a 20 - 40% increase in performance, the issue is that the advantages are very specific in their nature. While Conroe reset the entire board, Nehalem is very targeted in where it improves performance the most. That is one benefit of the tick-tock model however, if Intel was too aggressive (or conservative?) with this design then it only needs to last two years before it's replaced with something else. I am guessing that once Intel moves to 32nm however, L2 cache sizes will increase once more and perhaps bring greater performance to all applications.

Quite possibly the biggest threat to Nehalem is that, even at the low end, $284 is a good amount for a microprocessor these days. You can now purchase AMD's entire product line for less than $180 and the cost of entry to a Q9550 is going to be lower, at least at the start, than a Core i7 product. There's no denying that the Core i7 is the fastest thing to close out 2008, but you may find that it's not the most efficient use of money. The first X58 motherboards aren't going to be cheap and you're stuck using more expensive DDR3 memory. If you're running applications where Nehalem shines (e.g. video encoding, 3D rendering) then the ticket price is likely worth it, if you're not then the ~10% general performance improvement won't make financial sense.

Converting videos has always been about raw horsepower, and since most software for that takes advantage of more cores, of course the Core i7 (with Hyper-threading, since I remember Hyper-threading on my old Pentium 4 even giving some of a boost) will win.

If prices and the next die shrink look attractive enough at the time, I might go for a Core i7 then (I'll most likely instead hold out for Sandy Bridge for one more year), but I have to agree with the sentiment that I'm not exactly wanting to trade my overclocked Core 2 Duo in for a stock Core i7. No way.

As for the PC in the first post, it's not everyone's cup of tea, so to say, but it's a good deal considering it's an OEM. I'm well aware of the Dell outlet, and it's an awesome thing. Dell's outlet has always had great deals on refurbished and returned PCs, and I've bought a system through that a good while back (for a family member) and it was a great deal.

P.S Dell was known for their award service, many years ago. Ever since they outsourced it, it's gone to hell. You have to pay the premium for the top level support to get anything that's decent from them.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

[Spyhop]

Originally Posted by bkwegoharder

And about PCSX2, why would you buy a computer for 8 times the price of the ps2, just so you could play ps2 games? The ps2 is just 99 dollars now. Even if you wanted to do the The graphical quality increase isn't all that it's cracked up the be either.

Expand these images.

PS2 quality as it would be seen displayed on and HDTV:


And PCSX2:


You were saying?

[bkwegoharder]

I posted about the architecture and the memory controller earlier, and the faster cache. Also, with an i7, if you really wanted high clockrates, you could deactivated a core or 2, then overclock it just as you would with a core 2 duo. Well not in this since it's a dell, but for unlocked motherboards you could.



Also, I disagree with the multicore thing. Right now, there is no game out that performs badly on a dual core cpu, and doesn't support multi core. for the games that run good on a core 2 duo, it will also run good on an i7. Despite the clock rate. Game developers don't make games so that you have to overclock. And in most of games, overclocking doesn't improve performance reasonably enough.

If it doesn't run good on a core 2 duo, it will probably have support for 3 or more cores anyway.

[Princess Garnet]

Originally Posted by bkwegoharder

Also, I disagree with the multicore thing. Right now, there is no game out that performs badly on a dual core cpu, and doesn't support multi core. for the games that run good on a core 2 duo, it will also run good on an i7. Despite the clock rate. Game developers don't make games so that you have to overclock. And in most of games, overclocking doesn't improve performance reasonably enough.

True enough (sort of, because if "it didn't matter" you could just buy the lowest end/speed CPU based on number of cores, and we know there's more to it than that, but I digress), but then I could easily turn that around and say it's not worth noting the ~5% to 10% increase in gaming for the extra cost. It's not really worth making a big deal of in either direction. I was just answering your statement that Core i7 is better stock than even an overclocked Core 2 Duo because of it's better multi-tasking/more cores.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

[bkwegoharder]

Originally Posted by Spyhop

Expand these images.

PS2 quality as it would be seen displayed on and HDTV:


And PCSX2:


You were saying?

I didn't word that right. It's a good increase, but it's not all that it's cracked up to be compared to all the negatives that you get. I did state that the graphics were better in pcsx2.

But that's it. most games don't work on pcsx2. It's mainly rpgs that work well on it, most of the games that I tried playing, or games that I want to play don't work. If they do work, they'll probably have graphical glitches. If they don't have the glitches. Games will also not run at full speed, unless you get a pc that is many times the cost of a ps2. So, for spending 8 times the amount of a ps2.

Originally Posted by Lord Zedeck

True enough (sort of, because if "it didn't matter" you could just buy the lowest end/speed CPU based on number of cores, and we know there's more to it than that, but I digress), but then I could easily turn that around and say it's not worth noting the ~5% to 10% increase in gaming for the extra cost. It's not really worth making a big deal of in either direction. I was just answering your statement that Core i7 is better stock than even an overclocked Core 2 Duo because of it's better multi-tasking/more cores.

Well, fr just gaming, normally buying an i7 isn't worth the increase in price for most games out now, except for a few games that really show the difference between performance. the prices for the i7 motherboards, and ddr3 ram are dropping rapidly. You could get 6GB of ddr3 ram for 77 dollars on newegg, and it's like 60 or 50 dollars after the rebate plus it has free shipping. Also, as of now, it seems like games are getting higher and higher with the cpu requirements. An i7 now will last for a lot longer than a core 2 duo. I wouldn't be surprised if it lasts for 4 years or longer and still be able to play games decently. The main point in getting an i7 now is either for those people who get an i7 now, is that it will last for a very long time.

Also, the atricle said a 20-40% in video encoding and 3D rendering. I think that the 3D rendering means gaming.

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Last edited by bkwegoharder; May 26th, 2009 at 06:48.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

[Spyhop]

Originally Posted by bkwegoharder

So, for spending 8 times the amount of a ps2.

You're not looking at it right. No one's buying a PC just for PCSX2. Emulation is just a consideration. So, if you were buying an $800 machine anyway, with maybe a 2.4ghz processor, you might be inclined to spend another $50 or so on the CPU for PCSX2. The computer is going to be purchased with or without PCSX2. The extra $50 is for emulation.

[bkwegoharder]

i think that skoreanime, said that the build wasn't worth it, and one of his reasons was because a Core i7 at 2.66GHz isn't good for pcsx2. Unless I misunderstood what he was trying to say.

[makotech222]

Well of course an I7 will beat my E8400 in multithreaded programs. My Mobo+cpu only costs $250 max, while the I7 costs that much alone. In 90% of the single threaded and double threaded programs however, Mine will beat the I7 stock. Thats why OCing is essential when you want the best bang for the buck. I also hear it runs cooler.

Besides, for video encoding and most of that multithreaded stuff, i have a GTX260 w/ CUDA and future OpenCL support. Ati doesnt have CUDA.

__________________

Desktop: [Windows 7 x64][Asus P8P67 Deluxe][Intel i5 2500k @4.4ghz][EVGA GTX 570][Corsair DDR3 8gb] [Corsair 550w][Viewsonic 23inch 120hz 1680x1050 Display]
Lenovo X200Tablet: [Windows 7 x64][L9400 @1.86ghz][Intel GMA 4500MHD][2gb Ram][160GB 7200rpm][LED-lit Touchscreen/pen-abled]

[skoreanime]

It isn't bad for the emu, but the architecture and features of the i7 give, if any at all, a slight boost in performance.

The thing I personally don't like about this is that it wasn't built by the buyer IMO, every person should get to know their rig by building it themselves. Weird, probably, but that's how I think Plus, I will never, ever will own some generic motherboard, RAM and PSU ever again. I've owned some before and they've all died on me while my MSI motherboard, OCZ RAM and PSU are still going strong today (as my parents computer ).

Plus, if you're talking about Logitech mices, most of them are overrated and completely overpriced. The only decent Logitech mice I've owned are my MX1000 and G7. I had the revolution for awhile but hated it. I was glad when the scroll finally broke, I knew it would happened eventually because the design was a defect. The rubber band that switched scroll modes apparently would just snap or just stretch too much over time.

Like I said, it's not a bad deal, especially for people who don't overclock. But if you do want to do some overclocking eventually, I'd skip it. If you don't necessarily need a new computer now, I'd wait until the i5s.

If you know you'll be upgrading over the summer or autumn though, I'd consider it. Intels released their latest price line up of their CPUs and it's the first time in history where there were absolutely no changes from the previous list. Shows how bad the economy is hitting them But price of motherboards and hard drives will definitely go down, so yeah... it's really up to you.

Most people I see upgrading now are jumping back onto the AMD bandwagon because of all the deals they're pushing with it and price/performance they're pumping out. Some are just waiting until Q3 of this year for the i5s. No ones really excited by the i7 anymore. Even Intel knows they failed on it.