NEW DELL for ACES Hi ?

[Brooke]

For $1200-$1500, you can get two Dell-based systems.  Or one Dell-based system, a good monitor, and CH Products joystick and pedals.

In my opinion, the only weakness of a Dell system is the power supply -- the rest of the components are fine.  You can get a high-quality 400-500W ATX12V power supply from Newegg for $50-$75 (Antec, Corsair, Coolmax, Thermaltake, Seasonic -- take your pick).

Overall:

Dell Inspiron 660 is $500 (i5-3330, includes OS, 500 GB HD, 4 GB RAM, DVD+/-RW, 100/1000 Ethernet, sound, keyboard, mouse)
Thermaltake 500W ATX12V power supply is $50 (from Newegg)
Nvidia GTX 650 Ti (rated best for price range by Tom's Hardware) is $130 (from Newegg)

total = $680

[MrRiplEy[H]]

For $1200-$1500, you can get two Dell-based systems.  Or one Dell-based system, a good monitor, and CH Products joystick and pedals.

In my opinion, the only weakness of a Dell system is the power supply -- the rest of the components are fine.  You can get a high-quality 400-500W ATX12V power supply from Newegg for $50-$75 (Antec, Corsair, Coolmax, Thermaltake, Seasonic -- take your pick).

Overall:

Dell Inspiron 660 is $500 (i5-3330, includes OS, 500 GB HD, 4 GB RAM, DVD+/-RW, 100/1000 Ethernet, sound, keyboard, mouse)
Thermaltake 500W ATX12V power supply is $50 (from Newegg)
Nvidia GTX 650 Ti (rated best for price range by Tom's Hardware) is $130 (from Newegg)

total = $680

Not so long ago Dell also used non-standard components, for example the motherboard and power supply had reversed wiring order in the standard atx connector, causing motherboards to blow if non-Dell power supply was used. When you look at the setup - 3330, 500gb HD, 4Gb ram - those are midlevel specs from 3 years ago. Motherboard probably lacks support for PCI-E 3.0 and USB 3.0, heck maybe even SATA 6G. You pay little and you get exactly what you pay for or a bit less.

[swinger]

Here is my unit info:
Name   NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
PNP Device ID   PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0193&SUBSYS_042110DE&REV_A2\4&243D7BD0&0&0070
Adapter Type   GeForce 8800 GTS, NVIDIA compatible
Adapter Description   NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
Adapter RAM   640.00 MB (671,088,640 bytes)
Installed Drivers   nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version   6.14.13.1422
INF File   oem47.inf (Section001 section)
Color Planes   1
Color Table Entries   4294967296
Resolution   1680 x 1050 x 60 hertz
Bits/Pixel   32

[swinger]

Additional info:
OS Name   Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version   5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer   Microsoft Corporation
System Name   OWNER-E290D109F
System Manufacturer   NVIDIA
System Model   AWRDACPI
System Type   X86-based PC
Processor   x86 Family 15 Model 35 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~2010 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date   Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 11/14/2006
SMBIOS Version   2.2
Windows Directory   C:\WINDOWS
System Directory   C:\WINDOWS\system32

[swinger]

Last piece:
Boot Device   \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale   United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer   Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name   OWNER-E290D109F\Edward
Time Zone   Central Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory   2,048.00 MB
Available Physical Memory   1.35 GB
Total Virtual Memory   2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory   1.96 GB
Page File Space   3.85 GB
Page File   C:\pagefile.sys

[swinger]

If I purchase a computer, would some one
be interested in buying this one?
Or should I update this unit if possible?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

If I purchase a computer, would some one
be interested in buying this one?
Or should I update this unit if possible?

Usually an update is the least costly way to go. Your system is so old however that most likely you'd have to update everything except your case and harddrives. The old hdds may be a bit slower but will be adequate even in the new system. If you happen to have an up to date PSU also, even better.

You can get a really cheap upgrade by getting a new motherboard, cpu, cpu cooler, ram and possibly a midlevel graphics card. For AH2 that 8800GTS may even be usable but if you want to play any other games you'll need to upgrade that too.

[titanic3]

Not so long ago Dell also used non-standard components, for example the motherboard and power supply had reversed wiring order in the standard atx connector, causing motherboards to blow if non-Dell power supply was used. When you look at the setup - 3330, 500gb HD, 4Gb ram - those are midlevel specs from 3 years ago. Motherboard probably lacks support for PCI-E 3.0 and USB 3.0, heck maybe even SATA 6G. You pay little and you get exactly what you pay for or a bit less.

That's why it's something to be seen as an extra bonus when you buy a Dell. You shouldn't be looking for a Dell to put your fancy parts in (wait..that sounds wrong), you should be buying a Dell for regular home/office use but if it happens to support extra fancy parts, then it's just a bonus.

[Bizman]

If I purchase a computer, would some one
be interested in buying this one?
Or should I update this unit if possible?

I would add new hard disks and a new version of Windows to MrRipley's upgrade list. A hdd only lasts so long, statistically their life span is only 2-3 years. If your rig is in the state you bought it, the power supply is also starting to suffer of old age. That said, an upgrade would cost almost as much as a totally new rig. A sturdy, well breathing case only costs about $50, so the saving would be marginal.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get a totally new one built of known-good quality components and leave the current one as is (removing personal user files, of course, preferably reformatting and reinstalling XP). It could serve as a secondary gaming rig for your kids/friends, a Facebook/Youtube/e-mail etc. surfboard, a home/office computer or whatever. The AH classifieds would be the right forum to try to sell it to fellow AH'ers, there's many trying to play AH with less capable rigs than yours with no chance to invest even a few hundred $. An Internet auction might give you the best profit. The price range would be nominal in any case.

[swinger]

By golly, good advise fellows.
Thanks a lot for Ur input.

[Brooke]

Not so long ago Dell also used non-standard components

Not sure, but I think that was 10 years ago.  At least for me, 10 years ago, I replaced an old Dimension's power supply with a standard one from Fry's, and my friend replaced his several-year-old Dell's PSU with a standard ATX12V.  Today, I just looked inside my Dell Vostro 270 minitower at work, and judging by wire coloring, it has standard ATX connectors; and the manual for the Inspiron 660 lists the motherboard connectors as "ATX12V" and "ATX".

When you look at the setup - 3330, 500gb HD, 4Gb ram - those are midlevel specs from 3 years ago.

"Midlevel" is in the eye of the beholder.  To me, an i5-3330 is midlevel today and more than sufficient for AH and everything else I do.  The size of HD and RAM doesn't matter much, as I can add more if I want at low cost.

Motherboard probably lacks support for PCI-E 3.0 and USB 3.0, heck maybe even SATA 6G.

It has PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0.  Not sure what SATA it has.

You pay little and you get exactly what you pay for or a bit less.

I feel that I pay little and get exactly what I need or more at a good price/performance. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Not sure, but I think that was 10 years ago.  At least for me, 10 years ago, I replaced an old Dimension's power supply with a standard one from Fry's, and my friend replaced his several-year-old Dell's PSU with a standard ATX12V.  Today, I just looked inside my Dell Vostro 270 minitower at work, and judging by wire coloring, it has standard ATX connectors; and the manual for the Inspiron 660 lists the motherboard connectors as "ATX12V" and "ATX".

"Midlevel" is in the eye of the beholder.  To me, an i5-3330 is midlevel today and more than sufficient for AH and everything else I do.  The size of HD and RAM doesn't matter much, as I can add more if I want at low cost.

It has PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0.  Not sure what SATA it has.

I feel that I pay little and get exactly what I need or more at a good price/performance. 

I'm not a Dell expert but often OEM boxes contain nasty surprises which restrict upgrade options, such as non-standard PSU size so normal PSUs won't fit in the case etc... Or BIOS is crippled to minimum options, lack of ram slots or other nasties like that. In general it's a very bad idea to buy OEM with plans to expand it - they're normally built as low cost ready solutions and not for upgrades or overclocks in mind.

[Brooke]

I'm not a Dell expert but often OEM boxes contain nasty surprises which restrict upgrade options, such as non-standard PSU size so normal PSUs won't fit in the case etc... Or BIOS is crippled to minimum options, lack of ram slots or other nasties like that. In general it's a very bad idea to buy OEM with plans to expand it - they're normally built as low cost ready solutions and not for upgrades or overclocks in mind.

I totally agree with your sentiment.  I would not advocate changing the CPU or clock speeds, for example, on a Dell.  Power supplies and adding RAM (from crucial.com) are OK, but that is based on looking up specs and having done it on past systems.  I completely agree that one should not buy a computer and assume without looking into it that any upgrade will work.

[Bodhi]

I'm not a Dell expert but often OEM boxes contain nasty surprises which restrict upgrade options, such as non-standard PSU size so normal PSUs won't fit in the case etc... Or BIOS is crippled to minimum options, lack of ram slots or other nasties like that. In general it's a very bad idea to buy OEM with plans to expand it - they're normally built as low cost ready solutions and not for upgrades or overclocks in mind.

What would you say about private PC builders not using spec'd equipment, setting improper memory or cpu speeds, failing to install the proper fan drivers, or burning out a Video card and still shipping the computer?  I have owned a few Dells and I have never known them to send out something that was broken.  Hell, I even dropped over $4K on an Alienware that still performed better out of the box then another system I bought from another person.

It's all subjective.  You get what you get, but at least with Dell you have the chance to send it back within a reasonable time if it is a POS and if they balk, you just call your CC company.  With a private builder, you try and work it out, act all nice through the entirety and then get bent over the table when you go to Paypal in the end and they tell you the seller is outside the time frame for refunds.

[dhaus]

I have replaced a power supply, memory, hard drive and a video card on a dell.  I did need to make sure the power supply could handle the video card, but not because anything was proprietary.  When I was looking at computers in January,  dell just did not have anything with components I wanted without paying a lot for alienware.  I wound up building and got exactly what I wanted for what I wanted to pay.  Had I not wanted to take the plunge and build from scratch, I would have gone with a dell.  Like bodhi said, with dell, it walks in the door, you push a button and it works.  That has been my experience over more than 10 years and 3 dell desktops for me and 3 laptops for my kids.