Dell XPS 9100 vs. Homebuilt vs. Any other ideas

[patrick2099]

My computer is several years old, and I was looking at a new gaming rig, mainly to play Rift, once it comes out. I don't want to have to take out a mortgage on a machine, but also don't want to go so cheap that I have something useless in a year or two.

I have priced an XPS 9100 from Dell, and also selected components from Newegg. This is just my starting point, but I would appreciate any suggestions that you all may have.

I would also like to purchase a new monitor, but I have a nice set of dell speakers that the center channel attaches to the monitor. Does anyone know if you can get other monitors with similar mounting brackets, or am I stuck either buying a new monitor from dell, or buying new speakers?

Thanks a lot for the help.


------------------------------------------
Studio XPS 9100, Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English Unit Price

$1,444.99

XPS Studio 9100 price includes $100 instant discount.
Expires Thursday, February 17, 2011
- $100.00
Catalog Number: 29 DXCWQU1

Module Description Show Details
Studio XPS 9100 Studio XPS 9100
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processors Intel® Core™i7-930 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.80GHz)
Memory 9GB Tri Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 6 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
Monitor No Monitor
Video Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5
Hard Drive 1.5TB - SATA-II, 3Gb/s, 7,200 RPM, 32MB Cache HDD
Mouse Dell Laser Mouse
Modem No Dial Up Modem Option
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
Optical Drives Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write

capability
Sound THX® TruStudio PC™
Speakers No Speaker Option

Hardware Support Services 1 Year Basic Service Plan, DMLP
Recovery Tools Recovery DVD for Windows® 7 Home Premium OS, 64bit, English
----------------------------------



Newegg System


ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$18.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129021
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$6.00 Instant
$105.99
$99.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

-Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136592
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$119.99

MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814127490
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate14-127-490
$169.99
$154.99

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - OEM
Item #: N82E16829102003
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$34.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified

Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...
Item #: N82E16817139006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-139-006
$139.99
$109.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Return Policy: Consumable Item Refund Only Return Policy
$9.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop

Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-12GBRL
Item #: N82E16820231358
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$169.99

ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131665
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$199.99

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
Item #: N82E16819115211
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$299.99
$294.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
$99.99

Subtotal: $1,313.89


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[hunter315]

Drop the audigy SE to cut $35 off the price, the onboard will be just as good as it. Other than that, the homebuilt uses better parts, more memory, a faster CPU, and a much better motherboard and PSU all for less, i would definitely take that over the XPS.

 

[patrick2099]

Thanks. I was really wondering if I needed to go with the i7 or if a cheaper i5 or amd cpu would suffice for games like Rift.

 

[xinpig]

If you had access to a microcenter near you, they have the i7 950 for sale for 200 bucks. faster and cheaper.

 

[patrick2099]

I put the i7 950 on my Newegg build, but wasn't sure if that was the best for the money, since a few of the i5's seem to give better benchmark numbers.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 $89.98 FREE SHIPPING $10 off w/ promo code EMCKHKG26, ends 2/9
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 $109.99 - $99.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

http://www.amazon.com/ASRock-X58-Extreme-CrossFireX-Motherboard/dp/B000T9PP8E/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1296950074&sr=1-1 $142.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASRock X58 Extreme Core i7 / Intel X58/ DDR3/ Quad CrossFireX & Quad SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.593337 Combo Price: $319.98 $15.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $304.98
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler , free TX-2 Thermal Paste Included Inside

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226177 $67.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 998946

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177 $18.99 FREE SHIPPING
LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125362 $269.99
GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429 Combo Price: $159.98 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,178.90 *not including shipping, rebates, promo codes, etc...

 

[patrick2099]

Best answer selected by patrick2099.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar