How about a dell branded pc

[yusuf_xd]

I'm planning to build a desktop with i3 8100 processor including 8gb ram & 1tb hdd & etc without a gpu. I will add a gpu maybe one year later. But with a decent psu & other little things(like wifi lancard, casing, monitor) my budget is experiencing a little problem. Then i found the options of dell brand pc with 4 gb ram. And i talked to the seller about the price with ram extension to 8gb. And it's within my budget and includes a 290w apfc psu, wifi Bluetooth lan, internal speaker & everything else i would need. I want to know what are the cons of a brand pc. Should i go for it rather than building a pc parts by parts on my own. One disadvantage i thought about it is that its mainboard has only two slots for ram. But it would also coste much if i was opting for a 4 ram slot mobo. Wouldn't 8gb ram be enough for this setup??
For your information I will learn data science and some intermediate programming on pc. While surfing web and playing YouTube videos will be the other functions with rarely playing dota2 on steam.

 

[heshclub7]

One of the biggest drawbacks of pre-built PCs, especially Dell, is that they use proprietary parts to build. I went through this when my motherboard died on my XPS 8500.

I went to replace the motherboard, and found none of the Dell parts connected to a non-proprietary mothrboard. So I ended up buying all new parts except the GPU and RAM.

If you want to upgrade later, a pre-built that uses only parts that are compatible with that system is an absolute no go.

If you upgrade, you’ll be buying a new PSU, motherboard and case at least.

You’re way better off spending the money on a pre-built that meets your needs now, or building your own with the idea of adding parts later.

 

[weberdarren97]

So this is a programming machine first and maybe a gaming machine later when you have the budget?

Assuming so, I think I'll say that your plan will work for you.

One thing to keep in memory is that a prebuilt system is meant to be used as is. Adding memory and putting in an i3 8100 do not consume much power, so those should be fine on the stock power supply.

However, I would highly recommend looking into purchasing a higher quality power supply before adding beefy components like graphics cards.

 

[weberdarren97]

One of the biggest drawbacks of pre-built PCs, especially Dell, is that they use proprietary parts to build. I went through this when my motherboard died on my XPS 8500.

I went to replace the motherboard, and found none of the Dell parts connected to a non-proprietary mothrboard. So I ended up buying all new parts except the GPU and RAM.

If you want to upgrade later, a pre-built that uses only parts that are compatible with that system is an absolute no go.

If you upgrade, you’ll be buying a new PSU, motherboard and case at least.

You’re way better off spending the money on a pre-built that meets your needs now, or building your own with the idea of adding parts later.

Fair point. A motherboard upgrade will likely leave OP needing to purchase a new case as well. I forgot Dell did that lol

 

[heshclub7]

I also can’t remember if a new PSU would fit a dell motherboard. I don’t think it does but not 100% sure. I don’t believe it has the same CPU connector and 24 pin.

 

[weberdarren97]

I also can’t remember if a new PSU would fit a dell motherboard. I don’t think it does but not 100% sure. I don’t believe it has the same CPU connector and 24 pin.

Except for the XPS series and server systems, I've not heard of this.

 

[yusuf_xd]

I will add a gpu only if i need it for machine learning. I will not use it as a gaming machine. The only game i will be playing is dota2 and maybe just once a day. And i don't plan on upgrading motherboard. I was using a very old amd dual core laptop which died a few days ago. This dell pre-built pc has a 3 year warranty. The only upgrade i will be doing in these 3 years maybe is replacing the rams with 2x8gb 2 years later and adding a lower end gpu if needed for machine learning. It has a 290w psu. Wouldn't it be sufficient for a lower end gpu like 1030t. The reason i was planning on this dell pc is that it has a cheap price tag including wifi lancard, speaker & a psu. Wouldn't it cost me much more if i build a pc parts by parts with every features this pre-built pc has??

 

[yusuf_xd]

Or it would be better option to go for a pentium gold g5400 processor with a gigabyte b360m ds3h mobo with a 350w thermaltake psu?
Or go for a ryzen 3 2200g build??
Remember that i will be learning data science and programming. I'm planning to be a data scientist