Should I purchase a Dell Studio Xps 9100?

[Ochoaadilson]

Hey Guys. I've been searching on craigslist for a PC that is not great but fairly OK. I'm 15 so my budget is extremely low. This one guy sells a dell xps studio 9100. It has a Intel i7 from what I see and he claims that the problem is that the hard drive gave out so that's why he is selling it cheap just at $100. Now I know the problem with dell PCs I currently own a Inspirion 545 with a Pentium e5400 2.7GHz but I need something decent. I have a spare HD laying around as well. I like to build a PC but my budget can't do that so we might as well start somewhere. What do you guys think?

 

[bjsm]

I would save up some money and buy a part every once in a while. For example get a cheap motherboard, then buy a cpu, then ram etc wait for deals save up your money try to make a little. I wouldnt buy this old dell i would take the opportunity to build my own and have some experience. I understand you probably want it fast but i think patience here will pay off on the long run. And im sure we would all be glad to help you buy parts.

 

[Ochoaadilson]

Bjsm I agree with you. But I just thought it was decent since it has i7 which I think is completely better than Pentium e5400

 

[Math Geek]

for only $100 i would take the risk. if nothing else you get the windows 7 pro key from the case which is worth more than $100.

if it only a hdd, then you are in decent shape to slowly upgrade the gpu and psu and such until your ready for a new mobo/cpu down the road. if the mobo is dead or other part, then you can probably salvage a few pieces for the next build as well. overall for $100 i'd take the risk, but then again i have the $100 to spare.....

can you lay hands on this machine before buying to give it a once over? (or better have someone who knows a bit about pc's have a look see at it) a quick boot up will yield a world of info on the pc. open the case to check on what gpu is in it and check the bios to see what cpu is installed in case he trying to pull a fast one etc...

 

[bjsm]

for only $100 i would take the risk. if nothing else you get the windows 7 pro key from the case which is worth more than $100.

if it only a hdd, then you are in decent shape to slowly upgrade the gpu and psu and such until your ready for a new mobo/cpu down the road. if the mobo is dead or other part, then you can probably salvage a few pieces for the next build as well. overall for $100 i'd take the risk, but then again i have the $100 to spare.....

can you lay hands on this machine before buying to give it a once over? (or better have someone who knows a bit about pc's have a look see at it) a quick boot up will yield a world of info on the pc. open the case to check on what gpu is in it and check the bios to see what cpu is installed in case he trying to pull a fast one etc...

Someone saying hes selling cheap because of a dead HDD, i feel its sketchy. Why would he not buy a 20$ hdd put it in and sell it for a lot more money. If you are going to take the risk make sure hes telling the truth and that nothing else other than the hdd is broken.

 

[Math Geek]

i agree completely. that is why my worst case is that you only get the windows sticker from the case

also why i suggested getting hands on and verifying the cpu and such is right. i agree it sounds sketchy as well but for $100 i personally would take the risk if i could get hands on before i buy. also why i suggested to have someone who knows about pc's to take the look if the op is not confident knowing what is inside the case himself.

i agree completely that it is risky but could also prove to be a nice buy if even the mobo and cpu is good to go. that'd be an i7 and a cheap mobo for $100 plus a windows key. still pretty much a win 😀 add in the 500w+ oem psu that i know is pretty decent and that is another part that could be migrated to a new build until a better one can be bought. overall MAY be a decent start......


but also know that you could get burned if you're not careful.

 

[Ochoaadilson]

for only $100 i would take the risk. if nothing else you get the windows 7 pro key from the case which is worth more than $100.

if it only a hdd, then you are in decent shape to slowly upgrade the gpu and psu and such until your ready for a new mobo/cpu down the road. if the mobo is dead or other part, then you can probably salvage a few pieces for the next build as well. overall for $100 i'd take the risk, but then again i have the $100 to spare.....

can you lay hands on this machine before buying to give it a once over? (or better have someone who knows a bit about pc's have a look see at it) a quick boot up will yield a world of info on the pc. open the case to check on what gpu is in it and check the bios to see what cpu is installed in case he trying to pull a fast one etc...

The guy says the PC once belonged to his parents. These PCs are pretty bad with hard drives but I'll take it to start. He says that the bios screen boots up so thats a plus that could be the hard drive.

 

[Math Geek]

if you can get to the bios, then the ram/mobo and cpu should be ok or it would not post.

like i said even if you have to replace a few parts, even a couple working pieces are worth the $100. i'd still like to have hands on it myself to verify if possible.

 

[fport]

The bios will tell you CPU and show RAM. I agree with the others that the Windows key is also a bonus.
Many many people have no idea of what a computer is except the screen display and keyboard. If it is
as claimed an i7 then an SSD could be your only other cost to get your boat running. A windows repair
disk could solve everything because you have no stake in what's on the drive.

 

[jsmithepa]

What generation of I7 is this anyway? But u know what, like others say, what can you buy with 100.00 these days? If he gives you all manuals and discs, that's a good sign that is legit. If he says "oh I lost the manuals" then you decide whether to risk it.

 

[zippy355]

Sup man , yeah i would have jump on it too , god knows ive spent a lot more and got a lot less.

Knowing me i would have tried to jew him down a bit specially if he was oozing naivete. I would have popped it open told him the the flux capacitor caused the hdd to burn out it and it would probably never work again. dare i say we would have both walk away with a smile on , him for getting rid of this time bomb and me for a steal of a deal 😛
not to mention that opening it you can tell if its be played with.
As for hardware Meh , the first gen I7 stuff is long in the tooth by now , but its still good. case looks good though OEM mini atx cases are practically free , PSU seems like it could be useful, and the most important win 7 coa sticker which is the golden ticket to next gen. Barring no other hardware or software gremlins, i would first throw in some ram ie max it out, if you happy with performance . then next would a small cheap ssd 256 sammy used , not to used tho. And if you are still happy i would get the Gfx card. Watch the pci e gen of the board no point in exceeding it. Old doesnt mean obsolete , at least not yet anyway

*** edit**
seriously $100 , ive spent more on blow jobs and beer and the the only thing i have to show for it ,is this persistent itch gtfo

 

[Kisianik]

i7 960 or similar.

 

[Ochoaadilson]

The bios will tell you CPU and show RAM. I agree with the others that the Windows key is also a bonus.
Many many people have no idea of what a computer is except the screen display and keyboard. If it is
as claimed an i7 then an SSD could be your only other cost to get your boat running. A windows repair
disk could solve everything because you have no stake in what's on the drive.

Well like I said i have a spare hard drive that I have laying around. That I have when I took of my old PC.

 

[Ochoaadilson]

Sup man , yeah i would have jump on it too , god knows ive spent a lot more and got a lot less.

Knowing me i would have tried to jew him down a bit specially if he was oozing naivete. I would have popped it open told him the the flux capacitor caused the hdd to burn out it and it would probably never work again. dare i say we would have both walk away with a smile on , him for getting rid of this time bomb and me for a steal of a deal 😛
not to mention that opening it you can tell if its be played with.
As for hardware Meh , the first gen I7 stuff is long in the tooth by now , but its still good. case looks good though OEM mini atx cases are practically free , PSU seems like it could be useful, and the most important win 7 coa sticker which is the golden ticket to next gen. Barring no other hardware or software gremlins, i would first throw in some ram ie max it out, if you happy with performance . then next would a small cheap ssd 256 sammy used , not to used tho. And if you are still happy i would get the Gfx card. Watch the pci e gen of the board no point in exceeding it. Old doesnt mean obsolete , at least not yet anyway

*** edit**
seriously $100 , ive spent more on blow jobs and beer and the the only thing i have to show for it ,is this persistent itch gtfo

Thanks man. That Gave me a smile.

 

[32starview]

For what Its worth, I have an XPS 9100. They were produced in 2010, usually come with either a I7-920 or I7-930. I use it for everyday work as well as gaming (BF4, Diablos ROS, battlefront). For someone on a small budget, its worth $100 and then you can add parts as money permits.

HDs are quite cheap these days, I changed the PSU, upgraded graphics card, CPU cooler, and replaced all fans. In all, about $200 worth of parts with another $200 for a MSI R9 270 GPU. All in all, runs well and cheaper than buying a new pc.

In the end, its all about your budget. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Maybe give an update if you did buy it ?