I know very little about computers, even though I have had numerous comp college courses, worked using them as my primary tool for decades, and had one of the 1st IBM PCs.
Do NOT buy that from DELL
DELL specifically is one of the worst places to go for a high performance RIG. You are spending a good deal on the comp. Do not waste the money buying from some company know for substandard gaming rigs. GL.
Quote:
Horse hockey.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
I know very little about computers, even though I have had numerous comp college courses, worked using them as my primary tool for decades, and had one of the 1st IBM PCs.
Do NOT buy that from DELL DELL specifically is one of the worst places to go for a high performance RIG. You are spending a good deal on the comp. Do not waste the money buying from some company know for substandard gaming rigs. GL. |
I've bought several systems from Dell over the years that were designed for gaming and not had any problems with them. I've bought systems from Dell not designed for gaming but made with quality parts that gamed very well and had no problems.
I have a few friends that have also bought gaming and non-gaming systems from Dell with no problems.
Pricewise, the "gaming" models were competitive with other "gaming" rigs from various manufacturer's.
Of course, since I work as a computer technician, I also know how to keep my system maintained properly which may be one of the reasons I have different experiences than others. But my friends aren't techs, so that can't be the only reason.
That being said, I wouldn't recommend an Alienware system. Even before being bought out by Dell they were over-priced and you got less bang for the buck than several other gaming systems available.
Most of what you are paying for is the name, and that isn't worth the higher price you'll pay for it.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
I know it includes a monitor in that cost, but it seems pretty high. But Dell does provide good customer support, and as you mentioned, you have had good experiences with them in the past.
(Just don't buy the system directly from Alienware--I've had nothing but trouble dealing with their support staff.)
When it comes to desktops, I'm a big fan of the Systemax manufacturer, personally. I've had nothing but good experiences with their support team. Check out this rig and see what you think--it's got a faster processor, more memory, a better video card and more hard drive space:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=1165425
Need a monitor to go with it?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...p?EdpNo=735812
Together they'd be $1508, which would save about $120. (I used my home address to calculate the tax, yours may be more or less.) They also offer a free 4-9 day shipping program, so you could spend a little more to get expedited shipping if you preferred.
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
Main Villain: Evil Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1193 Badges
Mission Architect arcs: Doctor Brainstorm's An Experiment Gone Awry, Arc ID 2093
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
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Quote:
Did you chase this poor player to the forums after you called for backup in the Technical Issues area?
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Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
I know very little about computers, even though I have had numerous comp college courses, worked using them as my primary tool for decades, and had one of the 1st IBM PCs.
Do NOT buy that from DELL DELL specifically is one of the worst places to go for a high performance RIG. You are spending a good deal on the comp. Do not waste the money buying from some company know for substandard gaming rigs. GL. |
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
Dell/Alien ware is over priced for what you are getting. Look at IBuyPower or the other companies that Father Xmas and other on the Tech sub forum will point you to.
Unless you plan on running either multiple instances of CoH or a lot of programs in the background, the I7 proc is overkill. You can also save a good bit by choosing the XPS instead of the alienware and get the same innards.
Be well, people of CoH.
Quote:
That was sure a lot of "I Hate Blue and his opinions" to wade thru to get to "I agree with Blue."
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Originally Posted by Texas Justice
That being said, I wouldn't recommend an Alienware system. Even before being bought out by Dell they were over-priced and you got less bang for the buck than several other gaming systems available.
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I have bought several systems from Cyberpower PCs over the past decade and a half.
$2600 might have been a good price 8 years ago, but nowadays you should be able to get pretty decent performance with something in the $1000-1500 range unless you have additional reasons for needing a high end system. Plus a cheaper system now will mean that it'll be easier to consider ditching it for a new one when the time comes.
Teams are the number one killer of soloists.
It might not be exactly what you want, but the ASUS G74SX-A2 (or any of the G74 series) Republic of Gamers laptops come close to or exceed all the specs you have listed for your desktop. The screen size is 17.1", not bad for a laptop, but you can pick it and take it w/you anywhere. The best part...............knock about a thousand bucks off the price for an alienware.
Quote:
Not at all. I disagreed with your assessment of Dell, based on my own personal experience and the experiences of people I know. It had nothing to do with my opinion of you.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
That was sure a lot of "I Hate Blue and his opinions" to wade thru to get to "I agree with Blue."
|
And mine was based on me knowing quite a bit about computers, mostly since I make my living as a computer tech. You admitted in your own post that you know very little of computers.
My opinion of the Alienware being overpriced had nothing at all to do with it being owned by Dell since I had that opinion long before Dell bought them.
Those were points I already made in the previous post.
I didn't realize your reading comprehension was poor enough that I'd have to make the same points again for you.
Maybe this time you'll understand the points being made.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Quote:
Really? I don't see people agreeing with you.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
That was sure a lot of "I Hate Blue and his opinions" to wade thru to get to "I agree with Blue."
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
Do NOT buy that from DELL
DELL specifically is one of the worst places to go for a high performance RIG. You are spending a good deal on the comp. Do not waste the money buying from some company know for substandard gaming rigs. GL. |
It's the Alienware brand specifically that we have an issue with.
I bought multiple systems from Dell before I started building my own.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
I was also looking at Dell and some of the XPS systems. my Current PC is from Cyberpower and is also like 7-8 years old now. Seriously I would take a stab at building your own. There are people on this forum like Hyperstrike and Father Xmas who are extremely helpful. I figured out that I could build my own system for at least 600-800 less and it would be at least as good and in some cases better.
From what I have seen and read around the net its not actually all that complicated and I am sure there are people here that would help you.
The hard things I can do--- The impossible just take a little bit longer.
If numbers are so much more important than a teammate who is fun to play with, forget about the game altogether and go play with a calculator instead. -Claws and Effect-
Okay, let's start here:
Will that system run CoH nicely? Yes.
Could you probably get a better machine from another vendor? Yes.
Would said "better machine" come at a better price point? Likely yes.
Do I recommend Alienware? HELL TO THE NO! You're essentially paying premium price for "okay" gaming hardware, a gaudy case and a brand name.
Do I recommend dropping back to Dell's XPS line, which is essentially the same thing? No. You're still getting the same basic "okay" hardware. Then getting nickel-and-dimed to death on all the options that turn the XPS from a workstation into a gaming box.
While the 3930K is a nice processor, it's complete and utter overkill unless you're multi-boxing (running multiple instances of the game) simultaneously. The i7 2600K, and in some cases the i5 2500K will actually beat it out in some benchmarks that aren't heavily threaded (like just about everything).
The GeForce 555 card is essentially a bargain gaming card.
From iBuyPower you can get:
Gamer Paladin D855
http://www.ibuypower.com
Case 1 x Xion Echo Gaming Case-Green
Case Lighting None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion None
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7 3930K Processor (6x 3.20GHz/12MB L3 Cache)
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive None (This is a factory overclocking service)
Processor Cooling 1 x Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-2011]-[Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan
Memory 1 x 16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand - FREE Upgrade to Corsair XMS3
Video Card 1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 - 1.2GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 797MHz-Single Card
Video Card Brand 1 x Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
Motherboard 1 x ASUS P9X79 -- 4x USB 3.0
Power Supply 1 x 800 Watt - Standard
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 120 GB ADATA S510 SSD-Single Drive
Data Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Optical Drive 1 x [12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive-Black
2nd Optical Drive None
Flash Media Reader / Writer 1 x 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer-Black
Meter Display None
USB Expansion None
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card 1 x Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel)-64-Bit
Keyboard 1 x iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard
Mouse 1 x iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Monitor 1 x 27" LCD 1920x1080 -- Sceptre X270W-1080P-Save $40! Free Upgrade from 24" Sceptre E246W-1080P
2nd Monitor None
Speaker System 1 x Logitech Z506 5.1 Surround 3D Sound Speakers + Subwoofer-Black
Video Camera None
Case Engraving Service None
Warranty 1 x 3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Rush Service 1 x Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee)-No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days
Subtotal $2,266.00
Points of Comparison:
CPU: Same (Overkill, regardless)
Cooling: The Alienware is giving you a heatsink and fan. The iBP system is giving you a sealed-loop liquid cooler. No maintenance, no mess, and QUIET.
Memory: 32GB for iBuyPower vs 8GB for Alienware
Video card: GeForce 570 for iBuyPower vs GeForce 555 from Alienware (Only the former is a real gaming-oriented card.)
PSU: 800W vs...Dunno whatever the cheapest Dell can get away with, meaning if you want to upgrade something like the video card you have to upgrade the PSU too.
Hard Drive: Both have a 1 TB hard drive. But the iBuyPower system has a 120GB SSD for the OS drive. Tell yourself "17 second startups and nearly instant-on applications", versus however long the Alienware's drive takes to dump stuff. The 1 TB drive is for file storage on the iBP system.
Optical: 12x Blu ray on the iBP, 8x on the Alienware.
OS/Office: A bit of rough trade here. The iBP needs Win7 Pro (to take advantage of the greater amount of memory), but only gives you the Office "Starter" edition (Word and Excel). The Alienware gives you the Home/Student edition of Office, and since you're at 8GB of RAM you don't need anything other than Win7 Home.
Okay, back to business:
Monitor: iBP can provide you with a VERY nice 27" monitor. Alienware is giving you a 23".
Speakers: Identical
Price:
Alienware: $2629.98 + Shipping
iBP: $2266 + Shipping (About $125)
And if you're hell-bent to spend the $2600 bucks, and you have the space, you could just tack on another 27" monitor. It's always nice not to have to tab out of the game to hit Paragonwiki for info while you're in the middle of gaming (like what order the hunts in the Numina TF come in).
Or you could upgrade to a 3GB (Video RAM) GeForce 580.
Or you could opt for a second 120GB SSD and RAID them together for an even CRAZIER disk subsystem throughput and more system drive space.
If you're looking to go CyberPowerPC instead, a nearly identical offering will run you about $2400. But that's with a "free" upgrade of a 1GB to a 2GB drive. Shipping is roughly identical (somewhere in the $125 range) unless you happen to be a California resident. Then you can opt to just drive on down and pick it up.
Now, the gaming system spec'ed out about is abso-fricking-loute OVERKILL ON SUPERADINE!
You could easily get away with a much more sedate system at a much lower price.
But if you're one of those people who buys every 6-8 years and goes hog-wild when you do, this is probably the machine I'd recommend for you.
Links:
Paladin D885 Configurator
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D855
CyberPower PC x79 Configurator
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/C..._Configurator/
READ THIS!
Okay, just censoring myself here. I just went in and tried to set up an i5 2500K system of similar specs (less RAM of course), and came out at...$2008 bucks.
Honestly, if his budget can support it? SPEND THE EXTRA $258 bucks!
I don't give a damn HOW fat of an app you're running, a machine running quad-channel 32GB of RAM, with an SSD is going to SCREAM! At that point, your only bottleneck is your internet connection.
And the only thing you should ever even think about upgrading in the machine's lifetime is the video card.
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
The CPU is definitely overkill. And while it's true that quad channel memory provides twice the bandwidth of the dual channel memory in the standard Sandy Bridge CPUs, the larger memory cache size in the Sandy Bridge EX CPU would limit this advantage some. Also the cache in the Sandy Bridge EX is slower than the standard Sandy Bridge which also blunts the advantage even more.
Alienware has some cool ideas with their yet to be released ultrathin gaming laptop but their desktops are overpriced as you are simply paying for a name that once, a long time ago, meant something to gamers.
I don't consider Dell bad, just mundane. That Alienware model does come with a decent 875 watt PSU, great for multiple video card support, overkill for one. Oh, and it is liquid cooled standard, unlike what Hyperstrike guessed. Check out the review and internal pictures from Hexus.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
Quote:
ROFLMAO. Thats great. So in Texas If you take 25 minutes to agree with someone everybody sorta forgets what anybody was talking about. Really explains the Texas drawl. Thanks for the real world example.
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Originally Posted by Texas Justice
Not at all. I disagreed with your assessment of Dell, based on my own personal experience and the experiences of people I know. It had nothing to do with my opinion of you.
And mine was based on me knowing quite a bit about computers, mostly since I make my living as a computer tech. You admitted in your own post that you know very little of computers. My opinion of the Alienware being overpriced had nothing at all to do with it being owned by Dell since I had that opinion long before Dell bought them. Those were points I already made in the previous post. I didn't realize your reading comprehension was poor enough that I'd have to make the same points again for you. Maybe this time you'll understand the points being made. |
Quote:
Texas wasn't agreeing with you.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
ROFLMAO. Thats great. So in Texas If you take 25 minutes to agree with someone everybody sorta forgets what anybody was talking about. Really explains the Texas drawl. Thanks for the real world example.
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You said (paraphrase): "Dell is terrible, don't buy Dell, rabble rabble rabble!"
Texas said (paraphrase again): "Dell is fine. Alienware (which happens to be owned by Dell but is a separate entity entirely from Dell) is overpriced and the customer support is poor."
I don't see anywhere in there that anyone would say those two quotes are in agreement.
Paragon Wiki: http://www.paragonwiki.com
City Info Terminal: http://cit.cohtitan.com
Mids Hero Designer: http://www.cohplanner.com
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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Quote:
/Captain|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
ROFLMAO. Thats great. So in Texas If you take 25 minutes to agree with someone everybody sorta forgets what anybody was talking about. Really explains the Texas drawl. Thanks for the real world example.
|
What we got here is ... failure to communicate.
/Captain
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Quote:
LOL. Last time I dealt with a Dell in my house('06. Whole nother horror story.) we called their "Support"; some guy in Pakistan reading from a script in broken english which would've been a copy/paste answer had it been done online.
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Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man
Dell does provide good customer support
|
10 50's To Date! Check out Titan Sentinel; it got my CoH presence synced online
Quote:
My alienware laptop would like to have a word with you :P|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
I know very little about computers, even though I have had numerous comp college courses, worked using them as my primary tool for decades, and had one of the 1st IBM PCs.
Do NOT buy that from DELL DELL specifically is one of the worst places to go for a high performance RIG. You are spending a good deal on the comp. Do not waste the money buying from some company know for substandard gaming rigs. GL. |
Anyway, you can usually get a similar computer cheaper. I got mine as a bargain, otherwise I wouldnt bought it. But Dells ARE good. But you are paying for the name, too
Quote:
Depends on what you're running.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
The CPU is definitely overkill. And while it's true that quad channel memory provides twice the bandwidth of the dual channel memory in the standard Sandy Bridge CPUs, the larger memory cache size in the Sandy Bridge EX CPU would limit this advantage some. Also the cache in the Sandy Bridge EX is slower than the standard Sandy Bridge which also blunts the advantage even more.
|
Quote:
| I don't consider Dell bad, just mundane. That Alienware model does come with a decent 875 watt PSU, great for multiple video card support, overkill for one. Oh, and it is liquid cooled standard, unlike what Hyperstrike guessed. Check out the review and internal pictures from Hexus. |
I stand corrected. Still wouldn't buy it though. But that's me. And my primary preference is "Build it myself". I've got more depth of experience than some assembly line worker. Granted, some of these VARs like IBP and CPPC do a fairly decent job for those who aren't inclined to build.
Falcon Northwest machines are outstanding in my experience (from build quality POV), but you pay through the nose (and out the ***) for them.
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
Quote:
You forgot to add the sound of a gun being cocked back.
|
Originally Posted by Texas Justice
/Captain
What we got here is ... failure to communicate. /Captain |
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
Quote:
Their consumer report is...well, consumer-grade.|
Originally Posted by Psychic Guardian
LOL. Last time I dealt with a Dell in my house('06. Whole nother horror story.) we called their "Support"; some guy in Pakistan reading from a script in broken english which would've been a copy/paste answer had it been done online.
|
Their small business support is better but not great.
And while some of their enterprise support are possessed of accents thick enough to require laser cutters, they tend to be genuinely knowledgeable (or are once you get past the Tier 1 guys, though lately the Tier 1 guys have gotten better too).
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
Quote:
I'll second this recommendation. I picked up an Asus G74 XC1 during black friday at newegg -- also snagged an ssd and stuck it in there -- runs fantastic.
|
Originally Posted by Beta968
It might not be exactly what you want, but the ASUS G74SX-A2 (or any of the G74 series) Republic of Gamers laptops come close to or exceed all the specs you have listed for your desktop. The screen size is 17.1", not bad for a laptop, but you can pick it and take it w/you anywhere. The best part...............knock about a thousand bucks off the price for an alienware.
|
@Texarkana
@Thexder
Quote:
I'm from Texas.|
Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
You forgot to add the sound of a gun being cocked back.
|
A gun being cocked is a given.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Hey All,
I'm thinking of getting a new rig to play on as my current computer is starting to show its age (Almost 8 years old). I don't really have the time or experience to build my own computer, so I'm really looking for a pre-built package. I go with Dell because I've had good luck with them in the past, but I'm open to other suggestions. Here is what I've put together and I just wanted someone's opinion with more experience than me (read: Pretty much everyone). Any thoughts, ideas, or recomendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Aurora
Dell Price $2,629.98
Alienware Aurora R4:
Alienware Aurora Desktop
Processors:
Intel® Core i7-3930K (Six Core, 12MB Cache) Overclocked up to 3.9Ghz
Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
Memory:
8GB Quad Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
Video Card:
1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 555
Hard Drive:
1TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
Monitor:
DELL UltraSharp U2312HM 23" Monitor with Adj Stand, Widescreen, VGA/ DVI/ DP
Sound Card:
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
CD ROM/DVD ROM:
Single Drive: 8X Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BD-RE, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Keyboard:
Alienware Multi-Media Keyboard
Mouse:
Alienware Optical Mouse, MG100
Gaming Audio:
Logitech Z506 5.1 Stereo Speakers
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed):
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010
Hardware Support Services:
1 Year Basic Service Plan
Power Protection & Adapters:
TrippLite ECO-Surge protector- 12 Outlets 10ft cord
Guardian Server:
Kami5 - lvl 50 Natural Dark Melee / Dark Armor Scrapper
2BeOrNot2Be - lvl 50 Magic Illusion / Kinetics Controller
EngiNerd - lvl 26 Technology Energy / Electrical Blaster