A bit of advice needed...HURRY!

[PH3N0M]

Okay, here's the deal. I presently own a Dell XPS 730. Yeah, I know, Dell sucks for the most part but this rig has been a performer from day one.

I have an opportunity to pick up an XPS 730x for $1200, what I paid for my current setup. What's the difference in the 730x and the 730? The 730x sports the X58 chipset and the Core i7 cpu.


I've been considering upgrading my cpu to the QX9770, but that cpu alone is $700 on eBay. If I were to upgrade to the Core i7 later on down the road, for the mobo and a Core i7 965 it would cost me in the neighborhood of $1300.

Now, here is what I'm thinking, and where I need your input.

Would it be possible to get $1000 out of this setup?

XPS 730
Windows Vista x64 Service Pack 1
nForce 790i Ultra SLI
8gb Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1600
(2) 320gb Western Digital Caviars
(1) 500gb Western Digital Caviar
(1) 9800GT 512mb video card
(1) X-FI XtremeMusic sound card
(2) DVD/CD combo drives

*3 years left on the warranty


Here is my idea -

Sell the XPS 730 for $1000
Purchase the 730x for $1200
Sell the Core i7 920 cpu for $200
For $800 I could pick up the Core i7 965...only $100 more than the QX9770, if I were to upgrade the cpu I presently have.


YOUR THOUGHTS, PLEASE!!!!

 

[Hefemeister]

IMO the 965 is a waste of money. The major benefit of the 965 is the unlocked multi and with a dell you cannot overclock (unless that particular model lets you) which completely defeats the purpose of owning one. The 920 will do anything you want.

As for $1000 for your current setup maybe you could get $800.

Since it appears that you have 2 gtx 285's a plethora of hard drives I would build a real system. For $1,200 you could do quite nicely.

 

[PH3N0M]

IMO the 965 is a waste of money. The major benefit of the 965 is the unlocked multi and with a Dell you cannot overclock (unless that particular model lets you) which completely defeats the purpose of owning one. The 920 will do anything you want.

Yes, with the XPS 730 series, Dell left everything unlocked and able to be overclocked.

As for $1000 for your current setup maybe you could get $800.

Since it appears that you have 2 gtx 285's a plethora of hard drives I would build a real system. For $1,200 you could do quite nicely.

What, then, would you suggest for $1200? I'd think I'd be hard pressed to find a mobo, case, psu, and cpu for $1200.

 

[Hefemeister]

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$290
Newegg.com - EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
$270 with $20 mir
Newegg.com - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
$110
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
$140


Total for cpu, mb, ram and psu = $810 - $20 mir

That leaves you with $410 for a case of your choice, os, heatsink and any other little things you may need.

The corsair will have no problems with your 2 gtx 285's. And all in all it would be way better than any dell.

 

[PH3N0M]

Although the PSU isn't quite large enough, that's a decent build. I'm not all that excited to start from scratch. lol

 

[carnageX]

Although the PSU isn't quite large enough, that's a decent build. I'm not all that excited to start from scratch. lol

The PSU is more than large enough... I have the Corsair 520hx (520w), and it runs my system just fine (OC'd e6750 @ 3.54GHz; OC'd GTX 285; many fans/drives).

 

[Hefemeister]

The corsair 850tx is better than any 1kw psu that dell puts in the xps730.

If you are that worried get this for $100 more but you do not need it.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

 

[PH3N0M]

The PSU is more than large enough... I have the Corsair 520hx (520w), and it runs my system just fine (OC'd e6750 @ 3.54GHz; OC'd GTX 285; many fans/drives).

For 3-way SLI, the 850w psu is a little weak. If I have a mobo that supports tri-sli, I'd want a psu that could do the same thing.

 

[Hefemeister]

I could not tell if that board supports tri sli.

I love their marketing.

nVidia GeForce GTX280 1024MB [add $500 or $15/month1]
If 'n00b', 'Frag' and 'pwn' are part of your vocabulary... you want this card.

How can they charge $500 to upgrade form a 9800gt to a $330 gtx 280?

Lets do math
gtx 280 $330
9800gt -$130
= $200

 

[PH3N0M]

I could not tell if that board supports tri sli.

I love their marketing.


How can they charge $500 to upgrade form a 9800gt to a $330 gtx 280?

Lets do math
gtx 280 $330
9800gt -$130
= $200

The same way they charge for the X-view side panel. If you choose the panel when you configure your system, it's $149. If you want to purchase it AFTER the fact, it's $319-$389.