critique my sub-$1k box

[reggiebush]

i've lurked for a while, but i had to post because here's my plan for an all-around machine, sub-$1000 that i'd like you to critique

Dell XPS 410, Intel VIIV - $999

upgrade CPU to Intel Core2Duo E6600 (mainly for the 4mb L2 cache upgrade) +$150

vista home premium, no ram upgrade (market prices are cheaper, i'll get 1GB @667mhz with 2 slots vacant for an upgrade)

250GB SATA HDD @7200RPM

dual drives: 16x DVD-ROM and 16x DL DVD+-RW, +$30

no monitor (the standard is a 19" analog widescreen; i already have a 19" digital widescreen, and i'll just buy another for around $175 to run dual monitors), -$180

video: upgrade from nvidia geforce 7300LE to ATI radeon x1300 pro (adds HDCP, dual-DVI support), +$50

no sound card upgrade, i'll find a sick soundblaster later on bensbargains for ~$80 i'm guessing

no speakers, no modem, add 13-in-1 media card reader, net -$10

final price is in the $990 range shipped and with tax after EPP discount via my college

what do you guys think about it? i know some issues i'm not totally certain about are the power supplies that dell uses (i'm going to run a TV card and other PCI devices and around 10 USB devices, but i have a powered hub for the external devices). i would like to be able to eventually throw in a blu-ray or hd-dvd player when prices are in the $200 range, will that be possible with this config? any suggestions are welcome.... thanks in advance guys.

 

[RalliArt882]

You can do better than that. BUT, you'll have to build or and not go the Dell route.

 

[Cdub89]

I think its horrible jesus build ur own rig and save.

 

[reggiebush]

see, i'd love to build one myself but as much as dell is a huge monopolistic company and all that, you gotta admit that they have certain good deals - particularly that i'm getting vista included with this.
i was reading http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139231this thread[/url] and he's spending around $250 more, getting a processor with half the L2 cache, no optical drives, and no software.
i'm not dissing him at all, it's sick to build your own and he has more RAM and better upgradability than me, but then again i'm pretty stuck at the $1k point. that's my defense of why i reluctantly wanna go the dell route.
i'm not gonna ask you to straight up tell me all the components i'd need to build a $1000 rig, but if you had suggestions or could point me in the right direction that'd be great. thanks yall.

 

[RalliArt882]

I think if you built from newegg.com, you'd have an awesome rig. Since your budget is a grand, it's all about bang-for-buck with you. Search these:

Gigabyte DS3 965p (I have this motherboard and it's been nice to me)

Core 2 Duo e6300 (best bang-for-buck processor. period)

Sapphire x1950PRO (this is $180-190 now. I have this video card and you can't ask for a better card for the price. Ignore the mediocre reviews. Every person on there used bad drivers and neglected their fan speeds, I gurantee it).

And try to get 1GB of DDR2 800 RAM. Brands like Corsair(mine), OCZ, and G. Skill all have a good name.

 

[reckliss]

the only thing you should have on your desk that is dell is a monitor and maybe a printer.

 

[hickfarm]

I can see that being a good deal, but i prefer building one myself. My cousins just bought a dell pc. I got kind mad that they did it, but whatever. That rig you have put together does sound nice except that graphics card seems crappy.

take the stock one and put that 50 bucks to a good card

 

[lancec2c30]

So tell me why exactly you are getting a c2d e6600? and a 7300LE video card? lol that makes no sense.

OKay I am not going to tell you "**** built it yourself dells suck!!!"

But think of this; find the price for the motherboard dell uses in that machine. my estimate $75 bucks.

The Ram probably is a generic wholesale item.

The psu in that box is most likely a 350 watt by unknown company.

Are you getting where I am coming from? to bui;d that EXACT dell yourself would probably cost you only $600 at most.

Now the guys here are suggesting you very high quality and well constructed components. So just thought I would enlighten you with that.

 

[reggiebush]

here's what i came up with - if you could comb over it and make sure everything's compatible and will stay cool that'd be straight.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...?WishListNumber=4845646&WishListTitle=the+rig

i'd like to cut another $100 off of that price - right now it's at $1032 with the combo deals (those don't show up in the wish list), or $1080 shipped with vista home premium OEM after rebates. i know the simple thing would be to get the E6400 instead of the E6600, but i'd like to keep that. the big area i'm uncertain about are good cases that will stay cool, RAM, and of course any newegg promo codes you might know. if you have cheaper suggestions that won't kill performance i'd love to hear them. thanks for your help!

 

[Dexaroni]

Drop the card reader, and get a cheaper case.

Done.