Dell?

[Howling]

Is it just me or are dell just employing random non-english speaking, non-pc literate people to man the online chat support?

16:00:15 Customer Mark Schofield
Initial Question/Comment: Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what motherboard the pc comes with, and if the Vista is 64bit or 32bit? cheers
16:00:30 System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
16:00:30 System System
Connected with Sourabh_Bhattacharya
16:00:40 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
Thank you for contacting Dell Sales Chat. This is Sourabh, your Sales Advisor. Please give me a moment while I review your query.
16:00:50 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
can you tell me the name of the PC which you wish to buy ?
16:00:56 Customer Mark Schofield
XPS 720
16:01:20 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
the XPS 720 comes with the Intel Motherboard.
16:01:28 Customer Mark Schofield
Which intel motherboard?
16:01:30 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
on both the cases
16:01:35 Customer Mark Schofield
Specific model please ^_^
16:03:21 Customer Mark Schofield
?
16:03:40 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
please bear with me for a moment.
16:03:59 Customer Mark Schofield
Ok
16:08:46 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
Thank you very much for your patience
16:09:11 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
i am afraid, we do not have the information about the Model name of the Intel Motheboard.
16:09:27 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
we do have the information about the Chipset.
16:09:55 Customer Mark Schofield
How do you not have the model of the motherboards you use?
16:10:31 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
i am afraid, we do not have that.
16:10:56 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
however i can assure you that, the PC does comes with the Top rated motherboard .
16:11:45 Customer Mark Schofield
Ok... Do you know if the motherboard supports SLi? And at what speed the PCI-e slots run?
16:12:17 Customer Mark Schofield
And also, could you tell me which Brand of nVidia 8800GTX you use?
16:12:57 Customer Mark Schofield
(specs on the 8800GTX vary quite significantly between brands)
16:13:06 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
Yes the Motherboard supports SLI and the PCI E will run at a speed of 16x
16:13:12 Customer Mark Schofield
both slots?
16:17:07 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
NVIDIA nForce® 680i SLI
16:17:58 Customer Mark Schofield
Ok that's the chipset on the motherboard, that's good to know
16:18:25 Customer Mark Schofield
So, which brand of 8800GTX do you ship pcs with?
16:19:12 Agent Sourabh_Bhattacharya
I am sorry, we do not have that information .
16:19:25 Customer Mark Schofield
Oh my...
16:19:26 Customer Mark Schofield
Ok
16:19:29 Customer Mark Schofield
thanks for your help.





What the flying hell is up with that? Is it just me or did that sales rep not have the slightest clue about pc components.. Friggin irritating..

So now I pose this question to the Aion community.. If anyone has an XPS 720, could you tell me what motherboard it is? Which Vista version they put on? And what brand of 8800 they used?
Cheers

Edit: Also I forgot to ask the "Sales Rep" since they were completely useless... But which Q6600 are they using? The low-power model?

[Kalean]

There is not much information at all unfortunately....From what I pulled up...I was able to grab some info on it...unfortunately it didn't state anything besides it being a 680I chipset as mentioned..But it states the mobo as Dell 0P611C....Won't be of much help..=P.

You may as well pick up a custom rig ^_^...It'll end up being cheaper..plus you could throw in the 9800 GTX that comes out in the following month or so =P. But we'll have to see how it performs first when some decent benchmarks arrive.

[Howling]

Yeah but custom rigs don't offer finance And dell are offering 250quid off the XPS720 range, which makes the price not-all-that-bad

I read somewhere that the Geforces are XFX, which isn't too bad.. But as you've said there's very little information on other dell parts.. I couldn't find anything about the mobo except what the advisor said and I've a feeling they ship off with Vista x32..

I've heard mixed reports about the 9800, ranging from a 70% performance increase to a measley 5%. I think the 5% is more likely as the G92 chipset now in the 8800s was set to be the 9 series, but due to nVidia having little competition they kept it in the 8 series to maximize sales.. And the G94 in the 9 series is remarkably similar, to the point where you could say it's the same chip - so I'm not holding out much hope for the 9 series at this point in time... But I don't think the 8800GTX got the G92 chipset did it? So maybe the 9800GTX will just be the upgraded 8800GTX, so about 15% performance increase at a push...

Time will tell..

[Kalean]

If finance is your bag..Then yes...BUT, most don't know this. But newegg offers a bill me later service, where you can pay all at once, or monthly with a interest charge just like financing. You might want to look into it considering the quality of parts is much higher. Plus I'd be able to recommend you the best parts to pick up concerning your budget =P..

I think you mean g92 gpu?...Probably so. The entire 9 series atm is all a g80 shrinked down with modifications. Indeed it does perform better then the prior g80 which was on a larger process node, took more power, and gave off more heat. Plus the current UVD is far superior in the current generation of cards than older when it comes to high def video decoding. Will have r700 in around june/july, with the g100 (the next new architecture that was suppose to come, but we got a refresh instead of g80) coming to release in late q3 or q4.

I am a bit worried about the 9800 GTX though..If they gave it the full 384 bit memory interface that the 8800 GTX had, I'd love to see it's performance. But it supports a 256 interface like the current g92 products. But the bit interface isn't all that matters though...we'll have to see how the performance racks up once we get some tasty benchmarks ^_^.

If you want, run to newegg.com and check out their bill me later policy and read up on it, if you decide to do so...I could help you out with part selections and building advice if you're new to it. ^_^

[Howling]

I would do, but I'm English, though I've just looked at Overclockers UK and they offer a decent finance deal - which I'd never thought of before so big thank you to you for pointing that option out. I'm just going to pick out some parts now and then I'll post here and if you don't mind giving me your opinion on them I'd be grateful

And yeah I meant G92 GPU sorry, my bad.. Was thinking about the dell thing still, and them only knowing the chipset on the mobo :/

Motherboard
Asus P5N-T Deluxe nForce 780i (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Case + PSU
Coolermaster RC-1000 Cosmos Full Tower Case / Coolermaster Real Power 1000w Modular Power Supply - Bundle
Graphics
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD2500AAKS)
RAM
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x2GB) Supplied with Airflow Fan (TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF)
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail

Specs;
Processor; Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
RAM; 4GB 1066Mhz Corsair
Graphics; BFG 8800GTS (g92)
HDD; 2x WesternDigital 250GB (RAID 0)
Mobo; Asus P5N-T Deluxe nForce 780i

Think of any improvements or cost-cutters? (Or even compatibility issues?)

[Diablo]

The 780i is made by foxconn and rebranded either XFX or EVGA and by ASUS. Mine happens to be an EVGA and so far works like a dream.

OEM versions of Vista come in 32 or 64 so they should be able to provide it. Retail Vista comes in both flavors.

[Howling]

Originally Posted by Diablo

OEM versions of Vista come in 32 or 64 so they should be able to provide it. Retail Vista comes in both flavors.

You'd be surprised.. I contacted Alienware asking what version Vista they installed.. They answered 32bit, I asked if they could install 64bit on request and they replied "We don't have it".
And since Dell own Alienware, Thats why I think Dell ship off 32bit vista :/

Speaking of OS, I forgot to add it... so
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66I-01939)

Vista64.. Putting the grand total at.. £1,055.04 inc VAT.. (Approx $2000)

Surely I can knock some price off that somehow... Someone?

[Kalean]

Are you planning to overclock or no? If not then you might want to not go and splurge that much money on ram. I'd recommend just pick up ddr2-800 modules...Active cooling is hardly EVER needed on memory unless you plan some serious OC'ing..Here's the modules I'd recommend.

G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ)

Fantastic price for great quality. They sport Micron D9HNL Ic's (high chance), Micron is one of the most desired IC's when it comes to overclocking. I had a pair of these that I ran at a 1:1 ratio for a rig I built for a family friend, I was able to pull the timings down to 3-3-3-8 @ ddr2-667 1:1, the rig was a q6600 @ 3ghz 9x333 fsb, I would of pushed it farther but the guy isn't that computer savvy...so I decided to go with a mild oc so he doesn't run into issues. Fantastic sticks ^_^...But if you really want 1066 and really want the memory cooling..Then go for it..Although do keep in mind that Corsair has taken a trend of dropping most their Micron D9 Ic's for Qimonda/promos chips...Lower quality and don't overclock as good. Micron D9's tend to take voltage and higher frequencies much better than any other brand.

In terms of your case, drop that Cosmos case and get the Cosmos S...The original cosmos has airflow problems, and you don't want that sucker heating up..ESPECIALLY with a 780 chipset board if you go that route.

Coolermaster RC-1100 Cosmos S "Sport" Silent Full Tower Case

Regarding Psu..This isn't modular..But it's a DAMN HIGH QUALITY psu. Tier 1 =D, Without a doubt, PC Power and Cooling is the most respected PSU manufacturer of them all. They have a long line of high quality PSU's...

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad-SLi PCI-E 750W Power Supply

Can easily handle a 8800 GTX sli rig if you want it. Just keep in mind it isn't modular..If you need modular..you'll end up paying more, but I want to make sure I picked up a combination of case/psu that isn't over the bundle price of the cosmos you selected..if you want modular, just say so, but expect to pay a bit more in the 100-130 pounds mark.

Your other choices are all good, but do you REALLY want a 780 chipset mobo?...Nvidia chipsets are known to have issues on the intel side, they run hot, and you either get lucky with one and it decides to comply with your requests, or takes a lot of tweaking to get to work properly. After all, the 750/780 is a insult to me IMO, it's just a 650/680 with updated CPU support and memory support, with a BR04 bridge chip to split the PCI-E lanes to allow tri-sli. Talk about a slap in the face...It has all the original problems of the 650/680...I really dislike how nvidia has been operating on their chipset front. But the choices is yours..Intel chipsets run cooler, perform better, and overclock better. Choice is yours..If you don't plan to to SLI...tell me, and we'll drop that board and get you a better one via intel chipsets.

BTW...BFG is great with a lifetime warranty...But I'd recommend EVGA or XFX...I'm not sure if their special programs are applicable for those in the UK..but they should be. With XFX you get the double life time warranty, if you ever decide to sell your card for any reason, the purchaser gets a lifetime warranty too, they just have to register the card just like you do. For EVGA, you get the step up program, you have 3 months, you can trade your card in directly to EVGA for something better, you just pay the difference =P. Both off lifetime warranties just like BFG..Plus, XFX has a great mod friendly warranty that allows modifying/oc'ing the card...Just make sure you place the stock heatsink back on it if you plan to ship it back for a RMA.

Regarding your card..I would recommend waiting for the 9800 GTX to see the performance...It'll be priced around 300-340 or so..So the price is definitely not that much of a stretch. Choice is yours though on this front...Just drop a reply with what you want to do.

Let's see...those are my only thoughts right now...Just drop a reply with what you plan to do, I'll help assist you to the best of my ability ^_^.

[Yakuzan]

You should call them, they have a line for Tech spec information. I also had a little trouble with Dell's support when they verified my CC, some Engrish speaking dude. The rest was 100% great though. I'd even say perfection for Shipping.

I can't help you on the components, I am using a Quad and a 8800 GT, but I don't know their makers. I deleted the program that told me all the stuff in specific.

Oh yeah, make a post in their forums, I had a bunch of pro's to help me out. Didn't wait very long for an answer.

[Howling]

Ok updated list of parts;

Case
Coolermaster RC-1100 Cosmos S "Sport" Silent Full Tower Case
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad-SLi PCI-E 750W Power Supply
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
RAM
G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ)
Graphics
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
HDDs x2
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (WD2500AAKS)
Cooling
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775)
OS
Vista Home Premium X64 OEM

Bringing the total to; £943.58




The Dell;
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Processor Q6600 (2.40GHz, 1066MHz, 8MB cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
MEMORY 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [4x1024]
HARD DRIVE 1TB Serial ATA RAID 0 Stripe (2x500GB 7200rpm drives)
GRAPHICS CARD SINGLE 768MB nVidia® GeForce® 8800 GTX

Price; £1,124.00


The differences;
Dell comes with Vista X32, opposed to X64
Dell has 500GB extra hdd
Dell has 8800GTX opposed to 8800GTS (G92)
Dell is £180.42 more expensive.

Is 500GB, and GTS->GTX "Upgrade" worth paying £180 and downgrading to Vista X32 for? Oh and Dell build it, saving me the minor inconvenience.

Note: £180 is approx $360

[Kalean]

Don't downgrade...32 bit operating systems can't address 4 gb's of ram...you'll be getting around 3-3.2 gb's...Not worth it. Stick with the 64 bit operating system. In terms of a GTS > GTX upgrade...No if it's an 8800, maybe if it's the 9800 GTX which should be out soon..The 8800 GTX is bloated and not worth the money..The 8800 GT offers similar performance for a fraction of the cost. The g80 is old and date (8800 GTX), takes more power, gives off more heat, and doesn't offer performance to justify its tag. In terms of the 8800 GTS 512 (only 512..g92 =D), it matches, beats, or is just barely behind the GTX...don't bother with the 8800 GTX =P. the 500 gig hard drive is up to you if you need more space...That's all preference based on how much storage you need for your files...So I can't give advice on that one =P...

[Howling]

Parts ordered, because it's Easter Weekend I'm not expecting the parts till March 31st.
Ordered the same as above, with the addition of a 750GB HDD for storage

Will post benchmarks for anyone interested, pre and post overclocking
Grand total, including delivery, £1032

[knite16]

Mistakes 1-50: Dell
Mistakes 51-76: Contacting Dell Support
Mistakes 77-100: Expecting Answers from Dell Support

Though I do find it funny when you get Dell tech support and their accent is SO Indian that you can't even understand it and they try to tell you their name is Bob.

On the other conversation topic;

I use eVGA for everything I can. Motherboards for computers I build at work, graphics cards, and their tech support is phenominal. eVGA gets 5 stars from me.