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XPS 420 noob
Hello there, i am about to take the plunge and purchase a dell for the first time and would like some advice and thoughts about the model i`m about to buy, the system is:
XPS 420 E8500 Core 2 Duo Processor (3.16ghz, 6 mb, 1333mhz)
Windows Vista Home Premium
22 in E228WFP WIDESCREEN UK/Irish (1680x1050) TCO99 DVI-D
4096 MB 800Mhz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [4x1024]
1 TB Dual Hard Drive Non RAID (2x500gb-7000rpm)
TV Tuner and AVIO / Accellerator
Blu-Ray RW Disc Drive
Now i`ve never experienced a dell computer, or do i know anyone with one, so i would like to know is this a decent set up and will i be happy with it.
any info at all would be much appreciated,
Cheers.
pdschweitzer
436 Posts
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September 24th, 2008 18:00
Ledswinger
137 Posts
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September 24th, 2008 18:00
As the owner of the predecessor 410, I think that you should be well satisfied with what you propose. The 400 series machines don't offer much if anything in the way of tweakability (eg in BIOS settings and overclocking) but that isn't normally a problem for most Dell buyers. With the Core 2 processors you've usually got sufficient power that overclocking isn't needed unless you want to boast about a frame rate that no monitor ever sold could keep up with. The 228WFP is a decent monitor - you might get a slightly better monitor by buying a top rated Samsung, but the difference is marginal, and if you haven't worked on a 22 inch wide panel then you are in for a real treat with the 228WFP. The only thing I'd like from my 228WFP that it doesn't do would be the ability to swivel to a portrait (upright) format - unless they've changed the model. I doubt that, because the E on the front means "cheapy stand", as far as I can tell, and if you want a monitor with bell, whistles, swivel stands, USB ports then Dell want you to fork out a few more shekels.
You don't mention the graphics card - this doesn't matter if you don't play 3D games, but with the monitor at 1680 and a good graphics card the 420 would be very satisfying indeed. You've also got a blu ray drive in your spec. Are you sure you'll need that? They aren't cheap yet, so I wouldn't buy one if I didn't need it, but obviously if you intend to use this forDVD use and want to try to future proof it a touch then it is a fair buy. Also sound card? The on board sound is good for casual music and audio use, but for more serious music, video and gaming you might want to stick in an XFi?
Buying a two drive machine that is non RAID sounds a good idea to me - RAID adds complexity but little value for home users, in my humble opinion.
One thing to prepare for is that if you do need it, Dell tech support is not as good as it used to be. This needn't be a worry - nobody else is offering much better. If you persevere then the Dell tech support lines can help you, but the free tech support through these forums can be fantastic. At the price you can buy for if (assuming you take the best of the package details, and avoid adding extras to the default spec) then this could be a computer that you will be really pleased with.
I've only played around briefly with my TV tuner, but it works pretty well, and I'm pleased I've got it against future needs!
Regards
Led
blamck
11 Posts
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September 24th, 2008 19:00
Thanks for the quick replys, the sound card i chose was the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtereme and the graphics card is the 512mb ATI Radeon 3870.
I was in two minds about the Blu-Ray player and i`m really not to fussed about paying a little extra for it as it`s a way of future proofing it.
I have decided to take up the offer of two years XPS Warranty + Norton Anti-Virus.
so i take it i should be pretty happy with what im getting and thats all i really wanted to know so once again thanks for the advice.