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XPS 435 Owners Thread
The "Has anyone taken delivery" thread is getting out of control - and far more people there are not owners... SO how about this new and improved XPS 435 Owner's Thread!? Instead of posting 15 updates a day about delayed orders, newest deals, etc, how about we start a thread dedicated to the owners of this machine, and also a place where future owners can ask technical or performance questions about the machine. There are a good amount of owners here, so let's build a community!
Any takers?
Robert Willis
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122 Posts
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April 8th, 2009 22:00
I have one on order with a 1TB 7200 RPM drive. Does anyone know who the manufacture is on the drives that Dell is using? I will be adding an additional 1.5TB drive once it arrives for less that half the cost that Dell wants for one.
s.myrr
11 Posts
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April 8th, 2009 23:00
I was wondering the same thing - if one wants to go RAID (for cheaper than Dell charges) this would be good info to know!
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 9th, 2009 10:00
It appears as if they are using a variety of drives from Seagate to Samsung. I've seen more Seagate mentioned, however. I have a feeling the 1TB is a Samsung based on the SilentSeek reference. I think the choice depends on your size drive, ultimately.
I have the 435MT with 1.28TB via two 640GB Samsung HD642JJ 3.0Gbps 16Mb Buffer SATA Drives via RAID 0. They are actually the quietest drives I've owned and seem quite fast via RAID 0. I've had not a single issue and besides the occasional hibernation, they've been on 24/7 since I got this machine. This is my work machine and they get a lot of use. It's the first Samsung drive I've owned and I have to admit to be impressed. If you hit the 435MT and 435T drivers page, you see them mention the Seagate drives, also notecd in several of the reviews. I've had a number of Dell machines over the years and know they also go with WD at times.
- kh
s.myrr
11 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 01:00
I ended up purchasing a Velociraptor to serve as my system drive... I have a Terabyte HD in an older PC... Will I be okay with If I add these and make 3 total HDs with the stock PSU?
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 07:00
OF course. Both the 435MT and 435T are fine for upgrades like multiple drives unless you move several steps up in video card. Even then, the 435T PSU would be fine for most. The concerns regarding the power supply are really not needed as either of them are entirely adequate for what Dell offers as upgrades. If moving to a top end video card or a 2x card, then you might have to consider the upgrade. I would go with a modular supply to keep case clutter down as you only use the cables you need. Corsair HX PSUs are a great option for T or MT. IF any 435MT owners are considering one, the Corsair HX520W makes an excellent choice. The lure of the MT was the top end CPU and memory and earlier release coupled with the amazingly low price if gotten via the outlet or on sale with coupons. If the 350w supply in the MT can handle three drives and a USB drive along with the 4850 GPU, than the 475w T option is surely fine. Dell is conservative with their PSUs ratings.
kh
s.myrr
11 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 10:00
Thanks for the reply! Yeah I sprung for the 4870 video card - but I think I see what you are saying. Why would they offer all those upgrades if the PSU couldn't hang with it? I appreciate the advice!
sawaddi
611 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 18:00
I ordered my 435T on 2/28 and received it on 3/14. Mine has the 4670, 3GB RAM, 500GB Seagate hard drive. I've added two more hard drives and another 3GB of RAM.
I am extremely pleased with the system. The only issues I've experienced are a disappearing media card reader, a misaligned front bezel which caused my SD cards to fall behind the bezel, and an optical drive that requires a hard button push to open. Minor quibbles.
I am running Windows 7 x64 on it and it runs great.
Everything works. A great system!
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 21:00
May I ask what kind of RAM you purchased (specs, too)?
Alas, when you run the Windows Performance Index test in Windows 7, do you run into any strange errors with this ram?
Thanks.
- kh
sawaddi
611 Posts
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April 10th, 2009 22:00
May I ask what kind of RAM you purchased (specs, too)?
Alas, when you run the Windows Performance Index test in Windows 7, do you run into any strange errors with this ram?
Thanks.
- kh
[/quote]No errors at all. I purchased the memory from Dell for $16 each at the time,
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?k=A2507440&_nks=true&c=us&category_id=4325&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&x=7&y=11
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 02:00
Yeah... for some reason, I had assumed you had gone outside of Dell to save ducats with a kit from newegg. Then, after writing that, I realized that you only bought 3GB, thereby filling your slots with a max of 6 x 1GB, thus making it more obvious that you probably went the Dell route over the OCZ/Corsair bank of 3x2GB, which would have given you 9GB in Tri-Channel.
sawaddi
611 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 09:00
There is no advantage (for my use) to more than 6GBs of RAM so I added only 3. I had ordered 3GBs more from Newegg but it wouldn't boot with the NewEgg Crucial RAM.??? so I bought it from Dell at a very reasonable price.
s.myrr
11 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 13:00
I purchased the OCZ Ram - recommended by some forum members. I'm not sure if I willl swap out the 3 gigs for the 6, or just add them together...
Does anyone know if this system comes with a retail vista disc, or is it some sort of proprietary restore disc? My first mission will be to drop the velociraptor in there......
jsgiv
52 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 14:00
Well - it comes with a Dell OEM disc (i.e. the OS is tied to the PC).
That being said - yes - (from personal experience) - you can re-install, from scratch, the Vista OS in "retail" fashion (i.e. base install). You'll then need to re-install all the appropriate Dell Drivers, etc. provided with the PC as well (or download them from the support site).
I'm currently running a dual-boot scenario - With the re-installed Vista partition and a Windows 7 beta/RC partition. I actually *like* the Windows 7 (will definitely be upgrading to the final release when it's available) so much that I rarely boot into the Vista partition - but it's there in case I *need* it.
One of the things I've been impressed with most on this system is the actual minimalistic approach to the junkware that you find on a "typical" new PC - Simply put - Dell installed the OS, Virus Software, Drivers, and a "Dell Dock" application - that's it. Quite honestly the cleanest installations I've come across in quite a long time.
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 14:00
See this thread, a monster of one on the 435MT (I'm abstrait in there). You see photos of the actual disks...
http://www.techspot.com/vb/post740758-148.html
I agree with above, too. It's an amazingly clean install, WAAAAY better than others companies like HP and Gateway (although I must commend the excellent HP dv3510r laptop, also with minimal junkware). The 435MT is almost totally junk free.
I think Dell deserves a bit more praise than they've been given in their own forums, even given the sad delays. It's nice to see them trying on this front, putting out some top end gear at a price point, even before the other big names. I got mine on time and early and CHEAP. IT's been a great system.
Try the OCZ with your Dell ram for 9GB in Tri-Channel, only making sure to pay attention to the proper bank install (link to 435T Mem Install).
kh
i-vol
212 Posts
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April 11th, 2009 17:00
Lord, for a second there, I thought this was going to be another "Are we there yet" post... Thankfully, you added a question. Well-done!
Both HDMI and DVI offer great video reproduction. If having to make a choice between the two, and I HAD the choice, I would go with DVI. Why? Because it's a far more mechanically sound connection, allowing you to screw in the cable vs the push and insert of the HDMI.
Bottom line is the DVI is just a better connection method. Still, I'm running HDMI as I type and that is a fine option, too. But go with DVI, if only for the reason mentioned...