The enthusiast/gamers point of view

Question

I consider myself both, a gamer, and a PC enthusiast. I think it would be a good idea for myself and other gamer/enthusiasts to let Dell know what kind of PC's we are interested in. The 'unofficial' word on the street is: the XPS 720 is not going to allow BIOS overclocking of the FSB. I can think of only one reason why this would be the case. Overclocking limits the expected lifespan / reliability of PC hardware. I won't deny this is the case. I too believe that any noticeable (hence worthwhile) overclock will diminish the hardware's lifespan. My argument to this reasoning is simple; who cares? I can tell you, without a doubt, that I intend to buy a new PC every year. Maybe I'll go 18 months, but no more than that. Why? Because I'm an enthusiast. I want the newest technology when it's released. I'm not an average user who wants an 'email checker'  that will last me for 4 years or more. Not only do I want the latest technology, I want to be able to make it faster than the other guy's/gal's. I why shouldn't I? I'm planning on donating this thing (read: piece of advanced hardware) to a charitable organization in a year or two anyway. I only need it to hold up for as long as I plan to own it. Now I can admit that some people will go (and do go) overboard with OC'ing and are probably lucky to have a PC last an entire year, but they are well aware of the risks and most likely aren't shocked when the thing melts. These peolpe are few and far between IMO.   http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10821   This is the transcript of a Q&A session with Michael Dell at the Austin Game Conference. Among other things, he says ' We want to be the leading company across the whole ecosystem of PC gaming, so obviously desktops, notebooks, servers, storage'.   I have no doubt that Dell has the talent and ingenuity to create this 'king of all gaming rigs', but do they understand what it will take to accomplish this? Enthusiasts want to tinker. We want to have our E6600 outclock or be as fast as the guy's from Velocity Micro. We don't expect or want it to last forever! We're already planning on buying the next architecture...really. If you want to be in enthusiast PC manufacturing business, make a true enthusiast machine. Let us tinker with it for the year or two that we own it. What's the worst that could happen? We buy another one from you a year later.

Lenny_eh · Answer

I suspect you maybe in the minority in not caring if your 5000.00 rig would last less than a year.

Kong57 · Answer

DITTO

pointguard1122 · Answer

I am in agreement with most everything stated above.  I think it should be the responsibility of the owner to decide how he/she wants to OC.  I personally would like to run my E6600 @ 3.0(a very mild OC by any standards).  I was unable to do so with the XPS 700 due to its terrible chipset and poor BIOS(not to mention ntune).  Of course this was a HUGE disappointment since the computer I built my wife for about $500 with a $75 used mobo from Ebay would OC a E6400 to well over 3.0 and run VERY stable.  Now can you understand why we need basic OCing in our $2000-5000 systems?  We cannot all afford extreme CPUs, that is why Intel made the E series so OCable via the FSB.  Dell has taken that option away from us.  For the longest time, even the X6800 owners could't unlock the multipliers(why pay $1000 for a processor you can't use).    Dell is making some great systems and is starting to listen to the customer more.  The 710 H2C is an AMAZING machine.  I am sure the top of the line 720 will be the same way.  But what if you cannot spend $5000 on your rig?  What if you have $3000.  That is ALOT of money still.  The owners of E series COre 2 Duos should have the same basic OCing as every other major mobo on the market.  Until that happens, Dell will not be selling the best gaming or enthusiast machines.    Another huge concern for me is upgradability.  It is insulting that Dell wants to sell us a machine and abandon it in 6 months.  I am glad to see that Dell is continuing to support the XPS700 series with mobo upgrades.  This should be standard practice.  All new features should be made available (for retail cost) to those who just purchased the prior generation.  The windowed side panel should be an option in silver.  The H2C should be marketed and sold as an upgrade.  New mobo kits should also be offered.  ALL upgrades done through Dell should be warrantied for the remained of the system warranty.  The Dell will make a killing off of this.  More people will buy XPS systems if they know they will be supported for a while.  WIN/WIN for Dell and the customer.    I love many things about Dell.  I especially love the desire to improve that has been expressed from the leadership.  Dell needs to continue to listen to its customers if they are to regain the status they used to have as the biggest and best computer company in the world.  Here is to hoping future XPS systems will continue to evolve into  what we, the customer, want.

CHSIsupplier · Answer

Lenny_eh wrote:

I suspect you maybe in the minority in not caring if your 5000.00 rig would last less than a year.

I appreciate your comment. This is by no means a Dell bashing thread ( in case that's how you interpreted my post), rather, this is intended to be a thread for all XPS owners (who I would consider enthusiasts for the most part) or future owners to voice there expectations of this enthusiast grade machine. In response to your post, I would say, no one is making you overclock. If Dell were to open up the BIOS to overclocking, the people that want to OC can, the people that don't want to, don't have to.

Again, no one is bashing anyone here. This is just a way for Dell to see what the XPS owner (and perspective buyer) wants.

CHSIsupplier · Answer

Lenny_eh wrote:

I never took it as Dell bashing, all I meant to say that some people would like to see there rigs last longer and if OCing to the max just for bragging rights causes it to wear down quicker it would seem like an expensive proposition.

But if you can afford 5 grand every year by all means go for it.

And I do agree with you that the BIOS should be wide open to do what you want with it.After all its your machine.But also I wouldnt expect Dell to warranty it if you melt it by doing so either.

Agreed

Lenny_eh · Answer

I never took it as Dell bashing, all I meant to say that some people would like to see there rigs last longer and if OCing to the max just for bragging rights causes it to wear down quicker it would seem like an expensive proposition. But if you can afford 5 grand every year by all means go for it. And I do agree with you that the BIOS should be wide open to do what you want with it.After all its your machine.But also I wouldnt expect Dell to warranty it if you melt it by doing so either.

scarmine · Answer

I agree with whatever this thread is all about. I really think that Dell will be kicking other pc boutiques arses if they use non-OEM parts and keep all features open the way they should be. Sometimes I snicker when I read something about the XPS 700+ being a pc enthusiast's machine when it is not up to par with other's machines in terms of features and upgradability. I love Dell and have had 5 Dell's in the last 5 years but it just doesnt make sense when I hear my XPS700 is a real pc enthusiasts machine.

gdwrnch3 · Answer

I agree, I would love to crank mine up to see what it can do.:smileyvery-happy:

And if I burn it up, thats my problem.

Dell could write some type of warranty disclaimer, that We would have to click on in the bios screen, or an online form to complete, to protect themselves from the few of us that like to push the limits.

Message Edited by gdwrnch3 on 05-12-2007 08:33 AM

CHSIsupplier · Answer

gdwrnch3 wrote:

I agree, I would love to crank mine up to see what it can do.:smileyvery-happy:

And if I burn it up, thats my problem.

Dell could write some type of warranty disclaimer, that We would have to click on in the bios screen, or an online form to complete, to protect themselves from the few of us that like to push the limits.

Message Edited by gdwrnch3 on 05-12-2007 08:33 AM

This sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Of course, Dell might not sell as many extended warranties on their XPS line, but I think they have enough profit in these things without that.

How about the people that think Dell should keep the BIOS locked? I wouldn't mind hearing an argument for that side! Maybe there are other factors, that I'm missing, that keep Dell from opening up the BIOS. It would be nice to get discussion from both sides of this issue. :smileywink:

MoneyGuyBK · Answer

Just my 2 Cents here:   I don't overclock, I do however always buy the most powerfull PC I can afford as I tend to keep them a long time, up to 4 years.  So I buy the most powerfull so I am a little future proofed.    I agree with all the people here that freedom to do what some know how to, is great.  Dell should give those of that want to and know how the ability to OC, and not lock it down.  As others have stated, Dell can protect itself by using a disclaimer voiding the warranty for all or the OC'd parts and of course make it crystal clear to inform the buyers/OCers and protect its own interests in case we should fry the machine.  IMHO   as I said, I am ok with stock performance of what I buy, and I add here, being happy with Dell and loyal since 1999, I recommend them to all that I know.   Peace

gdwrnch3 · Answer

I still say, open the bios for us that want to play. The people that don't, wouldn't know what to do with it anyway......probably wouldn't even know the ability was there.

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The enthusiast/gamers point of view

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