Ok,

I think I understand, now. But the Corsair Dominator (with the fan) *does* support EPP/SLI, doesn't it? It's the kind that Dell sells, their most expensive.

Now, since my mobo only supports up to 800 Mhz, then why do they make RAM that runs at such speeds? I thought the only mobo in existence (for home systems) better than the nVidia 680i was the 750i, which is new (while steering clear of any arguments about AMD vs. Intel, cuz I think we all agree here which is the best, or we'd not be Dell owners, would we?). Is there a better mobo (made by Dell or not) out there better than the one I have (other than the brand-new 750i)? If so, is it available to XPS owners thru Dell (who has done a real good job of CYA and insuring that you can't put a 3rd-party mobo in its proprietary case).

Further, would it be worth going ahead and getting the XMS2 PC-8500 if one has the intention of someday upgrading one's mobo (and processor)? Is it even realistic to plan that Dell WILL make such a mobo available (without trying to sell us all new systems)?

I guess the bottom-line question is this: is Dell going to take care of we high-end system owners or are they just going to leave us twisting in the wind? Is Dell even planning on adopting the new 750i chipset (or have they already, but only made it available to purchasers of new systems?) and are they planning on supporting triple-SLI technology, if, of course, it is proven that it is viable and cost-worthy?

I guess I'm a little disappointed in my upgrade options; yet, I still am willing to stand by Dell and give them a chance, but I want to know for sure that I am going to be left a viable upgrade path in the future, otherwise, I'm going to start buying a new case and brand-new mobo now and and git to cannabalizin'.

I guess I'm a little miffed, as well as feeling just a bit undersupported.

What's the deal, anyone know?
Help !!
GG

What about this memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043

And this is the one that Dell sells that I'm considering getting. Is it worth the hefty tag- this is the cheaper stuff:


http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Gaming_and_Performance_Memory/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1249142

The more xpensive (with the fan, I think), this is the one my champagne (as my fiancee calls it) taste wants to get, but my purse says the other:


http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Gaming_and_Performance_Memory/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1262682

Is the expensive stuff worth it? Is this even a descent price (since the stuff with the fan on newegg is about 360 bucks for 2G?

Help a girl out, here, guys, please !! Ya'll know more than me !!
GG

Dell XPS 700/720 Hybrid
core 2 duo 2.4ghz
Corsair 800MhzCas4 memory
2 raptors(10,000rpm) raid 0
Dell 2405wfp
Klipsch 5.1--SoundBlaster X-FI
dell wireless keyboard/mouse
Nvidia 7900GTX--Ageia PhysX Card
Happy camper so far.




Steve: how do you like your PhysX card?

Does it do anything? Seriously-not being a smart aleck here, seriously, what does it do)?

I wanted to get one but all the gaming rags I've read said it was too high and no new games support it, however, I'm still on the fence about it, as I am about a lot of things... just cuz high-performance PC and gaming rags don't approve of a technology doesn't mean it's not worth it.

Do YOU like yours? That's what matters.
GG

PS I'm also considering getting one of those dedicated video card coolers/heat sinks for SLI- does anyone else have one of those? Are they worth it?

GG

You don't need to buy the expensive memory with EPP/SLI to get the DDR800 modules to run at the tight timings. By default most non EPP 800ddr will run at 5-5-5-18 in the XPS from my experience and as you know the Dell Bios will not allow memory timing changes, assuming the memory is rated to run at 4-4-4-12 simply modifying the SPD table of the modules with SPD TOOl to these values will allow you to run fast and tightly timed memory for a fraction of the price. Thats what Ive done, my 4 gig of DDR2 800 running at 4-4-4-12 cost me only 67 pounds and I have quite a bit of room to program the timings even lower. I can get 4-3-3-8 in nTune with no stability issues.

Message Edited by Boldie on 01-17-2008 11:06 AM