xps 625 vs. xps 630

[Gymkata]

Hi,

I'm in the market for a new computer. I was thinking about getting either xps 625 or xps 630. It seems that 630 is getting a better reviews than 625 overall but when I looked at the benchmark performance comparison in CNET, xps 625 seemed to be a better performer. Why is that? Other than the difference in the processor brand (625 uses AMD Phenom II vs. 630 uses a variety of Intel processors), they seem to be pretty much identical?

Also, the current Dell website have liquid cooling option for xps625 (but not for xps630 interestingly). Is this a worthy option to have?

My budget is about $2000.

Which would you recommand?

Thanks,
:)

[minus-sign]

Liquid Cooling rocks...if you know what you're doing. Most people who buy a PC prebuilt don't. I leave the decision to you. Be honest with yourself about your technical expertise (how well you know your way around components under the hood) before playing with water and electronics at the same time.

Frankly, both look overpriced and would not make particularly good gaming stations. If looking for prebuilt gaming stations, I usually recommend people go to somewhere like Alienware (http://www.alienware.com/) or even CyberPower (http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/)(though they tend to overprice their gamers imho) or even a local dealer that you know and trust. Dell, HP and the like are good for casual computing.

For a 2k price range, you could get a solid i7 built or a PhenomII with better vcards than dell offers and more RAM for your money. Going with these gets you Vista as well (which you actually want for DX10).

The warranties for Alienware are just as good as those for Dell. Better supported actually, from what I hear.

Both companies have a longstanding reputation in the gaming industry for providing solid systems and standing by their products.

As for the ratings...the 625 only has a handful right now. 630 has over a hundred.

[Gymkata]

^^
Thanks, for the reply.
Which particular model from Alienware or CyberPower would fit my budget and beat both XPS 625 and 630?

[minus-sign]

The Area 51 X58 (http://www.alienware.com/customize/a51-x58-desktop.aspx?SysCode=PC-A51-X58&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT) starts at $1500 without monitor. Recommend swapping RAM to 6 gigs at least and swapping the card to the GTX 260 single. Pay the $35 for Adreniline to assist in on-the-fly overclocking. Cost = $1,784.00

If you require a monitor you may need to look at cyber; alienware is a tad expensive for those.
quoted as $ 1839 (http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer_Xtreme_3D_2000/) with the liquid cooling you want.

I typically recommend getting the monitor and any other externals separately from newegg. you're better off on price if you buy from there.

The cards are not overly expensive but are time tested, so you can double up later easily. boards support dual card capability; the cyberpower supports tripple card.

Play around with AWare to tinker with your build. Cyber does not give you that option for the linked PC.

If you know what you're doing under the hood, buy the AWare at its cheapest, double up the card and rip out the RAM; replace with 1600 sticks and pwn.

[Gymkata]

Some more questions...:)

Does the liquid cooling system require constant care? I thought it was built-in and I don't really have to deal with it? I'm really not all that handy with computers and certainly wouldn't want liquid cooling system if it's too much of a pain in the rear.

Also, do you prefer AMD Phenom II over equivalent Intel processors? OR vise versa?

Is single high end video card better than dual video cards with less performance?

[scuderia]

If you have any friends with knowledge in this area who are willing to help you out, building your own computer is a very rewarding experience, both monetarily, performance-wise, and from the knowledge gained by setting everything up on your own.
If you'd like, I can mock you up a $2k build.

[minus-sign]

I have never seen a cooling system that did not require maintenance. Air cooled systems need to be blown out regularly (recommended monthly in CompTIA texts) with canned air or an air compressor to keep dust accumulation from clogging fans and--at the worst extreme--starting fires. That they aren't is in large part a reason why PC life expectancies for pre-built systems are typically short. People buy them, never intending to open the case, and are mystified that the parts burn out so soon after the warranties expire.

Water leaks out. if it doesn't, it evaporates. No matter how well sealed a system will be, it will require you to do something to maintain it. Something more than is already required to keep case fans clean...and keep in mind that case fans are still included in most/all currently built water-cooled PCs.

As far as the actual components for the CPU, most water-cooled CPUs require no more--or sometimes less--attention than a modern car. That is to say, they are built to work, and to work every day.

CPUs:

For budget systems, i suggest the Phenom II. Boards are cheaper, ATi cards tend to be cheaper, and the processors are also less expensive.

The i7s are serious though. Intel did a bangup job on their design.

GPUs:

http://www.articlesbase.com/information-technology-articles/singlecard-vs-dualcard-which-one-is-right-for-you-486645.html

I suggest you study what you buy, however. Search for i7 and PhenomII benchmarks that use 3Dmark. Look at the cards available; look at their speed (in MHz typically. Look at the Cas latency and MHz for your RAM.

If I had the time for a proper write up, I'd tell you more, but you picked exam season :) Probably why the lull around here this last week.

[Gymkata]

If you have any friends with knowledge in this area who are willing to help you out, building your own computer is a very rewarding experience, both monetarily, performance-wise, and from the knowledge gained by setting everything up on your own.
If you'd like, I can mock you up a $2k build.

Yes, please, what should I get??

[Gymkata]

So I went to CyberPower website and came up with the following:

Gamer Infinity GTX (NO MONITOR)
$2,279.00
CAS: ($30 off Mail-in Rebate) Thermaltake Spedo Full Tower 420W Case w/ Side-panel Window
CASUPGRADE: 12in COLD CATHODE NEON LIGHT [+10] (RED COLOR)
CS_FAN: Default case fans
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts Power Supplies (CyberPowerPC XF800S Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)
CPU: Intel� Core� i7-940 2.93 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
FREEBIE_CU: FREE! CyberPower Multi-Purpose Carrying Briefcase ($19.99 Value)
FAN: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE1394a,&7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
FREEBIE_RM: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX280 1GB 16X PCI Express [+124] (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA [+5])
VIDEO2: None
VIDEO3: None
MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE
HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
HDD2: NONE
FA_HDD: None
USBHD: NONE
CD: LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY/HD-DVD Reader / DVD�R/�RW Writer [+21] (Black Color)
CD2: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD�R/�RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer 24-BIT PCI Sound Card [+89]
SPEAKERS: NONE
NETWORK: Killer K1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI Network Interface Card [+150]
MODEM: NONE
KEYBOARD: Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard [+83]
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
TEMP: NZXT Sentry LX Aluminum High Performance Fan Control, Clock, & Temperature Display [+69]
WNC: NONE
FLASHMEDIA: None
VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
IEEE_CARD: NONE
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
FLOPPY: NONE
OS: Microsoft� Windows Vista� Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
TVRC: None
CARE: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chasis with High Perormance Thermal Compound [+19]
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

Some questions I had:

I'm still on the fence regarding liquid cooling. Ideally, I don't want to fiddle too much with the computer until it's time for an upgrade. I have no idea how much maintenance a liquid cooling requires and for how much benefit?

Do I need Extra Thermal Monitors?

I noticed that they charge $19 for "Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chasis with High Perormance Thermal Compound." So what does the inside of an CyberPower rig that came without the "professional wiring?"

Also, "CD: LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY/HD-DVD Reader / DVD�R/�RW Writer [+21] (Black Color)" <--This means this op drive will play BlueRay (but won't burn it) and Play/Burn DVDs and CDs, correct? They do come in with all the installations and wiring done, right?

Let me know what ya'll think...suggestions, comments? Thanks,

[Gymkata]

If you require a monitor you may need to look at cyber; alienware is a tad expensive for those.
quoted as $ 1839 with the liquid cooling you want.

CyberPower is little sketchy about the descriptions of LCD monitors...I was thinking about upgrading (currently using 19" high-def) to 22" high-def but they don't really tell you if it is high-def or not. Should I get it from Newegg instead? Which brand?