Gaming with Dell XPS 420 at $899 Configuration - Gaming - What Do I Buy - Dell Community Forum | Thread profile

I have not purchased the system yet because the idea of building a gaming rig came up with some friends. I'm still interested in purchasing the XPS system because it seems the most logical route to go at the price I'm willing to spend. The only thing holding this system up is the video card right?   How important is the processor? And, what role does the amount of MB a video card has come into play? Because I see these two cards:...

There's a HUGE difference between those cards, and almost none of it has anything to do with the amount of RAM on the card. $200 for an 8600GTS is a rip off. $250 for an 8800GT is a fair price right now. The 8800GT has best bang for the buck of anything on the market and is a much better value than even the retail price of the 8600GTS. Slapping more RAM on a low or mid range card doesn't make it perform any better.   Please...

i myself have the 899 configuration. it runs pretty well and is able to run cod4, at low settings though and resolution. im waiting till 8800gt or hd3870 goes down in price.

Vista likes 2 GB of memory to run at its best.     That system can be upgraded over time if you lack some of the hardware to play some graphical intensive games in the future, but Sims 2, WoW will play even with a integrated video chip so any card you choose should play the games well, except GTA-4 and that one depending on the game settings and resolutions used may need a fair card to play well.   Again, you can lower the game setting...

The XPS420 for $899 comes with a Quad core Q6600 and 3gb of ram.  That's terrific.   The only downside is the video card.  Its a 128mb ATI HD2400Pro.  Not great, but better than nothing.   I say buy it like it is and purchase a better video card later.  The 8600GT and 8800GT will probably go down in price over the next couple of months.  Wouldn't you think?       Edited for grammar error. Message Edited by FullCry on...

FullCry wrote: The XPS420 for $899 comes with a Quad core Q6600 and 3gb of ram.  That's terrific.     You couldn't build a comparable machine for $899. I used low end parts and open box items and it came to over $860 without tax and shipping, no  fancy little LCD screen on the case, no BT hub or KB and mouse either.   I highlighted "comparable" because by using a lousy case and extra low quality psu, some...

I must admit that XPS 420 $899 config is an amazing deal. I can't say I have ever seen a Dell PC that was actually cheaper than the equivalent PC you could build yourself, but the XPS 420 is. To rival the XPS 420 you would have to spend at least $1000. I wonder if its possible to set custom RAM timings, overclock memory/FSB, change CPU multiplier, or adjust FSB RAM ratio on the XPS 420 BIOS.   Allendale E2140 8x400=3.2Ghz (100%...