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mogreen33
08-02-2010, 07:25 PM
im looking to buy a new desktop computer within a reasonable price ive been looking at the dell xps 8100 wondering if that will be good enough to 10-16 table ft with holdem manager and tableninjaft with no lag or freezing.wondering what upgrades i would need on the 8100 for best performance what hard drive size .graphics card. dont know if u can have a ssd drive on the dell have heard those are good to get. just looking for opinions on the 8100 or a different desktop that can handle everything with no lag or problems. i also have a 30inch dell monitor wondering if i need anything special to connect it to the 8100

Patvs
08-03-2010, 08:30 AM
The 30 inch monitor requires a DVI-DL (dual link) port on the videocard.
Most videocards have at least one of such a port now. Except for 5 yr old onboard GPU's. (which only have a DVI single link) If you ever plan to use a dual monitor setup, look for a videocard that has two of these ports (or one additional HDMI port)


Dell XPS 8100: well don't get it with a i3 processor.
Any i5 processor is good enough. (no need for the i7)

The best upgrade would be a SSD harddisk. (instead of MORE memory, faster videocard, i7 processor... etc. GET AN SSD: best one 80/160 GB Intel X25-M G2 Postville, or OCZ Vertex 2... in fact those are the ONLY SSDs you should buy)

Note: the only problem with DELL is, they charge ridiculous prices for any upgrade. The base system has a GREAT price, but they charge 2x the Newegg price for ANY upgrade.

mogreen33
08-03-2010, 06:02 PM
patvs thanks for the reply

just got a few more questions

looking at the stock dell xps 8100 that starts at 699 after ssd what else should i be looking to upgrade? on the hd it comes with should i upgrade to the 1TB? and with the memory should i go for the 8gb? to go with the ssd? i also use wireless internet only so should i get the wireless card. i understand to get the video card that supports dual monitors but i was wondering will i run into any problems as ive read the 8100 runs on a 350 watt power supply. also is there a how to to install a ssd?
sorry for all the questions thanks for the help

Patvs
08-03-2010, 07:01 PM
Upgrade as few things as possible since the price for upgrades are high.
So just stick with the default 4 GB, default regular harddisk, and cheapest i5 (not i3) CPU and spend all cash on the SSD.

You need a wireless card.... but again. You can probably buy one for $15 at ANY computer store. I'm not sure what Dell charges for it?

The 350 watt power supply..... if you stick to the default videocard. 350 watt is fine. Since the only upgrade will be a SSD. If you are upgrading the videocard (for StarCraft II!) can't you upgrade the power supply to 450-500 watt? Fast videocards use a lot of power... but a slow videocard with a DVI-DL port is good enough for your 30 inch monitor. Which monitor you use doesn't effect the power the videocard uses.

How to install a SSD: The easy part is--> SATA cable + power cable from your motherboard to the SSD.
Problem part I: mounting the SSD in your case could be a problem if the DELL case only has 5 1/4 inch bays. The SSD is much smaller so you may need a special bracket to easily mount it in the case.
Problem part II can be: using the SSD as your MAIN DRIVE since you'll have to manually install Windows on it, which DELL pre-installs on the other drive. Unless you get the SSD pre-installed from DELL.

mogreen33
08-04-2010, 07:38 PM
what programs should i put on the ssd everything or just certain ones like hm and postgres?

Patvs
08-04-2010, 09:40 PM
SSD: Windows + Office + Photoshop + PostgreSQL

Regular drive: everything else: music, movies (including porn), pictures.

mogreen33
08-07-2010, 08:36 PM
im looking to grab the xps 8100 1408nbc
with a nvidia geforce 220 graphic card will that work or a 30inch dell?
also thinking i might grab another 20in do u know if that works with dual monitors would i need other wires or anything? ive searched couldnt find anything though thanks again for your help

Patvs
08-07-2010, 09:00 PM
Check if DELL's videocard has two video outputs......