Approach to buying new Windows desktop?

NAwlins Contrarian · Mar 18, 2023

My ancient Dell desktop worries me that it's on its last legs. I'd appreciate your advice on buying its replacement. I run DxO PhotoLab and its more computationally-intensive noise reduction, and occasionally edit some video, but I don't play video games or think I need a ton of computing power. Nevertheless, I want to buy something that will be functional for a decent number of years. In the past I've bought Dell towers because (1) I figure that is a reasonable guaranty of pretty good basic hardware, (2) if something goes wrong, that's my best chance of help, and (3) they've been reasonably expandable / upgradeable. In most of them, I've installed upgrades at various times over their lives: more memory, a Blu Ray drive, etc. Currently Dell does not appear to offer precisely what I want, maybe at least without spending a ton of money. So I'm thinking maybe I buy a basic Dell and then plan to install some things myself right away. However, I'm not confident that's the best approach. Yes, I realize Dell won't support problems with things I install, or plausibly caused by things I install, at least unless I buy the parts from them.

I'm resigned to Windows 11, very likely Home (don't think I have a real need here for Professional), even though I might prefer W10 at the moment. I figure I need an i5, maybe an i7, probably 16 GB of RAM.

I figure an SSD for a boot drive, and maybe for program installation, makes sense, but I probably want about a 2 TB hard drive for data. Is 256 MB enough for the SSD, or do I really want 512 MB? Currently my Program Files is 18 GB and Program Files (x86) is 14 GB. Any further specification issues there? I figure I could buy an enterprise-grade 2 TB hard drive and add it myself without too much trouble. Do you agree?

I'd like to have video capability to do things my old Dell won't do, like run the Topaz AI software or support a UHD monitor, hopefully plus some sort of 10 bit and/or HDR--not sure precisely what I need. The Dell options for most of these are Intel UHD Graphics 730 and Intel UHD Graphics 770; is that enough? Or do I need to spend for something more?

I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Any other must-do advice? Thanks!

Austinian · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
My ancient Dell desktop worries me that it's on its last legs. I'd appreciate your advice on buying its replacement. I run DxO PhotoLab and its more computationally-intensive noise reduction, and occasionally edit some video, but I don't play video games or think I need a ton of computing power. Nevertheless, I want to buy something that will be functional for a decent number of years. In the past I've bought Dell towers because (1) I figure that is a reasonable guaranty of pretty good basic hardware, (2) if something goes wrong, that's my best chance of help, and (3) they've been reasonably expandable / upgradeable. In most of them, I've installed upgrades at various times over their lives: more memory, a Blu Ray drive, etc. Currently Dell does not appear to offer precisely what I want, maybe at least without spending a ton of money. So I'm thinking maybe I buy a basic Dell and then plan to install some things myself right away. However, I'm not confident that's the best approach. Yes, I realize Dell won't support problems with things I install, or plausibly caused by things I install, at least unless I buy the parts from them.

I only have Dell laptops, so please keep in mind that my familarity with their desktops is limited. I usually buy the most basic version of the laptops and upgrade storage and/or memory myself, but I don't require high performance from my laptops; I have a desktop for that.

NAwlins Contrarian said:
I'm resigned to Windows 11, very likely Home (don't think I have a real need here for Professional), even though I might prefer W10 at the moment. I figure I need an i5, maybe an i7, probably 16 GB of RAM.

I figure an SSD for a boot drive, and maybe for program installation, makes sense, but I probably want about a 2 TB hard drive for data. Is 256 MB enough for the SSD, or do I really want 512 MB? Currently my Program Files is 18 GB and Program Files (x86) is 14 GB. Any further specification issues there? I figure I could buy an enterprise-grade 2 TB hard drive and add it myself without too much trouble. Do you agree?

I think that 256GB is likely to be adequate for the OS and programs as long as your data is on the HDD.

NAwlins Contrarian said:
I'd like to have video capability to do things my old Dell won't do, like run the Topaz AI software or support a UHD monitor, hopefully plus some sort of 10 bit and/or HDR--not sure precisely what I need. The Dell options for most of these are Intel UHD Graphics 730 and Intel UHD Graphics 770; is that enough? Or do I need to spend for something more?

I doubt that the built-in integrated graphics will give you really good performance on PhotoLab's DeepPrime/XD or the Topaz AI software; I'd suggest a discrete graphics card perhaps on the RTX 3060 level.

NAwlins Contrarian said:
I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Does the Dell desktop you're considering have a 5-1/4" drive bay to fit it?

NAwlins Contrarian said:
Any other must-do advice? Thanks!

One concern I'd have for a basic (no graphics card) OEM desktop is the capacity and wiring of the power supply being suitable to power an aftermarket graphics card.

Before making any upgrades to any Dell, (or, for that matter, even just buying one) I suggest going to that model's support webpage and downloading the service manual to understand its internal setup and upgrade capacities.

JerseySailor · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
............... I'd like to have video capability to do things my old Dell won't do, like run the Topaz AI software ................

Be aware that Topaz AI really needs a good GPU in order to run, unless you want to go out for a cup of coffee while you wait for Topaz to process one photo.

My old GTX 1050 Ti GPU was just too slow to work with the Topaz suite, so I upgraded the GPU to an RTX 3060, and now have acceptable response times. Please don't take this post as knocking Topaz, it is wonderful software and I love using it, but it does so much processing, that it needs a decent GPU to back it up.

Regarding your SSD, make sure you get an M.2 NVMe SSD, and not a SATA one. There is a huge speed difference between the two. Since the difference is cost between a 256GB and a 500 GB SSD is only about $20, going for the larger SSD is a no brainer.

IanYorke · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
My ancient Dell desktop worries me that it's on its last legs. I'd appreciate your advice on buying its replacement. I run DxO PhotoLab and its more computationally-intensive noise reduction, and occasionally edit some video, but I don't play video games or think I need a ton of computing power. Nevertheless, I want to buy something that will be functional for a decent number of years. In the past I've bought Dell towers because (1) I figure that is a reasonable guaranty of pretty good basic hardware, (2) if something goes wrong, that's my best chance of help, and (3) they've been reasonably expandable / upgradeable. In most of them, I've installed upgrades at various times over their lives: more memory, a Blu Ray drive, etc. Currently Dell does not appear to offer precisely what I want, maybe at least without spending a ton of money. So I'm thinking maybe I buy a basic Dell and then plan to install some things myself right away. However, I'm not confident that's the best approach. Yes, I realize Dell won't support problems with things I install, or plausibly caused by things I install, at least unless I buy the parts from them.

I'm resigned to Windows 11, very likely Home (don't think I have a real need here for Professional), even though I might prefer W10 at the moment. I figure I need an i5, maybe an i7, probably 16 GB of RAM.

I figure an SSD for a boot drive, and maybe for program installation, makes sense, but I probably want about a 2 TB hard drive for data. Is 256 MB enough for the SSD, or do I really want 512 MB? Currently my Program Files is 18 GB and Program Files (x86) is 14 GB. Any further specification issues there? I figure I could buy an enterprise-grade 2 TB hard drive and add it myself without too much trouble. Do you agree?

I'd like to have video capability to do things my old Dell won't do, like run the Topaz AI software or support a UHD monitor, hopefully plus some sort of 10 bit and/or HDR--not sure precisely what I need. The Dell options for most of these are Intel UHD Graphics 730 and Intel UHD Graphics 770; is that enough? Or do I need to spend for something more?

I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Any other must-do advice? Thanks!

I'm with JerseySailor. NVMe drive is a must and I personally went for 1Tb,you will be glad in 2 years time. GPU is also a must for software going forwards. Computer power is with the GPU these days.

Ian

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

Puget Systems has posted some benchmarks for Topaz AI software, No integrated GPUs, though.

Topaz AI software can be run using the CPU only, but it's much slower than GPU acceleration.

There's an online spreadsheet for DXO Deep Prime, which includes some UHD 770 tests.

If you are persuaded to get a system with an RTX 3060 , I suggest that you get the version with 12GB of VRAM. You may not need that much, but the path to the VRAM is 1.5X as wide as for the 8GB version. Or get the 3060 ti.

I see that the desktops for sale by Dell and HP mostly have Gen12 Intel CPUs. The Gen13 versions generally have more processor cores for similar part numbers (e. g, I5-12600k vs. I5-13600k). Not a life-altering difference, but if the system prices were the same, I'd prefer Gen13.

One debatable issue is whether to go with DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. Systems with either are available for both Gen12 and Gen13 CPUs. DDR4 is still cheaper, although the price difference may have narrowed over the past year.

Optical drives seem to be headed for extinction, although they aren't entirely gone yet. For my most recent build, I gave up and mounted my 5 1/4 optical drive in a USB external enclosure. It's clunk, especially with its wall wart power supply, but it works. I don't use it a great deal.

JerseySailor · Mar 18, 2023

Austinian said:
One concern I'd have for a basic (no graphics card) OEM desktop is the capacity and wiring of the power supply being suitable to power an aftermarket graphics card.

Before making any upgrades to any Dell, (or, for that matter, even just buying one) I suggest going to that model's support webpage and downloading the service manual to understand its internal setup and upgrade capacities.

Austinian raises an important point here. To keep their prices competitive, OEMs build in a PSU that meets the power requirements of their stock component load, without spending money on a larger PSU that isn't needed. So, many add-on GPUs put too much load on the stock PSU, and the PSU would have to be upgraded.

When I upgraded from a GTX 1050 Ti to an RTX 3060, I also had to take out the previous 500W PSU, and replace it with a 650W supply to meet the higher power requirements of the RTX 3060.

With all that behind me, I'm happy with the new upgrade, and the far better performance on the Topaz suite - software that I really love.

mosswings · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
My ancient Dell desktop worries me that it's on its last legs. I'd appreciate your advice on buying its replacement. I run DxO PhotoLab and its more computationally-intensive noise reduction, and occasionally edit some video, but I don't play video games or think I need a ton of computing power. Nevertheless, I want to buy something that will be functional for a decent number of years. In the past I've bought Dell towers because (1) I figure that is a reasonable guaranty of pretty good basic hardware, (2) if something goes wrong, that's my best chance of help, and (3) they've been reasonably expandable / upgradeable. In most of them, I've installed upgrades at various times over their lives: more memory, a Blu Ray drive, etc. Currently Dell does not appear to offer precisely what I want, maybe at least without spending a ton of money. So I'm thinking maybe I buy a basic Dell and then plan to install some things myself right away. However, I'm not confident that's the best approach. Yes, I realize Dell won't support problems with things I install, or plausibly caused by things I install, at least unless I buy the parts from them.

I'm resigned to Windows 11, very likely Home (don't think I have a real need here for Professional), even though I might prefer W10 at the moment. I figure I need an i5, maybe an i7, probably 16 GB of RAM.

I figure an SSD for a boot drive, and maybe for program installation, makes sense, but I probably want about a 2 TB hard drive for data. Is 256 MB enough for the SSD, or do I really want 512 MB? Currently my Program Files is 18 GB and Program Files (x86) is 14 GB. Any further specification issues there? I figure I could buy an enterprise-grade 2 TB hard drive and add it myself without too much trouble. Do you agree?

I'd like to have video capability to do things my old Dell won't do, like run the Topaz AI software or support a UHD monitor, hopefully plus some sort of 10 bit and/or HDR--not sure precisely what I need. The Dell options for most of these are Intel UHD Graphics 730 and Intel UHD Graphics 770; is that enough? Or do I need to spend for something more?

I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Any other must-do advice? Thanks!

I just bought an XPS 8950 with i7-12700, 16GB RAM, 512G SSD + 1TB HDD, optical drive, RTX3060 (12GB). It was on sale for $1100, about $500 off (!). I bought an XPS because it has room to add things: 4 RAM slots (2 occupied in this config), an extra M.2 2280 SSD slot, an extra HDD holder (but with cabling for two piggybacked 2.5" SATA SDDs in a caddy). XPS is the only home-user line that permits this kind of extension of the base machine.

What I'd do if I were to buy today: i7-2700, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 2TB HDD, buy another 1TB SSD for the M.2 slot, RTX3060 or better, and get the 750W chassis that comes with an optical drive. My machine has only a 460W PSU, which is barely adequate; any extensions will have to carefully manage power, and the 750W PSU, if available, is proprietary and costs $190 as a replacement part. It and the optical drive are $100 if included in the initial order. The 13th generation CPUs are only 10% faster on Lightroom than the 12th, which wasn't enough for me to spend the extra money.

I ran a customization on this spec list (cto8950w11padl3) and came up with $1489 - which is not bad.

Dell XPS 8950 Desktop | Dell USA

Take creativity up a notch, with the expandability, elite performance, fast speeds, improved thermals and liquid cooling options of the XPS Desktop.

www.dell.com

NAwlins Contrarian · Mar 18, 2023

Thanks everyone for the responses so far--they contain a lot of helpful information.

To clarify something, as long as I can run modern software like the Topaz AI programs, I'm not too worried about their speed. I am used to having DxO take 30 seconds or longer process with DeepPrime and export. My volume is typically pretty low.

Also, one big question is what hardware I need to support future 10-bit video and/or HDR.

As for the multiple people suggesting RTX 3060--those options add $250 or $350 to the price--I really doubt I need that, but maybe I'm showing my ignorance.

Models / configurations under main consideration:

XPS 8950 xd8950adl20h, $1230: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=5875fa19-1c05-445d-ad10-fa624a608198

XPS 8950 xd8950adl30h, $1280: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=722cb1ee-01eb-4351-ad79-6bdf831387d8

XPS 8950 cto8950w11padl3, $1340: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=91b9c67f-b73c-4b88-9b14-14230d18c6c9

The latter two tell me I have to have an optical drive. I don't really want their non-Blu Ray drive. Can't I get the 750W without the drive?!

NAwlins Contrarian · Mar 18, 2023

Thanks so much--lots of helpful info to consider.

Austinian said:
Austinian said:

I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Click to expand...

Does the Dell desktop you're considering have a 5-1/4" drive bay to fit it?

It is at least an option. I'd probably need an XPS to get it; with the Inspiron models it may not even be possible. What's unclear to me is whether the option includes a basic CD / DVD drive, or merely the door behind which to mount one--need to figure that out.

Austinian said:
One concern I'd have for a basic (no graphics card) OEM desktop is the capacity and wiring of the power supply being suitable to power an aftermarket graphics card.

Before making any upgrades to any Dell, (or, for that matter, even just buying one) I suggest going to that model's support webpage and downloading the service manual to understand its internal setup and upgrade capacities.

Good point. They offer 460W and 750W options, the latter $50 more--probably a good investment for someone in my position?

NAwlins Contrarian · Mar 18, 2023

JerseySailor said:
Regarding your SSD, make sure you get an M.2 NVMe SSD, and not a SATA one. There is a huge speed difference between the two. Since the difference is cost between a 256GB and a 500 GB SSD is only about $20, going for the larger SSD is a no brainer.

Thanks. Looking at the options on one model that I'm currently considering, copying Dell's descriptions, it looks like they're all M.2 NVMe (and there are only two bottom-end options that don't say NVMe, and I'm not considering either because the capacity is too low):

single-drive options--to which I'm probably add a 2+ TB HDD myself

512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe

1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD (+$100)

dual-drive options

512GB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (+$80)

1TB M.2 PCIe NVME SSD (Boot) + 2TB SATA 7200RPM HDD (+$180)

Last but not least, any thought on buying the HDD with it from Dell, versus getting a better-rated enterprise drive and installing it myself?

Thanks!

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
Thanks so much--lots of helpful info to consider.

NAwlins Contrarian said:

NAwlins Contrarian said:

I really want an optical drive. Any reason not to remove the Blu Ray drive that I installed in the current computer and install it in the new one?

Click to expand...

Does the Dell desktop you're considering have a 5-1/4" drive bay to fit it?

Click to expand...

It is at least an option. I'd probably need an XPS to get it; with the Inspiron models it may not even be possible. What's unclear to me is whether the option includes a basic CD / DVD drive, or merely the door behind which to mount one--need to figure that out.

NAwlins Contrarian said:

One concern I'd have for a basic (no graphics card) OEM desktop is the capacity and wiring of the power supply being suitable to power an aftermarket graphics card.

Before making any upgrades to any Dell, (or, for that matter, even just buying one) I suggest going to that model's support webpage and downloading the service manual to understand its internal setup and upgrade capacities.

Click to expand...

Good point. They offer 460W and 750W options, the latter $50 more--probably a good investment for someone in my position?

If you want an optical drive. it appears that the XPS models come with what is basically a laptop style drive. I'm not sure whether a BluRay drive is available. It appears that the standard is a DVD burner, which supports dual layer DVDs (8.5GB).

An Optiplex model seems to have space for a full sized optical drive, but none is offered in the configuration options. The burner that is offered is a laptop style DVD one. An RTX 3070 is a $1220 option, which is overpriced, even if it includes a PSU upgrade (to 500W). (more like $500-600 at retail.)

Makes me glad I'm a DIYer, regardless of how much more I end up paying. ;-)

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
NAwlins Contrarian said:

Regarding your SSD, make sure you get an M.2 NVMe SSD, and not a SATA one. There is a huge speed difference between the two. Since the difference is cost between a 256GB and a 500 GB SSD is only about $20, going for the larger SSD is a no brainer.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Looking at the options on one model that I'm currently considering, copying Dell's descriptions, it looks like they're all M.2 NVMe (and there are only two bottom-end options that don't say NVMe, and I'm not considering either because the capacity is too low):

single-drive options--to which I'm probably add a 2+ TB HDD myself

512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe

1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD (+$100)

dual-drive options

512GB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (+$80)

1TB M.2 PCIe NVME SSD (Boot) + 2TB SATA 7200RPM HDD (+$180)

Last but not least, any thought on buying the HDD with it from Dell, versus getting a better-rated enterprise drive and installing it myself?

Thanks!

If the PSU is up to the task, and you don't mind potential warranty issues, and you're up to the task of doing the installation, by all means do as much as you can yourself.

Dell's upgrades cost more than the components at retail. It's not because much labor is involved.

If you can download the service manual for the model (which you haven't mentioned), it may give you a clear picture of what needs to be done as regards drives. It's possible that things may have to be taken apart more than for a PC assembled from industry standard parts, but it should be easy.

NAwlins Contrarian · Mar 18, 2023

BobKnDP said:
If you want an optical drive. it appears that the XPS models come with what is basically a laptop style drive. I'm not sure whether a BluRay drive is available.

I have a Blu Ray drive in my current tower, which I think I'd move to the new computer--I just need to make sure it would fit. Does that seem viable?

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
NAwlins Contrarian said:

If you want an optical drive. it appears that the XPS models come with what is basically a laptop style drive. I'm not sure whether a BluRay drive is available.

Click to expand...

I have a Blu Ray drive in my current tower, which I think I'd move to the new computer--I just need to make sure it would fit. Does that seem viable?

If it's an XPS model, no.

It uses a slim laptop style drive. No external 5.25" slots.

XPS 8950 service manual: XPS 8950 Service Manual | Dell US

What I did with my old half-height drive was put it in an external enclosure . Not cheap, and rather clunky in use, but it works well. (I had sort of a sentimental attachment to the BluRay drive. It has an old firmware that permits it to read UHD movie disks. Not that I do that often. I could if I wished, though.)

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
Thanks everyone for the responses so far--they contain a lot of helpful information.

To clarify something, as long as I can run modern software like the Topaz AI programs, I'm not too worried about their speed. I am used to having DxO take 30 seconds or longer process with DeepPrime and export. My volume is typically pretty low.

Also, one big question is what hardware I need to support future 10-bit video and/or HDR.

As for the multiple people suggesting RTX 3060--those options add $250 or $350 to the price--I really doubt I need that, but maybe I'm showing my ignorance.

I'm having trouble finding a link, but I believe that Intel UHD 770 does UHD (3840X2160) with HDR at 60Hz. It probably can do better than that, if you use the DisplayPort. (HDMI 2.0 is limited to 4k resolution in HDR at 60Hz, and uses chroma subsampling to get that.)

Note that 10bit color isn't the same as HDR. Some monitors support 10 bit but not HDR.

I believe that the Topaz AI software is more GPU dependent.

This spreadsheet isn't as useful as I'd like, but you may find it worth a look. The "Egypt" example took about two minutes with a UHD 770. The RTX 3060, roughly 10 seconds. (More like 5 seconds with an RTX 4090. DeepPrime XD is slower.)

As regards the extra for the discrete GPU, what's the value of your time?

mosswings · Mar 18, 2023

NAwlins Contrarian said:
Thanks everyone for the responses so far--they contain a lot of helpful information.

To clarify something, as long as I can run modern software like the Topaz AI programs, I'm not too worried about their speed. I am used to having DxO take 30 seconds or longer process with DeepPrime and export. My volume is typically pretty low.

Also, one big question is what hardware I need to support future 10-bit video and/or HDR.

As for the multiple people suggesting RTX 3060--those options add $250 or $350 to the price--I really doubt I need that, but maybe I'm showing my ignorance.

Models / configurations under main consideration:

XPS 8950 xd8950adl20h, $1230: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=5875fa19-1c05-445d-ad10-fa624a608198

XPS 8950 xd8950adl30h, $1280: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=722cb1ee-01eb-4351-ad79-6bdf831387d8

XPS 8950 cto8950w11padl3, $1340: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rationid=91b9c67f-b73c-4b88-9b14-14230d18c6c9

The latter two tell me I have to have an optical drive. I don't really want their non-Blu Ray drive. Can't I get the 750W without the drive?!

As Puget Systems notes, if you are primarily using Lightroom, all you need are integrated graphics and 6-8 performance cores - LR Classic doesn’t really use the GPU. However, Adobe is adding AI functions to LR CC, and that relies on a GPU for reasonable speed. Ditto for Topaz and video processing, as well as advanced Photoshop features. So the RTX 3060 doesn’t hurt, and will be of benefit down the road for more things.

No, you can’t get 750W without the optical drive.

In my case, the sale price effectively gave me the GPU and optical drive for free, so I jumped at the deal. If you add a GPU later, it’s dang expensive.

BobKnDP · Mar 18, 2023

mosswings said:
(snip)

In my case, the sale price effectively gave me the GPU and optical drive for free, so I jumped at the deal. If you add a GPU later, it’s dang expensive.

Adding a GPU later is cheaper than adding it to the Dell order.

(Caveat: the PSU must be adequate, and have the right PCI-E power connectors.)

Dell also charges well above retail for RAM and drive upgrades. Who do they think they are, Apple? ;-)

(I've been a DIYer for many years, regardless of the extra costs.)

mosswings · Mar 18, 2023

BobKnDP said:
mosswings said:

(snip)

In my case, the sale price effectively gave me the GPU and optical drive for free, so I jumped at the deal. If you add a GPU later, it’s dang expensive.

Click to expand...

Adding a GPU later is cheaper than adding it to the Dell order.

(Caveat: the PSU must be adequate, and have the right PCI-E power connectors.)

Dell also charges well above retail for RAM and drive upgrades. Who do they think they are, Apple? ;-)

(I've been a DIYer for many years, regardless of the extra costs.)

In general, yes…that’s why I started with a loss-leader deal configuration and went from there. Customizing on the Dell site from scratch is expensive…a rtx3060 as a CTO option is $500, hella expensive as you note. But an RTX 3060 stand-alone from Dell is about $375, the current street price on other sites. So you have to plot several courses through your spec list and see which is the best. Sometimes Dell will surprise you.

Craig Gillette · Mar 18, 2023

Have you spoken with Dell, I've shopped some with them and got the feeling they might have some options that aren't necessarily on the website menu driven choices. The "outlet" selections vary and may have some things that don't reflect current "new" builds.

I'm not wanting to spend your money but I'd look closely at what it might cost to upgrade vs Dell's (or others') prices offered during the build selections. I found the RAM was reasonable on my build to order buy (not Dell) to go to 32Gb but think there are other sources that might upgrade for Dell properly and less expensively. The primary "C" drive was reasonable, maybe going up to 512G or 1Tb is worth looking at. Any secondary drives were less expensive to buy separately and add myself. Watch how many available PCIe slots there are and what types. Wi-fi, audio, Bluetooth might bee integrated but adding them or adding USB ports, etc., could use up slots quickly and that would be hard to deal with inexpensively.

I went with a non-Dell source for my recent build. I wonder, since Dell seems to be limiting in some ways, while they have an optical drive and few do, it's not what you are looking for. Maybe some other builder might be worth considering, too.

I looked at a couple of on-line builders and noticed fewer DDR4 RAM motherboard and/or 12th Gen processor options, so, maybe a bit of informed haste is in order. Those sorts of things may be going away as "new" options. and it's a bit surprising, last I looked, that Dell wasn't to 13th Gen yet?

mosswings · Mar 18, 2023

Craig Gillette said:
Have you spoken with Dell, I've shopped some with them and got the feeling they might have some options that aren't necessarily on the website menu driven choices. The "outlet" selections vary and may have some things that don't reflect current "new" builds.

I'm not wanting to spend your money but I'd look closely at what it might cost to upgrade vs Dell's (or others') prices offered during the build selections. I found the RAM was reasonable on my build to order buy (not Dell) to go to 32Gb but think there are other sources that might upgrade for Dell properly and less expensively. The primary "C" drive was reasonable, maybe going up to 512G or 1Tb is worth looking at. Any secondary drives were less expensive to buy separately and add myself. Watch how many available PCIe slots there are and what types. Wi-fi, audio, Bluetooth might bee integrated but adding them or adding USB ports, etc., could use up slots quickly and that would be hard to deal with inexpensively.

I went with a non-Dell source for my recent build. I wonder, since Dell seems to be limiting in some ways, while they have an optical drive and few do, it's not what you are looking for. Maybe some other builder might be worth considering, too.

I looked at a couple of on-line builders and noticed fewer DDR4 RAM motherboard and/or 12th Gen processor options, so, maybe a bit of informed haste is in order. Those sorts of things may be going away as "new" options. and it's a bit surprising, last I looked, that Dell wasn't to 13th Gen yet?

Just transitioning. Go to XPS, select “new XPS”, and then sit down. The prices are staggering for a modicum of improvement (mostly GPU driven, Dell’s pushing Nvidia RTX 40 series).

Approach to buying new Windows desktop?

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