Best Desktop Computer

[Andeyhollawho]

Need help fam. My old desktop is still running Windows 7 lol. She still running though because I asked for advice here and got one that was way ahead of it's time! It's time for an upgrade!

The biggest things on my computer are Fruity Loops and Akai MPC software.
Here is what I'm considering right now.


Dell XPS 8930 Tower Desktop
8th Gen. Intel Core i7-8700 6-Core up to 4.60 GHz
16GB DDR4 Memory
512GB SSD + 2TB SATA Hard Drive,
4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti,
DVD Burner
Windows 10

$1199.00

Any ideas or anything better?

 

[praetor]

What's best for you really depends on what you do with your PC. A six core CPU will be overkill unless you encode video or do some other specific task that would tax it.


The 512gb ssd and GPU will add to the cost as well.

 

[cli-terminator]

What's best for you really depends on what you do with your PC. A six core CPU will be overkill unless you encode video or do some other specific task that would tax it.


The 512gb ssd and GPU will add to the cost as well.

512GB SSD prices aren't too bad now. Considering he's gonna have that as an OS drive, 512 should be more than sufficient. I do agree though that the GPU will add much more to the cost. Unless he's doing gaming or graphic/video design, he shouldn't have to spend that much for a new desktop.

 

[veritech]

That is a mediocre video card for a desktop computer at that price.

 

[Andeyhollawho]

What's best for you really depends on what you do with your PC. A six core CPU will be overkill unless you encode video or do some other specific task that would tax it.


The 512gb ssd and GPU will add to the cost as well.

512GB SSD prices aren't too bad now. Considering he's gonna have that as an OS drive, 512 should be more than sufficient. I do agree though that the GPU will add much more to the cost. Unless he's doing gaming or graphic/video design, he shouldn't have to spend that much for a new desktop.

Mostly I'm just working on music on Fruity Loops. I might add Reason or something similar in a few.

I saw one with a 256 SSD drive for $150 less. I figured what the hell?

Any suggestions?

 

[Andeyhollawho]

That is a mediocre video card for a desktop computer at that price.

For the most part I don't play any games on my computer. I mostly hook it up to my TV to watch movies from my CPU.

The card can be upgraded but I didn't see the need for it.

 

[yaBoi]

Mostly I'm just working on music on Fruity Loops. I might add Reason or something similar in a few.

I saw one with a 256 SSD drive for $150 less. I figured what the hell?

Any suggestions?

you can get a terabyte ssd for that

 

[veritech]

For the most part I don't play any games on my computer. I mostly hook it up to my TV to watch movies from my CPU.

The card can be upgraded but I didn't see the need for it.

if that is the case the computer is grossly overpriced

 

[Andeyhollawho]

you can get a terabyte ssd for that

Point me in the right direction! I get discounts through Dell and HP from my job. Building computers though they still don't beat Amazon's pricing so far for similar models.

 

[yaBoi]

Point me in the right direction! I get discounts through Dell and HP from my job. Building computers though they still don't beat Amazon's pricing so far for similar models.

not sure what your discounts are but for that price i'd just go to newegg and order one with much better specs

 

[Mixd]

Point me in the right direction! I get discounts through Dell and HP from my job. Building computers though they still don't beat Amazon's pricing so far for similar models.

You ever browsed Dell Outlet? I used to buy PC's there for my company when we needed just one or so and not a whole slew of like 50.

Personally I prefer to build my own. Recently did a desktop for my son. Went somewhat off specs of vids that he showed me of dudes with budgets in mind. I built a $600 pc. Most of my parts were from MicroCenter. You can't beat their processor and mother board combo deals.

Some stuff was from Frys, because some had rebates on them like my memory and HD.

One thing, not to be slept on is AMD. I am a long time Intel guy, because I have a long history of graphics and vid editing. Built the gaming pc for my son with AMD and an 500gb SSD disk. It's blazing fast.

Building a PC, budget is typically your starting goal and ballpark what's available as to what your needs are. Also don't sleep on Slickdeals also. That's where I found most of the deals when I built my son's. But can find full desktops as well on there.

Keep in mind SSD has come down in prices and are continuing to fall. Can now get a 2TB drive for $200. 1TB are under $100.

 

[cli-terminator]

For the most part you can build a pc that meets your needs for far less than what Dell is charging. Dell in general overcharges for their parts. Go to newegg and buy your parts from there. You'll get far better parts for much less. Check out slickdeals.net as well. There's constantly deals for SSD drives and video cards on there

 

[Mixd]

This is a stretch, but Walmart has this i7 desktop, on clearance, normally $800 for $139 to 169.

For that price can upgrade stuff if you want to change anything out, but:

https://slickdeals.net/f/13031824-hp-570-p033w-core-i7-7700-desktop-139-walmart-ymmv

Check your local stores here:
https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=782467792

 

[praetor]

512GB SSD prices aren't too bad now. Considering he's gonna have that as an OS drive, 512 should be more than sufficient. I do agree though that the GPU will add much more to the cost. Unless he's doing gaming or graphic/video design, he shouldn't have to spend that much for a new desktop.

I agree that ssd prices are going down, but Dell charging $150 more for 256 more GBs is robbery.

OP, it sounds like you don't need a discreet graphics card. Intel's integrated graphics should suffice for your needs.

1TB ssd on Amazon for $99, there are several other brands going for close to the same price.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-SSD-PLUS-Internal-SDSSDA-1T00-G26/dp/B07D998212/

 

[cli-terminator]

I agree that ssd prices are going down, but Dell charging $150 more for 256 more GBs is robbery.

OP, it sounds like you don't need a discreet graphics card. Intel's integrated graphics should suffice for your needs.

1TB ssd on Amazon for $99, there are several other brands going for close to the same price.

Amazon product ASIN B07D998212

Yeah for what he needs, he can get a decent video card for around $150. Most expensive part he would have is the processor. He can get a good I7 processor without having to break the bank. Pair it with a Asus ATX mobo and he should be good to go

 

[praetor]

I was going to post a normal Amazon link but the board is treating it like a media link.

 

[bxclark]

DaDon builds computers. You should hit him up.

 

[Andeyhollawho]

I appreciate the info here. I got to look into building one. Never tried it but it doesn't seem to be too hard?

I just want something reliable and fast. These are the specs on my old computer...

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor 3.20 GHz
8 gb RAM
64 Bit
1 TB Sata Drive

 

[cli-terminator]

I appreciate the info here. I got to look into building one. Never tried it but it doesn't seem to be too hard?

I just want something reliable and fast. These are the specs on my old computer...

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor 3.20 GHz
8 gb RAM
64 Bit
1 TB Sata Drive

For the most part, building a pc now is so straight forward, you'll be kicking yourself for not doing it earlier. Just do your research on parts that you're looking to add. Find your processor/motherboard first and everything else will fall in line. Sites like Newegg will even make suggestions for you based on that as well.

 

[Andeyhollawho]

This is a stretch, but Walmart has this i7 desktop, on clearance, normally $800 for $139 to 169.

For that price can upgrade stuff if you want to change anything out, but:

https://slickdeals.net/f/13031824-hp-570-p033w-core-i7-7700-desktop-139-walmart-ymmv

Check your local stores here:
https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=782467792

Now that was a hell of a deal!

I don't see it in stock anymore though sadly.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

For the most part I don't play any games on my computer. I mostly hook it up to my TV to watch movies from my CPU.

The card can be upgraded but I didn't see the need for it.

then why dont you just get a laptop its less cumbersome..

I would only get a desktop if I was into shit like video editing..

I just got this asus rog strix laptop i7, gtx1060 for under nine hunid...

does the job well...

 

[smoovejazz]

For the most part you can build a pc that meets your needs for far less than what Dell is charging. Dell in general overcharges for their parts. Go to newegg and buy your parts from there. You'll get far better parts for much less. Check out slickdeals.net as well. There's constantly deals for SSD drives and video cards on there

This. Plus, does Dell still make proprietary parts? You want to have the freedom to modify what you want.

 

[4 Dimensional]

Pcpartpicker.com

Build your own based on what you want.

 

[gene cisco]

then why dont you just get a laptop its less cumbersome..

I would only get a desktop if I was into shit like video editing..

I just got this asus rog strix laptop i7, gtx1060 for under nine hunid...

does the job well...

Might have to go that route since my overpriced macbooks are having problems. Ain't about to piss away any more money on these underspec'd pieces of shit. Got a powerful windows desktop I built and will just pickup a signature edition windows laptop.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

Might have to go that route since my overpriced macbooks are having problems. Ain't about to piss away any more money on these underspec'd pieces of shit. Got a powerful windows desktop I built and will just pickup a signature edition windows laptop.

yea it will last longer... Im starting to hate windows and need to start fuckin with linux tho....

 

[leonartist]

Mac G5

 

[4 Dimensional]

yea it will last longer... Im starting to hate windows and need to start fuckin with linux tho....

Come on over.

I keep windows 7 on my laptop, but everything else I got is Linux.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

Come on over.

I keep windows 7 on my laptop, but everything else I got is Linux.

you runnin a redhat server?

 

[4 Dimensional]

you runnin a redhat server?

Naw. Linux Mint.

Linux mint is smooth and easy to use. The feel is like Windows 7 and it’s so easy on my resources (processor, ram, hard drives performances).

I have mint on an old desktop I built back in 2007. Core 2 duo processor and 4 gigs of ram. Runs like a champ. It’s my media server.

 

[ThunderMaker]

Naw. Linux Mint.

Linux mint is smooth and easy to use. The feel is like Windows 7 and it’s so easy on my resources (processor, ram, hard drives performances).

I have mint on an old desktop I built back in 2007. Core 2 duo processor and 4 gigs of ram. Runs like a champ. It’s my media server.

You can go here https://www.distrowatch.com/ to learn more about which flavor you like. You can burn and run the OS from the disc (it will be slower,because you will be reading from the disc) but this way you can see if you like it before installing it. BTW, I run Peppermint

 

[flx2000]

 

[Autobot8655]

Im on windows 7 as well, but I dual boot with windows 10.

I actually still prefer 7.

Windows 10 upgrades either make some programs unusable or uninstalls key programs all together.

What you posted is big time overkill for your use though.

You should be able to find something in the 800 or less range easily.

I game.....so.....

I have an i7 4790K, lots of hard drive space (like 6 or 7 gigs), EVGA 2080 ti Ultra Gaming card, NH-D14 Noctua CPU cooler, Thermltake Core X71 case with additional fans,WinTV-quadHD hauppauge tv tuner card, Blue ray burner (cant remember brand), EVGA SuperNOVA 850 B2 Power Supply (This was a backup....I actually have an EVGA SuperNOVA 1050 GS, 80+ GOLD...but it needs to be RMAed), ASUS Z-97 Pro-Gamer Motherboard, Gigabyte BlueTooth/Wifi Expansion card, a PEXUSB3S44V Startech USB 3.0 Card (for VR) and 16 gigs of ADATA RAM.

I am upgrading this bitch soon. I am waiting for Intel to go to the next level. The new cpus of today are not really leaps and bounds ahead of what I bought 3-4 years ago. I game at 4k and there is not much performance difference between the mid-high range cpus of today versus yesterday.

waiting for the "Game Changer"........a cpu that increases my 4k gaming performance by like 20-25 fps......consistently

Until then....Im happy to just keep upgrading my video card as time moves on........

 

[4 Dimensional]

You can go here https://www.distrowatch.com/ to learn more about which flavor you like. You can burn and run the OS from the disc (it will be slower,because you will be reading from the disc) but this way you can see if you like it before installing it. BTW, I run Peppermint

The school I teach at is subscribed to the Linux magazine and they provide bootdisc on each issue they release. I got a stack of those disc.

How long have you been running Peppermint?

Do you like it?

I use to run opensuse, but it was an old version. When I decided to upgrade I just went full Mint.

 

[4 Dimensional]

Im on windows 7 as well, but I dual boot with windows 10.

I actually still prefer 7.

Windows 10 upgrades either make some programs unusable or uninstalls key programs all together.

What you posted is big time overkill for your use though.

You should be able to find something in the 800 or less range easily.

I game.....so.....

I have an i7 4790K, lots of hard drive space (like 6 or 7 gigs), EVGA 2080 ti Ultra Gaming card, NH-D14 Noctua CPU cooler, Thermltake Core X71 case with additional fans,WinTV-quadHD hauppauge tv tuner card, Blue ray burner (cant remember brand), EVGA SuperNOVA 850 B2 Power Supply (This was a backup....I actually have an EVGA SuperNOVA 1050 GS, 80+ GOLD...but it needs to be RMAed), ASUS Z-97 Pro-Gamer Motherboard, Gigabyte BlueTooth/Wifi Expansion card, a PEXUSB3S44V Startech USB 3.0 Card (for VR) and 16 gigs of ADATA RAM.

I am upgrading this bitch soon. I am waiting for Intel to go to the next level. The new cpus of today are not really leaps and bounds ahead of what I bought 3-4 years ago. I game at 4k and there is not much permanence difference between mid-high range cpus of today versus yesterday.

waiting for the "Game Changer"........

Are you going to give the Ryzen a chance or are you going to stick with Intel?

 

[TheBigOne]

If you’re spending $1200. on a desktop, you owe it to yourself to stop by the Apple store. You can get all of your Windows stuff plus so much more, including Garage Band