Off the Shelf 3DC Boxes ??? HP ??? Recommendations??

[ggaliens]

Off the Shelf 3DC Boxes ??? HP ??? Recommendations??

I'm wondering if anyone has purchased a very mainstream

Desktop system with 8GB Ram, 64bit machine, for use with 3DCoat ????

I saw an HP system for something like $650.00 US dollars the other day.

I feel like I need to upgrade from my 2005 vintage HP machine sometime soon.

[AbnRanger]

There are some good deals to be had, but I would highly suggest building one yourself. The store bought ones may seem to fit, and indeed they may be sufficient for what you want initially, but when you buy the same level of gear and build it yourself there are some tremendous advantages. One being the ability to stretch your dollar BIG time and Overclock your system to the degree that it would cost you several hundred $$$ more to buy that same speed off the shelf. Plus you will want to buy your own mid-tower with plenty of space and fans to let your system breath. The store bought ones are just too compact, and their components are often just barely capable of handling what you're trying to do...such as the MB, Memory speed/timing, Power supply, etc.

By the way...Intel CPU's and some AMD (Black Box Editions) are intended to have plenty of OC overhead, meaning you generally can (with a well-cooled system) push the clock speeds well beyond their stock speeds...like a 2.3 QuadCore Intel can easily go to 3.2-3.6 and run very stable...and that's air-cooled (case with plenty of fans...as most aftermarket cases now do)

I just can't stress how valuable it is to buy your own components and get EXACTLY what you want, to run exactly how you want. There are plenty of "How To" videos on youtube and such, if you've never done it before. It's something that will enable you to "Do It Yourself" from here on out. Some of us here can make some recommendations or point out some good deals we've seen recently (as I just done some upgrading myself).

[Ghostdog]

I was fortunate enough to score 25% discount on a Dell i7 920 with 8GB, ATI 4850.

It has been a pleasant experience, having custom built 3 boxes prior and having the odd self-inflicted hardware accidents.

People snort at Dell, but the Warranty is at least on paper, outstanding value.

Going from a dual-core 1.66hz laptop with 2GB ram, I can tell you that the difference with 3DCoat is better than you can possibly imagine

I spent a month considering custin builds, with SSD and the usual bells & whistles but when I spotted Online Dell let me add a 10% & 15% discount together I went for it.

[ggaliens]

Ghost Dog ... I did a custom-build spec at Dell Site based on that Model and was fairly pleased

with the overall price/configuration ... given the Brand name behind it. I don't have any bias against

Dell and would gladly pay an extra few hundred dollars for a machine professionally built.

Price was probably twice what I really want to pay ... but I spec-ed out 12GB Ram rather than 8GB ram

and added an OS and a few other things that add up.

Thanks for the hint.

[AbnRanger]

Ghost Dog ... I did a custom-build spec at Dell Site based on that Model and was fairly pleased

with the overall price/configuration ... given the Brand name behind it. I don't have any bias against

Dell and would gladly pay an extra few hundred dollars for a machine professionally built.

Price was probably twice what I really want to pay ... but I spec-ed out 12GB Ram rather than 8GB ram

and added an OS and a few other things that add up.

Thanks for the hint.

What I am getting at, is the fact that I did the very same thing last year...looked at the "Good Deal" as it appeared. Only to regret that decision later. A quad-core w/ 6gb RAM for $799.

Had I taken the time like I normally do, and shopped around for equivalent components, I could've put together a better system overall for the same price if not slightly better. These off the shelf are put together so cheaply, so many cut corners...for example, the case. It's a Micro-Atx form factor for a reason. To cut material costs. Resulting in overly cramped space....very poor airflow for high end components. The Ram...it may seem like a good amount, but a little secret is, they are essentially OEM's for a reason. They barely pass at a given speed. Put that memory in a system build and try to over clock it even a tiny fraction....crash, crash, crash. Same with the CPU. Obviously they are getting the rejects from Intel and AMD that again, have NO OC ability AT ALL. They are already at their limit. Aftermarket bought components usually have plenty of OC overhead (at least Intel chips do, as well as Black Box AMD's).

The biggest and most glaring evidence I present is the power supply. I was stunned to find that they only put a 250W PS in that quad-core Dell. The video cards are usually pretty cheap too, even if it is decent series model. You'll be able to take a look at it and usually see some sort of "shortcut" in build and quality. Most likely, it will be the absolute cheapest version of the card, with the weakest cooling fan/system they can put on it. I had to go out and immediately buy a new card and Power Supply to power it.

I can't stress this enough. Everywhere you look at one of those systems, it's weak and cheap compared to a comparable aftermarket build.

The Motherboard is no exception. About as bare-featured as you can get and virtually no bios settings to speak of. You have no bios to even attempt to overclock it...I told you why. Not just for warranty purposes, but to keep from having their whole Corner Cutting/OEM part scheme from being exposed. It really is a sham if you look at it. The companies are pushing "Hi performance model", when it barely can be labeled as such. It's like advertising a Corvette when most of the frame and chassis is a Camaro. If most customers realized this, at least half would choose otherwise.

I don't see myself buying another one again anytime in the near future...not even for a cheap, no frills render node.

So, when you buy a i7 920 with 8GB, a comparable build would let you OC comfortably and stabily to the performance level of something that would cost you much, much more...like $1k more. THAT is getting Bang for your Buck.