Dell Dimension E510

[deeman11747]

\No one's going to remember... but 2 weeks ago I made a thread asking about a new computer. I have a coupon for 35% all Dells (excluding XPS systems) so i think my best choice is a Dimension E510.

Here are the specs after customizing it:</br>


Pentium® D Processor 820 with Dual Core Technology (2.80GHz, 800FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition re-installation CD
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (2x512M)
DataSafe 160GB (Includes main hard drive plus a hidden reserve hard drive)
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write capability
19 inch Ultrasharp™ 1907FP Digital Flat Panel
256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon X600 SE HyperMemory
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D), w/Dolby® Digital 5.1
Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer


Thats pretty much it.. but the issue is the graphics card. I know nothing about graphics cards except from what the Dell website said. The only option for the cards with this model are the ATI Radeon X300 and the X600. The X600 wasnt listed but the X300 was listed as not so good. For the XPS 400 (my other consideration).. the graphics cards were much much better. The problem is.. the XPS 400 with the customizations I want comes to around $1450. The E510 with the customizations I want plus my coupon comes down to $1100. So my question is... is the XPS 400 with almost identical specs but a nVidia Geforce 6800 instead of the Radeon X600 worth the extra $300 or is the Radeon good enough to run some games smoothly on my machine along with pictures and videos?

Thanks in advance if you read this far.

[deeman11747]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Can anyone give any advice?

[ODogg]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Can anyone give any advice?

I definitely would pay $300 more as the nvidia 6800 is a huge upgrade from that card. With that being said that ATI isn't bad for a laptop.

[deeman11747]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

I definitely would pay $300 more as the nvidia 6800 is a huge upgrade from that card. With that being said that ATI isn't bad for a laptop.

Yeah, I'm actually starting to consider just sucking up the extra money for the XPS 400 with the nVidia 6800 even though other than the graphics card, the specs were almost identical after customization.

[Holic]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Yeah, I'm actually starting to consider just sucking up the extra money for the XPS 400 with the nVidia 6800 even though other than the graphics card, the specs were almost identical after customization.

I recently purchased the XPS 400 with the nVidia 6800, and upgraded the monitor as well. It was well worth it in my opinion, without a doubt the best computer I've owned.

[davin]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Through my dad's work earlier in the year we could have gotten over 70% off of the XPS systems, and with my current computer dying quickly, I was really upset by not taking advantage of it. I still don't think we'll ever get as good of a deal again. Oh well though.

[ODogg]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Check out dealcatcher.com too for big coupons off Dell stuff, sometimes 35% off.

[NovaStar]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

I recently purchased the XPS 400 with the nVidia 6800, and upgraded the monitor as well. It was well worth it in my opinion, without a doubt the best computer I've owned.

Holic, I just ordered one of these baby's as well. I have the Nvidia 6800 also. I read a lot of mixed reviews concerning this rigs ability to push video games like dell advertises. What do you see regarding this matter so far? I should be getting mine within a couple of days.

[deeman11747]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

I recently purchased the XPS 400 with the nVidia 6800, and upgraded the monitor as well. It was well worth it in my opinion, without a doubt the best computer I've owned.

What did you upgrade it to? I think I'm going to guy with the 19 inch ultrasharp. I can't see myself paying an extra $150 for an extra inch.

Now that 30 inch is an absolute monster.

[Holic]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

What did you upgrade it to? I think I'm going to guy with the 19 inch ultrasharp. I can't see myself paying an extra $150 for an extra inch.

Now that 30 inch is an absolute monster.

Yes, the 19 inch ultrasharp, I wish I would of put the extra $$ and got the 21-22 inch Widescreen Ultrasharp. Its a very nice rig though, Im loving it so far. I'm fixing to hook my Xbox 360 back up in here so I can play it more (NCAA). Otherwise the wife will cry cause I'm always on the HDTV.

[Holic]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Holic, I just ordered one of these baby's as well. I have the Nvidia 6800 also. I read a lot of mixed reviews concerning this rigs ability to push video games like dell advertises. What do you see regarding this matter so far? I should be getting mine within a couple of days.

I'm not a big gamer, but got the card. I've only played some demo's on it. I played the Prey demo, and the Hitman demo. Both ran/looked very well. Oh, also tried the NFL Head Coach demo if that counts for anything.

[deeman11747]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

I'm not a big gamer, but got the card. I've only played some demo's on it. I played the Prey demo, and the Hitman demo. Both ran/looked very well. Oh, also tried the NFL Head Coach demo if that counts for anything.

How much memory did you get? I'm thinking 1 gig of memory along with the nVidia and a 2.8 gigahertz dual core processer should be plenty for light gaming and video editing.

[Holic]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

How much memory did you get? I'm thinking 1 gig of memory along with the nVidia and a 2.8 gigahertz dual core processer should be plenty for light gaming and video editing.

Thats what I got, and it runs smooth. I'll have my Fire Fox up, my media center TV up, Adobe Photoshop, and a few other apps running. And never a problem.

[NovaStar]

Re: Dell Dimension E510

Holic, how do you hook up speakers other than that speaker bar that comes with the system? I tried to hook up my sounblaster speakers and I get nothing.