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Need help choosing a desktop

AHArtAHArt Posts: 202
in The Commons

I am in the market for a desktop PC. I have narrowed it down to two but can't decide. One is a Dell XPS the other an Alienware ( I have an account with Dell so they are the only option right now ). I dont understand all this tech computer lingo so hoping someone can help me out on which would be the better buy ( about a $75 difference between the two )

Alienware:

    Intel Core 9th Generation i7-9700K Processor (8 Core, Up to 4.90GHz, 12MB Cache, 95W)

    Windows 10 Home

    1TB 3.5inch SATA Hard drive (7200 RPM)

    256GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive

    16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz DDR4 HyperX FURY XMP Dual Channel 

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)

 

XPS 8930

    Intel Core 9th Generation i7-9700 Processor (8 Core, Up to 4.70GHz, 12MB Cache, 65W)

    Windows 10 Pro

    1TB 3.5inch SATA Hard drive (7200 RPM)

    256GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive

    16GB (2X8GB) 2666MHz DDR4 UDIMM Non-ECC

    8X DVD+/-RW

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6

 

Thanks!

Comments

  • MelissaGTMelissaGT Posts: 2,611
    edited May 2020

    Oof...Dell or Dell. Pass. (I know you said it's your only option...I'd still pass, lol)

    Is there an AMD processor option? That would save you money to put towards a bigger GPU. After having moved to AMD with my current build, I can say I'd never go back to Intel. 

    Post edited by MelissaGT on
  • NylonGirlNylonGirl Posts: 2,254

    I think the XPS 8930 is the better choice because of that Nvidia RTX 2080 and you get a DVD burner too.

  • AHArtAHArt Posts: 202
    edited May 2020
    melissastjames said:

    Oof...Dell or Dell. Pass. (I know you said it's your only option...I'd still pass, lol)

    Is there an AMD processor option? That would save you money to put towards a bigger GPU. After having moved to AMD with my current build, I can say I'd never go back to Intel. 

    There is an AMD Ryzen 9 on an Alienware Aurora 10 at a $300 price increase of the two I selected ( looking at ready to ship because I have no patience lol )

        

    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Processor (8 Core, Max Boost Clock of 4.40GHz, 36MB Cache, 65W)

    Windows 10 Home

    1TB PCIe M.2 NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive

    16GB (2x8GB) 2933MHz DDR4 HyperX FURY XMP Dual Channel

    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)

    Post edited by AHArt on
  • GoggerGogger Posts: 2,503

    I have had Alienware desktop machines since 2012 and just got a new one about four months ago and I am absolutely loving it. Everyone's experiences will vary, but I do agree with the sentiment, Go big or go home. I "featured up" knowing it can be difficult to afford, or retrofit after the initial purchase. Mine came with the RTX 2060 but I added  an RTX 2080Ti from Alienware after the point of purchase so have both running. I didn't know they even had a 2080 available or I would have swapped the 2060 out completely - but, no regrets as I use it predominantly as a DAZ Studio render machine. I recommend you get the most memory you can afford, the most cpu cores you can and, above all else, the biggest, latest nVidia video card you can. Render with no regrets!
     

    I love my Alienware and have never regretted owning one in all these years.
    Whatever you get, I hope it brings you joy and satisfaction for years to come!

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 108,792

    You probably want a bigger SSD for applications and such, you almost certainly a bigger HD for data unless you are very disciplined about installing only the content you need fr a project and don't generate a lot of your own content.

  • AHArtAHArt Posts: 202
    Gogger said:

    I have had Alienware desktop machines since 2012 and just got a new one about four months ago and I am absolutely loving it. Everyone's experiences will vary, but I do agree with the sentiment, Go big or go home. I "featured up" knowing it can be difficult to afford, or retrofit after the initial purchase. Mine came with the RTX 2060 but I added  an RTX 2080Ti from Alienware after the point of purchase so have both running. I didn't know they even had a 2080 available or I would have swapped the 2060 out completely - but, no regrets as I use it predominantly as a DAZ Studio render machine. I recommend you get the most memory you can afford, the most cpu cores you can and, above all else, the biggest, latest nVidia video card you can. Render with no regrets!
     

    I love my Alienware and have never regretted owning one in all these years.
    Whatever you get, I hope it brings you joy and satisfaction for years to come!

    While the CPU on both the computers is the same, the specs on the two are different, would it be better to have the alienware CPU with the 2060 GPU, or the XPS with the 2080 GPU?

  • SlimerJSpudSlimerJSpud Posts: 1,456

    Small SSD and very large HDD would be my recommendation. Install everything non-MS on the HDD. You can always add another SATA HDD later. The 8GB GPU will come in handy. I used iBuypower last time I did this. They always have specials going on.

  • duckbombduckbomb Posts: 585
    AHutchins Art said:

    While the CPU on both the computers is the same, the specs on the two are different, would it be better to have the alienware CPU with the 2060 GPU, or the XPS with the 2080 GPU?

    Eh, one's just the "K" variant... unlocked, I think?  The difference in CPU is negligable, IMO. 

    OP - If this were for straight-up, DAZ, I'd take the one with 2 more GB of VRAM, plain and simple.  Really, the only one who knows what you want to do with a machine is... you... and you know how much crap you have to stuff on the hard drive, so going off the fact that this is a DAZ forum and only considering that software, I'd easily pick the bottom one.  Good luck!

  • AHArtAHArt Posts: 202
    february7 said:
    AHutchins Art said:

    While the CPU on both the computers is the same, the specs on the two are different, would it be better to have the alienware CPU with the 2060 GPU, or the XPS with the 2080 GPU?

    Eh, one's just the "K" variant... unlocked, I think?  The difference in CPU is negligable, IMO. 

    OP - If this were for straight-up, DAZ, I'd take the one with 2 more GB of VRAM, plain and simple.  Really, the only one who knows what you want to do with a machine is... you... and you know how much crap you have to stuff on the hard drive, so going off the fact that this is a DAZ forum and only considering that software, I'd easily pick the bottom one.  Good luck!

    Thanks! I am a photographer and I mosty work off of external drives anyway so HD space wasn't a concern for me. CPU/GPU stuff confises the crap out of me so any input from anyone who knows what it all means and does is greatly appreciated. I have worked off a laptop for years for everything else though, so while I will be using the desktop for photo editing as well, I am mainly getting it for the 3D part before I kill my laptop! Thank so much :) 

  • robertswwwrobertswww Posts: 799

    I've owned both Alienware and Dell desktop systems, and have had fewer problems with Alienware, as the build quality seems to be higher since they are more targeted at gamers.
    The Alienware processor i7-9700K is unlocked and faster than the standard i7-9700. The Alienware RAM supports HyperX FURY so it's faster too, and the Alienware has a stronger power supply 95-watt (vs 65-watt) to handle more video cards, etc.
    The Alienware video card is also OC-Ready (Overclocked = faster). You should have the option to customize the Alienware GPU to put a version of the RTX 2080 in it, and if so, then I would say go with the Alienware in that case.

  • GoggerGogger Posts: 2,503
    edited May 2020

    I don't keep up on deep specs much until I'm getting ready to buy and then forget it all after the point of sale. HA HA!

    Here's what I ended up getting on 10/25/2019:

    Alienware R8  System:

    Processor:    Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9900K CPU @ 3.60GHz  3.60 GHz
    Installed RAM:    64.0 GB

    Windows 10 Pro
    RTX 2080Ti 11 GB  - Dual GPU, non-SLI   (These are SHORT form factor cards!!!!  The 'regular' sized ones WILL NOT fit in that case!)
    RTX 2060 6 GB

    I know the video memory is one of the biggest issues - not enough VRAM for your scene and your render falls back to CPU - doesn't matter what else you have at that point as you are NOT using your awesome nVidia technology.  Just my two cents worth.

    I use my machine for Rendering and graphics work with Photoshop, Filter Forge and the like. I can work in Photoshop comfortably while rendering.  I have other computers for playing games so this one is just a big fat render cow. :)

    Post edited by Gogger on
  • AHArtAHArt Posts: 202

    I went with the XPS! Recieved it yesterday and did my first render today. What took me 6 hours to do on my laptop took me 10 minutes on the desktop! Thanks everyone :)

  • robertswwwrobertswww Posts: 799
    AHutchins Art said:

    I went with the XPS! Recieved it yesterday and did my first render today. What took me 6 hours to do on my laptop took me 10 minutes on the desktop! Thanks everyone :)

    Wow, that is an awesome bump in speed and a really nice rendering reduction time! Between the 2 systems you listed, the XPS had the better video card and I bet you will get a lot of mileage out of it... Enjoy!

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