From: RnR on
On Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:48:17 -0400, Nick <tanstaafl(a)pobox.com> wrote:

>
>On Tue, 1 Jun 2010 14:30:21 -0400, in alt.sys.pc-clone.dell, "Pat Conover"
><public(a)comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>It does come with Win 7 64-bit, and I wonder about
>>compatibility with other printers, software, etc he already owns. Nothing
>>worse than buying a new machine, then having to buy all new peripherals and
>>software because you also bought the latest OS.
>
>Have your friend download and run Microsoft's "Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor"
>from this page:
>
><http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor>.
>
>The upgrade advisor checks to see if the system it's run on will support
>Windows 7, and (what your friend needs) it also checks the installed
>software and hardware for compatibility issues.
>
>As noted on the above page, make sure your friend plugs in and turns on any
>peripherals (printers, etc.) that he wants to check for compatibility.
>
>And this page,
>
><http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/windows-7/en-us/default.aspx>
>
>allows browsing or searching for compatibility information for various types
>of software and hardware by name/model and publisher/manufacturer.


Nick, while I agree it can't hurt to do this (better than nothing),
this Advisor is not 100% accurate.
From: RnR on
On Tue, 1 Jun 2010 16:12:43 -0400, "Pat Conover" <public(a)comcast.net>
wrote:

>"Daddy" <daddy(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in message
>news:hu3ovc$fn3$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
>> Pat Conover wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Looking for a new system for a friend, and I have not ordered a new Dell
>>> in some time. I am not up to date on all the latest and greatest... He
>>> said he wants a good machine, with some gaming capabilities, so far looks
>>> like a good system for that is the XPS 8100. Not the fastest, but the
>>> cheapest of the faster machines. It does come with Win 7 64-bit, and I
>>> wonder about compatibility with other printers, software, etc he already
>>> owns. Nothing worse than buying a new machine, then having to buy all
>>> new peripherals and software because you also bought the latest OS.
>>>
>>> Specs on the "on sale" XPS 8100 shown below, about $1,143 delivered as
>>> shown. This is from the Dell Home site, which I hear does not include
>>> the OS and driver disks anymore, but the Small Business site does. The
>>> OS and driver disks was one reason I always bought Dells...
>>>
>>> Any suggestions or alternatives greatly appreciated.
>>>
>>> Thanks, Pat
>>>
>>> Studio XPS 8100
>>>
>>> Date 6/1/2010 1:10:17 PM Central Standard Time
>>>
>>> Catalog Number 29 Retail 19
>>>
>>> Catalog Number / Description Product Code Qty SKU Id
>>>
>>> Processors: Intel� CoreT i7-860 processor (8MB Cache, 2.80GHz)
>>>
>>> Operating System: Genuine Windows� 7 Home Premium, 64 Bit, English
>>>
>>> Hardware Support Services:
>>>
>>> 2 Year Basic Service Plan
>>>
>>> Memory: 6GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
>>>
>>> Monitor: 21.5" Dell ST2210 Full HD Monitor with VGA cable
>>>
>>> Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce G310 512MB DDR3
>>>
>>> Hard Drive: 750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
>>>
>>> Optical Drive: 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
>>>
>>> Speakers: Dell AY511 Attached Speaker w/ 5.1 Surround for Dell Monitors
>>>
>>> Wireless: Dell 1525 WLAN PCIe card with11n mini-Card & external antenna
>>>
>>> Keyboard: Dell Studio Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
>>>
>>> Mouse: Dell Studio Optical Mouse
>>>
>>> Sound: THX� TruStudio PCT THX
>>>
>>> Studio XPS 8100:
>>>
>>> Studio XPS 8100
>>>
>>> Adobe Software: Adobe� Acrobat� Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
>>>
>>> Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed): Microsoft� Office Starter
>>> 2010
>>>
>>> Security Software: McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months
>>>
>>> Datasafe: Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> "...a good machine, with some gaming capabilities..."
>>
>> That describes 90% of the computers available from Dell. It's like asking
>> for:
>>
>> "...a good car, with some performance capabilities..."
>>
>> Nobody can offer a recommendation that will make your friend happy based
>> on that information. You need to understand much more about how your
>> friend plans to use their computer. Comparing specifications in a vacuum
>> is silly.
>>
>> Daddy
>
>Any suggestions on the above configuration? Pat
>


Pat, I think Daddy won't comment until he knows what / how your friend
wants to use it. I agree with Daddy too. What you're asking is like
saying, "I'm buying this Honda coupe, what do you guys think of it?" .
Now how would we know if the coupe or sedan would be better for you?
See now where Daddy's going in his reply to you?
From: Joe M on
> Daddy, thanks for weighing in on the thread. Yep, your right about any
> $500 computer working for him, but he is a young guy, and I guess needs to
> tell his friends about the Core i7 processor, etc., as he emails them...
>
> Anyway, since shopping for His computer, I am now thinking about the XPS
> 8100, so maybe you or the other regulars can comment from my prior post
> shown below.
>
> I use my computer for work mostly, lots of open programs running (Office
> XP 2002) Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, QB Pro, many IE windows open, PDF
> files galore, photo storage and retrieval, and some proprietary apps.
> (Have to check on Win7 64-bit compatibility with vendors)
>
> In the past, I have also done DV video rendering, video file (TiVo to
> mpeg) conversions, DVD video burning, and some gaming. (On that note, I
> haven't seen any recent posts by Joan Gravitz, spelling by memory, still
> around I hope!) But the old Dim 4550 seemed to get slower and slower at
> those tasks over the years. Although I need a Production machine for
> work, I still like to play now and then...
>
> Based on the XPS 8100 system specs above, I was thinking about a 1GB video
> card either the ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3 or nVidia GeForce GT220 DDR3,
> which would be better, (I know Ben says nVidia cards overheat and die
> prematurely), and 8MB of Ram, 2MB for each of the 4 slots. Also thought
> about adding the Hauppauge HVR1250 hybrid TV tuner for $60 for TV video
> capture. I haven't kept up on the TV cards, maybe Tom Scales can comment.
> About $50 extra each for the Video and RAM upgrades. Is $1,143 a good
> price for that system? Any other suggestions? Thanks again, Pat


I bought a Studio XPS 8000 about 5 months ago with about the exact specs you
have proposed but added a Bluray burner. (Service Tag 86LXHK1)... Wanting to
render HD video and burn Bluray discs is the only reason I needed a new
computer.
I did standard video and DVDs with a Dim 4550 and later a Dim 5150...

I have a Sony HD camera and am using Pinnacle Studio v14 software. I started
to spec a Core 2 duo machine based on the software's hardware requirements
until I read a forum suggesting the Core i7 would work smoother. I also
learned lots of video ram is helpful with rendering, so I went with 1G... I
added my own 1T second hard drive to capture video.
Anyway, this i7 machine works great. No problem crunching the data and
burning the Bluray discs in a reasonable amount of time. It does all of this
without the cooling fan screaming so it's not straining too much either.

Good luck - Joe


From: Pat Conover on
"Joe M" <txjoe59(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:huf417$j0d$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
>> Daddy, thanks for weighing in on the thread. Yep, your right about any
>> $500 computer working for him, but he is a young guy, and I guess needs
>> to tell his friends about the Core i7 processor, etc., as he emails
>> them...
>>
>> Anyway, since shopping for His computer, I am now thinking about the XPS
>> 8100, so maybe you or the other regulars can comment from my prior post
>> shown below.
>>
>> I use my computer for work mostly, lots of open programs running (Office
>> XP 2002) Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, QB Pro, many IE windows open, PDF
>> files galore, photo storage and retrieval, and some proprietary apps.
>> (Have to check on Win7 64-bit compatibility with vendors)
>>
>> In the past, I have also done DV video rendering, video file (TiVo to
>> mpeg) conversions, DVD video burning, and some gaming. (On that note, I
>> haven't seen any recent posts by Joan Gravitz, spelling by memory, still
>> around I hope!) But the old Dim 4550 seemed to get slower and slower at
>> those tasks over the years. Although I need a Production machine for
>> work, I still like to play now and then...
>>
>> Based on the XPS 8100 system specs above, I was thinking about a 1GB
>> video card either the ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3 or nVidia GeForce GT220
>> DDR3, which would be better, (I know Ben says nVidia cards overheat and
>> die prematurely), and 8MB of Ram, 2MB for each of the 4 slots. Also
>> thought about adding the Hauppauge HVR1250 hybrid TV tuner for $60 for TV
>> video capture. I haven't kept up on the TV cards, maybe Tom Scales can
>> comment. About $50 extra each for the Video and RAM upgrades. Is $1,143
>> a good price for that system? Any other suggestions? Thanks again, Pat
>
>
> I bought a Studio XPS 8000 about 5 months ago with about the exact specs
> you have proposed but added a Bluray burner. (Service Tag 86LXHK1)...
> Wanting to render HD video and burn Bluray discs is the only reason I
> needed a new computer.
> I did standard video and DVDs with a Dim 4550 and later a Dim 5150...
>
> I have a Sony HD camera and am using Pinnacle Studio v14 software. I
> started to spec a Core 2 duo machine based on the software's hardware
> requirements until I read a forum suggesting the Core i7 would work
> smoother. I also learned lots of video ram is helpful with rendering, so I
> went with 1G... I added my own 1T second hard drive to capture video.
> Anyway, this i7 machine works great. No problem crunching the data and
> burning the Bluray discs in a reasonable amount of time. It does all of
> this without the cooling fan screaming so it's not straining too much
> either.
>
> Good luck - Joe
>
Thanks for the input Joe. But, unfortunately like my friend, I may have to
wait a while more before upgrading to a fast machine like this :(
Thanks, Pat