Alright folks, my current computer can't even play World of Warcraft at anything above the lowest settings, so I need something new. Preferably something that can handle World of Warcraft at the highest settings during a 25 man. I'm sad to see this computer go, but after so many years it just can't handle things.

Two issues here: I know almost nothing about video cards, sound cards, etc. Basically, I know nothing about what I need in order to make good computer (I've tried to do some research, but Christ, there's a lot to take in about this).

And... It needs to be from Dell. For various reasons, Dell is the company that I have to get this from.

Looking at Dell's site, the only things that look good for major gaming are the Alienware computers. Well, not that I'd know, really, but I'm just assuming that Alienware would work best for what I want.

Budget isn't much of a worry, as I'm trying to find something that's going to be lasting for a long time. Hopefully below $3000.

I'm just looking for information or something like a build. If you have any links where I can find a guide to computers, that would be great. Figuring all of it out, though, seems rather daunting to me.

And yes, I know, LolDellsucks.

 

If you're certain you want a Dell, then get a Studio XPS.

In Canadian monies, the best Studio XPS comes in at less than half your budget - before taxes.

And that comes with a Core-i7 processor, with 12 GB of RAM. Supposedly, that comes with a GeForce GT-220 with 1GB of GRAM. If THAT graphics card isn't enough for WoW, then fuck WoW in the butt.

 

If I can go other than Dell... do you happen to know of any good sites for pre-assembled PCs?

I'm not sure I can, though. So if that's the case, will Alienware work?

 

The whole XPS series seems to be getting outdated, but I'll try to look into this one, thanks.

 

Pre... assembled... PCs...

Come on, man. I built a PC for my kids tonight, and it took all of a 1/2 hour to plug the pieces together and an hour to install Windows 7. Man up.

For $3k, you can get parts to build a seriously kick-ass rig. Putting it together is child's play.

If you skimped on nothing, you could get something like this, which blows the doors off of anything you could even order from Dell:

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor $279.99
ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $249.99
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory $277.99
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100281VX-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $439.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $159.98
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply $139.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $89.99
LITE-ON DVD Writer - Bulk - Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe Support $25.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm $34.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders $174.99
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor $199.99
Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Digital Speaker System $392.49
RAZER Lycosa Black USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard $74.99
Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Gaming Mouse $39.99

Subtotal: $2,581.35

(And there are a lot of ways you could trim that total down)

 

>Dell/Alienware

I lol'd, do what Nuke posted.

 

You. Are. All. Niggers.

That Dell has epic specs. Even for a Dell. Plus there's WARRANTY involved.

 

LOL!DellWarranty.

Steps to using your Dell Warranty:

1. Something breaks
2. Call an 800 number and talk to Apu.
3. Apu has no idea what you're talking about and can't help you.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 until you give up or figure out how to fix it yourself
5. Vow to never buy another Dell, build your own computer.
6. Profit.

 

Don't get a Dell. Building your own is really the best way to go.

If you insist on a pre-assembled, I'd suggest one of the following sites:

www.cyberpowerpc.com
www.ibuypower.com

Friends have bought PC's from both and haven't had any troubles. Just be sure to get a decent power supply, fast processor and powerful graphics card. Do some research on the individual components. You'll also want at least 4gb of ram.

 

How do you break a Dell. If you fucking buy anything premade, you don't need anything extra; you're not overclocking or shit like that unless you're retarded. All the dude wants to do is get a computer he can WoW on.

If you really want to save your money, you could even buy a used computer for like $500 off of CraigsList. If you want a brand new system, go down to Best Buy or Future Shop or whatever. Buy some piece of shit Acer for $800. Dell is fucking overpriced. HP has gallons of proprietary shit you need to wade through. Who else makes desktop PCs?

Custom systems are great, but you are buying every last component for about 125% of cost, because greedy fucks run all the small computer shops, or you're buying it 110% of cost off of Newegg or TigerDirect. So you're looking at in general: $120 for a decent case. $120 for a decent power supply. $200 or so for a Core i7 compatible motherboard. $350 to $500 for the CPU. $100 for one hard drive. $30 for your optical drive. Depending on the RAM you get, it's from $50 for a single gig all the way up. New keyboard and mouse? Another $120. A new monitor? $200. And then it's all the time and effort you put into the system you build. If you know what you're doing, it'll take a few hours. If you don't, you run the risk of fucking something up royally, and going to a local computer store.

Now it is of course, your choice which path you choose to take. Personally, I would invest my time and energy into a custom-built computer, because I am familiar with the specifics of the components. Many, many other people want people at Dell - or HP, or Lenovo, whatever - to decide which parts they will use so they don't have to spend hours upon hours researching the prices of 1066 RAM on Newegg, or the reasons why they need 1066 over PC133. The choice of parallel or serial hard drives. The difference between an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and a P8400.

I suggested you choose the Dell Studio XPS not because I have any familiarity with Dells or that particular model, but because judging on the cost and the components provided, as a professional computer technician and salesperson, that the Dell is both current and powerful while being of reasonable price. If you want to choose to build you own computer, be my guest. Call Dell because your computer is broken, or call Newegg because UPS is taking their sweet time. You'll be talking with a fucking Pakora either way.

 

Trying to save him a few bucks may be honourable, but considering that he doesn't really know that much about computers and that, apparently, you CAN fuck up putting one together, I'd agree with Inq. Since he's got a decent budget, there's little reason against a Dell.

A decent XPS 9000 I just configured totals around $2000 (without speakers and monitor which I would get somewhere else), so that should be no problem. Just don't agree to everything Dell recommends. (Depending on whether or not you'll use it in a company network, you might need Windows Ultimate or not.)