Dell outrageous desktop deal - Dell Dimension 9100 + 2405FPW 24" LCD monitor $1199 after $100 rebate!

[novon]

I have one of the 9100 with dual core. Fast computer - but it was a PAIN to install WindowsXP on it - lots of driver problems, included Windows XP CD didn't work. Make sure you have SP2 + latest Intel Matrix Drivers (from Intel not Dell) on disk or slipstreamed, otherwise - bluescreens!

 

[davycop]

I went in on the deal with the 20 inch wide screen a few months ago. The screen is so wide you don't even need half of it when surfing the web. The text on web pages fits into exactly half the screen (using 1024 x 788 resolution).

The real benefit of widescreen is working with multiple documents. Of course, I guess games and movies will look good too but I was quite disappointed with gaming performance. The screen is wide but I was hoping that the vertical height would be the same as the 20 inch non-wide .. but it's actually quite a bit less.

 

[Oldcycles]

Just found out power supply is only 375

 

[Derektm]

Hmm monitor is around 300 on ebay (the 19" ultraview or whatever it is). The pc around 600. I dont see why its such a good deal. ATI x300 default, 3.0ghz p4, 512ram, stock cd rom drive.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: Oldcycles
Just found out power supply is only 375

It's measured by average output, not max. Dell uses very good, high quality PSU's.

 

[DrEldarion]

Originally posted by: Derektm
Hmm monitor is around 300 on ebay (the 19" ultraview or whatever it is). The pc around 600. I dont see why its such a good deal. ATI x300 default, 3.0ghz p4, 512ram, stock cd rom drive.

The 2405 is a 24" that normally goes for nearly $1000 by itself: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/Prod...98&cs=19&l=en&Page=productlisting.aspx

 

[Derektm]

Originally posted by: DrEldarion

Originally posted by: Derektm
Hmm monitor is around 300 on ebay (the 19" ultraview or whatever it is). The pc around 600. I dont see why its such a good deal. ATI x300 default, 3.0ghz p4, 512ram, stock cd rom drive.

The 2405 is a 24" that normally goes for nearly $1000 by itself: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/Prod...98&cs=19&l=en&Page=productlisting.aspx

Ahh good deal if you need a 24" then.

 

[Ryuson99]

Just ordered one it came to $1500 with these extras:

80GB HDD = $20
x600 Vid = $40

This includes shipping and tax. Does not include the $100 rebate

I called dell to get this deal and they said it ends today at 8pm central time.

 

[ChoppedBroccoli]

Hmmm....I just got a Dell 9100 a few weeks ago. I haven't had much time to mess around with it, but I haven't been as impressed as you guys.

Its quiet, but the Maxtor HDD seems to be pretty loud. Also the 2.8D processor doesn't seem as fast as I thought it would be (I'm coming from an Athlon 2000+XP). Hopefully a format and reinstall of Windows will pep it up a bit. I got Windows MCE 2005 with it (be sure to get the backup CD's guys...they are only around $10 and it gives you an actual OS CD backup as opposed to the disk image restore), which is very cool....but I think I might clean install XP Pro and go with MediaPortal instead and then install Windows MCE 2005 on my old computer.

 

[rajs]

All -- I purchased the Dell Dimension 9100 a month ago .. tried it out for 2 weeks and returned it to Dell. It's a quiet machine with a 375 rated Power Supply -- that WILL HANDLE a nVidia 7800GTX card (I'd my eVga 7800GTX overclocked at 489 / 1400). The machine using WoW and BF2 (with 2 GB RAM not 1GB as ordered) worked just fine at 1920x1200 with AA and Asitrophy settings turned up to max within game and all items at max. The maximum 3dMark2005 rating I could get was ~ 6550 though with the eVGA 7800GTX Card.

I paid for the machine listed below $ 1053 for everything including taxes and shipping. I paid $ 734 for the 24" Dell 2405FP LCD Monitor (which I didn't return but kept). Total was back then $ 1786 for the config below with the nVidia 6800 card from Dell.

Dell Dimension 9100:
Processor - Pentium® D Processor 820 with Dual Core Technology (2.80GHz, 800FSB)
Operating System - Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory - 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
Keyboard - Dell USB Keyboard
Video Card - 256MB PCI Express? x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800 (I replaced with an eVGA 7800GTX on my own aftermarket.)
Hard Drive - 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache?
Mouse - Dell® 2-button USB mouse
Network Interface - Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
DVD - 16x DVD+/-RW with double layer write capability
Sound Card - Sound Blaster Audigy?2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394
Dell Wireless - 1450 WLAN (802.11a/b/g) USB 2.0 DT Adapter

Since then I put together a system using parts without the monitor (since I already had the Dell 24" one for $1045. The new system is with 2 GB RAM instead of 1 GB RAM also. Exact specs further below -- but I get in 3dMark2005 a rating of a little over 8800 now.

The new machine is based on the following components: as follows:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Socket 939
Motherboard: EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra
GPU: eVGA 7800GTX factory overclocked Version with Batlefield2
PowerSupply: ENERMAX Noisetaker 485W Power Supply
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 ATX Mid Tower Case
CPU HSF: XP-90 with ThermalTake SilentCat 90mm Fan
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5
RAM: Crucial 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 - CT12864Z40B.16T
HD: Maxtor DiamondMax10 300GB w/16MB Cache 7200 RPM SATA 150
DVD-DL: PLEXTOR DVD-DL Burner Model PX-740A
Sound: Audigy 2 Value
Wireless NIC: GIGABYTE PCI Wireless 802.11 b/g
Floppy: MITSUMI 3.5 Floppy and 7 in 1 INTERNAL
Mouse: Logitech MX518 Mouse
GamePad: Belkin Nostromo n52 GamePad

What I already had were:
Monitor: Dell 2405FP 24" LCD
Headphones: Sony MDR-3000
Head Amp: Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 Headphone Amp

 

[bamacre]

Well, it's no surprise that an A64 3000 will beat a Pentium D 820 in games.

If you guys go in on this deal, I would get the bare minimum spec's. Upgrade it yourself with parts purchased elsewhere.

 

[davycop]

Originally posted by: Ryuson99
Just ordered one it came to $1500 with these extras:

80GB HDD = $20
x600 Vid = $40

This includes shipping and tax. Does not include the $100 rebate

I called dell to get this deal and they said it ends today at 8pm central time.

I'm pretty sure this deal will come back ... I've seen it 3 or 4 times in the last 2 months. When the deal ends, they'll put another deal with 20 inch in its place and bring it back again. So for those of you who are thinkning about getting in but don't want to be rushed, there's a pretty good chance you'll get another shot at in a few weeks time.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: TimothyX
ohhh man....was going to build a new system with a new AMD dual core and the mobo/proc/ram/VC would be 1200+. i can upgrade this with the dualcore/160gig/1gig ram/dvd16x/256 x600 SE for $1510AR and get the 24" too. oh this hurts.....i am a hardcore AMD guy who has never owned a comp that i didnt build. can you see the moral quagmire i have fallen into? i may take the dell route.....

good luck overclocking that Dell to get good singlecore porformance our of a PD upgrade when you need it...oh wait...

 

[Lithan]

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: Lithan
This was 899$ a couple days ago. I think it had a gig then too. I regretted not buying it.

that was with the 2005FPW not the 24" and it had the same specs as the desktop.

I was almost tempted

No it was the 2405. I double checked to be sure because I thought to myself that that was what the monitor sold for alone. It was $999-100MIR.

Might have been a price mistake, but I'm sure some people got it.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Glayde
How quiet are the 9100's?

They are super quiet. They vent through the front on the lower part of the case. I got on this deal a month ago. Good buy. Definitely recommend.

Agreed, 9100's are very quiet.

They have very big thermostat-controlled fans. If it's hot in the room, they're pretty audible, but at 70-75 degrees it is respectably quiet. I was a little disappointed with mine in this because I have some 400SC's out on the floor that are totally silent, and the 9100 isn't. You can hear it from 3 feet away.

I also had to shock-mount the drives because the case tends to amplify their seek chatter - even with Seagates. Can't hear them at all now.

I'm anal about this because I do recording with mine. In every other respect the 9100 is a superb computer, and the 820 dual core is a screaming deal for $100 more.

 

[ChoppedBroccoli]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Glayde
How quiet are the 9100's?

They are super quiet. They vent through the front on the lower part of the case. I got on this deal a month ago. Good buy. Definitely recommend.

Agreed, 9100's are very quiet.

They have very big thermostat-controlled fans. If it's hot in the room, they're pretty audible, but at 70-75 degrees it is respectably quiet. I was a little disappointed with mine in this because I have some 400SC's out on the floor that are totally silent, and the 9100 isn't. You can hear it from 3 feet away.

I also had to shock-mount the drives because the case tends to amplify their seek chatter - even with Seagates. Can't hear them at all now.

I'm anal about this because I do recording with mine. In every other respect the 9100 is a superb computer, and the 820 dual core is a screaming deal for $100 more.

Cool...sounds exactly like what I need. The computer is generally quiet, but the HDD (the included 160GB Maxtor) noise is killing it for me! It is so loud. Any suggestions on how to make it quieter? Just use rubber padding or something? Let me know (YGPM)...EDIT: Guess you don't have PM enabled so just reply in the thread if possible. Thanks!


Also, will any SATA HDD fit in the case's drive slots...or does Dell use some proprietary system? (I am thinking of picking up a quiet Seagate SATA HDD when I see a sale for a 2nd HDD)

 

[robertw4771]

Looking to upgrade my business pc. Seems like I am always a little behind the curve. We do a ton of image editing and desktop publishing. I also do some intensive tasks like dvd movie burning and the like. Appreciate some suggestions for the best way to configure a Dell pc. I currently am running a Pentium 4/2.8 mhz Dell. I have a 17" LCD. Is it worth it to go for the dual core processors. Appreciate all advice. In the past I made some upgrade mistakes and I would like something that would help my current workflow.

Thanks
Rob

 

[ChoppedBroccoli]

Originally posted by: robertw4771
Looking to upgrade my business pc. Seems like I am always a little behind the curve. We do a ton of image editing and desktop publishing. I also do some intensive tasks like dvd movie burning and the like. Appreciate some suggestions for the best way to configure a Dell pc. I currently am running a Pentium 4/2.8 mhz Dell. I have a 17" LCD. Is it worth it to go for the dual core processors. Appreciate all advice. In the past I made some upgrade mistakes and I would like something that would help my current workflow.

Thanks
Rob

Going from a 2.8 P4 you are likely to see very little, if any, single threaded performance increases. But with a dual core, multi-threaded apps and multiple apps will run much faster. DVD ripping will indeed be quite fast with a dual core P4 (much faster if you are doing multiple things at once), but im not sure if it would be THAT much faster than your P4 2.8.

Personally, If I were in your shoes, I'd just wait since your computer sounds quite capable. I upgraded to the 9100 2.8D to get a new developer machine and relieve my old computer so that it can be a dedicated Media Center PC.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: ChoppedBroccoli

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Glayde
How quiet are the 9100's?

They are super quiet. They vent through the front on the lower part of the case. I got on this deal a month ago. Good buy. Definitely recommend.

Agreed, 9100's are very quiet.

They have very big thermostat-controlled fans. If it's hot in the room, they're pretty audible, but at 70-75 degrees it is respectably quiet. I was a little disappointed with mine in this because I have some 400SC's out on the floor that are totally silent, and the 9100 isn't. You can hear it from 3 feet away.

I also had to shock-mount the drives because the case tends to amplify their seek chatter - even with Seagates. Can't hear them at all now.

I'm anal about this because I do recording with mine. In every other respect the 9100 is a superb computer, and the 820 dual core is a screaming deal for $100 more.

Cool...sounds exactly like what I need. The computer is generally quiet, but the HDD (the included 160GB Maxtor) noise is killing it for me! It is so loud. Any suggestions on how to make it quieter? Just use rubber padding or something? Let me know (YGPM)...EDIT: Guess you don't have PM enabled so just reply in the thread if possible. Thanks!


Also, will any SATA HDD fit in the case's drive slots...or does Dell use some proprietary system? (I am thinking of picking up a quiet Seagate SATA HDD when I see a sale for a 2nd HDD)

There's this rubberized mesh stuff that mechanics use to line the drawers of their toolboxes - you can find it at Wal-Mart very cheap. I have a pair of 250g Seagates in a mirror set. I took them out of their sleds, wrapped them once with the mesh, and stuffed them into the slots minus the sleds. They fit pretty snug; they're not going anywhere. The mesh allows air to get in there to keep the drives cool, but it also prevents the drives from transmitting noise to the case.

The improvement is dramatic - the drives went from being by far the loudest things in the computer to being basically inaudible. Zero problems with overheating after two weeks.

Any SATA drive will fit in a 9100 - but there are only two real drive slots. If you want to add more you gotta use the 5-1/2" slots with adapters. Or you can use the "phantom309 approved" method of velcroing the damn things anywhere there's room.

 

[phantom309]

double post - sorry

 

[ChoppedBroccoli]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: ChoppedBroccoli

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Glayde
How quiet are the 9100's?

They are super quiet. They vent through the front on the lower part of the case. I got on this deal a month ago. Good buy. Definitely recommend.

Agreed, 9100's are very quiet.

They have very big thermostat-controlled fans. If it's hot in the room, they're pretty audible, but at 70-75 degrees it is respectably quiet. I was a little disappointed with mine in this because I have some 400SC's out on the floor that are totally silent, and the 9100 isn't. You can hear it from 3 feet away.

I also had to shock-mount the drives because the case tends to amplify their seek chatter - even with Seagates. Can't hear them at all now.

I'm anal about this because I do recording with mine. In every other respect the 9100 is a superb computer, and the 820 dual core is a screaming deal for $100 more.

Cool...sounds exactly like what I need. The computer is generally quiet, but the HDD (the included 160GB Maxtor) noise is killing it for me! It is so loud. Any suggestions on how to make it quieter? Just use rubber padding or something? Let me know (YGPM)...EDIT: Guess you don't have PM enabled so just reply in the thread if possible. Thanks!


Also, will any SATA HDD fit in the case's drive slots...or does Dell use some proprietary system? (I am thinking of picking up a quiet Seagate SATA HDD when I see a sale for a 2nd HDD)

There's this rubberized mesh stuff that mechanics use to line the drawers of their toolboxes - you can find it at Wal-Mart very cheap. I have a pair of 250g Seagates in a mirror set. I took them out of their sleds, wrapped them once with the mesh, and stuffed them into the slots minus the sleds. They fit pretty snug; they're not going anywhere. The mesh allows air to get in there to keep the drives cool, but it also prevents the drives from transmitting noise to the case.

The improvement is dramatic - the drives went from being by far the loudest things in the computer to being basically inaudible. Zero problems with overheating after two weeks.

Any SATA drive will fit in a 9100 - but there are only two real drive slots. If you want to add more you gotta use the 5-1/2" slots with adapters. Or you can use the "phantom309 approved" method of velcroing the damn things anywhere there's room.

Very good info, thanks!

Just FYI, make sure there is some way to discharge static electricity on your HDDs. If you wrapped them in this material and there is no longer metal to metal contact, static electricity could build up over time and harm your HDD. I was just reading about this online.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: ChoppedBroccoli

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: ChoppedBroccoli

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Glayde
How quiet are the 9100's?

They are super quiet. They vent through the front on the lower part of the case. I got on this deal a month ago. Good buy. Definitely recommend.

Agreed, 9100's are very quiet.

They have very big thermostat-controlled fans. If it's hot in the room, they're pretty audible, but at 70-75 degrees it is respectably quiet. I was a little disappointed with mine in this because I have some 400SC's out on the floor that are totally silent, and the 9100 isn't. You can hear it from 3 feet away.

I also had to shock-mount the drives because the case tends to amplify their seek chatter - even with Seagates. Can't hear them at all now.

I'm anal about this because I do recording with mine. In every other respect the 9100 is a superb computer, and the 820 dual core is a screaming deal for $100 more.

Cool...sounds exactly like what I need. The computer is generally quiet, but the HDD (the included 160GB Maxtor) noise is killing it for me! It is so loud. Any suggestions on how to make it quieter? Just use rubber padding or something? Let me know (YGPM)...EDIT: Guess you don't have PM enabled so just reply in the thread if possible. Thanks!


Also, will any SATA HDD fit in the case's drive slots...or does Dell use some proprietary system? (I am thinking of picking up a quiet Seagate SATA HDD when I see a sale for a 2nd HDD)

There's this rubberized mesh stuff that mechanics use to line the drawers of their toolboxes - you can find it at Wal-Mart very cheap. I have a pair of 250g Seagates in a mirror set. I took them out of their sleds, wrapped them once with the mesh, and stuffed them into the slots minus the sleds. They fit pretty snug; they're not going anywhere. The mesh allows air to get in there to keep the drives cool, but it also prevents the drives from transmitting noise to the case.

The improvement is dramatic - the drives went from being by far the loudest things in the computer to being basically inaudible. Zero problems with overheating after two weeks.

Any SATA drive will fit in a 9100 - but there are only two real drive slots. If you want to add more you gotta use the 5-1/2" slots with adapters. Or you can use the "phantom309 approved" method of velcroing the damn things anywhere there's room.

Very good info, thanks!

Just FYI, make sure there is some way to discharge static electricity on your HDDs. If you wrapped them in this material and there is no longer metal to metal contact, static electricity could build up over time and harm your HDD. I was just reading about this online.

I hadn't thought of that - but I'm pretty sure the drives are grounded through the power supply. Something to think about tho.

 

[Katana]

Is this deal dead? I'm not seeing it on the main page anymore, anyone have a direct link to it? Usually they say when they are good until, maybe I could call to get it?

 

[bamacre]

If anyone can help me, I'd appreciate it. I simply cannot find drivers for the 9100's Integ Audio. None of mine came with a resource cd, and these drivers are nowhere to be found on Dell's site. Online chat Indian chick could not find them either.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: bamacre
If anyone can help me, I'd appreciate it. I simply cannot find drivers for the 9100's Integ Audio. None of mine came with a resource cd, and these drivers are nowhere to be found on Dell's site. Online chat Indian chick could not find them either.

Have you tried here?