Brad Posted November 1, 2017 Posted November 1, 2017 Scans: http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/BlackFridayScans/DellHomePDF: http://i.gottadeal.com/blackfriday/scans/pdf/GottaDeal-DellHome-BF2017.pdf
sas377 Posted November 1, 2017 Posted November 1, 2017 (edited) Computer gurus: Thoughts on the $499 gaming desktop on page 2? My husband used to love to play Flight Simulator, but our current comp can't handle it. Is this a good deal for the specs? Also, does he really need a gaming monitor? lol TIA Edited November 1, 2017 by sas377
DaFees Posted November 1, 2017 Posted November 1, 2017 I will do my best to chime in here. At $499 the kind of gaming computer you are getting isn't exactly the best. At that price noting you want to run flight sims I would say it is the bare minimum I would opt for in regards to a gaming computer. At that price the processor you are getting will be good at first but won't exactly hold up in the long run. Same could be said for the graphics card. At $499 the machine is good enough for flight sims but don't expect to be able to run many modern games at max settings or high resolutions. If it was me and I could so I'd spring for the $799 machine on page 7. Yes it is $300 more but it offers a better CPU that will hold up in the long run and the GPU should last a little longer as well. Couple of other notes. All these systems feature only 8GB of RAM which is fine if you are just playing games but if you try to multitask by running a browser with a ton of tabs open at the same time, forget about it. 8GB is not enough then. Also these systems only feature a 1TB hard drive. Which will probably fine in your case but an odd choice for a "gaming" PC. Basically I wouldn't expect super quick startups like you here about and that's because these systems aren't running any kind of an SSD. One final note. That gaming monitor you referred to on page 3, I cannot for the life of me figure out why ANYONE would pair THAT monitor with the "gaming" PC shown on the same page. Why? Well that monitor features NVIDIA G-Sync. Nevermind what that does but it is a feature only usable if you have an NVIDIA graphics card which that PC does not. Besides I'm not even sure that that PC could even push the full limits of that monitor. Don't get me wrong there is a time and a place for a monitor like that but for you, here and now it is not. It is evident to me you want to keep this as reasonable as possible so I could just get a different monitor else where. Things I would look for are a resolution of 1920x1080 at the minimum. I'd look for a size of 24" or higher. If mentioned you want a response time of 5ms or less with 1ms being most optimal. Also, if possible, you want an IPS panel versus a TN panel. That last part might be tough though. A monitor like this shouldn't be more than $150 tops. This ad doesn't feature such a monitor so we will have to wait for more ads like Best Buy or Office Depot before I could recommend something specific. That's all I got for now and I'm sure other members will chime in with even more info. If you have any questions, do ask. 2
intothethanasphere Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 Should I have any concern that the $799 Alienware aurora could sell out online? I’ve never tried to buy from dell on Black Friday before. I’m seriously considering getting this pc but I’m not sure if I should be worried about being quick on the trigger as soon as it’s live. Anyone have experience in past years?
DaFees Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 Should I have any concern that the $799 Alienware aurora could sell out online? I’ve never tried to buy from dell on Black Friday before. I’m seriously considering getting this pc but I’m not sure if I should be worried about being quick on the trigger as soon as it’s live. Anyone have experience in past years? I've never order from Dell on Black Friday but I can tell you right now with RAM prices and GPU prices being high, combined with the new Coffee Lake 8th Gen Intel processors being sold out and damn impossible to get that at $799.99 that system (which even if it is just the tower/case and no monitor, keyboard, mousse, etc.) is a great price. I quickly did a DIY build of similar specs splurging a little on the RAM, and motherboard and I was definitely over the MSRP price listed in the ad. However even if I didn't make the splurges I did I don't think I could beat the sale price. If anyone else figures as much this should be an item that sells fairly quickly. I don't know enough to absolutely say you'll have to be super quick and on the ball to get one but I certainly hope you can because it is a great deal. Two things to keep in mind with that computer for $799.99 while it is a great build if it was me I'd double the RAM to 16GB minimum if I could. Also, if I could I would add in an SSD on top of the 1TB hard drive they give you. Yes doing so might require reinstalling Windows but that'd be a minor issue. Other than that it is a pretty decent gaming build for sure!
bribri25 Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 Two things to keep in mind with that computer for $799.99 while it is a great build if it was me I'd double the RAM to 16GB minimum if I could. Also, if I could I would add in an SSD on top of the 1TB hard drive they give you. Yes doing so might require reinstalling Windows but that'd be a minor issue. Other than that it is a pretty decent gaming build for sure! I agree with both of these. Plus, coming from Dell you're probably going to want to reinstall Windows so you don't have the "Dell install" version with all their extra stuff (I assume they still have all that). SSD have come so far down in price. I'd probably recommend a Samsung 850 Evo 250GB for under $100 (500 GB if you want to splurge an extra $50). 1
Kanyon71 Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 I agree with both of these. Plus, coming from Dell you're probably going to want to reinstall Windows so you don't have the "Dell install" version with all their extra stuff (I assume they still have all that). SSD have come so far down in price. I'd probably recommend a Samsung 850 Evo 250GB for under $100 (500 GB if you want to splurge an extra $50). One thing you need to check on is if it actually comes with the software to do a fresh install of Windows. Lot's of them ship with no software now.
intothethanasphere Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 I was planning on building my own pc with the 3gb version of the graphics card that comes with this one and an older generation processor. When I compared prices it was going to cost me almost as much to build my own, so might as well buy with the better cpu and gpu and not worry about messing something up in my own build. lol The aurora looks like it would be really easy to upgrade though if it needed more ram or anything. Hopefully there won’t be any issues with them running out or the site crashing from a load of people. Even though it’s a great buy, it’s still a lot to spend on a pc for most people.
DaFees Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 One thing you need to check on is if it actually comes with the software to do a fresh install of Windows. Lot's of them ship with no software now. While that is true, as long as you have a Windows key that's all you need. You can always create a bootable USB and install Windows that way.
bluebear Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 (edited) We got my son an Aurora last summer, and I can tell you we paid a whole lot more than $799!! Over a year later, it is still doing great. He said there was maybe a "few" Dell things, but didn't seem to bother him. It also came with some Alienware utilities, that change the color on the case and some other things.We did get him an SSD for Christmas last year. He wanted that extra speed. We got a great deal on a 750GB for $99 last BF, so keep an eye out.And it doesn't come with keyboard or mouse, but we got him a gaming mechanical keyboard and mouse that he likes. So anything that came with it would have gone in the closet. Good luck, hope you can get one! Edited November 3, 2017 by bluebear
jaymacfla Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 Most of the pre-built systems have royalty OEMs which means that it will activate after a reinstall of windows. The Motherboard is the key, as windows derives the info needed to activate your copy without buying another license. Some have a key on the outside of the tower which might have to be utilized as it depends upon the license. A legal copy of windows for re-installation purposes is available before you decide to change out the hard drive at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
sas377 Posted November 3, 2017 Posted November 3, 2017 I will do my best to chime in here. At $499 the kind of gaming computer you are getting isn't exactly the best. At that price noting you want to run flight sims I would say it is the bare minimum I would opt for in regards to a gaming computer. At that price the processor you are getting will be good at first but won't exactly hold up in the long run. Same could be said for the graphics card. At $499 the machine is good enough for flight sims but don't expect to be able to run many modern games at max settings or high resolutions. If it was me and I could so I'd spring for the $799 machine on page 7. Yes it is $300 more but it offers a better CPU that will hold up in the long run and the GPU should last a little longer as well. Couple of other notes. All these systems feature only 8GB of RAM which is fine if you are just playing games but if you try to multitask by running a browser with a ton of tabs open at the same time, forget about it. 8GB is not enough then. Also these systems only feature a 1TB hard drive. Which will probably fine in your case but an odd choice for a "gaming" PC. Basically I wouldn't expect super quick startups like you here about and that's because these systems aren't running any kind of an SSD. One final note. That gaming monitor you referred to on page 3, I cannot for the life of me figure out why ANYONE would pair THAT monitor with the "gaming" PC shown on the same page. Why? Well that monitor features NVIDIA G-Sync. Nevermind what that does but it is a feature only usable if you have an NVIDIA graphics card which that PC does not. Besides I'm not even sure that that PC could even push the full limits of that monitor. Don't get me wrong there is a time and a place for a monitor like that but for you, here and now it is not. It is evident to me you want to keep this as reasonable as possible so I could just get a different monitor else where. Things I would look for are a resolution of 1920x1080 at the minimum. I'd look for a size of 24" or higher. If mentioned you want a response time of 5ms or less with 1ms being most optimal. Also, if possible, you want an IPS panel versus a TN panel. That last part might be tough though. A monitor like this shouldn't be more than $150 tops. This ad doesn't feature such a monitor so we will have to wait for more ads like Best Buy or Office Depot before I could recommend something specific. That's all I got for now and I'm sure other members will chime in with even more info. If you have any questions, do ask.Thank you so much for a thorough response. Looks like I have a lot to figure out! Sent from my iPad using GottaDEAL
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