XPS Studio 8300 for $646

I've been shopping for an XPS Studio 8300 for months now. I did have
one picked out on Black Friday from Dell with i7-2600, a 1 TB hard
drive, 8 GB memory, a basic Raedon 6450 video card and included a
21.5" monitor for $951.99.

Today I stumbled upon this:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0352890

Comes with an i7-2600, a 1.5 TB drive, 8 GB memory, a nicer Raedon
5770 video card, but no monitor. However, at $646.37 I figure I can't
do much better. I can get a 22"-23" monitor for around $200.

I want the 8300 with the i7 over a lesser computer for video editing
and production and photo editing, and some gaming. I want a wireless
mouse and keyboard but I can always add that later.

Is this a good deal? Any negatives to this configuration?

On 1/11/2012 8:29 PM, powrwrap wrote:
I've been shopping for an XPS Studio 8300 for months now. I did have
one picked out on Black Friday from Dell with i7-2600, a 1 TB hard
drive, 8 GB memory, a basic Raedon 6450 video card and included a
21.5" monitor for $951.99.

Today I stumbled upon this:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0352890

Comes with an i7-2600, a 1.5 TB drive, 8 GB memory, a nicer Raedon
5770 video card, but no monitor. However, at $646.37 I figure I can't
do much better. I can get a 22"-23" monitor for around $200.

I want the 8300 with the i7 over a lesser computer for video editing
and production and photo editing, and some gaming. I want a wireless
mouse and keyboard but I can always add that later.

Is this a good deal? Any negatives to this configuration?

it is a good deal provided that you live near a microcenter store.
but i am not a big fan of the xps studio 8300. it is marketed as a
gaming machine but it has limitations. the bios is restricted from
overclocking it should you ever be interested in doing so. it has only
a single pci-e x-16 slot so running dual video cards with crossfire is
not an option. and so on... check out http://cyberpowerpc.com they
often have amazing sales and let you configured every last component of
your pc... almost like building it yourself. there are so many choices
that it probably scares off all but those that are really into picking
and choosing. but unlike building your own it is less expensive and you
have someone to call for support. they has some amazing deals around
thanksgiving, now they are just ok...
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingP...egaGamingSale/

On 1/12/2012 12:17 AM, Christopher Muto wrote:
On 1/11/2012 8:29 PM, powrwrap wrote:
I've been shopping for an XPS Studio 8300 for months now. I did have
one picked out on Black Friday from Dell with i7-2600, a 1 TB hard
drive, 8 GB memory, a basic Raedon 6450 video card and included a
21.5" monitor for $951.99.

Today I stumbled upon this:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0352890


Comes with an i7-2600, a 1.5 TB drive, 8 GB memory, a nicer Raedon
5770 video card, but no monitor. However, at $646.37 I figure I can't
do much better. I can get a 22"-23" monitor for around $200.

I want the 8300 with the i7 over a lesser computer for video editing
and production and photo editing, and some gaming. I want a wireless
mouse and keyboard but I can always add that later.

Is this a good deal? Any negatives to this configuration?

it is a good deal provided that you live near a microcenter store.
but i am not a big fan of the xps studio 8300. it is marketed as a
gaming machine but it has limitations. the bios is restricted from
overclocking it should you ever be interested in doing so. it has only a
single pci-e x-16 slot so running dual video cards with crossfire is not
an option. and so on... check out http://cyberpowerpc.com they often
have amazing sales and let you configured every last component of your
pc... almost like building it yourself. there are so many choices that
it probably scares off all but those that are really into picking and
choosing. but unlike building your own it is less expensive and you have
someone to call for support. they has some amazing deals around
thanksgiving, now they are just ok...
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingP...egaGamingSale/



ps, not sure if you noticed but that was an in store only price. and it
is out of stock in all their stores a hundred miles from me... that is
why i said it is a good deal provided...

On Jan 11, 11:17*pm, Christopher Muto wrote:
On 1/11/2012 8:29 PM, powrwrap wrote:









I've been shopping for an XPS Studio 8300 for months now. I did have
one picked out on Black Friday from Dell with i7-2600, a 1 TB hard
drive, 8 GB memory, a basic Raedon 6450 video card and included a
21.5" monitor for $951.99.

Today I stumbled upon this:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...?product_id=03....

Comes with an i7-2600, a 1.5 TB drive, 8 GB memory, a nicer Raedon
5770 video card, but no monitor. However, at $646.37 I figure I can't
do much better. I can get a 22"-23" monitor for around $200.

I want the 8300 with the i7 over a lesser computer for video editing
and production and photo editing, and some gaming. I want a wireless
mouse and keyboard but I can always add that later.

Is this a good deal? Any negatives to this configuration?

it is a good deal provided that you live near a microcenter store.
but i am not a big fan of the xps studio 8300. *it is marketed as a
gaming machine but it has limitations. *the bios is restricted from
overclocking it should you ever be interested in doing so. *it has only
a single pci-e x-16 slot so running dual video cards with crossfire is
not an option. *and so on... *check outhttp://cyberpowerpc.comthey
often have amazing sales and let you configured every last component of
your pc... almost like building it yourself. *there are so many choices
that it probably scares off all but those that are really into picking
and choosing. *but unlike building your own it is less expensive and you
have someone to call for support. *they has some amazing deals around
thanksgiving, now they are just ok...http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingP...egaGamingSale/

I do live about 15 miles from a Microcenter, but you're right, it's
out of stock. They say they get new shipments every week.

Wow, that cyberpowerpc.com site is incredible. There are a LOT of
choices. I configured one as close as possible to the 8300 and it came
out to $1,131 (Compared to 8300 it had 2 TB drive, firewire card,
Raedon 6770, wireless mouse and keyboard.) Three year warranty is
impressive. But with a monitor I'd go over $1,300, not in my budget
sweet spot. I'm bookmarking the site though and I'll take a peek now
and again. I know a couple of friends that would really get into that
site.

On Jan 11, 11:23*pm, Christopher Muto wrote:

ps, not sure if you noticed but that was an in store only price. *and it
is out of stock in all their stores a hundred miles from me... that is
why i said it is a good deal provided...

Yes, reminds me of an old story. A guy passing through a small town
sees two watermelon stands on opposite ends of the street. One stand
has a sign saying "Watermelons: $2.00", the other stand has a sign
that says "Watermelons: $3.50". The guy drives up to the stand with
the $3.50 price and says:

"You know the guy down the street has watermelons priced at $2.00, way
less than your watermelons."

"So why don't you go buy from the other guy?"

"He doesn't have any watermelons left."

"Yeah well, when I don't have any watermelons I price them at $2.00,
too."

On 1/12/2012 10:24 AM, powrwrap wrote:
On Jan 11, 11:17 pm, Christopher wrote:
On 1/11/2012 8:29 PM, powrwrap wrote:









I've been shopping for an XPS Studio 8300 for months now. I did have
one picked out on Black Friday from Dell with i7-2600, a 1 TB hard
drive, 8 GB memory, a basic Raedon 6450 video card and included a
21.5" monitor for $951.99.

Today I stumbled upon this:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...?product_id=03...

Comes with an i7-2600, a 1.5 TB drive, 8 GB memory, a nicer Raedon
5770 video card, but no monitor. However, at $646.37 I figure I can't
do much better. I can get a 22"-23" monitor for around $200.

I want the 8300 with the i7 over a lesser computer for video editing
and production and photo editing, and some gaming. I want a wireless
mouse and keyboard but I can always add that later.

Is this a good deal? Any negatives to this configuration?

it is a good deal provided that you live near a microcenter store.
but i am not a big fan of the xps studio 8300. it is marketed as a
gaming machine but it has limitations. the bios is restricted from
overclocking it should you ever be interested in doing so. it has only
a single pci-e x-16 slot so running dual video cards with crossfire is
not an option. and so on... check outhttp://cyberpowerpc.comthey
often have amazing sales and let you configured every last component of
your pc... almost like building it yourself. there are so many choices
that it probably scares off all but those that are really into picking
and choosing. but unlike building your own it is less expensive and you
have someone to call for support. they has some amazing deals around
thanksgiving, now they are just ok...http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingP...egaGamingSale/

I do live about 15 miles from a Microcenter, but you're right, it's
out of stock. They say they get new shipments every week.

Wow, that cyberpowerpc.com site is incredible. There are a LOT of
choices. I configured one as close as possible to the 8300 and it came
out to $1,131 (Compared to 8300 it had 2 TB drive, firewire card,
Raedon 6770, wireless mouse and keyboard.) Three year warranty is
impressive. But with a monitor I'd go over $1,300, not in my budget
sweet spot. I'm bookmarking the site though and I'll take a peek now
and again. I know a couple of friends that would really get into that
site.

if you compare it to the regular price of the 8300 i think you will find
cyberpower consistantly cheaper and you get more for your money. it is
a bit unfair to compare it to the out of stock close out price and i
don't think microcenter will be getting any more of those closeout
models back in... the xps that microscenter does have is almost a grand
without a monitor. an alternative to cyberpower is to build your own.
this can be a daunting task because there are just so many choices of
parts, but newegg helps make it easy with 'kits' of selected parts that
they sell as a bundle, often with a slight discount (but also often
inflated with something meaningless like antivirus software). Check out
today's special combo for just $599... not an i7 but a very good value
with a solid video card and crossfire motherboard.
http://tinyurl.com/753uhcq

On Jan 12, 12:10*pm, Christopher Muto wrote:

if you compare it to the regular price of the 8300 i think you will find
cyberpower consistantly cheaper and you get more for your money. *it is
a bit unfair to compare it to the out of stock close out price and i
don't think microcenter will be getting any more of those closeout
models back in...

I called my MicroCenter and they confirmed that they won't be getting
any more in at that price. I've been reading the CyberpowerPC forums
and playing with their PC configurators and have developed a comfort
level with them (there are some tricks like being sure to buy a
certain brand/wattage power supply.) It is apparent that you can get a
computer that would kick*ss all over an 8300 for about the same amount
of money (or less.) Furthermore, the 8300 is nowhere near as
expandable and the CyberpowerPC is more future proof than the 8300.
Thanks for pointing out their web site.

the xps that microscenter does have is almost a grand
without a monitor. *an alternative to cyberpower is to build your own.
this can be a daunting task because there are just so many choices of
parts, but newegg helps make it easy with 'kits' of selected parts that
they sell as a bundle, often with a slight discount (but also often
inflated with something meaningless like antivirus software). *Check out
today's special combo for just $599... not an i7 but a very good value
with a solid video card and crossfire motherboard.http://tinyurl.com/753uhcq

I did consider doing this as well. As a kid I was an amateur radio
operator, built several Heathkits, so I'm not intimidated by building
a PC. Thing is, CyberpowerPC can build it for LESS than I could get
the parts from NewEgg and do it myself, so why bother?

On Jan 29, 3:30*pm, powrwrap wrote:
On Jan 12, 12:10*pm, Christopher Muto wrote:

if you compare it to the regular price of the 8300 i think you will find
cyberpower consistantly cheaper and you get more for your money. *it is
a bit unfair to compare it to the out of stock close out price and i
don't think microcenter will be getting any more of those closeout
models back in...

I called my MicroCenter and they confirmed that they won't be getting
any more in at that price. I've been reading the CyberpowerPC forums
and playing with their PC configurators and have developed a comfort
level with them (there are some tricks like being sure to buy a
certain brand/wattage power supply.) It is apparent that you can get a
computer that would kick*ss all over an 8300 for about the same amount
of money (or less.) Furthermore, the 8300 is nowhere near as
expandable and the CyberpowerPC is more future proof than the 8300.
Thanks for pointing out their web site.

the xps that microscenter does have is almost a grand
without a monitor. *an alternative to cyberpower is to build your own..
this can be a daunting task because there are just so many choices of
parts, but newegg helps make it easy with 'kits' of selected parts that
they sell as a bundle, often with a slight discount (but also often
inflated with something meaningless like antivirus software). *Check out
today's special combo for just $599... not an i7 but a very good value
with a solid video card and crossfire motherboard.http://tinyurl.com/753uhcq

I did consider doing this as well. As a kid I was an amateur radio
operator, built several Heathkits, so I'm not intimidated by building
a PC. Thing is, CyberpowerPC can build it for LESS than I could get
the parts from NewEgg and do it myself, so why bother?

Sort of off topic, but I noticed that many of the cases in the build-
it-yourself bundles offered by newegg get terrible reviews. Some of
the issues are plastic components in cases are damaged upon arrival,
motherboards don't fit or align, power supplies that don't last,
spaces too tight to fit some components, and noisy fans to mention a
few issues.. Can anyone here recommend a good case?

Larry

On Jan 29, 8:21*pm, Larry wrote:


Sort of off topic, but I noticed that many of the cases in the build-
it-yourself bundles offered by newegg get terrible reviews. *Some of
the issues are plastic components in cases are damaged upon arrival,
motherboards don't fit or align, power supplies that don't last,
spaces too tight to fit some components, and noisy fans to mention a
few issues.. Can anyone here recommend a good case?

Larry


I can't recommend one by experience, but these get high marks
everywhere I've read reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139008

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119227

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...233&Tpk=haf912

On Jan 30, 8:55*am, powrwrap wrote:
On Jan 29, 8:21*pm, Larry wrote:
Sort of off topic, but I noticed that many of the cases in the build-
it-yourself bundles offered by newegg get terrible reviews. *Some of
the issues are plastic components in cases are damaged upon arrival,
motherboards don't fit or align, power supplies that don't last,
spaces too tight to fit some components, and noisy fans to mention a
few issues.. Can anyone here recommend a good case?

Larry

I can't recommend one by experience, but these get high marks
everywhere I've read reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139008

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119227

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...11119233&Tpk=h....

Looks like three good choices...even found a kit that uses one of the
cases...

Thanks..

Larry