Tim's Gear Review 3: Dell Studio XPS 8100 First Impressions

[squazz]

Dont listen to people telling you not to buy dell. Sure some people have problems, but its a tiny minority, I have had dell's for the past 6 years and have had no problems what so ever.

[boy3600]

Ive had this for about a year now, no complaints with it. I have upgraded the power supply (from 320w to 620w) and soon to be the graphic card (GTS 240 to GTX560 ti) Great PC!

[kfk3000]

I have this(for a half year). It haven't fucked up yet.

[Hightrain12]

I have this and I treat it good, but everyone in my family and everyone besides my dad treats it like shit >:(

[Jammydodger58]

alot of people are saying that this computer is 'shit' basically, i have had mine since last july and it has never frozen or F'd up in any way, i will need to upgrade it soon seeming as i have an intel core i3 3.06GHz processor and a ATI HD Radeon 5670 1gb graphics card but it is completley fine and it's quiet.

[walmartian]

dont buy this POS it is the XBOX 360 of computers. it seems fine at first but gaming will slowly deteriorate the machine. they have a lifespan of about 1 year and then the shit overheats and stops booting up, trying to understand the indians on dells "help" line is extremely furstrating, and the fucker wanna me to pay him $40 with a CC just to diagnose the problem- "I know the problem, I have the diagnosis, it will cost you $40 for this info since your 6 month warranty is expired"

[fasthandsz]

@walmartian Yup, my graphics card burned out after a year. I replaced it and its working fine, just the shitty parts they put in like 350w power supply i also replaced. Its a good starter computer that you can easily upgrade.

[walmartian]

@fasthandsz yea i got another tech to tell me what was wrong for free he said i needed to replace the powerdrive and mother board. but i have a 350 watt in my older dell i'm hoping will work. so the root of most of the problems is because of the power supply? replacing the motherboard looks like it will be a bit difficult. what did you replace the power supply with?

[fasthandsz]

@walmartian Not really, the first thing i replaced was the power supply because it wasn't enough for the card it had (hd 5770) then after a year the card just died on me, replaced it with hd 6870 and its working fine. So for my case it was the video card.

[xtrontruth]

DO NOT BUY DELL. I have had my Dell Studio XPS 8100 for 5 months. It freezes up 2 to 3 times a day. And the AMD Radeon 5450 ( 1 GB ) is constantly stopping and then recovering. Dell has been No Help at all. They want another $200 to try to fix the problem. I guess paying them $1,163 for a NEW computer wasn't good enough for them. I am 58 and I feel like I have been ROBBED. Take my Money and run. At least DELL should where a MASK.

[AwesomeInfinityCat]

Does it Have Wifi?

[MagicMicromania]

how long had you been?

[Tabiosk]

So far how is your digital art working out for you, resolution and color wise? I am currently looking for a PC for just my digital painting purposes.

[myusrnameisbetr]

jizz in my pants quality?

[ISeePineapples]

@skydragon8525 8100 had basically no bloatware whatsoever, which was nice!

[VanillaSolution]

if i sat it on my desk would it be noisy?

[TimothyDempsey]

@VanillaSolution It's pretty quiet, and I doubt the placement would change that - except of course that it's closer to your ears.

[DariusDaGreat86]

lol Gimp....My good sir, have u need heard of Photoshop cracks?

[TheMuggOst]

So you would recommend this computer? I would like a working pc + gaming pc

Btw.... How did you install the wireless internet into the computer?

[LegitLeg]

dont get it its generally shit for gaming and if you looking for something not to game its to expensive so dont fukin get it i have one :(

[iiHDZx]

@LegitLeg Depends what you have in it bro.

[BigRooster747]

you forgot to sniff the box and its contents, its all the craze nowadays.......

[8anosPro]

if i had money, i would buy it for sure...and it isnt much expensive for a pc like this

[jtGamrfreak]

does it come in black



[2800uberman]

Does it have a ATI Radeon HD 5770 Graphic Card?

[iiHDZx]

@2800uberman No i don't think it does. No HDMI.

[Gamerzrockx]

@2800uberman ati hd 5450

[UndeadOnWifi]

How long does it take to boot up?

[TimothyDempsey]

@UndeadOnWifi No complaints, acceptably quick.

[lammergeier100]

is this dell better than hp pavilion elite hpe 180

cuz i lykke them both buh i dnt knw which 1 2 get

the pc must be able to handle lots of programmes

[crazykillinmonke]

this is super cheap at costco

[fanzhaoluo]

speak up please, man

[nineheads1]

Oh also if i get a monitor in some kind of bundle with dell will it be a good price or should i just pick one up at the store

[nineheads1]

I want a pc that is more powerful then average but not over the top for occasional gaming and video. Is this a good pc for me?

Choosing a pc is really tricky :s

[c4rt00nk1d]

i have the 9100 dual core processor. runs minecraft likea beast

[Nightninja3]

@c4rt00nk1d yeah because minecraft has one of the best graphics ever

[c4rt00nk1d]

@Nightninja3 may i direct you to garrys mod and half life2? they run exellent every time.

[Epicskillz56]

why does it matter?

[FliggaZz]

how long did it take for them for the item to be shipped? reply pls

[TimothyDempsey]

@FliggaZz Actually the estimate was kindo of long, like three weeks. But it shipped about a week earlier than promised. I was in no hurry, but hope this helps.

[childrenofbodom3494]

@FliggaZz mine was supose to be here on december 21st, i got it the 3rd. so i was really pleased with the shiping, i got the payments confirmed, computer built and shipped in 2 days which is extremly good

[MrScotini]

@FliggaZz it took 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,00­0,000,000,000,000,000,00 days hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!

[masterkent18]

if u order a monitor from the dell site will it come in the same box?

[sidehop]

Just got this today, the first thing I'm going to do uninstall every bloatware and anti-virus and clone the drives. Other than that I like the specs, didn't feel like building one this time.

[oskaroverhere]

will this run left 4 dead 2 smooth?

[stianerher]

@oskaroverhere yes

[gogetarule]

Mine is gonna be shipped by dell is 15 days. I would like to know how this would work for video editing.

[Chemical90]

The Nvidia GT 460 or the ATI Radeon HD 5770? I will be gaming some but not the newest games tho ^^

Hope you can help

[purppp]

i just purchased this from dell . com 20% off from a refurb and got it $601 shipped! check it out on slickdeals . net

[Zuomigundi]

I have 8100 with i5 650 and GTX260 core 216... Every game I've tested (Crysis, FC2, Just Cause 2, Mafia 2...) runs smoothly with AA X4 and almost all in ultra high. With same prise I would get 1055T and GTX460 if I build it itself, but this is cool PC :)

[deatthkid66]

just got this computer and the first day it was great, and the second day it freezes everytime on startup.. can someone help?

[TimothyDempsey]

@deatthkid66 If you haven't already I would return it right away - there is no point troubleshooting this. You have rights as a customer.

[TechSixNine]

@deatthkid66

Yep return it asap. Don't let them talk to you countless hours on the phone trying the F12 steps, it's pointless. My video card, motherboard, hard drive and RAM memory went bad in my XPS Studio 8000SE, they had me go through the diagnostics and system tests and every one tested with success. So Like deathkid66 said, no point troubleshooting.

Oh and not let them send you any refurbished hardware. You purchased something new you receive new replacements. Message me for problems.

[deatthkid66]

@TechSixNine i ended up finding the problem, the McAfee 30 day trail was freezing up the comp. so i left the comp on for acouple hours so it can warm up and it ended up running normal, so i went to mcafee website and uninstalled it, now i use ESET

[kfarookahmed]

@deatthkid66 try cccleaner. If it does not work try to reinstall the os.

[Gorg5321]

Mine will come tomorrow!

[Talk2AzizJr]

i am getting same think with a touch screen moniter ><



[HEADFONEMONKEY]

do i need to have a network interface card?

[LAZrailkapinda]

no HD output ?? wtf ? you should've take HD 5770 .. but again.. you won't be gaming.. so no problem ... :P

[paulbeer1997]

oke thanks

[paulbeer1997]

also allow you to gta 4 at the highest quality?

12 288 MB 1333 MHz Dual Channel DDR3

1 GB ATI Radeon ™ HD 5770

Intel ® Core ™ i7 Processor 880 (3.06GHz, 8MB)

Windows® 7 Ultimate

[Beardactal]

@paulbeer1997 Well that game (in my opinion) seems more CPU hungry than GPU hungry. So yes, you will be able to play on the highest settings. It requires a good and stable quad core.

[freebuddy321]

Great PC but the monitor is a little on the ugly side

[Homeboy8181]

I would never buy from dell. Always better building it yourself.

[ghgod100]

i dislike this vid just for that comment you obviously know nothing @mrlmanez111

[Thecashflowman]

Dell studio XPS 8100 or HP Pavilion Elite HPE-310 ? :)

[sapmanie]

Hi,

Of these two memory options on dell.com, is the second configuration really worth an extra €290?

1) 8192MB (4x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory

2) 8192MB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory [add € 290.00]

Also when I go to select the Dell 1525 Wireless PCIe Network Card, a popup appears saying "You have exceeded the number of PCIEx1 slots available" - does something come as standard, because I haven't selected anything else.

Appreciate replies! Thanks!

[Erige12345]

eww he used bing

[MrToadful]

Thanks for posting the review. Could you please confirm whether there's a spare PCI slot so I can insert a PCI TV tuner card? I see the blank vents at the back near the graphics and sound card which I presume are metal covers that can be popped off to insert a card, but wanted to check. Thanks.

[MrIbanez111]

Home Computer????!

GAAAAAAAAAAMING Computer^^

[TimothyDempsey]

@MrIbanez111 I also have been getting into the Unreal Editor to make mods, and yeah - it's pretty smoking. But my main app is webcomic production. Have fun!

[paulbeer1997]

what video card is better for gaming with the PC 1 GB ATI Radeon ™ HD 5770 graphics or the Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 1.8GB Single??

[TimothyDempsey]

@paulbeer1997 I didn't spec the machine for gaming (still haven't played one on it yet), but for webcomics production. FWIW I'm an Nvidia fan.

[wilom222]

@paulbeer1997 GTX 260 is better

[wilom222]

@paulbeer1997 gtx 260

[daly154]

@paulbeer1997 I think its the ATI Radeon HD 5770 is better. I vaguely remember seeing tests on games and the 5770 had better results.

[MrToadful]

@paulbeer1997 I'd go for the ATI - it supports DirectX 11, whereas the Nvidia only handles DX10. There aren't many games which utilise 11 yet, but you'll be able to take see smoother looking and better performing games in future if you've got a card which handles it.

I'm probably ordering one of these PCs, and I'm going for the ATI. I personally tend to only play older games, but I want to know that I can enjoy the graphical improvements of DX11 if I want to play a modern, high-quality game.

[Thecashflowman]

@paulbeer1997 I have exacly the same question...

[CristobalDePanama]

@paulbeer1997

Be careful to the following: the GeForce GTX260 (which I have) doesn't come with HDMI output (only 2 DVIs). Therefore, the HDMI port that you can find from the photos of the XPS comes from the motherboard and is then disabled. ATI HD5770 does has the HDMI output on video card.

[edineka12]

@paulbeer1997 with video card is better i love ari radeon butt Geforce has more video memory or something like that well Geforce is better.

[INY79]

@paulbeer1997 radeon 5770 deffo

[piyber4]

Hello, I'm looking to replace my 7 year old noisy Dell Dimension desktop. I want to know is this XPS 8100 Quieter than the Inspiron Line of desktop computers?

[TimothyDempsey]

@piyberI I never owned an Inspiron, but you won't be disappointed. I sometimes forget it's powered on in my home office. And as I mentioned in the previous comment, the only sound is the CD/DVD drive when I put a disk in.

[ToxicWaffe87]

@piyber4 way quiiter trust me.

[batonrougeappraiser]

Hi, For screen capture video creation, could you please tell me how "quiet" this computer is? I must have a very, very quiet computer. I currently have a Dell E510 Dimension that is too loud of video screen capture creation. Thank you for your time! Bill

[TimothyDempsey]

@batonrougeappraiser Hey Bill. I was struck by how whisper-quiet it is, this coming from a guy who is ultra-sensitive about noise. I don't have more scientific data, but the only noticable sound is when you put a disk in the drive.

[batonrougeappraiser]

@TimothyDempsey Thank you so much!! Your reply has really helped me. Bill

[ARRANCARfan11214]

I have the same thing but 8 gb ram, and the whole thing is black. I would like mine, but in you caseing.

[DieOma4000]

I have a Dell Studio XPS 8100 to i love it its a great computer.

My OS: Win7 64bit

CPU: Intel core i5 750

RAM: 4GB DDR3

And i have a ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 2,5GB (!) RAM

[mkptrzk]

Mine should be coming next week...can't wait to play some good games on it...

[united7866]

thanks, 

[nayte23]

i'm considering purchasing this pc, its affordable for what you're getting, i only have a laptop now, and while i can play most games on mid to low settings, for more modern pc games it just doesnt cut it, i still have some searching to do before my decision though

[leisabeloc]

In Belgium we get a 379 euro discount + 5% off coupon. That's about 430 euro saved.

[jace9999]

If you are a musician that hooks up a musical instrument to the line in and expects to hear what you are playing while recording, do not buy this computer, Dell has disabled the stereo mix in a lot of its newer computers including this. Look up "Dell disables stereo mix" and you will find out the whole story behind this. Even if you use your own sound card you may have problems as i have had.

[widowsbreath]

good one thanks gonna check out your life in the trenches now LOL ;)Px

[whitegold58]

Great video, gave me most of the information I needed, much appreciated ;)

[shayno125]

What's the size of your monitor?

[TimothyDempsey]

@shayno125 19" Widescreen aspect: Dell SE198WFP, which I had for a few years already.

[THEFUZZ5445]

I'm purchasing the Dell studio XPS 7100, which is the step down model. with an ATI Radeon HD5870. Can't wait to do some gaming. You mentioned the shipping was free, would I have free shipping to Canada?

[TimothyDempsey]

@THEFUZZ5445 I don't know, but it's worth asking the pop-up online sales agent to waive it before you submit. Good luck.

[Funnythings18]

@THEFUZZ5445 When was the XPS 7100 released ?

[THEFUZZ5445]

@Funnythings18 IDK, but I know it was recently because I was on Dell.ca one day (about 3 1/2 weeks ago) and they only had the XPS 9000 & 8100. I checked a couple days later, seeing as I was about to order the 8100 and then I saw the 7100. I am guessing it was about 3 weeks ago it released....

[chevalier5722]

@THEFUZZ5445 I just purchased from dell, i'm in canada shipping was free

[RebirthBeyond]

@THEFUZZ5445 Yeah shipping is free in Canada.. I plan to buy that too.

[cooldude89012]

so did they ship it to ur house and make u sign something or did they just leave it?

[TimothyDempsey]

@cooldude89012 Signature required, but I was home at the time. Plan accordingly!

[cooldude89012]

is it true that you have to open up and take plastic rap of of the graphics card before using it?

[TimothyDempsey]

@cooldude89012 I did not, but I did hear about it. Could have been an isolated incident.

[iTosProductions]

Hey, thanks for the video i cant wait to purchase this in the summer !! Im just wondering is the 64 bit really that much better. My question being what are the differences ? Is it faster etc. I myself also Do alot of photoshop and im looking forward to and am just wondering about this 64 bit. Thanks in advance.

[TimothyDempsey]

@iTosProductions the difference is night and day. The speed gain is profound esp. with 64-Bit Photoshop. I opened six Camera Raw photos from Nikon D40 (240 dpi) which would've been impossible before - they Rotate instantaneously. Adobe Bridge is a pleasure, my 300 dpi comics pop right open.

Honestly I can't say many more good things without sounding like shill for Dell - just a happy customer. This is the rig of the future. Do it, if you are able.

[iTosProductions]

@TimothyDempsey Thanks for the answer. This is definitely a buyer for me. Cant wait !!

[IWTaskForce141]

I ordered mine becouse of your video this is better than my iMac

[TimothyDempsey]

@IWTaskForce141 Great! Have a blast - happy to hear that!!

[49Moody]

I just ordered XPS8100 i7 2.80Ghz, 8GB Ram DDR3 1333Mhz, 1GB Ati Radeon 5670 card, SoundBlaster xfi Titanum, 1.5TB Hdd, But Dell would not give a blue ray player with it. £1000.56

[zion1540]

im making alot of video editing and after effects animations could this computer be the right choice for me? the specs of the one i have my eye on are:

6 gig ram

intel core 5i processor (3.20 ghz)

nvidia d11mo 512MB

[TimothyDempsey]

@zion1540 You'll be amazed at the speed of the 64-Bit architecture - especially if you get the apps in 64-Bit which Adobe announced with CS5. My trial Photoshop 64-Bit on the Dell Studio XPS 8100 is "space-age" fast.

I went with i7 processor, maybe consider that.

[jjreyesuplay]

Do you think the "Economy" version (for around 600 bucks) without any upgrades will be able to run Sims 3 on medium to max settings?

[TimothyDempsey]

@jjreyesuplay It *should*, but I would hate to be imply that you should go ahead and spend. My tip is to begin the purchase (without submitting) and ask that question of "Dell Answer Expert" chat that pops up. They can steer you more precisely.

[IWTaskForce141]

Does HDMI come standard? Thanks

[TimothyDempsey]

@IWTaskForce141 Yes, appaerently. I popped the cap off to check your question and had it - without knowing - (since I still don't have HDMI screens and can't vouch for how well it works). Hope this helps.

[IWTaskForce141]

@TimothyDempsey Thanks I Think im gonna get The Base XPS 8100 for now Im upgrading from a 2003 laptop with 256mb ram

[ifdia]

i buy this pc

[TimothyDempsey]

@ifdia Enjoy it! Windows Media Center is really cool, too.