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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 3:36 PM
Dell XPS 8700, 16 GB, NVIDIA... will this new desktop run the game?
I'm getting my first desktop this week (yes, my first...I've always stuck with laptops ), and I need a little help because I don't know much about computers. The computer I'm looking at is a Dell XPS 8700. Here are the specs that I've considered:

- 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor (8M Cache, 3.4 GHz)

- 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz - 4 DIMMs

- 2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 6.0 Gb/s

- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 650 Ti 1.0GB GDDR5

- Memory Slots
4 DIMM

With those specs in mind, do you think I'll be able to run Sims 2 or Sims 3 smoothly without lag? I'm a big fan of custom content as well...

P.S. I prefer to play Sims 2 rather than Sims 3, so if I'd be able to run Sims 2 better than 3 - that's fine with me.
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Scholar
#2 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 4:31 PM
You're talking about the XPS 8700 where after you choose the 650 Ti option the total comes to $1199.99?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 4:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
You're talking about the XPS 8700 where after you choose the 650 Ti option the total comes to $1199.99?

Yeah. Is it an OK computer for its price?
Scholar
#4 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 4:38 PM
It's expensive for what you get and you don't need such a powerful CPU. Give me a few moments to see if I can come up with something better suited for you.

Do you play anything else other than the sims 2/3? What else will you be using the PC for? I'm assuming you're buying from the US, is that right?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 4:44 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
It's expensive for what you get and you don't need such a powerful CPU. Give me a few moments to see if I can come up with something better suited for you.

Do you play anything else other than the sims 2/3? What else will you be using the PC for? I'm assuming you're buying from the US, is that right?

Yes, I'm buying from the US.

Although I am really buying a desktop to be able to properly play Sims 2 (with lots of cc), I play other games, mainly Steam/Origin games like Sims, Portal, Payday, etc, and would like to play those as well without a problem.

Besides games, I use Skype 24/7, download a lot of pictures and music, stream a lot of music and movies, edit videos every now and then (I don't do anything special w/ videos so I don't need anything special for that), and I am a big Photoshop user. My main concern is being able to play games without a problem, though.

My budget is ~$1,800 but anything below that for what I'm looking for would be amazing!
Scholar
#6 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:11 PM Last edited by ajaxsirius : 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:34 PM.
Click the following links, and add the items to your cart. NCIX will assemble the computer for you, and ship it to you.


Total 9 items: $1059.21 + shipping +tax

Compared to the Dell, this one has a weaker CPU, but a stronger GPU, better case and costs less. If you want to bump up the CPU to match the Dell that's doable but it's not worth the extra cost in my opinion.

Since you're still under budget at $1059.21, I would recommend adding an SSD to the build above. It will make your computer load times faster, but it's optional.

EDIT: Just realised that the Dell has 16GB of RAM. Just replace the RAM I mentioned above with this one instead if you want 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB. You don't need more than 8GB for gaming though.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:24 PM Last edited by Rosesss : 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:15 PM.
Okay, thank you so much for the suggestions, but I have a few questions... Again, I know absolutely nothing about computers so please bear with me.

What's the difference between Intel Core i5 and i7? Is the i5 better? Wouldn't i7 be better?
Also, how much better is the GeForce GTX 760 than the one I originally considered? What improves my gameplay with this one rather than the 650?
And... CPU? GPU? Which one would I want to be stronger?

Thank you for helping me out. I don't know what I'm doing, and you're helping me out - so thanks.
Scholar
#8 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:31 PM
The i7 4770 costs $319.99. For $130 more than the i5 you get more physical cores, threads and 400Mhz. Yes it's better than the i5 but if you're gaming you won't see $130 worth in increase in performance since most games, including the sims, won't benefit from the extra cores/threads you get. Those games weren't programmed to take advantage of that. People who benefit from it the most are programmers and video editors where time is money. Photoshop and hardcore games like Battlefield mulitplayer will see some benefit, but again not $130 worth in my opinion.

The 760 is almost twice as fast as the 650 Ti.

If you're playing games like portal and payday, you want a strong GPU. CPUs these days are much more powerful than we actually need them to be, excluding professional uses.

I'm happy to help. Don't forget that both the Dell and the computer I mentioned above don't include screen, keyboard or mouse. My build doesn't include a DVD drive, but that can be added for cheap.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#9 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:36 PM
Okay. With everything you linked me to (all in my cart now), what else would I need? A sound card? And you said they build the computer for you?
Scholar
#10 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:38 PM
There is a decent sound card included already. Unless you know you want/need a better one, the one included is good enough. Yes they will assemble it, they may ship the video card unassembled to avoid damaging it during transit, but that's dead easy to put together yourself. We can walk you through that if it becomes necessary.

You'll need a screen, mouse and keyboard. If you want a DVD or blu-ray drive, I can find you one too.

EDIT: Oh and you'll need a webcam and/or headset and/or microphone too for Skype.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#11 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:47 PM
Is the sound card already assembled with the case or something else? I don't see it in my cart as a separate item unless it's built with something.

What size screen would you recommend? I think I would prefer something larger than what I have which is 17".

If you could find me a decent DVD drive, that would be great. Thank you.

Also, is the graphics card you recommended the best they carry? If not, what would be the best for the price? I do not mind spending another $100 on a better graphics card if there is one.

Lastly will the graphics card you recommended be recognized by The Sims 3/ Sims 2? I've read somewhere that some of the newer graphics cards aren't recognizable by the game.
Scholar
#12 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 5:55 PM
The sound card is integrated into the motherboard.

I'm not too familiar with screens but look for something that's 1920x1080 resolution and about 22-24 inches in size. I would not recommend higher resolution or bigger screen size than that. I have a 27inch 1920x1080 and regret buying it =/

ASUS DRW-24F1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer Black *PROMO* $15.99

The GTX 760 is not the best they carry, but it is the best bang for your buck for that price. The best card they carry is a GTX Titan Black which costs by itself $1099.99. If you wanted to go one step up from a GTX 760, my recommendation would be a GTX 770 for $349.99. It is as high as I would recommend anyone go. Beyond that its just money wasted.

Yes I've read that too, but I think its mostly with AMD cards. GTX 770 and GTX 760 seem to be working fine with the sims 3. Here's a youtube video of someone running The Sims 3 on a GTX 770.

If you're willing to spend more, I think you're better off getting an SSD instead of a better GPU.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#13 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:06 PM
I added the DVD driver. Thank you. I'll look into monitors next.

Besides a keyboard and a mouse, do I need anything else or am I all set? I'm looking at the website's categories; do I need a fan? Any cables?

I'm also looking at the GTX 770 right now. Is it worth the extra money? Would I see a significant difference? If the 760's not the best, is it at least decent?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#14 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:07 PM
What exactly is an SSD and why would it be better than the GPU?
Scholar
#15 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:15 PM
The 760 is good. I'm pretty sure that for The Sims 3 and Portal you won't see a difference between the 760 and the 770. It's only when you start playing more demanding games that push the 760 to its maximum that you'll see a difference.

An SSD does not replace the GPU. I meant that if you're willing to spend more money, I think you're better if putting that money into a SSD rather than upgrading from a 760 to a 770. Just keep the 760 and get an SSD.

An SSD is like a VERY VERY fast hard drive. It is a LOT faster than a traditional hard drive. However because it is so fast, it is also more expensive. When you install programs, you usually install it onto your traditional hard drive. However if you install it onto your SSD instead, it will probably halve your load times. Your music, pictures and videos can all go into your traditional hard drive since those don't take a long to load.

Here's the SSD I recommend.

You don't need extra cables. I'll look for an extra fan, usually don't need it but it does help and since you're still under budget, why not.

EDIT: Turns out the Corsair 300R I recommended already has all the fans it needs You don't need extras
Test Subject
Original Poster
#16 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:24 PM
Awesome. Thanks.

I picked out a headset, mouse, and keyboard. I'm looking at monitors. Do you suggest any specific brands or any brands I should avoid?
Scholar
#17 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 6:30 PM
Not really... you usually get what you pay for with monitors. I would get Asus or Dell for quality monitors, BenQ, Viewsonic or LG for budget monitors. Not sure about Samsung but their TVs are nice lol
Scholar
#18 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 7:16 PM
Which monitor are you looking at? Just make sure it has an HDMI port. I'm pretty sure HDMI is standard on all 1920x1080 monitors these days, but still make sure it has one...
Test Subject
Original Poster
#19 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 9:42 PM
24" ASUS w/ HDMI

Another computer company's employee told me to opt for the i7 instead of the i5 as it'll run games better...? Is that true or was she just trying to get me to spend more?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#20 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 9:58 PM
Also, there were two of these on my cart list:

Western Digital Green 2TB SATA3 6GB/S Intellipower 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Drive HDD

Do I need two of those or just one?
Scholar
#21 Old 2nd Mar 2014 at 10:01 PM
He's not wrong, but he is trying to get you to spend more. An i7 is better than an i5 and in theory should run games better, but that will only happen when the i5 isn't good enough. If the i5 is capable enough to run the game as well as possible, having an i7 won't make it run even better. It depends on the game, and for The Sims and Portal an i5 is good enough. If you were playing something else you would see a performance increase but for The Sims and Portal its not worth the extra $130.

You only need 1 Western Digital Green 2TB.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#22 Old 5th Mar 2014 at 10:05 PM
I ordered my new computer a few days ago. I'm waiting for a few verification notices before I'll be able to track my order. I'm pretty excited.

Do you know if everything is shipped together? Or is it separately? Will my computer come with the separate items I ordered, like the keyboard and headset?
Scholar
#23 Old 6th Mar 2014 at 3:51 AM
I'm not 100% sure, I usually buy all the parts seperately and assemble myslef, but I expect in your case the desktop will come in one package with all its components inside and all the peripherals such as keyboard and mouse to come in seperate packages.

What did you end up ordering as PC?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#24 Old 6th Mar 2014 at 4:05 AM
Basically everything you linked me plus a few additional things I picked out. I also went for the 770 instead. The NCIX guy that helped us out on the phone said the parts would make for a pretty good computer, so here's hoping! Thank you.
Scholar
#25 Old 6th Mar 2014 at 4:48 AM
Yes it's a very nice system Enjoy!

NCIX prints their receipts on thermal paper if i recall correctly, just remember to scan it or photocopy it for safe keeping, and let us know how you like the system once it's up and running
 
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