thecomputerguy
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Is this not a decent value? It seems exceptionally reasonable
Been in the market for a new PC for Work
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sapphirescales
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This applies to all prebuilts, not just this one, but the reasons why you don't want this include:
1. There's a high probability they're using proprietary parts.
2. Even if they're not using proprietary parts, they're putting the cheapest, crappiest quality stuff you can buy in there. Examples include an mATX motherboard with the cheapest chipset available (probably a $50 motherboard), a crappy sub $50 power supply, a low quality liquid cooler (if they even bother to put liquid cooling in there to begin with), a cheap crappy GPU with a single blower fan, a QLC SSD that might last you a year, and the cheapest quality, slowest RAM you can buy without the timings or speeds being optimized.
The margins in the tech industry are bloody freaking awful so if something seems to be a "good deal" it isn't. Build your own, even if you have to get lower specs for the money. If you don't want to build your own, there are only two companies I know of who build custom systems and don't cut corners. Those are:
velocitymicro.com
www.pugetsystems.com
If you go with these companies then you can expect a 100% markup on their parts though so you're really better off building it yourself. Alternatively an old workstation desktop from Dell or HP might be acceptable. You can get a pretty nice HP Z4 for like $400 that's fully compatible with Windows 11 and has 48 PCIe lanes so you can install all the goodies you want.
1. There's a high probability they're using proprietary parts.
2. Even if they're not using proprietary parts, they're putting the cheapest, crappiest quality stuff you can buy in there. Examples include an mATX motherboard with the cheapest chipset available (probably a $50 motherboard), a crappy sub $50 power supply, a low quality liquid cooler (if they even bother to put liquid cooling in there to begin with), a cheap crappy GPU with a single blower fan, a QLC SSD that might last you a year, and the cheapest quality, slowest RAM you can buy without the timings or speeds being optimized.
The margins in the tech industry are bloody freaking awful so if something seems to be a "good deal" it isn't. Build your own, even if you have to get lower specs for the money. If you don't want to build your own, there are only two companies I know of who build custom systems and don't cut corners. Those are:
Custom Gaming & Workstation PC's | Velocity Micro
Velocity Micro has years of experience building custom PC's and workstations for gaming, CAD, VFX, and more. Contact us today to get started on your next build!
velocitymicro.com
Homepage
Puget Systems specializes in tailor-made computing solutions for all business needs. We build quality workstations and servers for your unique workflows.
www.pugetsystems.com
If you go with these companies then you can expect a 100% markup on their parts though so you're really better off building it yourself. Alternatively an old workstation desktop from Dell or HP might be acceptable. You can get a pretty nice HP Z4 for like $400 that's fully compatible with Windows 11 and has 48 PCIe lanes so you can install all the goodies you want.
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timeshifter
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I'd build one at https://pcpartpicker.com/ and see how it compares. Do the same at https://dell.com and see. I'm tired of custom built PCs. Nice having every cable and connector built for it's spot, not wrapped and tucked away with a bunch of zip ties.
britechguy
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They're "your problem" if you have problems, too.
I haven't custom built a PC in many, many years because it's just not worth it to me. And contrary to certain opinions, I've not had any issues with any of the "cheap" machines I've owned (including an eMachines computer back in the day that ran and ran and ran). Computers ceased to be fragile flowers many years ago (barring being dropped).
Metanis
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That's not a bad deal! But check the warranty as these consumer machines can be a bit less reliable.
I just priced out an older i7-11700f system I have laying around the house. It's over 3 years old and would still cost $900 to build today using ebay used parts. Ever since the pandemic the price of gaming systems have been staying too high.
And never mind the naysayers, it's an electronic device. The CPU in that cheap motherboard processes 1s and 0s exactly the same as the one in the $800 motherboard.
phaZed
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It's not a bad deal. You can build it yourself with arguably better parts for around $100 less.
The problem with some of these is they come with a "locked BIOS" - where you're beholden to the prebuilder/MSI prebuild division to release timely BIOS updates.
Why that matters is that if they fail to release updated BIOS's, you can find yourself in a situation where Windows won't boot when it doesn't have the firmware fixes Windows is looking for (Updates causing BS'es, etc). I've had this happen with customers. The only option is to send it to MSI, and hope they don't dick around... which is what I've had be the case more than I'd like.
Notice that B14NUE9-683US is not listed on MSI's website. No drivers, no BIOS, nothing but a "buy page".
It would be a hard pass, if it were me, for my personal PC.
The problem with some of these is they come with a "locked BIOS" - where you're beholden to the prebuilder/MSI prebuild division to release timely BIOS updates.
Why that matters is that if they fail to release updated BIOS's, you can find yourself in a situation where Windows won't boot when it doesn't have the firmware fixes Windows is looking for (Updates causing BS'es, etc). I've had this happen with customers. The only option is to send it to MSI, and hope they don't dick around... which is what I've had be the case more than I'd like.
Notice that B14NUE9-683US is not listed on MSI's website. No drivers, no BIOS, nothing but a "buy page".
It would be a hard pass, if it were me, for my personal PC.
frase
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Personally If it was for myself, I would build it as have more control over components, I use velcro ties for cable managment 
Though that looks like a good deal to me, only thing would be WinPro rather than Home.
Though that looks like a good deal to me, only thing would be WinPro rather than Home.
thecomputerguy
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I ended up just going with this: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...top/spd/xps-8960-desktop/usexpsthcto8960rpl27
I had $900 in Dell rewards I had to get rid of and I can't be bothered building PC's anymore.
Not bad for $1100
Edit: I'll get pro on it somehow.
I had $900 in Dell rewards I had to get rid of and I can't be bothered building PC's anymore.
Not bad for $1100
Edit: I'll get pro on it somehow.
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timeshifter
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I think you can get the upgrade from Pax8 for $50.
phaZed
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I doubt he's only running web apps - otherwise, he wouldn't be looking at a "gaming PC", and could settle with a run-of-the-mill $500 crap-box.
britechguy
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Not arguing your point specifically, as I have no idea what thecomputerguy intends to do, but based on what I see repeatedly on TechNibble, there are quite a few people who throw tons of unnecessary dollars to acquire hardware whose capabilities will never, ever come close to being necessary (or exploited) based on their intended use cases.
I absolutely hate how often those in any business seem to want to upsell others, whether they need what's being upsold or not!
thecomputerguy
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My current PC is 9th gen and the video card is starting to bug out .. could be a software issue but I can't upgrade the system to windows 11 without the required hacks. I tell clients to replace every 5 to 6 years so I figured I should follow my own logic before my work computer dies and I'm screwed.
I was thinking about replacing it last thanksgiving but Dell bumps all their prices up by about $200-$300 for "SALES" during holiday weekends.
Also yes I try to game every once in awhile so it will be nice to have a PC that can handle everything I throw at it. Also my 4 monitors are all 144hz so I like having a video card that can handle that.
Also ... Diablo 4 season 4 is not bad.
Edit: also I had to get rid of $900 worth of dell rewards so you really can't beat $1100 for this system.
I was thinking about replacing it last thanksgiving but Dell bumps all their prices up by about $200-$300 for "SALES" during holiday weekends.
Also yes I try to game every once in awhile so it will be nice to have a PC that can handle everything I throw at it. Also my 4 monitors are all 144hz so I like having a video card that can handle that.
Also ... Diablo 4 season 4 is not bad.
Edit: also I had to get rid of $900 worth of dell rewards so you really can't beat $1100 for this system.
thecomputerguy
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Do you know if Win 7 pro product codes still work to activate pro 11?
thecomputerguy
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Do you know if Win 7 pro product codes still work to activate pro 11
Web apps and DIABLO 4 BABYYY
frase
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I just cannot get into the seasonal thing, I finish the game and that is it for me. All it is grinding, grinding maybe with another char though elements are the same or similar, just get bored.
thecomputerguy
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It's a shame that D4 released in the state it did ... It basically took a year for it to get out of "beta"
I've spent more time in the game in season 4 than I did at release.
The loot on release was absolutely terrible. I would say D4 is in par with last epoch now except D4 has no loot filter which is awful in an ARPG.
Porthos
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Actually, 8th gen is the minimum for Win 11.
Enjoy the new system.
Hope you do not end up with XPS issues and regret. Only saying that from all the issues I read in other forums. No personal expereience or links to offer.
NETWizz
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I hear you. That said asside from CAD and GIS, I highly doubt most PCs for "work" really need to be gaming PCs.
Just saying. When I am at work, I use Chrome, Edge, Teams, Zoom, WebEx, MS Office including Visio but mostly Outlook, Word, and Excel. Other than that I use SecureCRT and rarely PutTTy/KiTTy, and very rare use of Agent Randsack (to search), MeldMerge to compare Text Files, and occasionally tools including Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Users and Computers, DNS, and DHCP snap-ins, too. Also sometimes the Angry IP Scanner and Zenmap. Rarely Remote Desktop. Very Rarely TFTPD by Ph. Jounin, and also the Solar Winds Engineers toolkit, which probably isn't worth the renewal fee. Very very rarely I use DameWare Utilities. Some Notepad2 and Notepad++
The above is pretty much the entirety of what I run. I have days it is only Chrome, Outlook, and Teams. Just saying no need for a Gaming Computer for all of the above, which is vastly more than most jobs probably use.
My current setup is some Dell Latitude laptop and a Display Link docking station with two 27" monitors. The setup hasn't changed in a decade though I am probably on the third laptop in that time.
YeOldeStonecat
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Depends what you do with it, how you use it. Myself...supporting businesses....a long time ago I realized the different between "residential grade models" with just 1 year warranty components, and good quality business grade models...with far superior warranties.
Also how you have your business computer(s) set up...local domain join or Azure AD join...of course your need Windows Pro. Not Windows homeless. Even if you just have a workgroup setup, Windows Pro is much easier and does more on the network than homeless. You can do the upgrade to Pro if you have certain 365 licenses that support the $45.00 upgrade perpetual license right in the tenant. Quickly does an in place upgrade of Windows Home to Pro.
I used to custom build gaming PCs...had a side business years ago building high end gaming PCs. So I'm deeply familiar with "home builts". I was very...very picky with my brand and model of components, resulting in very reliable, long lasting computers. I also learned to dread supporting other peoples home builts...most of them didn't do the research of compatible nor quality parts. Usually just found "motherboard of the month club junk".
As I transitioned to supporting businesses only....I quickly learned how building and supporting home built cloners was time consuming, and hard to compete with quality business grade models as far as support and profit.
If you're just using this for personal stuff, of course it doesn't matter, a residential grade XPS can be fine.
If trying to keep the budget small, don't forget Dell and HP have their "factory outlet stores"...where you can buy factory refurbs or even brand new still shrink wrapped in the box computers...get good business grade models for 75%, even 50%...the cost that they were MSRP. I've enjoyed many years worth of doing that for both myself, and I send clients there. Can get good business grade models for huge discounts. Most of them are production over runs, returns, computers that came off of a 9 or 6 month lease. Big companies will lease truckloads of computers for some project that doesn't last long. They might unbox only 75% of them, sometimes more, sometimes less. End of the lease, they all get returned. Dell or Lenovo resell those at huge discounts. I'd rather have a factory refurbished top notch biz grade computer over a brand new residential grade computer any day of the week..hands down!
Also how you have your business computer(s) set up...local domain join or Azure AD join...of course your need Windows Pro. Not Windows homeless. Even if you just have a workgroup setup, Windows Pro is much easier and does more on the network than homeless. You can do the upgrade to Pro if you have certain 365 licenses that support the $45.00 upgrade perpetual license right in the tenant. Quickly does an in place upgrade of Windows Home to Pro.
I used to custom build gaming PCs...had a side business years ago building high end gaming PCs. So I'm deeply familiar with "home builts". I was very...very picky with my brand and model of components, resulting in very reliable, long lasting computers. I also learned to dread supporting other peoples home builts...most of them didn't do the research of compatible nor quality parts. Usually just found "motherboard of the month club junk".
As I transitioned to supporting businesses only....I quickly learned how building and supporting home built cloners was time consuming, and hard to compete with quality business grade models as far as support and profit.
If you're just using this for personal stuff, of course it doesn't matter, a residential grade XPS can be fine.
If trying to keep the budget small, don't forget Dell and HP have their "factory outlet stores"...where you can buy factory refurbs or even brand new still shrink wrapped in the box computers...get good business grade models for 75%, even 50%...the cost that they were MSRP. I've enjoyed many years worth of doing that for both myself, and I send clients there. Can get good business grade models for huge discounts. Most of them are production over runs, returns, computers that came off of a 9 or 6 month lease. Big companies will lease truckloads of computers for some project that doesn't last long. They might unbox only 75% of them, sometimes more, sometimes less. End of the lease, they all get returned. Dell or Lenovo resell those at huge discounts. I'd rather have a factory refurbished top notch biz grade computer over a brand new residential grade computer any day of the week..hands down!
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