• expired

Dell Inspiron & XPS Gaming Desktops eg: Intel i7-8700 16GB RAM 256GB SSD 1TB HDD GTX1070 8GB for $1,719.20 Delivered @ Dell eBay

1810
PLUGNPLAY

These Dell Gaming Desktops keep coming up and continue to represent fantastic value in a time when the price of RAM and Graphics Cards are inflated. I want to put all the deals and discussion together on one page so the OzBargain community can find all the answers regarding these units in the one place. This will allow this one post to be updated every time ebay has their 20% off sale, instead of having several smaller posts every couple of weeks and having fragmented discussion and people asking the same questions. Credit to all the OPs who have helped me put this together will be listed below.

DEALS:

(Sorted in order of what I consider to be best value at the top to the worst value at the bottom)

Inspiron - Intel

1: Dell Inspiron 5680 - i7-8700, 16GB, 256GB + 1TB, GTX 1070 8GB $1,719.20

  • Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

2: Dell Inspiron 5680 - i5-8400, 8GB, 1TB, GTX 1060 6GB $999.20

  • Intel® Core™ i5 8400 (6-Core/6-Thread, 9MB Cache, up to 4GHz Boost)
  • 8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Boot)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5

3: Dell Inspiron 5680 - i5-8400, 8GB, 128GB + 1TB, GTX 1060 6GB $1,119.20

  • Intel® Core™ i5 8400 (6-Core/6-Thread, 9MB Cache, up to 4GHz Boost)
  • 8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 128GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Boot)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5

4: Dell Inspiron 5680 - i7-8700, 16GB, 128GB + 2TB, GTX 1060 6GB $1,519.20

  • Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 128GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
XPS - Intel

5: Dell XPS 8930 - i7-8700, 16GB, 256GB + 2TB, GTX 1070 8GB $1,799.20

  • Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2666MHz
  • 256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

6: Dell XPS 8930 - i7-8700, 16GB, 256GB + 2TB, GTX 1060 6GB $1,679.20

  • Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2666MHz
  • 256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
Inspiron - Ryzen

7: Dell Inspiron 5675 - R7-1700X, 8GB, 256GB + 1TB, RX 580 8GB $1,519.20

  • AMD Ryzen™ 7 1700X (8-Core/16-Thread, 20MB Cache, 3.4GHz up to 3.8GHz Boost)
  • 8GB DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • AMD Radeon™ RX 580 with 8GB GDDR5

8: Dell Inspiron 5675 - R5-1400X, 8GB, 128GB + 1TB, RX 570 4GB $1,159.20

  • AMD Ryzen™ 5 1400X (4-Core/8-Thread, 10MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz Boost)
  • 8GB DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 128GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • AMD Radeon™ RX 570 with 4GB GDDR5
Special Mention

This is not a gaming desktop, but just a solid budget PC that has been my go-to whenever a family member asks for a new computer for emails and web browsing, and under $500 its decent value.
9: Dell Inspiron 3268 Small Desktop - G4560, 4GB, 1TB, $479.20

  • Intel® Pentium® G4560 (2-Core/4-Thread, 3MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz)
  • 4GB DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Boot)
  • Intel HD 610 Integrated Graphics

All models (except the special mention above) come with the following:

  • Windows 10 Home (64bit) English
  • 460W Power Supply
  • 802.11ac WiFi - Dual Band 2.4&5GHz + Bluetooth 4.1
  • Killer E2400 Ethernet and Killer 1535 AC WiFi (XPS Models only)
  • Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD)
  • Dell Mouse and Keyboard
  • Front Ports:
    • 1x Audio Combo Jack (Inspiron Models) // 1x Mic-in and 1x Headphone Jack (XPS Models)
    • 1x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C™ 5Gb/s
    • 1x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gb/s (Inspiron Intel Models) // 2x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gb/s (Inspiron Ryzen Models) // 3x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gb/s (XPS Models)
    • 2x USB 2.0 (Inspiron Models Only)
    • 1x SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC) (XPS & Ryzen Models only)
  • Rear Ports:
    • 4x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gb/s (Inspiron Models) // 3x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gb/s (XPS Models)
    • 1x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 10Gb/s (XPS Models Only)
    • 1x SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C 10Gb/s (XPS Models Only)
    • 2x USB 2.0
    • 1x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet Port
    • 1x HDMI Port (XPS Models Only)
    • 1x Full Size DisplayPort
    • 4x Audio Ports [Mic in, Front L/R Surround Line out, Rear L/R Surround, Center/Sub] (Inspiron Models) // 3x Audio Ports [5.1 channel Surround] (XPS Models)
    • What appears to be a SPDIF Optical Audio out jack, shown in pics but not in the specs, anyone confirm? (Inspiron Models only)
  • Graphics Card Ports
    • 1x HDMI 2.0
    • 1x DVI
    • 3x Display Port
  • Internal Ports:
    • 4x Memory Slots supporting up to 64GB DDR4 RAM at 2400MHz for Inspiron and 2666MHz for XPS Models
    • 4x SATA 6Gb/s ports (one taken by Optical Drive)(None of which share resources with the m.2 slot(s)) To be confirmed
    • 1 M.2 Slot with SATA & NVME support (except Ryzen models which have 2 M.2 Slots - one with NVME support and not sure about the other. I am also unsure if XPS models' m.2 slot has NVME support) To be confirmed
    • 1x PCIe16x, 1x PCIe4x, 2x PCIe1x (Except Ryzen Models which have 2x PCIe1x and 2x PCIe16x running at 8x speed)
  • 1 Year Warranty (In Home service after remote diagnosis for Inspiron Models, Premium onsite service for XPS models)

Price Comparison

All prices are from eBay's current 20% off sale, and are the cheapest option that best match the Dell unit in option 1.

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($393.60 @ Futu online)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B360M HD3 mATX Motherboard Intel LGA1151 DDR4 M.2 USB 3.1 DVI HDMI ($119.20 @ Futu)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2X8GB DDR4 2400MHz C14 ($238.40 @ Futu)
SSD: WD Green 240GB M.2 SATA Solid State Drive ($91.60 @ JW Computers)
HDD: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.20 @ Shopping Express)
GPU: Galax nVidia GeForce GTX 1070 EX 8GB GDDR5 Gaming Graphics Video Card HDMI DP ($647.20 @ Futu)
PSU: Corsair VS450 450W 80PLUS PSU Power Supply ($51.20 @ PC Byte)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 Window Micro ATX ($63.20 @ PC Byte)

Total: $1,661.60 a saving of $57.60

Doesn't Include:
Windows 10 Home: $142.20
DVDRW Drive $20
Build Fee with OS & Driver Installation: $100
USB3.1 Type-C port

If you are looking at building using my list above as a guide, I have a couple recommendations:

PSU - Never cheap out on a power supply. I recommend the EVGA SuperNOVA Series G3 550 Modular 550W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply for $136.80. Its pricey, but the 7 year warranty is nice.
Also the SSD i would upgrade to a Samsung 960 EVO 250GB M.2 NVMe SSD for $135.20.
The case is personal preference, there were a few at that price range on ebay, otherwise check out your local PC shop, may be even cheaper for something nicer since they don't have to pay delivery.

With those 2 changes you would have a very good, long lasting, well balanced, reliable gaming computer for only $1,790.80 delivered.

FAQs

Q: Is it worth the extra $80 to get the top XPS model over the top Inspiron model?
A: Maybe - The XPS has double the HDD storage and slightly higher clocked RAM, as well as Killer branded networking and front SD card slot. It has premium on site warranty and a more sleek less gamery case design, and apparently runs quieter. It also has the faster USB3.0 Gen 2 10Gb/s slots. This combined is probably worth the extra $80

Q: Since it is shipped from outside Australia, does it attract import fees?
A: No.

Q: It has a long delivery estimate. Does it really take that long?
A: Usually its pretty quick and around the earlier part of the delivery estimate range at 2-3 weeks for most people. But it has been longer for others so YMMV.

Q: Prebuilts suck, can't you build something yourself with the same specs for cheaper?
A: Not if you include Windows. Every custom build costing I have seen has been more expensive than the equivalent Dell prebuilt. This is unlikely to change until RAM and GPU prices settle down. However if you can get windows free/cheap and can build it yourself then you can get the equivalent specs for cheaper, and have the added benefits of better, more reliable parts and a longer warranty.

Q: Is it wise to buy this now with GTX 11xx series graphics cards and new Ryzen chips coming out.
A: Maybe. These represent good value now. I don't think the new cards and chips are bringing anything too significant to the table except greater speed. If your needs match, then jump on board. If you want to pay more for future proofing and can wait then wait for an updated model.

Q: Damn! It's out of stock. Have I missed out?
A: No. Often they get restocked before the sale is over, so keep an eye on the listing. If not, the next 20% off ebay sale is usually just around the corner!

Q: Can I overclock the CPU/RAM?
A: No. The BIOS is locked down by Dell and doesn't support XMP Profiles.

Q: I got the model without an SSD and want to upgrade it with an m.2 SSD. What do you recommend.
A: I recommend a Samsung 960 EVO. These have a great reputation, and good value. However if you are upgrading from a HDD then any SSD will give you a drastic improvement, while an upgrade from SATA SSD to NVME SSD will only be a minor improvement.

Q: I went to install an m.2 SSD but there is no m.2 screw. Help!
A: These work. Select M2*4mm -25PCS for $1 Delivered from China

Q: Can I upgrade the graphics card to a 1080/1080ti?
A: No, not without upgrading the 460W PSU as well.

Credits

Credit to the following people who have posted these as deals in the past few months:
stuhtb, OldBugger, RogueWolf, foos, Balabink, scottySK, arctan.
Big credit to Dinjay for his forum post on the Ryzen model with upgrade advice and general info. Check it out here.
Here's a photo of the inside of the Inspiron Intel model from canusich. And some more photos of the internals, m.2 location, GPU ports, and m.2 speed test from Twitchy.

I hope this post helps everyone, I'll try keep on top of it and update it as we go. Let me know if I've made any mistakes.
Oh and don't forget 1% Cashrewards!

Original PLUGNPLAY 20% off Selected Sellers on eBay Deal Post

Related Stores

eBay Australia
eBay Australia
Marketplace
Dell
Dell

closed Comments

  • Great post… thanks!

    Already have a Win 10 Pro license. How would I upgrade the supplied Win 10 Home?

    • +2

      Don't have any experience on this myself, however a quick google uncovered this which should help you out: https://www.zdnet.com/article/going-pro-how-to-upgrade-windo…

    • +3

      I bought one of the higher spec XPS 8930's last time around.

      Love it! Well, actually, I only needed the built in Intel Graphics, so I sold the 1070 to one of my sons and he got a good (cheap) upgrade for his older gaming rig.

      I upgraded my Win10Home on the machine to Win10Pro but just entering the new key and rebooting. I thought about building the USB key, downloading all the drivers, and all that, and thought "bugger it".

      The above "just worked".

      If there was anything I am disappointed in, it's that I could only add two more hard drives - but a NAS helps out in this area :D

      .h

      • Only 2 hard drives? Maybe invest in the 8/10Tb drives

        • well - there was a 2TB HDD already, so - total of 3 HDDs (the original plus my two). And I suppose I could upgrade the SSD to a 1TB :) maybe later.
          .h

    • +1

      Just change the product key to the Pro one and Windows will do the rest. Worked for me.
      It didn't work on a machine that had been upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1.

    • +1

      If you don't plan to use whatever your license is on now, you can transfer your license to the new device.

      I did this with my Xiaomi laptop - just choose it as the "new hardware" over the hp dv7

  • +1

    Wow nice work

  • +3

    My hat off to you good sir and all the other contributors. Indeed these machines are bang for your buck.

  • Fantastic post! Thanks. I remember that username from back a while. Anyway, thanks for all the helpful info.

  • What’s your thoughts on Optiplex ?

    http://www.dell.com/en-au/work/shop/business-pcs-desktop-com…

    I have had an alinenware for about 5 years and looking for an latest laptop or small desktop like OptiPlex. I don’t play pc games. I have a LG 24” IPS LCD as I don’t have much outdoor usage, But, once a year I take it to overseas. I just install Windows alongside Ubuntu. Budget is $1500 for lappy and $1000 for OptiPlex or similar small sized desktop.

    And, this is pretty much I do on a daily basis.

    Usage on Windows:
    1. MS Office. (outlook, Skype etc)
    2. Chrome with 20 tabs running simultaneously
    3. MS Teams
    4. Enterprise web applications development
    5. SQL developer
    6. Other apps which consume 10% CPU
    7. Screen sharing and video call apps running most of the time.
    8. VM box

    Usage on Ubuntu: (after office hours)
    1. Web app development
    2. Virtualbox running most of the time. (Vagrant)
    3. SQL developer
    4. Chrome 20+ tabs
    5. Multiple terminals and etc., etc.,

    I have shortlisted OptiPlex, Alienware R13 refurbished (i7-7700hq, 8g Ram, 256 ssd ..), Inspiron gaming version (i7-7700hq, …). However, when it comes to placing an order I’m freaking confused! Lemme know if you have any recommendations for me.

    Cheers,
    Sowny

    • +2

      You don't need a high end gpu for that.
      You will probably hit memory gates with only 8gb of RAM, maybe look at 16 instead of the GPU here.
      Vagrant is wonderful but if your guests can use the same kernel, consider docker?
      Avoid the ryzen 1700 in this deal as the first batch had issues in Linux and dell might be using old stock.
      Didn't know sql developer ran on ubuntu, cool.

      • I would say for his use case 32gb ram minimum but that is something that is easy to upgrade after buying

    • +1

      Don't bother getting a i7-7700HQ laptop now when the next gen CPU is around the corner.
      The equivalent next gen CPU i7-8750H is running ~30% faster.

      I suggest you do some research on the Intel 8th gen H series CPUs and get a laptop that comes with one.

  • +8

    Not in need yet but appreciate the superbly written post.

  • I bought a Acer Predator G9 593 17" same spec as 1st one for same price. Wish that was out again. Want to get another.

  • +7

    Your post actually makes me want to buy one even though I don't need it!

  • +1

    Screw building a new one lets just buy this!

    • +2

      no wait a sec, be careful with this. I did the same thing last year and ran into issues. Better to could yourself, only takes an hour. See my comment below I'm about to cp/paste from another similar deal:

      • Have you contacted them? Seems like they have sent the wrong model or grounds to PP dispute.

        • nah, I was reading about people not having any luck and dell defending/justifying it.
          I also need the computer for work, so don't want the downtime.
          I sold the card ( as an RX470 ) upgraded to a vega now anyway.

        • @idonotknowwhy: Sounds like a classic bait and switch to me. I'd definitely try my luck with a dispute. Were other people who had no luck Australian?

  • Sorry this might be a dumb question. Possible to put these systems into another case?

    • +2

      It's possible, but you really would be better off building yourself if you were going to (see my post below)
      You can also just unplug the blue leds if that's the issue.

  • Plus one for the post..

  • +11

    Be careful with these Inspiron desktops.
    I bought the ryzen one last year and have been advocating it. Turns out, dell are dodgy and have given us unadvertised downgrades.

    I have observed the following issues with my PC. Points 1 and 2 are false-advertising and backed by a source. Points 3, 4 I knew beforehand. Point 5 I didn't know before hand and it's quite annoying.

    They gave us an RX470, not a the advertised RX570
    The pci-e port is 8x, not 16x
    (source: https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops-General/DELL-Inspiri...)
    The PSU is the cheapest 450w psu they could find.
    You can't overclock at all, the bios is pretty limited.
    It's hard to upgrade the PSU, I had to physically cut the case to get it to fit.
    

    Lesson learned, I shouldn't have been lazy, and I should have built my own.

    • Is the XPS the same re: PCI-E x8?
      Your link to the x8 is not a valid URL - the Inspiron says it is x16 on the item description

      • Sorry, I cp/pasted from my post in another thread.
        The link advertises it as 16x; but it's actually 8x.

        I don't have the XPS so I don't know what unadvertised downgrades they might include.

        • what's the best way to check that what's in the tower is what I actually paid for?
          I.e. 1060 6gb is in there and not a 1060 3gb.

        • @Peanutbutterjelly69: You should be okay. They can't fake the RAM size (it would cause serious issues / crashes). The equivalent would be if they gave you a GTX960 and called it a GTX1060, but that wouldn't work either, because nvidia changed the micro architecture between the 9xx and 10xx series. The AMD RX4xx and RX5xx cards are both polaris architecture with some tweaks.
          As BloodyRoses said (and I summarise), you'll have a ghetto rig but it will probably be fine.

    • That's ridiculous, I'd be livid. Have you solved the issue?

    • Pretty sure its just the ryzen models that have the PCIe16x slots running at 8x speeds because it is the only one that has 2 16x slots.
      It mentions it on the Tech Specs page on the listing:

      SLOTS
      2 x PCIex1 + 2 x PCIex16 (available with Ryzen 3/5/7 CPU)

      • NOTE: The PCI-Express X16 slot works at X8 speed only

      Poor form though, and very poor form on the Graphics card being not as advertised. The rest is sort of to be expected with a Dell prebuilt though. Cheers for letting us know about the PSU upgrade limitations, that could be very useful for people to know. Hope you get it all sorted.

      • It's not only the psu, everything in there is dodgey as hell and cheap as crap. Read my longer comment below for a more detailed description of the inside.

        P.S. Thank god dell doesn't make or supply motherboards because these things and the EXCESSIVELY limited bios xmp profile is disgusting for something manufactured in 2018 that still at full price costs SO MUCH.

        Oh and there's no resell value on these, you buy you lose so you better use it enough to get the value out of it.

  • Awesome effort! Thanks Riczter.

  • Can an SSD be added as the boot drive?

    Is there enough room for both a 2.5" SSD and 3.5 HDD in the 'Dell Inspiron Small Desktop - G4560'?

    • Exactly what I was going to ask… anyone know?

      I am looking to get something like that as a file/media PC… add a small SSD and 8TB 3.5" HDD.

      Currently on top of the list is the Value PC from MSY but it is a large desktop PC.
      http://www.msy.com.au/SYSTEMS/INTELAMD-UpgradeValue.pdf

      • Do NOT get this computer if you plan on swapping the drive to SSD, HDD is mounted via 2 bottom screws on the 3.5" and unless using the Orico 3.5" to 2.5" adapter most adapters won't have the right holes.

        • Just use some double sided tape to stick it somewhere

      • Your link seems to show that it only has 2 SATA Ports. If that’s the case then its important to mention that you would need to unplug the optical drive in order to have 2 hard drives, and one of the ports is listed as a slower 1.5Gb/s so best to have the HDD in this port and the SSD in the faster port.

        • There are actually 3 SATA ports, labelled in this image here.

          http://www.dell.com/support/manuals/au/en/audhs1/inspiron-32…

          Most likely, two are SATA 6gbs (Blue, Black) and the remaining White colored connect is the slower 1.5GB/s one.

          I also created new product tag for the Dell Inspiron 3268

        • Good spot. Still concerned about the speeds but I agree you are probably right about just the ODD being on the slower port and the documentation is probably just incomplete

      • Ah… I didn't spot the additional sata port at first either. It still does not leave a spot to mount a 2.5" drive and would need a sata power splitter.

        To me the options are replace drive entirely (I opted to do this with a 500gb SSD) or use a M2 drive and PCIe adaptor (which allows both drives to be used but then occupies the PCIe slot).

        The PCIe slot seems very limited as the 16x slot is on the far side meaning GPU must be low profile AND single slot. Gigabyte GT 1030 might work but I'm guessing at this level anyone using it wouldn't care about graphics anyway.

  • the phones are always on sale… oh… n/m

  • 2: Dell Inspiron 5675 - i5-8400, 8GB, 1TB, GTX 1060 6GB

    OP, I think 5675 is a misprint. 5675 series is designated to Ryzen processor, while 5680 series is designated to Core processor.

    • I think you're right, but it lists 5675 under the model number in the listing. I think Dell might have put the wrong model number on the listing, but I thought I better put what was in the listing on my post just in case I was wrong.
      Edit: Looks like a mod has updated it, so all good :)

      • And the pictures also messed up.

        On the landing headline, which shows 2 row of USB ports + card reader, while the description further down, which shows 1 row of USB ports. The latter should be the correct one.

  • I think there is only a single 8 GB RAM installed. Does anyone know the brand and model? I'd like to order another 8 GB to benefit from double channel.

    • Dinjay's post talks a lot about RAM compatibility so you might be able to find a compatible module there.

      Can anyone confirm if they use the same or different RAM modules in the Inpiron Intel vs Ryzen models??

  • The 2nd one is back in stock now

  • Comparing option 3 & 4. Can anyone concur that the M2 is just plug into the sata bus, therefore not providing any speed increase of just a sata ssd. Would I just be better to get option 3 and find a cheap ssd to upgrade?

  • +3

    I actually like these except for the fact that everything on it, the motherboard, the gpu, the fans, the cpu cooler, the cables, the psu and the harddrives and ssd's are the cheapest son of a gun things i have ever laid eyes on.

    You open it up and it looks like something from 1995.

    That being said, if you're happy with how the outside looks and you treat it more of a buy and done with it kind of machine it will do its $1.7k job well. However, due to the fact that everything is non-standard parts it will devalue like bitcoin in 2018 and gl with reselling this ever.

    Also, it's like a bad fast food burger. DO NOT open this thing up unless you want aids from the amount of crap cabling, early 2000's case engineering as well as general crappiness of the coolers and fans on both the gpu and cpu. I mean i've seen one of these in person at my local computer market and the cpu cooler fan isn't even on straight. How bad does the quality control need to be? And the 1060 looked like a converted desktop 940 from a dodgey chinese website. Exposed PCB, Single 40mm fan above the smallest heatsink in the world above the gpu chip with what seems to be air cooling only for the vram.

    I repeat, if you want a pc that fundamentally IS a i7 7700k and a gtx 1070 WITH that performance AND you can deal with the HUGE turbine noises from those small non exchangable dell fans on both the gpu, cpu and case, AND you never plan to open it up OR upgrade (upgrading isn't actually that hard, i just don't like the inside look very much). Then this is the PC for you and it's okay value.

    If any of the things I mentioned triggered you, then stay the hell away from these.

    P.S. There's a very detailed youtube video about a guy who had an i5 one of these and self upgraded to a gtx 1070 from evga. He had a hard time even fitting it in, and had to purchase longer sata cables because the motherboard sata ports are directly underneath the gpu with no cutouts since the inside of this thing looks like something from 1995. All the cables are exposed and in the front except for the 4pin power for the cpu.

    Shudder shudder puke puke.

    • +2

      Cheers for the honest review. I wonder how the internal aesthetics, parts quality and build quality of the XPS models compare to the Inspiron models. Can anyone advise? I'm thinking of leaning more towards the option 5 XPS model for my best value recommendation based on what people are saying about it….

      • +1

        I have never seen one in person or really know alot about it online enough to comment, but i can tell you this.

        As a customer of Dell and in part Alienware i can tell you that the company is managed by what seems to be seperate entities, kinda like how the new ford GT isn't actually really build by Ford.

        I own a dell xps15 laptop/ultrabook. My grandfather owns a inspiron 15. And we've had several Dell Pc's in the past. As a kid i thought they were good and reliable. Then i bought my first inspiron. Brand new, 1.1k back in 2013 was going to be my pride and joy. Came Warped, in the box, all the foam was good but it didn't sit flat on the table, the whole bottom plate had a bulge from a piece of hardware inside not seated correctly. That was a month and a half of teenage angst. Then i bought an Alienware, great quality/okay quality (lots of freaking plastic) but it was cool and it did the job of making me the big d nerd of the gang for many years.

        Then my grandfather wanted a laptop and my dad got him another inspiron, oh no. Month in, charging port stopped working, half a year in the keyboard where you lay your hand to type gets too hot sent it in for another rma. 2 years later the screen hinges shattered. It shattered both screen hinges when it never leaves the little bookcase desk my grandfather placed it on 2 years ago. Oh did i mention that he presses the power button and rarely closes the lid? Wow….

        Then after seeing all the xps's around Uni i took the plunge and got one. It's a work of art.

        It's very obvious at this stage being a dell customer of over a decade that they have very very different departments for high end stuff and then a cesspit working for the consumer grade stuff.

        That's coming from someone that builds over 20 pc's a year through contacts (friends of friends who ask me free of charge of course) since 2009.

        Not tooting my own horn mate but i think i know enough at this point to say that Dell, unless you buy their top of the line stuff, you will undoubtedly get screwed over not by anything else but the quality. The customer service is okay, which is the only reason i took the risk of purchasing my xps.

        But yeah mate i wouldn't spend 1.8k on something so dodgey. I'd rather wait for hardware sales or bundle deals and build my own at a $300 or so premium. That way i can make 100% sure all my pcie lanes are 16x 3rd gen, i get my type c ports, my usb 3's galore and most importantly i have a proper bios i can overclock, set multiple monitor displays and adjust a variety of settings that you cant do on these.

        Also, taking into the consideration that the case is a plastic-metal hybrid pile of junk which is near worthless, the motherboard which is near worthless, the ram which is generic, the gpu which i don't recognise the branding (looks kinda like a msi factory one???), the cpu cooler which is worthless, the case fans which are worthless. i don't actually think that this is very much cheaper than building your own. You're buying alot of worthless junk that works. That's literally the only difference between this 1.8k option and my $300 council rubbish bin.

        • +2

          Thank you for sharing your long hard lessons. 😉

        • +1

          wow, you are the Gordon Ramsey of PCs

  • In option 4, the adv shows 2TB HDD, could anyone confirm if it comes with 1TB or 2TB?

    • The 2TB is mentioned in both the ebay info up the top and the dell tech specs further down the page for option 4, so it should definitely have a 2TB drive in it.

  • For 1700$ I want it come with gtx 1080.
    I've seen it on the pcbyte deal.

  • Is the one at PCByte with 1080 worth $1775?
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Intel-Core-i7-8700K-4-7GHz-8GB-1…

    (Less RAM, SSD and Op Sys, but you can upgrade them )

  • +1

    I bought one of these last year when it was on special, came with the I7-7700 at the time. I love it. It runs triple A Titles on the highest settings easily. One thing though, my front jack inputs malfunctioned, now they don't recognise any device that's plugged in, be it a headset or a mic. Besides that, it's awesome. If you need to eventually upgrade just buy a new graphics card or CPU and replace.

  • I want to buy option 2 for work environment, to use with Autocad and Revit.

    Now, wondering if I should take the plunge or custom build and pay a $600 more? (I was looking at making this: (https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/sgrb8Y) )

    Any thoughts anyone ?

  • +2

    These are pretty ordinary, can't really upgrade and they use low quality parts like PSU and motherboard. I deal with these "gaming" desktops all day, save more money and get a custom built machine that you can upgrade in the future which will last you 5+ years.

    They advertise "Ryzen R7" or "1080GTX" to rope you in and then use the cheapest RAM with the slowest speed available.

    • So are you from 5+ years in the future?

      • +3

        ?

        That's exactly what these are, and if you're in the financial position where you'd like these to be actually worth something to you either in resell value or in parts for when you go to upgrade this will be neither.

        $1.8k to use now and to keep forever is what these are and for every reason dealhunter listed, it would not be recommended for most people to buy these.

        • Well i guess it depends how you measure success?

        • +1

          @jerum3030: but that's exactly it isn't it? You're commenting on a forum based on value for money and you replied to a guy talking about the value of the product in question, in a sarcastic manner based on 'success'. Two wholly different topics mate and they couldn't be further apart.

        • @BloodyRoses: No Deel then?

    • What makes this a bad motherboard?

  • Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your effort, but this is just not true:

    These Dell Gaming Desktops keep coming up and continue to represent fantastic value in a time when the price of RAM and Graphics Cards are inflated.

    Take the first one for example:

    1: Dell Inspiron 5680 - i7-8700, 16GB, 256GB + 1TB, GTX 1070 8GB $1,719.20(ebay.com.au)

    Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
    16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
    256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

    This is not even that cheap:

    PCPartPicker part list: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/DrFvWD
    Price breakdown by merchant: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/DrFvWD/by_merchant/

    CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($405.00 @ Mighty Ape)
    Motherboard: ASRock - H370 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.00 @ IJK)
    Memory: Kingston - FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($161.40 @ Umart)
    Storage: Western Digital - Green 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($85.00 @ Umart)
    Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.50 @ Shopping Express)
    Video Card: GALAX - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB EX OC SNPR Black Video Card ($659.00 @ IJK)
    Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.00 @ Shopping Express)
    Power Supply: Silverstone - Strider Plus 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
    Total: $1670.90
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-21 01:40 AEST+1000

    For this build, I didn't even pick the most dirt-cheap components that Dell would have picked when putting their system together. Sure, they assemble it for you, but you can probably pay around $70 to get this assembled too. I don't see how these Dell systems are good value.

    • thx for this. I'll get exactly this, probably change the PSU and a crappier video as I need it for Autocad. Thanks!

      • Keep the Fractal Design Define C case, a nicer case, IMO. 😊

      • I'll get exactly this

        No you wont :/ See my comments below, i meant to reply directly to p1 ama.

  • +1

    I appreciate your effort, but you didn't fact check your info here. The price scrapers on PCPP and staticice are often wrong or incomplete.

    It says it includes shipping, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't. The cheapest shipping I could come up with for everything (excluding the RAM and the stuff for IJK which came up as "Low Stock - call to confirm stock levels" (which in my experience usually means no stock, but i could be wrong)) was $52.04. Kudos for shopping express for a very good shipping quote on a case.

    This already brings it just over the cost of Dell's unit.

    Sure you could get it all from one supplier to save shipping costs, or pick up locally, but then some of the individual parts would be higher.

    Secondly, that RAM doesn't exist on Umart's site. The cheapest I could see on Umart was $239, and I couldnt see anything on staticice in stock below $220. This adds another $60-80 on top.

    And we haven't even talked about the build fee or the cost of Windows, but if you know what you are doing you can get both of these free or very cheap, so that's ok.

    I'll try put an accurate list together from ebay's 20% off sale, as they usually work out around 5% cheaper than the cheapest parts on staticice and usually include free shipping. Give me 5 mins and ill update the post. This should hopefully give you peace of mind of the value of the deals I've posted above.

    However you and others have made good points about Dell's choice of parts being substandard. The fact it only has 1 year warranty gives pause for though. If you can build the same for within say $1-200 of the cost of this, and if you can build it yourself, and if you can get your own windows, then I DEFINITELY recommend you do that, simply for peace of mind that you have decent parts which often have 3 year plus warranties and will likely last longer than offerings from DELL.

    But that's a lot of "ifs", and for the majority of people, these Dell units will represent better value. I stand by my statement that these Dell units represent fantastic value.

    • +1

      EBAY 20% off sale price comparison.

      CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.40 @ Futu online)
      Motherboard: MSI Z370-A PRO LGA1151 ATX Motherboard DDR4 M.2 USB 3.1 (no type c) DVI DP ($153.60 @ Shopping Express)
      RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2X8GB DDR4 2400MHz C14 ($238.40 @ Futu)
      SSD: WD Green 240GB M.2 SATA Solid State Drive ($91.60 @ JW Computers)
      HDD: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.80 @ Shopping Express)
      GPU: Galax nVidia GeForce GTX 1070 EX 8GB GDDR5 Gaming Graphics Video Card HDMI DP ($647.20 @ Futu)
      PSU: Corsair VS450 450W 80PLUS PSU Power Supply ($51.20 @ PC Byte) I don't recommend this unit, its just for price comparison
      Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 Window Micro ATX ($63.20 @ PC Byte)

      Total: $1,698.40 a saving of $20.80

      Optionals:
      DVD RW Drive $20
      Build Fee with OS & Driver Installation: $100
      Windows 10 Home: $142.20

      Pricing has improved since the last time I did one of these :) If you can get windows free and build it yourself then I would recommend doing that over getting the Dell above.

      If you are looking at building using my list above as a guide, I have a couple recommendations:
      PSU - Never cheap out on a power supply. I recommend the EVGA SuperNOVA Series G3 550 Modular 550W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply for $140. Its pricey, but the 7 year warranty is nice.
      Also the SSD i would upgrade to a Samsung 960 EVO 250GB M.2 NVMe SSD for $140.
      Case is personal preference, there were a few at that price range, otherwise check out your local PC shop, may be even cheaper for something nicer since they dont have to pay delivery.

      With those 2 changes you would have a very good, long lasting, well balanced, reliable gaming computer for only around $1,835.60 delivered.

      • +vote for the effort! 😊

        Since Core i7-8700 is non-overclock processor, you can pick a cheaper motherboard, e.g.

        Gigabyte B360M HD3 ($119.20 @ Futu)

        • Nice find. I've added the price comparison to the original post, ill update it with this motherboard.

      • -1

        Clearly I didn't put in the time and effort to dig up whether the parts I specified were all in stock…etc., but the point I was trying to make still stands and I think you're agreeing with me here - that the DIY route is better than the Dell route.

        The truth is, I just don't trust Dell's components. They do the dodgy thing where they get an i7 8700 and the cheapest OEM GTX 1070, then everything else is literally the most bargain basement components you can find. If you dig around forums, there are just so many horror stories of these pre-builts. The way I see it is that if you want just a basic office PC, then go for something like a Dell Optiplex, which are actually very good (obviously because they're built for business and education, both very big customers of Dell), but if you want a more gaming oriented system, then go DIY or boutique. If I spend almost $2k on a system, I want to know what all the components are, where they came from and what their reliability is like.

        I used to build a lot of systems for family and friends when I was in uni and needed some side money. I always got the old "but I can get the same specs for less", and more often than not, they got there by cutting corners. Every time, I said to just go with whatever cheaper system they could find - eventually they would complain about how their PSU crapped out, or how it would sound like a jet engine.

        Either way, props to you for all your effort, I hope that my opinion/suggestions are constructive :)

        • I agree with you to a point, based on price. If I was a person who could build my own computer and get my OS free, then I would pay maybe around 5-10% more for a custom build equivalent PC, or buy prebuilt if it was more than 5-10% cheaper. If I was a novice user who couldn't build myself and had to pay for Windows then I think I would still go for the prebuilt dell, as long as it is cheaper than the equivalent custom build, just for the convenience and savings. I think when these deals started popping up, the equivalent custom build pricing was more expensive than it is now, so the value is dropping on the Dell's over time and I think it now may make more sense for an experienced user to go custom built, if he can get the build and OS free, and is willing to pay that little bit extra. But i think the value is still there for those that can't. I think when RAM and GPU's come down again then it will be a no brainer to go custom build, but right now i think its on the fence, especially for those novice users that form the majority of the market.

          All just my opinion based on my experience, and thanks for your input :)

  • Hey all, is anyone struggling to use the discount code PLUGNPLAY? I get error 'This code can't be applied to your order.'.

    Cheers!

  • So I finally got around to getting my M.2 850 EVO installed, and cloned the current drive. IF the M.2 drive is the only drive connected, it boots fine. The moment I connect the old drive back on, it boots from the dell drive again. I can't seem to change the options in the BIOs either. The dell HDD seems to take the 'First HDD' spot in the BIOS every time. I just used Samsung Magician to clone the drives. Does anyone have any suggestions?

    • I'm in a similar situation, except I purchased a NVMe 960 EVO to install.

      Apparently it does work according to another user who's posted previously in one of these posts advertising the 5680, but I'm experiencing the same issue as you (not being able to select the SSD as the boot drive in BIOS).

      If I find a solution, I'll let you know mate.

      • +1

        Thank you very much! I've asked Dell as well.

      • Keen to find out as well. Having same problem.

    • +1

      Format the old drive and it wouldn't be able to boot from it and should go to the next drive in the boot order

Login or Join to leave a comment