Son needs new PC

[mccoady]

My son has an old Dell E520 desktop PC and he wants to get something newer. I originally thought about having one built for him but I'm pretty sure it wouldl be more than another Dell. He's blind and uses his computer a lot via screen reading software (JAWS). Mainly he surfs, has online subscription to SiriusXM, burns CDs, etc. things like that. He has his computer hooked up to both his computer monitor and his TV... he streams Netflix from his computer to his TV. By the way video quality is not a concern.

I'm thinking he needs to stick with Windows 7 just in case his JAWs software would have issues with Windows 8 although it's possible it would work fine. Windows 8 could also be confusing to him to unless it could be made to look/act like Windows 7.

What do you think of these two Dells:
Inspiron 3847
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-3847-desktop/fdcwrt201w7

XPS 8700
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/xps-8700/fdcwgs101rw7

They both come with the Intel i5-4460 but the Inspiron has a H81 chipset and the XPS Z87. Another difference is the Inspiron uses the Intel HD Graphics 4600 and the XPS comes with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 1GB DDR3. The other differences mainly consist of number of USB's, memory slots, hard drive bays things of that nature.

Currently the Inspiron would cost $650 shipped to us vs the XPS $721 shipped including a 10% discount until the 29th.

Taking into consideration my son's needs do you think it warrants spending more for the XPS 8700?

[usually_quiet]

I have an i5 with Intel HD Graphics 4600 on my present PC and the CPU's graphics are fine for general purpose use, but the Inspiron 3847 only lists VGA and HDMI as video connections. You probably want HDMI and DVI connections available for future TVs and monitors. A VGA connection is sometimes not provided on new monitors and new TVs. I can't tell if it would be easy to upgrade the Inspiron 3847 in the future or not, but the trend in prebuilt PCs seems to be away from upgradeability.

You might be better off with the XPS Z87 because of the video card, which has DVI-D, HDMI, and VGA connections and a better sound card. You need to find out the hardware requirements for the software your son needs to use or wants to use. As long as the new PC exceeds those requirements and has a LAN card that is good enough for Netflix, plus adequate graphics connections and audio it should be fine.

[ezcapper]

Definitely go with the cheaper one. For you're guys' uses, any of the modern computers work perfectly.

[redwudz]

I would agree with using Windows 7. W8 has been very problematic for me. I only have it on this laptop, fortunately. And I installed a program (Start8) that makes it behave like W7. Without that, it would be mostly unusable for me. I don't have a touch screen and that seems to be mainly what it's designed for. Unfortunately, many PC manufacturers don't have W7 as an option at present.

You also might check with the JAWS webpage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/Blindness/Jaws

It doesn't mention Windows 8 and it also may have problems with the newest
versions of Windows Internet Explorer such as IE 11. It also seems to be only for the home version of Windows, not the pro versions.

[mccoady]

Currently I have his monitor connected via VGA and I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable to his TV. He actually doesn't use the computer monitor it's for me when I have to do things on his computer. Never thought about having to buy a new monitor someday and possibly not being able to use the 3847's VGA, instead needing DVi or HDMI.

Even though I believe the 3847 would be fine for all his applications and plenty good for his needs having VGA as one of his video outputs maybe not a good thing for the future. My son will probably keep this PC 5-10 years so we might run into issues.

[usually_quiet]

Currently I have his monitor connected via VGA and I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable to his TV. He actually doesn't use the computer monitor it's for me when I have to do things on his computer. Never thought about having to buy a new monitor someday and possibly not being able to use the 3847's VGA, instead needing DVi or HDMI.

Even though I believe the 3847 would be fine for all his applications and plenty good for his needs having VGA as one of his video outputs maybe not a good thing for the future. My son will probably keep this PC 5-10 years so we might run into issues.

I located the owner's manual for the Inspiron 3847 to see what upgrades would be possible. It has 3 expansion slots, two PCI-e x1 and one PCI-e x16, so if adding a DVI port becomes necessary in the future, it should be possible to install a basic video card with modest power requirements. As long as your son will be satisfied with 5,1 channel audio over HDMI and stereo PC speakers, the onboard sound card is OK. I checked on the power supply in Dell's customer forum. The regular tower case takes a standard-size ATX 300W PSU so it should be possible to replace that with an off-the-shelf PSU if necessary.

[mccoady]

Thanks for checking that out I appreciate that will definitely keep it in mind when deciding which to get.

Couple of questions:

1. Does Dell seem to have constantly changing prices? Are they cheaper on Black Friday/Xmas or do they even play that game?

2. Do you get a copy of Windows in case you want to do a Clean Install?

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for checking that out I appreciate that will definitely keep it in mind when deciding which to get.

Couple of questions:

1. Does Dell seem to have constantly changing prices? Are they cheaper on Black Friday/Xmas or do they even play that game?

2. Do you get a copy of Windows in case you want to do a Clean Install?

1. Yes, their prices change frequently because the price of some components they use constantly fluctuates. To be honest, I no longer pay much attention to what Dell does as far as promotional pricing on the PCs they sell directly. I haven't ordered a PC from Dell in quite a while.

2. You can order backup and recovery media that includes the OS after you receive your PC. See http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/DSN_331556?c=us&s=gen&cs=&l=en

[mccoady]

Sorry I have a few more questions... usually_quiet are you saying maybe I should be looking at other brands besides Dell?

You guys are more knowledgeable but it appears to me that the only differences between the H81 and the Z87 chipset is the latter has more features but no meaningful performance advantages, is this correct?

I'm surprised that both the H81 and Z87 chipsets don't already come with enough video ports VGA, DVI & HDMI without having to add a separate video card, is this because Dell uses a very cheap motherboard of their own design?

Is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 1GB DDR3 that comes with the XPS 8700 just an average video card? Would that be what you would recommend if we got the Inspiron 3847 and needed a video card?

[usually_quiet]

Sorry I have a few more questions... usually_quiet are you saying maybe I should be looking at other brands besides Dell?

No, I'm saying that when the Dell PC that I bought in 2001 finally became horribly obsolete in 2009, I started building my own systems. My sister likes HP, and recently bought one but I can't say that HP builds a better product.

You guys are more knowledgeable but it appears to me that the only differences between the H81 and the Z87 chipset is the latter has more features but no meaningful performance advantages, is this correct?

You are correct. The Z87 chipset is intended for gamers and power users who need extra features, but the H81 chipset, the budget consumer product, is perfectly fine for most people. If you looked at my specs, you'll see that I have a B85 chipset motherboard, which is a budget business product.

I'm surprised that both the H81 and Z87 chipsets don't already come with enough video ports VGA, DVI & HDMI without having to add a separate video card, is this because Dell uses a very cheap motherboard of their own design?

The determining factor here is cost. There are inexpensive MATX boards available for those interested in building their own systems that also have only two video connections VGA and DVI or HDMI.

Is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 1GB DDR3 that comes with the XPS 8700 just an average video card? Would that be what you would recommend if we got the Inspiron 3847 and needed a video card?

Yes. It is a small single-slot card with modest power requirements. Something like that is all that most people need. Those who game, or do serious video editing, or want to support more than two displays would need something more powerful, but your son doesn't fall into those categories.

Here is a similar retail version with more memory. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127805

[mccoady]

Thanks usually_quiet all your info helps out greatly and I learned a few things to boot.: