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Working on a new build. Picked up a Dell XPS 730x for $80!


albert_c

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Was looking for a Gen2 i7-based PC because the I needed a machine that could comfortably run a Radeon HD4890 card at a low cost. Found an eBay auction and won it for $80 because it happened to be for local pick-up only. Likely for good reason because this thing weighs 50lbs. Auction read that it booted to the BIOS only, so I don't know if it works. There is no HDD but that is no biggie. Won't get a chance to work on it till the weekend. It is both overkill and underkill. Overkill because I only will run MAME, Taito Type-X, and some Dreamcast/Naomi emulator (CPSIII, Atomiswave, etc) for arcade action. Underkill because it is now 6 year old hardware, so I won't be playing new games on it.  But that is fine. Its intended use is to interface it to a CRT based cab. Also, I am not a PC gamer.

 

It happens to be the most powerful bit of hardware that I own among my 5 or so laptops and 3 desktops I have laying around. Gen2 i7-based "vanilla" machines are shipping off eBay for around $150-$250, so at $80 I got a real steal. I may repurpose my Core 2 Duo based desktop for this purpose, but up until this point, I have not been able to get NAOMI based games to run smoothly on them, so I got this machine. But it is so nice, I may make it my main desktop.

 

Here are some specs:

 

CPU - i7-940

GPU - Dual Radeon HD4890 (Highest possible card supported by Calamity drivers for 15khz output!)

6GB - DDR3

1000W - PSU

Motherboard - Dell XPS 730x

Kick-ass Cooling system & LED lights

 

The good news is this is all ATX and so I the upgrade bug ever hits, I can keep this nice case if need be. Pics of the PC (hopefull in action) and the cab coming this weekend.

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That's a really nice case. I bought one myself in '09 and it still amazes people when they see it. They came in 2 versions, the H2C (Liquid cooled) and the normal one. Watch out for leaks if you have the normal one and be sure to dust-clean it. That baby has more sucking power than 5 Dyson's combined. Have fun!

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