Dell X8500-4727BK Desktop: Core i7 3770 3.40GHz, 12GB DDR3, 2TB 7200RPM HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 1GB, WiFi N, Win 7 Home Prem $600 + Tax YMMV
 

Was at the local Costco warehouse a couple of days ago and they had this desktop computers on clearance at $600.00 + tax. YMMV is available at your local Costco. I did not find this at Costco online.

Dell X8500-4727BK
* Intel Core i7 3770 3.40GHz
* 12GB DDR3 memory
* 2TB 7200RPM hard drive
* Intel GeForce GT 640 1GB
* Wireless 802.11b/g/n
* SuperMulti DVD +_R/RW/CDRW
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* 2 Year manufacturer warranty

Also found this desktop on clearance for $400.00 - $50.00 instant rebate = $350.00 + tax.

HP P7-1227C
* AMD Quad-Core A10-5700
* 12GB DDR3 memory
* 2TB hard drive
* 6 Months Norton security
* AMD Radeon 7660D graphics card
* Wireless 802.11b/g/n
* SuperMulti DVD +_R/RW/CD
* AMD A75 chipset
* 2 Year manufacturer warranty

Which one is a better bang for the buck deal? Any input is appreciated. Going back today to replace my 5 year old Dell Vostro 200.

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

Fremont, Ca $900. No confirmed $600 buys. Unixadmin

The Dell is a lot better (build quality, better cpu/gpu/psu) and offer better upgrade options but if all you need is a basic desktop then get the HP.

Do you think its still cheaper to build one's own PC these days? I built one myself like 6 years back and really need a new one, but if I add up the latest components, it comes to like $2k (which would last me another ~5 years). I wonder if I'm better off buying 2 PCs at $600 over that same period? This Dell any good for encoding? TIA.

Update: nevermind, that Dell's video card is garbage.

Just get the Dell, bring it home, hook it up and see if you like it. Unless you are a heavy gamer, 99% chance that you will. If you don't, you have 90 days to return it for a full refund, no questions asked.

No point to spend $2K now + your time and labor when you can get this for $600 and sell it for $400 in a year if you feel like it.

You can upgrade it yourself. That card is worth $50 so it will offset the new card. Dell has a 460w psu, you can get a few powerful cards without needing to replace it. The HP has a 300w psu, so you're limited in your choices.

Just saw this statement of yours after I posted my previous reply. You are not making sense: if the Dell's video card is garbage, why are you even considering the Trinity-based HP?

AMD sucks. Need a PC to game + encode 1080p. Building is probably a safer bet for me although I despise the time it takes. TY anyway OP.

Unless you plan to OC or Sli, I think the Dell would be fine for your needs. Of course you have to upgrade the GPU.

This is a great deal if other costcos have this price.

Wanted that Dell but my Costco has it for 900 +

Upgrading the video card is pretty easy. Best guess is that the PSU can handle anything up to a Nvidia 670. On the AMD side, the Radeon 7870 should be an option from Dell.

Go with the Dell and upgrade the video card.

I have previously installed a GeForce GTX 460 v2 and upgraded the power supply on my Dell Vostro 200. My thought was to purchase the Dell and swap the video card and power supply. Would doing this with the HP make more sense since I don't really game much? Thanks!

If the original retail is $900+, then the Dell is a great deal. But wondering if the difference between the Dell and the HP is worth $250.

If it's true, this machine for $600+tax is pretty good. They go on ebay for around $800-850.

Depends on what you're doing. $350 for an A10-5700 would be a decent box, if brand new. If this is for gaming, I would personally would rather go refurb i3/i5 + better graphics card for the same price. But I have some experience tweaking these boxes and don't mind doing my own repairs.

If you're not gaming the A10 will last you a while. Most computers are overpowered for browsing + office productivity - I ran an early 2007 era c2d box up until recently and probably could have kept it going. But i5 refurb deals were just too tempting, plus I wanted a midtower and not something that limited me to low profile graphics cards. Even an A10 would be a lot better than those early c2d's, probably comparable to i3 + $50 graphics card (close to a radeon 6570/7570, I think).

Some people can't see a great deal even if it hits them in the face.

Three good reasons to buy the Dell:

1) Search SD for past XPS 8500 deals and see how much they were selling for when they were on the FP.
2) See a reply above for the current eBay going price for this config.
3) See my reply above for its expected resale value a year from now.

That's a great price on the Dell, I was at Costco earlier and I think I saw it for $900

.......

$900.00 @ my Costco, must be a local clearance??

i'd buy that Dell in a second if it were available for that price at my local Costco...

Same here in sfo Bay Area ! Any one?

Is there a way to check inventory online?

Any one for Costco item number for call in store ?

$900 @ Fremont, Ca. No confirmed $600 buys.

I have attached picture of Costco tag with information.

If I remember correctly, 657977 for the HP and 657978 for the Dell.
The way it was explained to me, any $xxx.97 price is a clearance price. The clearance price gets lower and lower as the stock diminishes. Right now, my local Costco is fully stocked up with both models. Only the Dell is on clearance, but still at the $899.97 price. The entire area seems to still be at that price. I was told that when they get their stock down to a couple, they may lower the price further.

buy now and price match later? woudl that work?

What city is this at?

This is in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. They placed all the Win7 desktops on clearance on 10/24. I actually had to settle for the display model which I am currently using as they sold all the boxed desktops for both Dell and HP systems. The only one left is the Vizio AIO.

It's not cheaper to build it yourself. In my opinion, it's only practical to build yourself when:

1) The warranty on your model sucks and you don't have NBD on-site. You're comfortable with self-service and RMA turnaround, including potential RMAs on DOA parts, or you have spare parts on hand if a component fails.
2) You require certain motherboard features (overclocking, undervolting, certain RAID configurations, Crossfire or SLI, etc.) which are absent from a manufacturer's home user motherboard.
3) You want a larger case or superior PSU for device expansion, cable organization, and case modification.

The i7-3770 is a very good encoding processor since it's a hyperthreaded quad-core. The memory timings probably suck and the modules might not be setup for dual channel, but I think you'd only see a 5% performance hit for that on encoding tasks. If you're just backing up your DVD and Blu-Ray collections, this would be more than adequate. This would also be a solid gaming system if you just replaced the OEM card.

If you're trying to future proof, don't spend $2,000. This only hurts you because of diminishing returns. The average user shouldn't really be spending more than $1,200 on a system.

Same results at two Costco's in the Chicagoland area. Has anyone confirmed this deal, or is this too good to be true (suspecting that the original post may be a Troll).

That's very strongly worded. Way to start your membership here. Based on how they explained the whole clearance process to me at my local Costco, the OP's explanation sounds legit.

See post 27 for the actual Costco price tag for the item.

I went yesterday to purchase the Dell, but they only had the display available and all the HP's were gone. Saw a display Lenovo 430 IdeaCentre for $300. Purchased that instead of the Dell and took it home. Very disappointed with it. Returned it this morning and glad that the display Dell was still available. Purchased it and now using it.

Yeah, it's not like the old days. Building is now for enthusiasts. With all the sales from the big builders, you just can't beat their buying power. You could probably build the same system for the same price as they're selling it, but when you realize the quality of the hardware, you'd probably be happier buying big builder and pleading ignorant about what's inside. It's like eating fast food, it tastes pretty good until you start looking at what's inside.

The only real exception to the rule is workstation computers. I think you can still beat out some of the big builders when you're putting together a high end workstation.

Just for the record, check post #6. You are welcome. ;)

Last time I bought a display from Costco, they gave me 20% off. Hope you got a discount too, but consider yourself lucky that at least the display was available. BTW, if you don't like it for some reason, consider selling it on eBay.

Thanks for the advice. I asked for a discount but they have already reduced it from the original price. I have gotten a discount before for other display items that were selling at the original price.

In my experience, regular pricing is $xx.99. First clearance pricing $xx.97. Final clearance pricing is $xx.00. Final clearance are normally hard to find as they are priced so low that they just fly off the shelves.

Yet you were taking your time on this one and are truly lucky to still have scored one. :lmao:

No go in King of Prussia, PA. Still $899.97.

My Costco had one at $700, display model. Not quite $600, sadly. I asked the floor staff, the cashier, and the checkout manager if they price matched--showing them the $600 price tag posted here. Sadly, they do not. Prices vary from store to store and they mark down at their own discretion. But I still bought it. Haven't set it up yet, but 90 day return policy, 2 year warranty...this floor model is fine with me!

You can call Costcos in your area and give them the product number (657978) and they can check inventory. They won't have the marked down price in their database, but they have inventory count. But if they only have one or two at the location, odds are they have marked them down. They can also see if other nearby Costcos have stock. Hope that helps.

I just picked up the floor model (tower only) at the Limerick, PA store for $499.99! Giving it to my 2 boys for Christmas! Definitely YMMV!