How Much Would It Cost to Build an XPS Laptop Type Desktop PC?

bigballerbrand on 11/06/2021 - 13:43

Hi guys,

Don't know anything about desktop PC but here's my situation.

I currently have an i7 XPS 17 that I use for work. My home computer recently fried itself so I am in the market for a laptop for home. I was thinking to use the XPS 17 for home and get similar desktop PC for work.

Its not going to be for gaming, just processing, million tabs and programs open at once etc.

Are there websites that help you build a PC based on your specifications? or should I get a pre built one like an XPS desktop for example?

I need something that is fast and can handle 2 monitors at 4k.

Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • RichardL on 11/06/2021 - 13:51

    It probably the worse time to build a pc right now with the availability and prices of GPU.

    But if you want to start, first place I would recommend is PC Part Picker.

    PCPP has guides, system builders, user's build, price trackers, etc for building a desktop computer.

    • bigballerbrand on 11/06/2021 - 13:54

      Would $2,000 be enough to be significantly better than an XPS 17?

      • RichardL on 11/06/2021 - 13:55

        Specs of your Dell XPS 17 (as there's so many variants/models)?

        A decent GPU at today's prices will take up most of that $2000 budget…

        • bigballerbrand on 11/06/2021 - 14:04

          i7, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd, 2060 video card i think.

          I just want something that is going to be fast and reliable. especially with multiple screens/programs etc

  • [Deactivated] on 11/06/2021 - 13:55

    Cost you thousands more to build yourself and you don't get warranty and support.
    Techfast deal R5-3600, RTX 3070, 16GB 3200MHz RAM, 240GB SSD, Giga B450 DS3H MB, 650 Bronze PSU: $1999 + Post @TechFast
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/621597
    /endthread

  • scrimshaw on 11/06/2021 - 14:09
    +1

    Dell XPS are premium business ultrabooks (with low voltage U-series Intel processors and at most, a low end Nvidia MX series GPU), and they're more focused on portability rather than performance.

    Assuming that you got yours from a couple of years back there's a lot of new hardware now that would easily outperform the XPS. My mobile Ryzen 5 Pro 4650U (Thinkpad X13) is significantly faster than the i7-7700HQ found in my chungus 15 inch Lenovo, for instance.

    • bigballerbrand on 11/06/2021 - 14:11

      I got the xps 17 about a year ago. its amazing. but if i take it home for personal use i'll have to buy something powerful as a desktop replacement

      (i am assuming that i am trading portability for better performance since i still want to pay an equal amount of approx $2,000 or 2,500.)

      • [Deactivated] on 11/06/2021 - 14:19
        +1

        The budget is the most important part, if you want 2 monitors at 4k I'd suggest 3060 at least. If you were to pay scalped prices instead of buying prebuilt it would cost you 1.5k GPU alone. If you buy prebuilt you can get this 3600 Ryzen and 3070 build for $500 more: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/621597

      • scrimshaw on 11/06/2021 - 14:20
        +3

        Since you don't game, you won't need a graphics card — the integrated graphics on a modern Intel or AMD APU is capable of multi monitor setups (but pay attention to what motherboard you're getting, since the number of video output ports vary). You need at least Displayport 1.4 + HDMI 2.1 cable and a motherboard that supports that.

        Discrete GPU's are currently the most price-inflated part on the market right now… you don't need one so dodged a bullet there. However if you end up buying a system that doesn't have Integrated graphics, you will need to purchase a discrete GPU. Something like a GTX 1650 Super would be sort of the minimum.

        a GTX 1650 Super by the way, costs $398 from eBay (coupon AFTPY15, payment with Afterpay)

  • TheBird on 11/06/2021 - 14:18
    +1

    Its not going to be for gaming, just processing, million tabs and programs open at once etc.

    If literally speaking, you're going to need one hell of a machine to do this.

    It depends on what programs. Not all programs are created equal. Some take very little resources, others take a lot.

    That being said, unless you're using some programs that use high resources (games, video editing, vfx etc), these days, pretty much any computer i5/i7 would be fine. Get at least 16gig of ram, more if the programs you use need more ram.

    SSD drives are really good at making a machine feel more responsive.

    4k dual screen is where you might end up needing much more.

    • bigballerbrand on 11/06/2021 - 14:20
      +2

      is 4k dual screen that hard? I have a dock thing that I use to get dual screen on my XPS 17.

      • TheBird on 11/06/2021 - 14:37

        4k resolution is 4 times the data of 1080p… All that data needs to get processed for the screen. If your video card can't/doesn't pull its weight, it throws a lot of requirements on the CPU and can make a system feel less responsive. Of course it depends on what you're doing. Websites aren't probably going to matter. I don't run 4k monitors, so I'm only vaguely familar with its requirements.

        • Presence on 11/06/2021 - 15:24
          +2

          If you're just doing office things then running 4k isn't that demanding at all.

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