Originally Posted by
puchong
Do all Dell XPS come with additional free memory slots or do I have to replace the existing memory cards with higher capacity ones?
Current XPS will have 4 slots, and a 16GB configuration could be any of 1x 16GB DIMM, or 2x 8GB or 4x 4GB. If you are buying direct from Dell, it should specify the config. Desktop RAM prices are at (or near) an all time low, so even if you replace all 4 the cost is not high (Amazon shows 2x 16GB DDR4 desktop ram for $119 for the pair). Mixing sizes is (usually) OK, so if you had 2x 8GB you could add 2x 16GB for 48GB total
If it comes with only a SATA hard drive, will there be a slot available to add a SSD? How many can I add?
Depends on the specific model, but typically they will have 2-4 HD bays, and most will have a motherboard slot for an NVMe SSD. If not, if you have two PCI-E 16X slots, you can use a converter in one of them and the graphics card in the other.
If it comes with a generic Intel HD Graphics card, can I replace it with one of my choice? I have experienced a previous PC which had the display card soldered in!
Already answered by
garykung; as long as you have a 16x PCI-E slot, you can add your own graphics card. The XPS will all have one; if you look at the Optiplex business models, avoid "micro-tower" and "small form factor"/"ultra-small form factor" as those will not have full size card slots.
Is there any difference in intrinsic product quality between Scratch and Dent models and Refurbished models?
Scratch and dent models will have cosmetic damage, but will be fully functional. Refurbished will be like-new.
Finally, I have a 10% discount if I order it atdell.com/amex; however, I cannot find the same computers that I see at outlet.us.dell.com. Does anyone know a workaround - obviously the deals on the outlet site are better!
In general, the discounts will be separate between outlet and new sales, and each of outlet and new will have both Home/Home-office and Business channels, which have somewhat different models available. IMO it always pays to shop both, unless you can only find what you're looking for on one side. For the
type of desktop you're looking for, the XPS desktops on the home side are mode likely to be cost effective for what you want than Optiplex or Precision on the business side but both are worth looking at.
A lot, as I think I said up-thread, will depend on what size video card you want/need - there are some frequent and deep discounts on the Optiplex models but they usually don't have a big enough power supply to use an arbitrarily large graphics card, whereas the XPS and (pricier, workstation) Precision models will usually have a fairly large power supply. Other than for putting in a large aftermarket graphics card, that won't matter.