Which Dell to get?

[crashtest]

I am looking to get either a Dell XPS Generation 4, or generation 5. Which according to the specs and price below do you think will be a better buy?

Both will have about the same price ($3,000), and these are the major differences: (Everything else is more or less the same)

Dell Gen 4: 3.6 660 p4, 2gigs DDR533, the 3rd HD will be 160gig hd, and a Laser printer.

Dell Gen 5: 3.2 Dual Core P4 extreme edition, 1 gig of DDR667 ram, 3rd hd is 80gigs, and just a normal inkjet printer.

Will the dual core and DDR667 memory speed of the Gen 5 perform faster in games and other taks? Should the 2gigs in the Gen 4 make up the difference compared to the 1gig in the Gen 5?

[firstadopter]

Currently games really don't take advantage of dual core technology, so if you want to play today's games the fastest, the single core is the way to go.

1 vs. 2 gigabytes of memory problem won't mean a big deal, especially since you can upgrade later for real cheap. 1 gigabyte doesn't cost much at all these days.

Dual core however will come into play in 1-2 years, as developers take advantage of it.

Either machine will play games plenty fast though, as long as you have a good video card to go with it.

Personally, if I had a choice, I would go with dual core because for non-gaming uses and multi-tasking for productivity applications, it is definitely helpful.

[Stainless]

Currently games really don't take advantage of dual core technology, so if you want to play today's games the fastest, the single core is the way to go.

1 vs. 2 gigabytes of memory problem won't mean a big deal, especially since you can upgrade later for real cheap. 1 gigabyte doesn't cost much at all these days.

Dual core however will come into play in 1-2 years, as developers take advantage of it.

Either machine will play games plenty fast though, as long as you have a good video card to go with it.

Personally, if I had a choice, I would go with dual core because for non-gaming uses and multi-tasking for productivity applications, it is definitely helpful.

I bought a Gen 3 roughly 6-7 months ago and I'm already 2 generations behind. I got my first Dell magazine yesterday offering the Gen 5. I immediately went to get drunk.

[firstadopter]

I have a feeling you were just looking for an excuse to get drunk. Lol.