Dell XPS 700 - reviewed, dissected

[WilHarris]

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200..._review/1.html

[Juppun]

Great article, never knew that the LED lights on the front could be changed!

[mattthegamer463]

I don't get it.

They say Core 2 Duo is so amazing, and that Dell has done really well with this XPS, but it got owned in most catagories (especially gaming) so what is the deal? Is it just because the entire system sucks but Core 2 Duo is good so it sort of pulled the dead weight of everything else through? I don't get it.

[Cheap Mod Wannabe]

Well see they use Core 2 Duo to attract people, but put cheap memory that fu**s things up causing the whole system to perform pretty average. I don't get it why they could not spend a bit more on memory and motherboard to make it a great machine.

[mashles]

i just want that case sooo bad. From that review, its the only top class thing in the whole package i think.

[Bachy]

I would of thought that it be more appropiate to put proviso on the recommended award - to get dell to think about using decent memory and ironing out all the bugs, and like the reviewer says to sort out the pricing.

So from the gist of the whole review its an under performing overpriced peice of hardware. Albiet it comes in a lovely aluminium case - however I feel performance is king (especially so on a site like bit-tech) - which this machine lacks.

[ex421]

nice case and nice graphics card and CPU but Dell will go cheap where they can, theres not many off-brand CPU's or video cards, but tons of off brand memory which costs half the price of the huge names...they use cheap technology wherever they can, leads to a higher profit, and thats business...

[Tulatin]

Ehm, the memory dell is using is likely based on the same Micron chips that power half the world, but with a natch;

Either by purchasing chips in volume and spinning their own sticks, purchasing the off chips (can't clock worth beans) from other manufacturers, or just buying up scads of value ram, they're making a killing - especially when you see that a gig of this stuff costs as much as two of the top shelf kit. Still, if you tried better memory, i doubt the bios would let you fix the clocks/lats

[ex421]

and thats why if you have any knowledge of PC's you should be building your own

[Bachy]

Thats partly the point I was trying to make (mybe badly though). Most of the bit techers reading this realise that they could knock together a rig which performance wise would knock the socks off the Dell for half the price. Thats why I found the review (although well written) dissapointing to give it a bit tech recommended badge.

[hitman012]

You're missing the point. Some people don't want the hassle of building a new PC and dealing with the associated troubleshooting, component selection and plethora of other potential problems that lie in wait. This machine is designed for enthusiasts who just want to play games at high settings. Period.

And why haven't other BIOS manufacturers come up with that layout yet?

[r4tch3t]

I remember when BTX was first announced, the BTX Heatsink was huge, taking up the entire shroud, now its no even half with core duo.
I like the 3mm Aluminium.

Nice review

[Drexial]

the bad memory CLEARLY killed the performance on that machine. and i wonder if the fact that it wont run a second card for SLI might have something to do with dell requiring it being a dell card. i do believe dell did something like this on a larger scale years back. its kinda just a random guess. it may explain why Dell does offer it with two cards, but when you plugged in your own it didn't work.

but for a high end system its not a bad start. i'm not very much a fan of dells myself and would probly look elsewhere for a pre-built gaming rig. but i build all my own systems anyway. so not a concern for me.

and i have to say BTX is a really bad attempt at ripping off apples design. which for airflow is a prime setup.

[Firehed]

Recommended? It took a bit too much flak to earn that title, if you ask me. Seems like it should get an almost there type of award... it's got the potential, but a couple of really stupid issues as clearly noted (ie, the RAM) really held it back. I suppse for the no-fuss, no-muss everyday gamer it could be a decent choice, but it seemed to be trailing by just a bit too much in the high-detail gaming considering alternatives (though, in fairness, I don't spend my days pricing out gaming rigs anymore). I do like the look of the case, or at least the outside, but I think it's really being held way back by a pretty stupid limitation.

[Rd52]

i just want the case, ITS BEAUTIFULL

[BioSniper]

I know the case is "pre-modded tat" ( generally speaking ) but I actually really do like it asthetically. Sure the colour change LED lights is hammy as hell and im sure some cheap company will rip it off and market it as a new product but the case just does something for me.
If there are other colours for the main body of the case then I would be sorely tempted to buy a bare case if it were possbile. Only deal breaker there is BTX :/

[Tim S]

I'm going to quadruple-check the numbers when I get to the office. A lot of the deficit is down to memory timings in 2D - the gaming results shouldn't be as low as they are though. They were checked three times before I passed the results to Wil.

I'll let you know in a few hours.

[xion]

Sure it looks the dogs-danglies, and I'd love to have a machine of that power sitting beside me, but... well... its Dell.

Dell is the OEM equivalent of PC-World, duping the not so tech-savvy into plumping a premium for an over spec'ed (read: overpriced) system for their needs. Adding insult to injury, often using sub par components along side top-notch goodies. Something doesn't add up; this system is designed for enthusiasts, yet inside it looks like it was put together by a 14 year old powered by a steady intake of 80 espresso's an hour.

Recommended? if I had this kind of money to buy a new toy, it'd be custom. Or Alienware... Why is Dell not learning from its own sub-business?

[perplekks45]

1st: On page 9:

We then decompressed and decompressed the file we had just created.

shouldn't it be decompressed and decrypted?

2nd: Nice review showing a lot of weak spots of the new XPS but I too don't understand why you're giving it a 'recommended' as it clearly underperforms for the hardware that's in it. I do understand it's a very nice PC performance-ish but there's a lot of potential wasted by Dell so I'd never recommend someone buying it even though he had like no idea of PCs.

[Tim S]

I'd run the wrong batch file for the gaming benchmarks - I've updated the gaming results accordingly. I think I need a smack on the side of the head.

The 2D tests are as they should be though.