First-Look: Dell XPS 600 - bit-tech.net Forums

WilHarris · 15th Sep 2005, 18:58

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...xps_600/1.html

Certainly looks like an interesting system - we're looking forward to getting it full working and seeing how it actually performs and evaluating the bundle!

Gordy · 15th Sep 2005, 19:14

Could they have made it any more messy in the inside of that case. Why not use rounded cables or sata hard discs??

I see they've got a long way to go to reach the levels of voodoo, alienware etc when it comes to finishing touches.

Fr4nk · 15th Sep 2005, 19:16

ooo... I like how the door and drive bay are intergated

. What make of ram is the XPS (hoping its not crappy unbranded stuff... but it wouldnt serprize me)

-Frank

Lucidity · 15th Sep 2005, 19:39

Dell needs to hire a wire wrangler or something, that is one of the messiest cases I have ever seen!

Da Dego · 15th Sep 2005, 20:19

Agreed that for the money, the finishing touches should be a bit nicer. Dell has always lacked those little 'extras', though, sad as that may be.

But a note...those clamshell cases? They used to use them on their earlier P4 and most of their Xeon server lines. Let me tell you, those things ROCK. I want to mod my current system into one (i have an old one kicking around), but the one I have is one PCI slot shy of ATX form factor.

When you put rounded IDE or SATA in them, they become some of the nicest, easiest systems to work with. Everything's tool-less, everything's accessible, and for once...NOTHING is in the way of each other, even when everything is connected. I wish other companies sold them, or dell sold them as standard ATX cases separate from their machines. I'd buy one in a heartbeat, though I don't like the new door in front.

The rest of the system, on the other hand, I can't say as I would touch for the life of me. Dell is renowned for putting BIOS locks on their boards that prevent OCing, and they may pre-OC the graphics cards, but that's just so you can't do it later. They warranty everything too much to risk letting the general public have control over the system, and though I can't blame them, I won't be running out and buying one, either.

I hope, for all our sakes, that this nod to dell as a serious article is more of a "If you want to recommend your buddy a good gaming rig with a name he can trust..." Cost and components or no, Dell would be pushing the envelope to be considered seriously as an enthusiast system outside of laptops and servers (which you can't or won't do much to anyways).

scousechris · 15th Sep 2005, 21:42

I reckon that without much airflow in that case there will be an error message saying "A thermal event error has occured", within about 6 months. Much like the GX series seems to be suffering a lot of.

unclean · 15th Sep 2005, 21:47

Interesting, i wonder if they've got a sorted Nvidia Nf4 SLI chipset, the current one is extremely bug ridden and unstable.

Stompy · 15th Sep 2005, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by scousechris

I reckon that without much airflow in that case there will be an error message saying "A thermal event error has occured", within about 6 months. Much like the GX series seems to be suffering a lot of.

Well the CPU is cooled by Dual 120mms and the graphics is cooled by the 120mm intake and dual slot cooling solutions compared to the standard single slot, so I'm pretty sure it's sufficient....

RotoSequence · 15th Sep 2005, 22:26

On the contrary, thats pretty bog standard for a Dell of any variety inside, minus the two graphics cards. Id take a picture, but theres no camera for me to use at school.

Hamish · 15th Sep 2005, 23:06

we have one of those £99 dell servers they were selling a while back
it has the nicest sata cables i've ever come across, on par with the ones that came with my DFI NF4 board
the DFI ones are excellent cos they lock in so damn tight, no way they're going to fall off
the dell ones had nice 90 degree plugs on one end and locked in pretty tight too

TheLostSwede · 15th Sep 2005, 23:13

Right, it's using SATA hard drives, it's just that they're hidden behind a green plastic cup type of thing for some reason. The floppy drive isn't fitted, but the cable is there, so it's just hanging around loose inside the case, hence some extra mess. And no, it doesn't really work that well.... Still waiting for that call from Dell tech support... in Texas!

Firehed · 15th Sep 2005, 23:24

Well my hatred of dell aside, it's pretty standard. You have to keep in mind that 99% of their buyers won't see that huge mess inside, and have a "as long as it works" mantra. Their $300 machine really can't be touched for price when you consider it includes a monitor, but anything much above that is a ripoff.

I bet you could overclock the thing with clockgen though, if you can find a compatible version. The most you'll be able to do in the BIOS is change the date, but that's standard dell if anything is (aside from making the PSU and case utterly proprietary).

CarlT2001 · 15th Sep 2005, 23:49

I am currently running a dell dimension 8400 - 3.2ghz p4, 1gb ram, 6800gt gfx....my brother reconditions dell desktops and lappys and he gave this to me for nowt! I typically do not like dell pc's but I could not say no to this....previous spec was xp1800 with 512mb, fx4200....
Yeah, its a nice computer...plays hl2 very well....but the noise!!!!
I hate to think what kind of racket the xps makes......

(because of the 6800gt card in the pc, bios keeps telling me to get another fancard...anyone know how to get rid of this annoying message @ post?)

specofdust · 16th Sep 2005, 00:02

It still just seems like a typical OEM to me, make the stuff you can write down as a feature first class, make everything as cheap as possible.

Case in point is the IDE cables, no enthusiast wants flats. The rest of the case looks messy too. OEM's like dell just won't put any love into a system, which is exactly what the thing needs before it can truly be classed as an enthusiast hardcore gamers machine.

kempez · 16th Sep 2005, 00:45

For a Dell: its pretty damn good. For a dell. I mean: A DELL!!

Anyway: here's a review of the Dell 600 too that I thought peeps may be interested in : ExtremeTech
The cooler on the 7800GTX/GT's is far superior to the stock HSF setup on the GTX. Love the fact that (like the NV5) it pushed the air outta the case

Pic of what I mean:

Marquee · 16th Sep 2005, 01:03

DtD = Death to Dell.

scousechris · 16th Sep 2005, 01:06

Yeah, I understand all that stompy, but, considering that the psu is sitting underneath the drives and with the door shut, there is a lot of heat on one side of the case, without sufficient cold air passing through the system stuff is going to get toasty in there... completely different machine granted, but out of 190 GX270's purchased less than six months ago in my place of work with a near as dammit door construction and minimum airflow setup 17 machines have developed a problem within the last three weeks, of which Dell have admitted a manufacturing problem with a capacitor on machines developed between Mar 04 and Apr 05.... and as an ex dell TSR I can say that for Dell to admit to a "Known Issue" is a big deal... This case although a tower with a few more fans does seem to be very similar to the layout of a GX270 .

Now couple that with two graphics cards which run well with decent cooling in a well ventilated case and I am sure, nay... adamant that this little B~stard of a powerhouse will cause no end of problems for anyone daring to run at full pelt for sustained periods of time.

my very large 2p's

chemo · 16th Sep 2005, 01:50

wow, what a pikey install.
surely now, even dell would have people who actually knew how to keep it tidy. afterall its not a low end spec machine

mattthegamer463 · 16th Sep 2005, 02:30

Dell. Change 1 letter and what does it spell?!?

RotoSequence · 16th Sep 2005, 05:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattthegamer463

Dell. Change 1 letter and what does it spell?!?

Gell? Deal? Fell? Dele? Dela? Dill? Pell? Rell? Zell? Xell? Nell? Bell?

That must be it! Bell! Similar to Packard Bell, the worst computer company in history! That MUST be the reference you were making

15th Sep 2005, 18:58	#1
WilHarris Just another nobody Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Oxford Posts: 2,671	First-Look: Dell XPS 600 http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...xps_600/1.html Certainly looks like an interesting system - we're looking forward to getting it full working and seeing how it actually performs and evaluating the bundle!

15th Sep 2005, 19:14	#2
Gordy Evil Teddy Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Bristol Posts: 2,485	Could they have made it any more messy in the inside of that case. Why not use rounded cables or sata hard discs?? I see they've got a long way to go to reach the levels of voodoo, alienware etc when it comes to finishing touches. __________________ modding.gordyhand.co.uk

15th Sep 2005, 19:16	#3
Fr4nk Tyrannosaurus Alan ! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Uk, Essex Posts: 2,367	ooo... I like how the door and drive bay are intergated . What make of ram is the XPS (hoping its not crappy unbranded stuff... but it wouldnt serprize me) -Frank __________________ {Macbook Pro + Dell 2407 WFP - Canon 3000V + Canon 350D + BG-E3 + Sigma 10-20mm + 50mm f1.8 + kit 28-90mm EF - Rolleiflex 2.8 TLR} *Flickr ~Flickriver ^ My Behance Art Folio

15th Sep 2005, 19:39	#4
Lucidity Multimodder Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NC Posts: 139	Dell needs to hire a wire wrangler or something, that is one of the messiest cases I have ever seen! __________________ [size=1]AMD 64 6000+ X2, Asus M2N SLI Deluxe, 4 GBs of Corsair XMS 6400 ram, Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS 320mb

15th Sep 2005, 20:19	#5
Da Dego Brett Thomas Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Cleveland, OH USA Posts: 3,906	Agreed that for the money, the finishing touches should be a bit nicer. Dell has always lacked those little 'extras', though, sad as that may be. But a note...those clamshell cases? They used to use them on their earlier P4 and most of their Xeon server lines. Let me tell you, those things ROCK. I want to mod my current system into one (i have an old one kicking around), but the one I have is one PCI slot shy of ATX form factor. When you put rounded IDE or SATA in them, they become some of the nicest, easiest systems to work with. Everything's tool-less, everything's accessible, and for once...NOTHING is in the way of each other, even when everything is connected. I wish other companies sold them, or dell sold them as standard ATX cases separate from their machines. I'd buy one in a heartbeat, though I don't like the new door in front. The rest of the system, on the other hand, I can't say as I would touch for the life of me. Dell is renowned for putting BIOS locks on their boards that prevent OCing, and they may pre-OC the graphics cards, but that's just so you can't do it later. They warranty everything too much to risk letting the general public have control over the system, and though I can't blame them, I won't be running out and buying one, either. I hope, for all our sakes, that this nod to dell as a serious article is more of a "If you want to recommend your buddy a good gaming rig with a name he can trust..." Cost and components or no, Dell would be pushing the envelope to be considered seriously as an enthusiast system outside of laptops and servers (which you can't or won't do much to anyways). __________________ "Frankly that seems overkill. iluvtrees2 arguing with spec is the intellectual equivalent of a bunny rabbit taking on a pissed-off lion." - Nexxo

15th Sep 2005, 21:42	#6
scousechris Minimodder Join Date: May 2005 Location: Derry, North of Ireland Posts: 23	I reckon that without much airflow in that case there will be an error message saying "A thermal event error has occured", within about 6 months. Much like the GX series seems to be suffering a lot of.

15th Sep 2005, 21:47	#7
unclean SMP obsessive Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Berkshire Posts: 1,190	Interesting, i wonder if they've got a sorted Nvidia Nf4 SLI chipset, the current one is extremely bug ridden and unstable. __________________ i7 920 @ 4GHz 6GB Tracer 4870X2 \|\| Dual Xeon X5340 @ 3GHz 12GB FBDIMM 4TB RAID5 w/27" Dell 2707WFP \|\| Dual 1.6GHz LV Xeons @ 3.2GHz \|\| Dual Athlon XP-M 2500+ @ 2350MHz \|\| Dual Athlon MP2400+ \|\| Dual Celeron 366 @ 550MHz

15th Sep 2005, 22:26	#9
RotoSequence Lazy Lurker Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 'States Posts: 4,534	On the contrary, thats pretty bog standard for a Dell of any variety inside, minus the two graphics cards. Id take a picture, but theres no camera for me to use at school. __________________ Technology Schmecnology

15th Sep 2005, 23:06	#10
Hamish I Mod, Therefore I Own Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: London Posts: 3,587	we have one of those £99 dell servers they were selling a while back it has the nicest sata cables i've ever come across, on par with the ones that came with my DFI NF4 board the DFI ones are excellent cos they lock in so damn tight, no way they're going to fall off the dell ones had nice 90 degree plugs on one end and locked in pretty tight too

15th Sep 2005, 23:13	#11
TheLostSwede What's a Dremel? Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: UK Posts: 4	Right, it's using SATA hard drives, it's just that they're hidden behind a green plastic cup type of thing for some reason. The floppy drive isn't fitted, but the cable is there, so it's just hanging around loose inside the case, hence some extra mess. And no, it doesn't really work that well.... Still waiting for that call from Dell tech support... in Texas!

15th Sep 2005, 23:24	#12
Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An hour north of Boston Posts: 12,576	Well my hatred of dell aside, it's pretty standard. You have to keep in mind that 99% of their buyers won't see that huge mess inside, and have a "as long as it works" mantra. Their $300 machine really can't be touched for price when you consider it includes a monitor, but anything much above that is a ripoff. I bet you could overclock the thing with clockgen though, if you can find a compatible version. The most you'll be able to do in the BIOS is change the date, but that's standard dell if anything is (aside from making the PSU and case utterly proprietary). __________________ hire me @ eric-stern.com - web developer and php ninja pics @ my smugmug :: Twitter @firehed :: blog @ firehed.net 40D\|580EXII\|285HV\|AB800\|70-200f/4LIS\|17-50f/2.8\|150f/2.8Macro\|50f/1.8 MacPro @ 8x2.8GHz, 10GB FBDDR2, 3TB HD :: MBP @ 2x2.2GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB HD

15th Sep 2005, 23:49	#13
CarlT2001 Multimodder Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Horsham, UK Posts: 201	I am currently running a dell dimension 8400 - 3.2ghz p4, 1gb ram, 6800gt gfx....my brother reconditions dell desktops and lappys and he gave this to me for nowt! I typically do not like dell pc's but I could not say no to this....previous spec was xp1800 with 512mb, fx4200.... Yeah, its a nice computer...plays hl2 very well....but the noise!!!! I hate to think what kind of racket the xps makes...... (because of the 6800gt card in the pc, bios keeps telling me to get another fancard...anyone know how to get rid of this annoying message @ post?)

16th Sep 2005, 00:02	#14
specofdust Banned Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 7,622	It still just seems like a typical OEM to me, make the stuff you can write down as a feature first class, make everything as cheap as possible. Case in point is the IDE cables, no enthusiast wants flats. The rest of the case looks messy too. OEM's like dell just won't put any love into a system, which is exactly what the thing needs before it can truly be classed as an enthusiast hardcore gamers machine.

16th Sep 2005, 00:45	#15
kempez modding again! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: England Posts: 1,102	For a Dell: its pretty damn good. For a dell. I mean: A DELL!! Anyway: here's a review of the Dell 600 too that I thought peeps may be interested in : ExtremeTech The cooler on the 7800GTX/GT's is far superior to the stock HSF setup on the GTX. Love the fact that (like the NV5) it pushed the air outta the case Pic of what I mean:

16th Sep 2005, 01:03	#16
Marquee Supermodder Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto Canada Posts: 404	DtD = Death to Dell. __________________ Project Log: Knight Rider CWC

16th Sep 2005, 01:06	#17
scousechris Minimodder Join Date: May 2005 Location: Derry, North of Ireland Posts: 23	Yeah, I understand all that stompy, but, considering that the psu is sitting underneath the drives and with the door shut, there is a lot of heat on one side of the case, without sufficient cold air passing through the system stuff is going to get toasty in there... completely different machine granted, but out of 190 GX270's purchased less than six months ago in my place of work with a near as dammit door construction and minimum airflow setup 17 machines have developed a problem within the last three weeks, of which Dell have admitted a manufacturing problem with a capacitor on machines developed between Mar 04 and Apr 05.... and as an ex dell TSR I can say that for Dell to admit to a "Known Issue" is a big deal... This case although a tower with a few more fans does seem to be very similar to the layout of a GX270 . Now couple that with two graphics cards which run well with decent cooling in a well ventilated case and I am sure, nay... adamant that this little B~stard of a powerhouse will cause no end of problems for anyone daring to run at full pelt for sustained periods of time. my very large 2p's

16th Sep 2005, 01:50	#18
chemo True Jungle Brother Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,639	wow, what a pikey install. surely now, even dell would have people who actually knew how to keep it tidy. afterall its not a low end spec machine

16th Sep 2005, 02:30	#19
mattthegamer463 Mod Master Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 2,805	Dell. Change 1 letter and what does it spell?!? __________________ Latest Work: Boombox Build Project PCB- Complete Digital Picture Frame 2.0- Complete RumbleMouse - Complete Latest Project: TestPC- Complete Lian-Li PC7: C2D E6600, XFX 8800GTS 640MB, Corsair 2GB PC6400, 320GB Seagate Barracuda, EVGA 680i SLi, OCZ 850W