Dell XPS 700 - reviewed, dissected

It's so fugly it wraps back around into attractiveness. I like it :D

Originally Posted by mclean007
Having a play with the options on the UK Dell site and, strangely enough, there isn't even an option to spec up the XPS 700 with 2x1GB 667MHz ram - you can have 4x512MB 667MHz (for a whopping £223 premium over 2x512MB 533MHz - not great value when you can pick up 2x1GB 800MHz Corsair XMS2 4-4-4-12 for £170 inc VAT from scan!) or 2x1GB 533MHz (for £94 over the 2x512MB 533 MHz).

Similarly, you can spec up the system with a 7900GS, save £246, flog the GS and bung in a 7900GTX or X1900XTX.

On the whole, if you take the basic system (min RAM, min GFX, min HDD, lose the overpriced 3 year warranty), with a Core 2 Duo E6700 for £1,657. Ebay the RAM (£40?) and GFX card (£90?), add a proper GFX card (£250-300), some decent RAM (£170) and a 2nd HDD if you want RAID0 (£50) and you've got a pretty kick ass, powerful, quiet system in a beautiful case with a genuine copy of MCE for about two grand. Only problem is the lack of overclockability, but if you're happy to run at stock, you're laughing. Perhaps when the 590 chipset is released mainstream, BIOS revisions will come along enabling OC on this board?

EDIT: also, given the difference in Dell's price for the system with an E6300 vs an E6700 is £434, you'd be much better off speccing an E6300, dropping in an E6700 for £373 from Scan and flogging the E6300 for ~£100 (they go for £121 OEM / £131 retail inc VAT new) - another £150 shaved off the price. Personally I'd stick with the E6300 for a few months anyway until the prices of the higher end parts drop, then bag a bargain upgrade.

Although after flogging so much of it on ebay just to replace it means that all this works out to be is nothing but an overpriced case...

Can't say I'm a fan, and it wouldn't be something I'd give a recommended award to!

very disappointing

Its very very expensive (well what dell machine isn't) and lacks crucial things in it to make it worth the money

perhaps a bios update will fix some of the performance and upgradability issues, but i wouldn't count on it

Do remember though, they are using a chip that hasn't been released to the public yet

I read in the Dell blog that overclocking is allowed via nTune. Granted, Dell could have shipped it overclocked but still... this ought to work alrite.

# # #
http://www.direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/07/20/643.aspx

"10. Can I overclock the processor on the XPS 700?

Yes, you can. The XPS700 system is overclockable via applications like the nTune application. Specifically, Dell allows users to performance optimize various key parameters such as: Front side bus speed (results in reported increase in CPU speed without changing the multiplier); system memory timing and voltage; PCI Express bus speed; graphics processor speed (when used with nVidia graphics cards); and graphics memory speed (when used with nVidia graphics cards)."

Hi Fireant, welcome to the forums.

Thanks for the heads up, but I think that it is a great shame that Dell doesn't SHIP the XPS 700 with overclocking software included. There are programmes like ClockGen out there that do the job just as well as nTune (on the frequency adjustment front), so I think that Dell's idea of overclocking is a little jaded. I think they're getting there slowly though. Maybe the next major XPS rehash will come with an overclockable BIOS - we can wait, I guess. :)

Originally Posted by Tim S
Hi Fireant, welcome to the forums.

Thanks for the heads up, but I think that it is a great shame that Dell doesn't SHIP the XPS 700 with overclocking software included. There are programmes like ClockGen out there that do the job just as well as nTune (on the frequency adjustment front), so I think that Dell's idea of overclocking is a little jaded. I think they're getting there slowly though. Maybe the next major XPS rehash will come with an overclockable BIOS - we can wait, I guess. :)

Dell shouldn't care to be honest. Just say it voids the hell out of the warranty, and let people do what they want. If they break something, they got to come back to you for parts anyway...

that case and cooling is hawt... but they skimped. they will always be dell.

To be honest I dont find a single thing about it attractive, cheap parts and a name as bad as dell. I wouldnt have reccomended it.

ya'll made it onto engadget.com with this one!!

Maybe we... could ehh I know it's not a place to ask for porn, but get higher res images of that XPS 700?


On 1280x1024 the image thumbnails look pretty small, and for those with higher res I imagine it's even worse.

A question out of curiosity...

The review says that you can't change the color of the front from Windows. Did you guys wipe the drive right away or did you use it with all the preinstalled Dell software?

I ask because the XPS notebook has a utility to change the color of the LED's in Windows and it seems like it would be a step backwards for them not to include a similar utility for the Desktop. I believe a similar utility was also included in the last XPS desktop (the large silver one).

The OS was left intact, although we had to remove McAfee to get the games running without issue.

Looks like the XPS 700 will be available with ATI as well, according to this.

Originally Posted by yahooadam
very disappointing

Its very very expensive (well what dell machine isn't) and lacks crucial things in it to make it worth the money

perhaps a bios update will fix some of the performance and upgradability issues, but i wouldn't count on it

Do remember though, they are using a chip that hasn't been released to the public yet

Most of the range of Dells are quite inexpensive, actually. If you're buying an XPS expect to pay through the nose for the highest end and latest equipment that has all the usual bugs until it's refined.

How can you say you're severely disappointed with it performance wise and then give it a recommendation? That’s completely ridiculous. If a retailer uses the recommendation to sell the product then surely you’re misleading potential consumers somewhat…?

<-well the Article.
It says they are sissapointed in the performance loss due to bad RAM, They recommend it because it is a good system fo rpeople who do not want to mess with the insides of computers. A hassle free, powerfull gaming computer. Not suited to almost the entirety of Bit as we would build our own preferably, or mess ith the insides.
Looks good, just tell Dell to upgrade that RAM.

man i just want the case. to mod and put an am2 system in it with a triple rad somewhere. wheee

Originally Posted by el rolio
man i just want the case. to mod and put an am2 system in it with a triple rad somewhere. wheee

Wait for the next big hurricane to hit the US then troll eBay like a whore on payday for rigs that got trashed due to flooding. It'll happen...watch.

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi
Most of the range of Dells are quite inexpensive, actually. If you're buying an XPS expect to pay through the nose for the highest end and latest equipment that has all the usual bugs until it's refined.

whenever i look on dells site i see a few things wrong with their computer (so they seem cheap)

1) Usually the prices don't include their service charge (default is something like £300)
2) most of the PC's start with a Celeron
3) Most of the PC's have very little memory, although they frequently run double memory deals to make this look better
4) Any change from the default build and you will pay through the nose for it

In all, dell make their PC's look better then they are, and dell lives by their support - the only reason i might buy a dell - but that's not included by default, and is very expensive

nice case but i dont like anything else !

i know its been dead a couple days now.... but i just realised that they put onboard video... it has two PCI-Express slots. why onboard? i supose it doesnt entirly matter. but its just that in a high end machine whats the point?

Let's get over that 800mhz story again...
If you look at Nvidia's own specs about the nForce 590 SLI it states 667mhz as memory speed, not 800mhz.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce5_specs_intel.html

But the AMD reference system in the review uses 800mhz memory.....on that same chipset.
Can someone explain to me?

(sorry no expert here)

It's an interesting system and definitely has a market, but that market probably isn't anyone that frequents this type of site.

It would be nice if there were some nicer aftermarket cases available. That one is better than any I see anywhere in my area. Pretty much everything I've personally seen for an aftermarket or bare case is pretty cheap feeling and cheap looking.

Did anyone notice that Alienware had the silhouette of this thing compared to their new case, as if this unit was competition? I mean, even then, they were owned by Dell, it seemed weird that they were implying that Dell was competition. They changed it though, now it has the silhouette of a Mac Pro, but I'm not sure that is really competition either, completely different type of product, workstation vs. gaming computer.

I've been an avid bit-tech reader off and on now, never a forums member till now. A member of Notebook forums linked to this review. Thought I'd post a few comments.

Dell had brought two XPS 700's to QuakeCon this year in Dallas and the one machine that Dell had attendees competing against in the benchmark competition was pushing 5 digit 3DMark 06 scores. NOBODY that benched their machine they'd brought with them to QuakeCon got out of the 4 digit score range. (The AMD 64 rig I brought with me with it's single 7800GT didn't get beyond 3500 marks) But then again, the machines Dell was demoing had 7900GTX's in SLI coupled to a Core 2 Extreme, and I doubt they had any of Dell's value added software installed.

To me it's a good machine, but I'd never give money for one. It's easy enough for me to pick parts and build myself. Plus I have a Dell notebook I use for all my critical stuff. But, I have to say one thing, Dell's service beats anything you'll get from ANY parts manufacturer. You call/online chat/e-mail tech support, and the next business day you have a tech come out with a replacement part. Wish I could say the same for ASUS, the chipset fan on my A8N-SLI Deluxe (a problem ASUS knew full well about on the first release of that board) died. ASUS played musical telephones with me for a week, I'd call one department and they'd tell me to call this department who'd then tell me to call this guy, then that guy would tell me to speak with someone in the first department I spoke with. Finally after I'd had enough of that BS I put my foot down and they agreed to send me a replacement chipset fan. They took their sweet time in getting the fan to me too, they sent it to me via 1st class US post. Took two weeks for it to arrive. All the while I couldn't use my computer. The OEMs' service beats the snot out of the service you have to wring out of the parts makers.

ASUS makes good boards (I stupidly keep buying them) but I hope my latest P5N32-SLI doesn't quit on me. Great review Bit-tech, keep it up.

Originally Posted by MrEvil
The OEMs' service beats the snot out of the service you have to wring out of the parts makers.

Many people have had both good and bad experiences from the big PC brands and the PC parts makers alike. Maybe the service advantage might go to the big PC brand as they can't point fingers to another company if it's a compatibility issue like a parts maker might, but it's not something that you can draw from anecdotes.