Dell's XPS 700 reviewed and PC gaming wars
by Blake Snow 
{ Nov 2nd 2006 at 5:15PM }
For any PC exclusive gamers out there feeling neglected by an abundance of console news, have no fear, [H] Consumer swoops in with a review of Dell's XPS 700 gaming machine to bring back some focus on the trusty mouse and keyboard. Favorable remarks of the rig include several 8s, 9s, and 10s as the assessment concludes: "While neither the strongest gamer nor fastest horse in the stable, the XPS 700 provides remarkably solid performance and enjoyable gaming in a package that's sure to turn heads. Although we have concerns about how the 7900 GS's will fare with the next generation of games, they're more than adequate to handle the current needs of today's gamers."
Should be interesting to see how Dell's Alienware purchase and HP's recent Voodoo PC purchase affect the race to become the number one PC manufacturer in the world. More interesting, however, is to see said manufacturers laying down big money on gaming to secure that goal.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ZeldaX @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:20PM
can you archive this? I want to say I may have a prediction about this acquisitions. I predict in the near Future, Gateway might purchase Falcon Northwest
Holden Dapen0r @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:49PM
Dual 7900GS's will last you if you overclock them. They come stock at 450mhz core and 660mhz memory and with a simple volt mod, you can easily hit 700mhz on the core and 900+ on the memory. It is made the exact same way as my 7900GT just with fewer pipelines. My 7900GT is currently running at 710mhz on the core and 960 on the memory. That is more than enough for current games and newer games. Just make sure you have good cooling!
I used this guide: http://endeavorquest.net:8880/7900GT_VM/index.htm
all it costs is 6 bucks for a tube of conductive paint or ink. Best of all, it comes off with rubbing alcohol!
Uh_Oh @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:00PM
How many people actually buy systems like that? I'd rather build my own.
LaughingTarget @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:37PM
I'm with Uh_oh on this. Any serious PC gamer knows they can not only build a better system than any existing manufacturer can produce, but can build it for much less. There isn't any reason to pay the 100+% markups these guys are charging. I'm sure the average guy would be willing to save $500 or more if they learn it only takes an hour to get a system from scratch to running.
Kestrel @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:50PM
Dell sucks. Build it yourself and throw in an AMD for instant win.
Jason @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:34AM
A 7900 GS? Ew. DIY ftw!
Uber Soldat @ Nov 3rd 2006 4:54AM
Agreed, best to build it yourself, that way you get exactly what you want and it's cheaper as well. Incidently Core 2 Duo rocks!
steve @ Nov 3rd 2006 9:26AM
"Build it yourself and throw in an AMD for instant win."
Six months ago called, and it wants its CPU of choice back. The mid-range Core 2 Duo is significantly faster than the top-of-the-line Athlon FX-62. The Core 2 Extreme is off-the-charts in comparison. And it runs cooler and uses less power.
Having said that, the CPU is almost irrelevant in your machine, as the videocard is doing most of the heavy lifting in games nowadays. So, save money on your processor and put it in your videocard.
rodan32 @ Nov 3rd 2006 5:12PM
Dell's been doing OK with the XPS line. I agree that personally, I'll build my own machine for gaming. There's a growing crowd out there that doesn't want the hassle, though, and that's good for PC gaming overall. There's a place for pre-built gaming machines in the market. PC gamers know that the average PC is capable of much more than the average console. Even Xbox 360 and PS3 graphics will start to seem dated when the next graphics generation for PC rolls out. The problem is most off-the-shelf PCs won't have a decent graphics card in them, so average joe's won't see the difference. Even a 7900 GS pretty much kicks tail right now. Not top of the line, but quicker than my 6800 Ultra, and I get by just fine. Overall, I think this is a good thing for PC gaming as a whole.
I've heard that Dell does a couple of unfriendly things, though. One being the power supply; it's not an ATX-standard PS, if what I've read is true. It's got a proprietary power cable, and I don't know if it's replaceable by an off-the-shelf unit.
The other thing is the big piles of crap that come pre-loaded on a Dell system. I've heard you can opt out of that, though, and just get a clean Windows install. That would at least save you the hassle of reloading Windows as soon as you get it out of the box =).
Still, I give Dell kudos for building a decent rig at a pretty good price. You and I can keep building our own boxes, but this will open things up for everyone else to really get into PC gaming.