Dell XPS 700 user reviews (Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800)

3.0 stars

"This might be the greatest box on earth, BUT" on July 14, 2006 by make_or_break

Pros: The (currently) best hardware is in this box.

Cons: Dell Support, Dell bloat, continual rollout delays, EXPENSIVE, Dell proprietary, Dell Support

Summary: Four Large for a computer, even if it's a high-speed demon...who goes there these days? (In all fairness, the XPS 700 starts around $2K or so and goes up from there.) I don't know many of the serious folk in the gaming marketplace that buys their über rig off the shelf anymore, even from such storied houses like Alienware (now Dell) or Falcon NW. It's never been about who spends the most; it's about who builds the best for the cheapest amount of green and shopping the best component deals (thanks, Newegg).

Dell, IMO, has long lost its props in the gaming marketplace, if it really ever had any to begin with. The early XPSs were popular and fast for the period (P3s) but since those days seldom would any serious gamer consider a Dell a viable option. There's just no real street cred with a Dell.

Dell has this nasty habit of making many of its bits proprietary, particularly the mobo, which in the past has been variations of various Intel designs. The CNET article didn't say if the XPS 700 followed the same philosophy, but it wouldn't surprise me. The computer also isn't overclocked straight out the box, which CNET correctly points out is a downer since it's not clear if all of the supplied internals are up to the challenge of an overclocked CPU (which in turn gets back to the question of Dell's past proprietary habits). Moreover, that KILLER (and expensive) nVidia vid card that Dell stuffed in this box will, in six months or less, be put out to pasture with the widespread release of Windows Vista and DirectX 10. This thing may stop all over the competition now, but how will it do when the latest generation of DX10 games hit store shelves?

Dell also has this habit loading all sorts of nonsense onto their computers, such as AOHell and other useless services, most of which only goes to irritate the hardcore gamer. The CNET article doesn't mention any of that, but somehow I doubt Dell will abstain from this activity given how many of these add-ins probably PAY Dell for the priviledge of polluting their computers' hard drives and computer bootup times.

And then we get to the contentious nature of Dell Support. Just let me say it PAYS to eat out at Indian restaurants, if only to get Western ears accustomed to nuances of Bangalore tech support. Enterprise may enjoy their support with a Texas twang, but us home users...hardly ever. Moreover, Dell typically gives only a mediocre warranty term with their machines (1-yr for the XPS 700); any serious timeframe requires the buyer to pony up more of that precious green.

As I said in my title, this could be the greatest desktop on earth right now, but it IS a Dell, and any buyer considering this machine needs to be aware of the implications of purchasing from them. Considering that this rig is aiming at the heart of the gaming market, it does have A LOT of things going for it, but because it's coming from a company with past build habits like Dell has, that same buyer needs to ask his or herself whether the pitfalls are worth the immediate gratification (well, as immediate as September 25, 2006 can be).