Dell XPS 700 - reviewed, dissected

Conclusions

With that in-depth look under our belt, can we recommend that you splash out your cash on the Dell XPS 700?

Performance: We were severely disappointed with the performance of the system in our benchmarks. It was unable to compete with the comparable Intel rig that we assembled, mostly because of the incredibly slow memory that it was shipped with. Gaming performance was ok, but didn't really showcase the awesome potential of Core 2 Duo. We were disappointed by the lack of overclocking options in the BIOS and the inability of the system to run SLI.

Build quality and looks: In contrast, the system clearly looks the business. The aggressive styling, the high quality chassis material and the internal layout all combine to give a system that looks great on your desk and performs well internally when it comes to heat. The LED lighting system is quite neat, and the arrangement of components inside makes for easy upgrading and maintenance. It's not as tidy or well-built as an Alienware system, but it's better than every other Dell we've seen - it would benefit from some time being spent on the cabling if you choose to pick one up.

Value: The system offers reasonable value for money as a base spec with a single card, a decent Core 2 Duo processor and storage. However, the cost of uprating the system with options is ludicrous, almost as bad as (dare we say it) Apple. The extra cost required for poor-spec memory is outrageous, and whilst video card prices fluctuate, the 7900 GTX hasn't been £390 in, like, ever. If you want to extract the best value out of this system purchase, buy the smallest amount of memory you can and add in your own, and ditto graphics and, to a lesser extent, storage.

Final thoughts

Dell has done what many thought would be beyond it - created a decent gaming system that hardcore enthusiasts would be happy to have on their desk. The engineers have nailed the industrial design and the core internal design, but the guys haven't quite managed to get the components and the pricing right. But for all our ragging on the component specifications, Dell has really got the core of this system spot on, and for that it earns our Recommended award. However, we hope Dell takes our comments on board and sorts future machines out with the kind of components that will really make the Core 2 Duo processor shine - and at the right price.


A note on regional variations: The specification and quoted price for the system varies from territory to territory, obviously. However, we have also had reports of other issues. Some users are reporting that the X-Fi card is a default configuration option, whilst others are saying that it is not apparently possible to purchase one. The memory specifications appear to vary between the UK and the US, and there is the option to purchase a 'barebones' version of the system from the US store that doesn't appear to be possible in the UK. Please do check out the Dell website to see for yourself what options you have when purchasing.