Pros & Cons
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- Fast.
- Quiet.
- Shipped overclocked.
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- Really expensive.
Dell XPS 720 H2C Specs
| Graphics Card: | Nvidia GeForce 8800GTX |
| Primary Optical Drive: | DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus) |
| Processor Family: | Intel Core 2 Extreme |
| Processor Name: | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 |
| Processor Speed: | 3.2 GHz |
| Type: | Gaming |
We've reviewed Dell gaming rigs in the past, and they've almost always fallen short of the competition. Earlier examples used Pentium 4 CPUs when gamers were discovering the joys of AMD dual-core CPUs. Then they used ATI CrossFire graphics setups when other companies had just made the shift to 8800 SLI gear. This time, though, Dell seems to be riding the crest of the power curve, shipping a system that's fast, quiet, and stable. Now if the company could just build a system that doesn't give us a hernia when we move it…
This particular system is Dell's second-generation liquid cooled system. Unlike Dell's Alienware subsidiary, the XPS only uses liquid cooling on the CPU, not the graphics cards. Also, the XPS still uses a BTX-style motherboard, unlike the much more prevalent ATX board used in most boutique gaming systems these days.
However, Dell gets it right this time around in many other ways. The sealed liquid cooling system was developed by CoolIT Systems especially for the XPS. The memory used is Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 memory. Although it's only DDR2-800, it's not generic DDR2-667, as we've seen in past XPS gaming rig. Dell also builds in a pair of GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics cards, a custom X-Fi sound card with digital optical ports and an Ageia PhysX physics accelerator card. Dell wraps a massive, glossy black steel XPS chassis around this hardware goodness and powers it with a kilowatt PSU. Dell will be offering an Intel quad-core QX6800 CPU overclocked to 3.46GHz, but you can also buy it running at the stock 2.93GHz.
All this gaming goodness isn't cheap, however: It'll cost you $7,129.
What do you get for your seven grand? Let's take a look at components and performance. —