Dell Studio XPS 7100

The Dell Studio XPS 7100 ($1,149 direct) is a genre-straddling kind of desktop PC. On one end, it has a quick multimedia PC with a six-core AMD processor and 1.5TB hard drive. On the other, it comes with an ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, so it’s a contender as one of the better entry-level gaming rigs. Packed with a lot of future proof technology, the system’s price tag won’t break the bank. All in all, that translates into an Editors’ Choice win for the Studio XPS 7100, in mainstream multimedia system under $1,500.

Design
The Dell Studio XPS 7100 comes in a silver version of the tower we’ve seen on the Dell Studio XPS 8000 (SX8000-1479UWH) ($798.98 list, ). The system is angled, so it appears to be leaning backwards, which makes it easier to access the media card bays and optical drives if the system is sitting on your floor. The matte silver color evokes the hues seen on German and Japanese luxury cars of the past few years: a little cold, yet undeniably attractive. The system still has the embedded multi-card reader on the top, and a sliding door covering two of the system’s front facing USB ports. The top has an indented tray with two USB ports to connect cameras, external hard drives, and the like. In the back are four more USB ports with an eSATA and SPDIF port. There’s also an HDMI and DisplayPort on the ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card in addition to the DVI ports. Last but not least, there are two leads for the 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi card on the back. The system has the usual hidden optical drive bays, one of which has a Blu-ray player/DVD burner combo drive.

The system has some internal expansion room, including space for 1 PCI card, two hard drives, and one optical drive. There are plenty of ports and space—it’s just that most of the slots have already been populated. You’ll have to pop out some of the included memory DIMMs if you want more than the included 6GB of DDR3 memory, though 90 percent of this system’s users won’t need more memory than that. You’ll need a screwdriver to get in and add components, but everything is well laid out and easy to get to. The ATI Radeon HD 5870 card has an immobilizing bracket on it, which is a great addition for a system that has to travel cross-country during shipping. The bracket prevents the heavy graphics card from moving, so you’re more likely to get the system in one piece.

Features
The desktop comes with a 1.5 Terabyte 7,200rpm SATA hard drive, Blu-ray player/DVD burner, and ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. My review unit also came with a pretty standard Dell multimedia keyboard and optical mouse. The XPS 7100 can be outfitted with a TV tuner, but my configuration didn’t come with one.

The system is notable for what it lacks—namely, bloatware. No Office trial, no Wild Tangent games. The system comes with 15 months of McAffee Security Center included in its purchase price, which is something I would recommend. The closest thing to bloatware I could find was a copy of Skype. The system does come with the Dell Dock, an app launcher that floats at the top of the screen. Inside the dock, there’s a shortcut to get more software. The shortcut launches a Dell Software Store Website, and that is how I would want users to get a hold of software to load on their systems. Instead of having bloatware forced on the users, they can use the Dell Software Store to find and download only what they need or want.

Performance
The Studio XPS 7100’s performance keeps you moving with its six-core AMD Phenom II X6 1055T processor and ATI Radeon HD 5870 gaming-class graphics card. It was able to complete the Windows Media Encoder (WME) test in a speedy 38 seconds, and the Photoshop CS4 test in 1 minute 38 seconds—that’s reasonably quick. To put it in perspective, a dual-core system like the Apple iMac 21.5 inch (Core 2 Duo) ($1,199, ) is a bit slower at WME and a smidge faster at CS4 (0:49 and 1:32, respectively). Intel CPUs generally perform better at CS4 than AMD CPUs.

The Studio XPS 7100 as configured here trumps its sibling, the Dell Studio s7100-1060NBK ($899.99 list, ), at 3D benchmark tests thanks to the faster graphics card. The XPS 7100 is fully playable at three of our four game tests, including Crysis at 1,280 by 1,024: where it scored 65 frames per second (fps), World in Conflict (WiC) at 1,280 by 1,024 (82fps), and WiC at 1,920 by 1,200 (48 fps). Its score on Crysis at 1,920 by 1,200 was an unplayable 35 fps, but you could get close to playable scores at 1,920 by 1,200 if you tweak the quality settings. Contrast this with the Dell s7100-1060NBK’s unplayable scores on all four 3D tests.

So how does the system do against the Editors’ Choices in similarly priced categories? One area you might be interested in is entry-level hardcore 3D gaming. And so far there’s no better bang for the buck than our current EC for that category, the Gateway FX6831-01 ($1,300 list, ). For about $50 more, the Gateway gives you much faster/smoother game results at 1,280 by 1,024 resolution on both games, though the gap narrows at 1,920 by 1,200 resolution. It was also significantly easier to upgrade the hard drives on the Gateway FX6831-01e. For these reasons, the FX6831-01 holds on to the gaming crown. On the multimedia desktop side, it’s a little tougher. The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-140f ($1,029.99 list, ) is $119 less expensive, but the XPS 7100 has more hard drive space and is the faster competitor at the 3D tests. The XPS 7100 also has much less bloatware. Sure, the HP HPE-140f has better older technology support (like the analog AV inputs and a TV tuner), but the XPS 7100 is better equipped with more examples of future looking tech (1.5TB drive, HDMI, eSATA, DisplayPort, Blu-ray). The XPS 7100 is for the new multimedia PC buyer, unless you still have a lot of VHS videos to convert to digital formats or need a system that supports older analog technology. Otherwise, the Dell XPS 7100 makes for an attractive multimedia Editors’ Choice PC.

Source: PCMAG

Dell Inspiron 580s

Dell Computers have released a new desktop computer. The Dell Inspiron 580s is a slimline version of the much more powerful XPS versions. Sleek and easier to fit on a desk, this version is a sure fire hit for the office.The Inspiron 580s follows the design of previous Dell SFF (small form factor) PCs, like the Inspiron 537s ($658 – $858 direct, ) I looked at last year. This time around, the desktop’s design has been altered to sport a glossy black faceplate with a hexagonal motif etched under the surface. The system’s two optical drive bays are filled with a DVD burner and a multi-card reader. The front of the system is uncluttered and clean with the power button and a pair of USB ports as the only other adornments on the front of the system. This is also because the optical drive and card reader, which are normally on the front of the chassis, hide behind hinged doors. The doors hide the ugly drive trays while they’re not being used, keeping the system’s sleek design intact. Other I/O ports include four more USB ports in the back, connectors for VGA and HDMI monitors, Ethernet, and audio. All-in-all, it’s a neatly-designed system. Although I would’ve liked to have seen eSATA and at least one FireWire port, their absence isn’t a deal breaker.
The system is free of the bloatware that seems to plague retail systems, such as those from Gateway and HP. No bloatware is one of the benefits of buying a configured-to-order PC direct from a PC maker like Dell. The system comes with a full version of Microsoft Works 9, as opposed to the ad-supported version found on some Gateway systems. The computer initially boots up into a setup wizard, which has prompts to set up recovery and Dell’s DataSafe online backup, as well as links to Dell’s support center and other Windows 7 help. I applaud the fact that Dell provides links to the bloatware I complain about, rather than pre-installing the software. A browser link is easier to ignore and doesn’t affect your system, while pre-installed bloatware programs are at best a nuisance and at worst a tech support nightmare.

Performance
 The Inspiron 580s is a good upgrade for people who are still using a single core (Pentium 4, Pentium M) or a Core 2 Duo system. Multimedia tasks like Adobe Photoshop CS4 (1 minute 35 seconds) and Windows Media Encoder (42 seconds) finish in far less time than it used to take. The Core i3-530 is a dual-core processor with HyperThreading, rather than a true four-core system, but it performs as well as systems with the Core 2 Quad and AMD Athlon II X4 processor like the Gateway SX2802-01 ($499.99 List, ) and HP Pavilion p6347c-b ($800 List, ).

The Inspiron 580s has Intel Integrated GMA graphics (equivalent to GMA X4500HD) embedded in the Core i3 processor, which is more for HD video processing, rather than 3D gaming—the single-digit game scores bear this out. Sure, you can load World in Conflict or Crysis, but it won’t be a pleasant experience. Get something more powerful (like the Gateway FX6831-01 ) if you want to play newer 3D games.

The Dell Inspiron 580s is a good compact system for the home user. The 580s could be your primary system, with enough power for multimedia tasks in Photoshop. Nonetheless, my advice is to go with the Dell Computers Inspiron i570-6939PBK ($599.98 List, ) a slightly better choice, because it has most of the same performance for about $20 less with a much larger hard drive (640GB) and a 20-inch monitor packed in.

Read more at pcmag.com