Advantages and Disadvantages of Dell Studio XPS (Review)
Posted on | April 21, 2010 | No Comments
Dell has introduced Dell Studio XPS, a midrange desktop aimed at content creation professionals. Dell Studio XPS with a new CPU, DDR3 memory and a starting price of less than a thousand dollars, Dell’s new desktop looks like an attractive way of upgrading to Intel’s next generation platform.
Dell Studio XPS follows the same design cues as most of Dell’s recent desktops. The front of the case uses the same high-gloss tuxedo black plastic as the rest of the Studio desktops. On the front, you can see the optical drive bays up top covered with black plastic. While this gives the desktop a uniform appearance, it does make the access button a little squishy. Directly below the optical drive bays, there is a sliding access door that hides away all of the front ports of the machine.
Advantages:
Core i7 920 is incredibly fast
Studio XPS offers low barrier to entry for new platform
Lots of room for lots of memory
Easily accessible components
Slotted front port cover a much better alternative to door-based covers
Disadvantages:
Somewhat uninspired design
Needs to use faster hard drive
Messy internal cabling
Fans occasionally very loud
Dell Studio XPS Specs:
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.66GHz (8MB L2 cache)
Memory: 6GB tri-channel DDR3 @ 1066MHz
Hard drive: 500GB SATA @ 7200RPM
Optical drive: SuperMulti DVD+/-RW
Sound: Integrated 7.1 HD audio
Video card: ATI Radeon HD4850
Networking: 10/100/1000 Gigabit ethernet
Dell wired keyboard and mouse
Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Warranty: One year limited warranty with in-home service after remote diagnosis and 24/7 phone support
Dimensions: 14.2″(H)x6.7″(W)x17.1″(D)
360W rated power supply
Dell is offering a unique product with the Studio XPS. It offers consumers a chance to upgrade to the latest and greatest from Intel for under a thousand dollars and gain what will likely be a massive jump in performance. Paired with discrete graphics from AMD, it’s hard to go wrong: the CPU will get everything done fast, and the GPU will get some of it done even faster. In addition, a lot of pre-built desktops based around Core i7 are going to aimed at enthusiasts and gamers, and thus be sold for significant premiums; the Studio XPS is a response to that. If you’re looking for a new workhorse that will get things done (and maybe play a game or two on the side), I have to say that it’s hard to look past this machine.
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