Thoughts
Dell's £1,799 Dimension XPS Gen-4 package can be split into 2 areas. The base unit scores relatively well, thanks, in main, to decent accessibility, quiet operation, good ventilation, and thoughtful choice of components. The XPS chassis, whilst fine when viewed internally, is too plasticky and cheap-looking for a top-of-the-line machine. £1,799 screams out for a brushed aluminium finish, and Dell has the financial clout to include such a chassis with gaming systems. I'd urge Dell to include a multi-card reader and, perhaps, a windowed side panel. It would set the XPS off against the rest of the Dimension range.It's bemusing as to why Dell has added in a mid-level 19" CRT to this high-end gaming package. The asking price should be reflected by at least a 19" Dell TFT, and preferably the 20" 2001FP. TFTs have come on enough for most users to be comfortable playing fast-moving games. If not, Dell should offer the prospective purchaser the choice of either CRT or TFT; let them decide. It seems bizarre to include a screen that costs less than 10% of the package's total outlay. The mouse, too, is a case of adding in a generic Dimension item to a deluxe XPS package.
The 1-year on-site warranty is also below average for a PC at this price. 3 years should be an absolute minimum, even if the remaining two years are downgraded to return-to-base (RTB). Being an XPS system, Dell should allow for a modicum of user-definable performance adjustment from within BIOS. That's precisely what we see from other system integrators, who generally use retail motherboards in their respective packages.
Dell is both large enough and savvy enough to engineer and market the best gaming system around. This Dimension XPS Gen-4, however, is overpriced and, from a package's point of view, hasn't been specified too well. Dell, I feel, needs to reduce the price to below £1,500 inc. VAT and offer a choice between CRT and TFT at no extra cost. Custom touches, such as a gaming mouse and windowed panel wouldn't go amiss, either. It's surprising to say this, but Dell, with this XPS system, isn't doing what it does best, that is, offering unbeatable value for money. The deep-walleted gamer should look elsewhere.
