Specs. and initial look
For the uninitiated, a few facts about Dell. Dell is big. How big?. Well, for one, group revenue for 2005 is estimated to hit the $50 billion-dollar mark, which is around 1.5x higher than Intel's and 10x greater than AMD's. That kind of revenue is generated from being a truly global brand, ranging from multi-million-pound server installations to £300 PCs. Dell's raison d'etre, as far as home PCs is concerned, is to win customer support, based on primarily on the lowest possible price. To that end, all desktop PCs are sold through Dell's website, so, as the advert states, "you can't buy it in the shops, it doesn't get old". The advantage, to Dell, of such an approach is in JIT (Just In Time manufacturing), where computers are assembled after an order has been placed, and stock inventory is continually adjusted to meet demand. Couple that in with Dell's incredible buyer power and you can see why it's impossible for other system integrators to compete on grounds on cost.Dell's Dimension XPS gaming system is now in its fourth incarnation. A prospective buyer can pretty much any specification that their wallet allows. The test system, priced at £1,799, is detailed below.
| System Name | Dell Dimension XPS Generation 4 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 560 - 3.6GHz, 1MB L2 cache |
| Motherboard | Dell i925X |
| Memory | 1GB (2x512MB) Infineon DDR2 PC4300 (266MHz @ 4-4-4-12) |
| Hard Drive | Maxtor MaXLine Plus II 250MB SATA, 7,200RPM - 8MB cache |
| Screen | 19" M993s CRT (18" viewable) |
| Graphics card | ATI RADEON X850 XT Platinum Edition 256MB, PCIe x16 |
| Optical drive #1 | Philips DVD8631 16x dual-layer DVD ReWriter |
| Optical drive #2 | JLMS XJ-HD166 16x DVD-ROM drive |
| Back I/O | 6x USB2.0, RJ45 (GbE), PS/2, Parallel, COM |
| Sound | Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS w/FireWire |
| Speakers | Creative Inpsire TD7700 7.1 |
| Modem | Intel 537EP V9x |
| Network | Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit ASIC (PCI-based) |
| Wireless Connectivity | None |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional w/SP2 |
| Warranty | 1-year next business day |
| PSU | 460w |
| Price | £1799 inc. VAT (as at 21/04/05) |
| Other notables | Custom XPS chassis |
Specifications will be evaluated along with a few system pictures.
The Dimension XPS Gen-4's chassis is large. As a point of reference, it's a couple of inches taller and wider than a CoolerMaster Wave Master, although it's also a couple of inches shallower. The case looks and feels rather cheap; the copious use of light-grey plastic making it appear like a budget offering. One wonders how little it would cost the likes of Dell to negotiate a rock-bottom price for better-looking aluminium housings. It's not just about aesthetics, as the review model XPS Gen-4 tipped the scales at a wieldy and LAN-unfriendly 18KG. However, in an effort to appease the modding crowd, the XPS Gen-4 has a funky blue backlight. Tacky or fantastic? You choose.
Pulling across and sliding back the flimsy cover reveals two black-coloured drives. At the bottom is a Philips multi-format DVD ReWriter that's a little louder in operation that one would ideally like. Above it is a JLMS 16x DVD-ROM drive that's reasonably quiet. On a related note, and looking at Dell's configuration options for the XPS Gen-4 line, it's very disappointing to see that, on lower-spec. models, Dell charges as much as £158.78 (inc. VAT) to add a multi-format DVD ReWriter. These can be purchased for <£40 from most decent e-tailers. This is precisely why, if choosing Dell, to go for a reasonable spec. initially. Common to all XPS chassis are front-mounted ports, consisting of 2x USB2.0, FireWire, headphone and microphone sockets.
The rear of the chassis is a touch different than most. Dell has decided to locate the 460w PSU at the bottom, in a separate, enclosed section, citing heat containment as the main reason. It has also been well-designed from a ventilation point of view. 2 80mm fans are grouped around the CPU cooler, and there's a large vent area at the very top. The case isn't lockable as such, but one can simply use a padlock if need be. A further 6 USB2.0 ports, bringing the total up to 8, are to be found in the I/O section. There's also the common Parallel and Serial interfaces, alongside PS/2 and LAN. More functional than exciting. The XPS Gen-4 chassis and outward appearance are only marred by the use of cheap plastic.
