What else do you get?
Dell's XPS Gen-4 is aimed at gamers, pure and simple. As such, Dell reckons it's prudent to bundle in a regular CRT instead of its decent range of TFT monitors.
What we have here is a flatscreen Dell M993S 19" CRT monitor that runs up to 1600x1200 @ 75Hz but has a sharper picture at 1280x1024. It's quite deep at around 47cm, too. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the monitor. The picture is even, well-defined, and gaming is good. However, Dell shipping a CRT in lieu of TFT shows little confidence in the gaming ability of its panels. I've owned a Dell 2001FP 20" TFT (1600x1200) for the best part of 9 months now. The panel's 16ms response time is, in my eyes, more than adequate for gaming. The panel is both brighter, clearer, and significantly lighter than the 18"-viewable M993S. Most observers would agree that decent TFT panels are now acceptable gaming screens; you just need to look at any LAN event to see just how many have moved across from CRTs, so I don't fully agree with Dell's thinking here. I'm not quite sure why Dell is recommending 1024x768 as the optimum resolution on a relatively well-specced. screen.
Dell's charging £1,799 inc. VAT and delivery for this particular system, yet has bundled in a monitor that it sells on its website for only £175, which represents less than 10% of this system's overall price. If it seriously wanted to go down the CRT route, a 21-inch model would have been acceptable. Really, at this kind of price, and appreciating the component quality in the base unit, a DVI-driven 19" TFT (1905FP, for example) is the absolute minimum I'd want. A 20" TFT, such as the 2001FP, would have been ideal.
Better thinking has prevailed in the choice of speakers to accompany the Creative Audigy2 ZS sound card. Dell adds Creative's Inspire TD7700 speaker package. The sound card features all the usual decoding, ranging from Dolby Digital 5.1 through to DTS-ES 7.1. The speakers, 8 in total, offer decent symbiosis with the card's specs. They go loud enough to fill a large room and sound quality is generally good until the very highest levels. However, I'm not sure why Dell has bundled in the TD7700s as opposed to the cheaper, speaker-only T7700s. Here, there's also a very plasticky Creative DDTS-100 decoder and remote control that would be useful if using the speakers with, say, a standalone DVD player. I'd imagine that most users would simply connect the Audigy2 ZS straight up to the subwoofer and save themselves £80 in the process.
This XPS Gen-4 ships with Windows XP Professional w/SP2, along with Microsoft Works 7.0, Sonic RecordNow 7.3, CyberLink PowerDVD 5.3, Dell Picture Studio 2, trials of Paint Shop Pro 8 and Norton AntiVirus, and a couple of CDs that contain device drivers and system applications already pre-installed on the XPS. The main manual is reasonably detailed and clear. Dell also includes a fold-out chart that makes hooking-up the various bits and pieces a doddle.
Hardware-wise, I have to have another grumble. Dell includes the same optical mouse as found on any Dimension system. The mouse is good enough in its own right, sure, but I'd like to see a gaming mouse included in a system that doesn't give much change from £2,000. Surely it shouldn't be the same as the one included in a £250 base unit? The keyboard, on the other hand, is better than those that ship with lower-rated Dimensions.
Value for money?
In a word, no. The base unit does have some tasty components inside. However, the package is kind of lopsided. The 19" CRT screen doesn't do the £1,799 package justice, and the warranty, whilst being next business day, is only a year. Dell should include a 3-year warranty with a machine of this value, even if the remaining two years are return to base. Adding the retail value of the constituent parts (and substituting TD7700 speakers for T7700s), it's hard to break the £1,400 barrier, including CRT but excluding warranty and building time expenses. One of Dell's greatest attributes has been in ultra-aggressive pricing. In that case, this particular system needs to be dropped down to something like £1399 for it to fit in with the company's usually excellent pricing structure.
Support
The usual format for ordering a Dell PC is to configure it on the website, finalise the order, and wait 7-10 days for it to be built and shipped to you. From significant personal experience and discussion with other Dell customers, customer support, in case of a problem, can be patchy. All too many times have calls fallen on deaf ears and emails not been responded to. If you've received better or worse service from Dell, please hit our forums and share your experiences.
