Dell XPS 730x

How much cash are you willing to pay for your flash? With the release of Intel's new Core i7 family of processors, which brings terrific performance out of the stratospheric price ranges where it's too often been trapped in recent years, that question is going to be of increasing importance. Since outstanding machines can now be built from middle-of-the-road CPUs, even in the gaming-desktop category, the balance between green and glitz is going to be more crucial than ever. A machine like Dell's new XPS 730x is right on the edge.

First, its components are impeccable. Its 2.93GHz Core i7-940 processor is the midrange model, offering virtually eight cores of high-speed processing power for under $600. With that CPU matched with 5GB of triple-channel DDR3 RAM, the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, the XPS 730x is a system primed to scream. Two 300GB hard drives in a RAID Level 0 configuration give you lots of storage space for installing games, while the two-stage H2C hybrid cooling system ensures you won't slow down just because you get heated up. (In case anything does go awry, you have at your disposal 24-hour phone support, 5GB of online backup space, and a two-year limited warranty with in-home service following remote diagnosis.)

You get two optical drives with the XPS 730x: a standard DVD±RW, and a Blu-ray reader/DVD±RW for watching high-definition movies. A multiformat card reader occupies one of the two external 3.5-inch bays, while two other external 5.25-inch bays and two internal 3.5-inch hard drive bays remain free. Connectivity is of the standard, but useful, variety for this class of system: two USB, one FireWire, and headphone and microphone jacks up front; eight-channel audio, two Ethernet, six USB, one external SATA (eSATA), one FireWire, digital audio, and two PS/2 connectors in the back.

All this nets you some serious gaming capabilities. The XPS 730x achieved some of the best results we've seen in our DirectX 10 (DX10) Call of Juarez test: 38.8 frames per second (fps) at 1,280x1,024 resolution, 31.6fps at 1,600x1,200, and 27.6fps at 1,920x1,200. It also attained high scores in our DX10 Company of Heroes test, earning 58fps at 1,280x1,024, 55.9fps at 1,600x1,200, and 32.1fps at 2,560x1,600. With Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage gaming benchmark, it scored 32,297, 11,938, 8,068, and 5,331 using the Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme presets, respectively.

The catch? These scores, while excellent, are hardly unique among other recent Core i7 systems we've looked at—all of which cost less than the $3,809 XPS 730x. The $2,499 iBuypower Gamer Paladin F870-SB edged out the Dell in every 3DMark Vantage test (33,232, 15,390, 10,278, and 7,203 in the presets) and bested it in all three of our DX9 Supreme Commander tests. (The iBuypower scored over 53fps at all three of the tested resolutions; the Dell's best score was 49.2fps at 1,280x1,024, with dips to 44.8fps at 1,600x1,200 and to 37.5fps at 2,560x1,600.) The $2,999 Falcon Northwest Talon went even further, keeping pace with or slightly surpassing the iBuypower in 3DMark Vantage (34,628, 15,690, 10,310, and 7,218) and Supreme Commander (54.5fps, 54.2fps, and 55.1fps). Even the $1,249 Gateway FX6800-01e is in the mix: While on most of the tests it lagged well behind, neither its Supreme Commander results (48.3fps, 45.8fps, and 33.4fps) nor its Call of Juarez averages (36.9fps, 29.3fps, and 25.1fps) were as far off as you might expect.

With price-performance differentials this narrow, the XPS 730x needs to offer the gamer something more for his or her dollar. That comes in the form of both the system's sleek case design, a sturdy angled-and-curvy silver monolith (red and blue are also options), and special functionality aimed squarely at enthusiasts. XPS Thermal Monitor is software that lets you track, change, and even create specific usage profiles for the speeds of your various fans, so you can always maintain your preferred balance between cooling and noise. AlienFX lighting allows you fine-tuned control over your PC's appearance: You can set the LEDs that illuminate any of the PC's five lighting "zones" (the drive bays, the right intake fan, the left intake fan, the system's interior, and the rear panel) to any of 16 colors, in whatever combination most strikes your fancy. Want even more lighting? You've got it with Dell's new theater lighting: Interior lighting will turn on whenever you open the case, regardless of whether your PC is turned on.

Is all this fun stuff really worth an extra $900 over, say, Falcon Northwest's Talon, which meets and in many cases exceeds the XPS 730x in terms of gaming potential? Or an extra $1,400 over the iBuypower, which cuts the performance advantage down even more and offers a monitor as part of the deal? That will depend on your own specific values and budget when you're configuring your system. For us, the answer is no: While we really like eye candy, we prefer to see it on the screen rather than on the case.

author by : by Matthew Murray