Processor: 3GHz Phenom II X4 940Memory: 4GB DDR2Storage: 500GB hard driveOptical Drives: DVD±RWMonitor: NoneGraphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850 (512MB)Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
Over the past year, modest gamers' dreams of a $1,500 system primed for the latest 3D titles have become a reality. Dell ushered in the era last spring with its XPS 630, which brought enthusiast flash into the mainstream market at a reasonable price. So although Dell isn't breaking much new ground with its XPS 625 desktop, which is based on AMD (rather than Intel) CPUs such as the new Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, the company is at least trying to rethink last year's good idea for a slightly different era.
Even with an unlocked multiplier for easier overclocking, however, the Phenom II doesn't quite stack up to Intel's high-powered, low-cost next-generation processor, the Core i7-920; you won't get the same performance from AMD in every area. One of the major standouts of the midrange field we've seen lately was Gateway's FX6800-01e, which cost considerably less than our XPS 625 test unit ($1,269 versus $1,499) and in many cases delivered better performance. That system seemed a bit more of a game-changer than the Dell, even if there's nothing intensely wrong with the XPS 625's playbook.
And there remains quite a bit to like about Dell's everyday-gaming box. The suave, angular case looks efficient and imposing but also primed for fun. (Dell has incorporated its AlienFX lighting scheme into the case, too, letting you use software to adjust colored illumination, just as you can in this system's big cousin, the XPS 730x.) You'll find a fair amount of expandability inside: two available external drive bays (one 5.25-inch, one 3.5-inch), three internal hard-drive bays, and expansion slots, including one PCI Express (PCIe) x16, one PCIe x8, one PCIe x1, and two regular PCI slots. There are also decent connectivity options outside: a FireWire port, two USB ports, and headphone and microphone jacks on the front panel' as well as six-channel digital audio, Ethernet, six USB, FireWire, external SATA (eSATA), and two PS/2 ports on the rear panel.
There's also a thoughtful selection of additional components, of course, to help you scratch your gaming (and, if necessary, productivity) itches. Our review unit came with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD±RW drive, an ATI Radeon HD 4850 for the graphics, and the expected 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. Configurations begin at $999, and lots of options are available, so you'll almost always be able to put together a system that matches your budget and your desires.
Our test configuration performed impressively, pulling down an 11,781 in the 64-bit version of the Cinebench 10 rendering test and earning a 5,650 in the 64-bit version of Futuremark's PCMark Vantage full-system benchmark. It also completed our Windows Media Encoder (WME) trial in 3 minutes and 20 seconds and our iTunes conversion test in 3 minutes and 22 seconds. The Gateway FX6800-01e scored a higher 14,160 in Cinebench and 6,279 in PCMark Vantage, but it also needed longer for WME (3 minutes and 36 seconds) and iTunes (3 minutes and 42 seconds).
In our actual gaming tests, the XPS 625 managed 150.3 frames per second in our DirectX 9 (DX9) Company of Heroes test at 1,280x1,024 resolution, compared with the Gateway's 163.1fps; at 1,600x1,200 the two systems were basically tied (102.3 fps for the Dell and 99.1fps for the Gateway); and at 2,560x1,600 the Gateway pulled ahead (53.1fps to the Dell's 44.5fps). The Gateway also surpassed the Dell in the Entry and Performance presets of our Futuremark 3DMark Vantage test, with scores of 21,903 and 7,112 (versus 19,051 and 7,053), but the Dell came out ahead in the Extreme preset test with 2,888 as opposed to the Gateway's 2,416. In our DX10 gaming tests of Company of Heroes and Call of Juarez, the two machines traded superior scores but were evenly matched in almost every case.
All these results are unquestionably acceptable; you can definitely do better, but you will have to shell out increasingly large sums of cash. Between these two systems, we'd rate the Gateway an overall better value, but if flash is important to you, the XPS 625 rates a bit higher on the bling-o-meter. We wouldn't mind a bit more oomph from the Dell, given its higher price, but you're still getting some handsome gaming performance from an attractive PC that you don't need to be exorbitantly wealthy to afford.Price (at time of review): $1,499.99
Even with an unlocked multiplier for easier overclocking, however, the Phenom II doesn't quite stack up to Intel's high-powered, low-cost next-generation processor, the Core i7-920; you won't get the same performance from AMD in every area. One of the major standouts of the midrange field we've seen lately was Gateway's FX6800-01e, which cost considerably less than our XPS 625 test unit ($1,269 versus $1,499) and in many cases delivered better performance. That system seemed a bit more of a game-changer than the Dell, even if there's nothing intensely wrong with the XPS 625's playbook.
And there remains quite a bit to like about Dell's everyday-gaming box. The suave, angular case looks efficient and imposing but also primed for fun. (Dell has incorporated its AlienFX lighting scheme into the case, too, letting you use software to adjust colored illumination, just as you can in this system's big cousin, the XPS 730x.) You'll find a fair amount of expandability inside: two available external drive bays (one 5.25-inch, one 3.5-inch), three internal hard-drive bays, and expansion slots, including one PCI Express (PCIe) x16, one PCIe x8, one PCIe x1, and two regular PCI slots. There are also decent connectivity options outside: a FireWire port, two USB ports, and headphone and microphone jacks on the front panel' as well as six-channel digital audio, Ethernet, six USB, FireWire, external SATA (eSATA), and two PS/2 ports on the rear panel.
There's also a thoughtful selection of additional components, of course, to help you scratch your gaming (and, if necessary, productivity) itches. Our review unit came with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD±RW drive, an ATI Radeon HD 4850 for the graphics, and the expected 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. Configurations begin at $999, and lots of options are available, so you'll almost always be able to put together a system that matches your budget and your desires.
Our test configuration performed impressively, pulling down an 11,781 in the 64-bit version of the Cinebench 10 rendering test and earning a 5,650 in the 64-bit version of Futuremark's PCMark Vantage full-system benchmark. It also completed our Windows Media Encoder (WME) trial in 3 minutes and 20 seconds and our iTunes conversion test in 3 minutes and 22 seconds. The Gateway FX6800-01e scored a higher 14,160 in Cinebench and 6,279 in PCMark Vantage, but it also needed longer for WME (3 minutes and 36 seconds) and iTunes (3 minutes and 42 seconds).
In our actual gaming tests, the XPS 625 managed 150.3 frames per second in our DirectX 9 (DX9) Company of Heroes test at 1,280x1,024 resolution, compared with the Gateway's 163.1fps; at 1,600x1,200 the two systems were basically tied (102.3 fps for the Dell and 99.1fps for the Gateway); and at 2,560x1,600 the Gateway pulled ahead (53.1fps to the Dell's 44.5fps). The Gateway also surpassed the Dell in the Entry and Performance presets of our Futuremark 3DMark Vantage test, with scores of 21,903 and 7,112 (versus 19,051 and 7,053), but the Dell came out ahead in the Extreme preset test with 2,888 as opposed to the Gateway's 2,416. In our DX10 gaming tests of Company of Heroes and Call of Juarez, the two machines traded superior scores but were evenly matched in almost every case.
All these results are unquestionably acceptable; you can definitely do better, but you will have to shell out increasingly large sums of cash. Between these two systems, we'd rate the Gateway an overall better value, but if flash is important to you, the XPS 625 rates a bit higher on the bling-o-meter. We wouldn't mind a bit more oomph from the Dell, given its higher price, but you're still getting some handsome gaming performance from an attractive PC that you don't need to be exorbitantly wealthy to afford.Price (at time of review): $1,499.99
author : Matthew Murray
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