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Dell's XPS 730x Core I7 Gaming System Reviewed
MojoKid writes "Shortly after Intel released their new Core i7 processors about a month ago, Dell announced a new update to the XPS 730 with Core i7 tech under the hood.
The new Dell XPS 730x is first and foremost a technology update but the chassis has also been buffed up a bit. The Intel Core 2 processor and NVIDIA 790i Ultra SLI chipset powering the original XPS 730 line have been swapped with
the new Core i7 processor and an Intel X58 Express chipset based motherboard. The XPS 730x retains the original 730's ability to
support both Crossfire and SLI multi-GPU graphics. Like all XPS 700 series machines since the XPS 710, the XPS 730x is available with optional factory overclocking and a H2C edition featuring a two-stage liquid cooling system. And yes,
it rips through Crysis quite nicely and puts up rather impressive benchmark numbers."
oh yeah!
Maybe it will actually run Vista!
The more you use Windows as a gaming platform, the less likely it is to die as a home desktop OS.
Ditch the damn thing already.
Signed, a Mac, Nintendo DS, Wii and Sony PS3 user.
I'll have two then...
If I had an Ass, I'd call it Fanny Bottom, then I could slap my Ass; Fanny Bottom, on the Arse.
I ordered a Dell XPS because I was too lazy to rebuild a computer on my own.
Found out it was a BTX case, the cables were all bent and I had to fix the front with sticky tape.
Conclusion, only fat pasty linux users buy dells.
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Can I put in another HDD without having to disassemble the whole case or sacrifice my current one?
Scott
Hmm, this really doesn't make much sense. If you're going to spend that much money, the thing should have four graphics cards and its own nuclear powerplant. The one they reviewed, priced at 5099 dollars, only has one graphics card, so it gets whooped by a $1500 computer at Crysis.
Since when did Dell become the de-facto gaming rig? Most gamers that want the machine at the top end of the performance curve will build their own with the top CPU and GPU of the day. And the few who will buy a prebuilt system would probably go with something like AlienWare.
:P
Next we'll see a story showing just how cheap laptops have become showing an Apple AirBook as the example. I'd give a car analogy, but there are just too many to choose from... and it's too easy to throw dirt at the American car companies at the moment, and it'd be in poor taste.
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Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
I think it's funny that we're using Crysis as a benchmark, rather than an object-lesson in "what not to do in game development."
The only reason why Crysis is being chosen here is because it's notoriously difficult to get it running on any system maxed out. The article's graph notes that the test was run without adding in anti-aliasing, and it manages to barely squeak out a playable frame rate (on a 22" widescreen lcd resolution).
Crysis looks good, sure, but so do most games at this point. It can scale down to run OK on lower machines, but again, so do most games at this point.
Benchmarking aside, I think it's beyond ridiculous that anyone would buy a $4,500+ PC for home / game use. What could possibly justify that? I have a year old system (quad core, 8800GT) that can literally play every game on the market at max settings... at 1920x1600! Oh, I guess with the singular exception of Crysis, which I haven't bothered with.
I wouldn't dream of spending that much cash on a game system. Think about it this way: You can buy this PC, -or- a used Audi. Or... a well-equipped gaming PC, a Sony XBR TV, a PS3, 360, AND Wii, and still have money left over for games.
Video Game News, FAQs, etc
Your Vista criticism is sound except for the indexing part. I have over a terabyte of stuff on my home machine and despite my best efforts I often cannot find things. OS X Spotlight has literally become my Finder replacement. These days I rarely ever even navigate through the windows. Of course I have had to learn to be a lot more careful when I label documents, but the time savings more than makes up for the occasional indexing. To me at least, real comprehensive search is the killer app of the modern desktop.
I just can't believe that for their top of the line system, XPS 730x H2C, that you can only get it with 6GB of RAM--if you are going to spend minimum of 4k on a machine and have the assumption that you will get all the bells and whistles no hold backs, why would you short change yourself at 6GB of RAM instead of 12GB?
Dell bought Alienware in 2006.
I agree completly with the parent, why in the name of ZUES`S BUTHOLE would/could you justify paying that much cash for a gaming machine....
What about the mobo? What is it?
Supporting both CrossFire and SLI is interesting, most interesting is X58 chipset being Intel's ... and it gets SLI?
Intel's chipsets are faster than Nvidias, partially thereof, Nvidia won't license Intel the SLI technology to make it work on their chipsets. On the other note then again, some Nvidia chipset (MOST OF THEM infact) refuse to work at all, or almost completely on them (Core Quad Extremes 9600-9770), even on the latest chipset.
I'm running a Q9660 UNDERclocked to 2.4Ghz to make it stable on a Nforce 680i SLI mobo, 780i SLI mobo was actually WORSE than a 680i SLI mobo.
Regular Quads, and dual core 45nm works fine, but not the very top end, and the word around is it's because Intel won't release the microcodes or something along those lines. More curiously even, the engineering samples worked flawlessly on these mobos, therefore marketing that it would work, and general assumption that they do work. However, 3 mobos and 2 CPUs later, still no stability.
Pulsed Media Seedboxes
In a recession few people care about a PC that starts at $1,800 and tops out at $4,400.
I asked once before without any luck. Not being a gamer, I'm very surprised about something. It seems obvious to me that when performance is the measure of satisfaction, a game should boot on the bare metal, instead of running on top of an OS. Especially a pig of an OS that robs you of a good percentage of the hardware you paid dearly for. Maybe you want something else from the OS at the same time? What if the game company built in email, IM, or etc.; would you still need Windows?
Explain to me how the Aero GUI becomes a load on the GPU when you are running Crysis full screen and with F/X cranked up to the max --- which is, after all, the reason why you lay out the big bucks for a high performance gaming system.
How Do I ... tweak Vista indexing options for better performance [Dec 15, 2008]
The Great Vista/Mac Showdown: Goodbye, WinRot [Feb 21, 2007]
There are winners and losers in every turn of the market.
In the 1930s folks went to the movies - an evening out for 25 cents - or stayed home and listened to the radio.
Those quarters added up quickly.
So did the return on every pack of cigarettes or bar of soap sold through "our sponsor tonight, your neighborhood Rexall drugstore."
Dell does computer design like old people fuck.
You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
i no im English, your a looser. their, i said it.
The 700 series of the XPS systems have always been top of the line in design and hardware.
However, if you buy one of these guys and find you need a mobo/cpu/psu replaced within 3 months, request a *new* replacement.
The problems that plague the 700 series can be vague and since it really is a specialty item, not everyone has proper knowledge of how to fix them.
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Don't bother, I already did.
I would be embarrassed to own such a gaudy box.
The whole point of computers it to make difficult stuff like that go away so we can spend our time doing things humans are better at doing.
Besides, organized folders are really a piss poor way to structure large amounts of data. It is even piss poor for small amounts of data. For example, how would you structure your folders for a bunch of one-off "I'm learning API XYZ" projects you created in visual studio? Since they are all stupid apps, it isn't worth the time to properly oragnize them, yet still you might want to refer back to them.
And this is triple for music or any other media. I gave up the whole "iTunes/Windows Media Player is for suckers, I can do it better in folders" attitude a long time ago. It is far, far, far easier to let those programs manage your 20,000 song music library then doing it yourself.
The computers should adapt to us, not the other way around. IMHO, hierarchical file systems are on their way out for most content. They are good for the "system stuff" like your applications and their libraries, but they suck for your "content stuff".
Turning off UAC on your own computer is one thing (I leave it on, turning it off is like running as root all day). Turning it off on a computer that isn't yours is horrible. You are opening them up to security issues by doing that. Instead you should keep it enabled and train the users what it means when you get a UAC dialog (hint: they shouldn't get any unless the install software). If they are really "clueless", train them to call you before clicking through one so you can make sure they aren't about to hose their machine.
UAC is a godsend for people who maintain their parents or families computer. My mom calls me all the time with questions like this...
To put things into perspective, this machine can run 35 virtualized instances of Ubuntu Linux with full compiz effects enabled, or it can run Vista!
Based on the looks of the machine -- it's the same chassis as their 2-3 yr old "Dell Precision 690" Workstation model.
The 690 workstation sported a Intel 5000X Workstation motherboard (the other 5000-series boards are for servers) with sockets for two CPU's and expandable to 64GB of memory. It came with a stock 750W power supply or an optional 1KW PS. It's an impressive case that just feels solid. No tools needed to replace boards in the motherboard. Four 5" bays for media drives + 4 internal 3.5 HD bays. You might be able to configure a similarly equipped machine by ordering the basic system as a Precision workstation and adding in your own graphics card (the workstations usually come with Quadro graphics, which suck wrt/price:performance for gaming).
Haven't tried configuring or ordering one, but you might get a similar i7 based system through their small business and home-office store-front with less flash, similar internals, but less cash. You might also have option to choose a SAS controller that allows you to mix SAS and SATA drives for a RAID0 config + a large cheap SATA drive.