Xps 700
The Dell XPS 700, launched at the Dell product launch event, Wednesday, May 31, 2006, is a gaming computer, the successor to the Dell XPS 600. The direct competition for Dell in this category include Alienware and Falcon Northwest machines.
Components
Details on the XPS 700 configuration can be found at the Dell website. XPS 700 features include:
Motherboard
The XPS 700 is advertised with the "590 SLI MCP" motherboard. The motherboard is actually a custom (proprietary) nForce 4/nvidia 570/590 Motherboard manufactured for Dell by NVIDIA. It contains none of the features which NVIDIA advertises in the retail 590SLI motherboard, except for SLI capability.
Processor
Dell originally offered this computer with the intel pentium D and pentium 4 based processors. When the core 2 duo became available, Dell added this as an option and continued to make the pentium D processor available.
Graphics
Dell announced that they would equip the 700 with quad sli capability, utilizing dual nvidia 7950gx2 graphics cards in sli mode which they did not deliver due to chipset/driver/heat/compatibility issues [citation needed]. Instead, similar Nvidia cards were substituted [citation needed].
Storage
The XPS 700 ships with the option of Dual 10,000 RPM Western Digital "Raptor" 160 GB hard drives.
RAM
2GB Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ is available. 4 DIMM slots are available, and up to 2.7gb of ram can be recognized and used by standard windows. Up to 8gb of ram can be used with windows XP x64 edition, although 64bit operating systems are not currently supported while using a core 2 duo with this system.
Sound Card
An 7.1 Onboard soundcard is standard and the Creative X-fi music Extreme card can be purchased as an upgrade, allthough in an OEM version that does not include the driver to run DTS Sound Mode[citation needed].
Cooling & Power
Since all of these components produce vast amounts of heat, the XPS 700 has two 120mm temperature managed fans blowing "cool" air from the front through the system and out the back. The layout is following the BTX standard, which produces a better cooling solution than the ATX standard. The lack of any filter or grill in the front air intake allows large dust particles and pet hair to get into the computer, degrading cooling capability.
Power Supply
The 700 comes in either a Red or Black version, Red having a 1000watt power supply, while Black only has a 750watt power supply.
Mouse & Keyboard
The XPS 700 comes with a basic Dell keyboard and rollerball mouse as standard and other options are available.
Casing & Design
Dell provides a 2 foot tall, 56 pound, 24" x 22" aluminum enclosure with bright led lights in 8 optional colors. The front and rear plastic panels are either colored Black or Red, depending on the Configuration.
Response by customers and the marketplace
According to an article in the Northwest Florida News, the XPS 700 was released as a cutting edge gaming desktop and shipping delays and problems with components have lead to disappointment amoung some customers. [1]