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Thread: Dell XPS 420 your views please

  1. #1
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    Unhappy Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Considering getting this with q 6600, 8800gt and 3GB RAM (666 Mhz) and 2x250GB Raid 0 HDD

    what's your view about Dell XPS in general and about my choice.

    Will be for little/mod gaming, AVCHD video editing among other things

    Thank you

  2. #2
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    It's not a bad PC at all. If you fancy having a play on one they are in most of the PC Worlds now

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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    The Dell is advertised with a 375 PSU. I thought that was way too little for my configuration above ...

    But surely dell won't sell something that's not matched ???

  4. #4
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Thats plenty for it if its a good PSU which it no doubt is

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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    thanks staffsMike

    Do you know if they are noisy?

  6. #6
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Dell usually prides themselves on near enough silent PC's so I'm guessing not. I certainly couldn't hear it in PC world and not through lack of trying

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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Thanks again

    Off I go to spend some more money!

  8. #8
    finding nemo staffsMike's Avatar
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Oh, one uterly useless feature is ability to play solitare on the little slide show screen.. Why I don't know but it wasn't doing anything for me lol

    It is a very nice PC though, fairly priced as well really.

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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Quote Originally Posted by staffsMike View Post
    Thats plenty for it if its a good PSU which it no doubt is
    I know you know about PSUs Mike , but really? 375W is enough for a Q6600, 8800Gt, 3GB ram and 2 x 250GB HDDs? I cant really believe that, even if we OC the q6600?
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  10. #10
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    I have a 1710 XPS, a little older I know, but that is very quiet indeed.

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  11. #11
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Dell have been doing it with GTX systems for quite some time

    The average system draw and full load for 8800GT and ATi HD3870 systems is around 380W in overclocked systems, so it should be succifient..that said the 420 is not designed to be overclocked.

    They don't have any problems with them that i've heard about and as above this is nothing they havn't been doing for some time now.

    Oh and I know next to nothing about PSU's I just know what to buy at the moment and not to skimp on it

  12. #12
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Hmm well you do seem to answer all the questions about PSUs and ATI cards! lol, thanks though
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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    My comments from another thread on my XPS420, when it was £584. Now at the lower price I think it's a pretty amazing deal for a complete system, esp if you're not able or willing to recycle bits from old builds.

    Unfortunately it's running Vista and I can't really compare the experience with my old PC as that was running XP, but I have to say Vista sucks big-time. Even with the raid 0 hdd setup it takes ages to copy local files and I'm not a fan of the new aero theme. There seems to be a dearth of decent replacement aero themes around at the moment, but I've found a Leopard-lookalike with icon pack that is a keeper.

    Fortunately Dell haven't filled the machine with crapola, and it didn't take long to clean the install up. The mouse drivers had to go as they didn't support proper back/forward button operation in Firefox; they were worse than no drivers at all! All the support options appear to be geared up for US users and you're directed to a US-centric site for questions/answers which doesn't recognise the service tag on the PC. I haven't tried the XPS hotline yet as nothing major is wrong and I prefer fixing things myself.

    The machine itself is quiet, very quiet. The sideshow display is a complete gimmick and there's hardly any available applications/gadgets for it yet. The internal of the case seems very cramped and the expansion is a bit limited - only one free 5" bay and one free 3.5" bay. The board lacks all legacy connectors (PATA/PS2/Serial/Parallel) and has an eSATA port. I like the suspend-to-ram sleep function and the fact that it turns off all the fans (PSU included), something I could never get working with my previous install/XP, so the machine is effectively instant-on but doesn't make any noise. The only unfortunate thing is the blue power LED which is very bright and flashes in suspend with no way of turning it off. I may have to find a way of dulling the LED somehow.

    While it's not the best-looking case in the world (my Coolermaster 210 seriously puts it to shame) it's not awful and is finished in a nice piano black with silver side panels. The case has tool-free access and it's easy to install new components despite the relative lack of space. There's a 120mm (or possibly larger) intake fan but bizarrely no outtake fan either on the case or PSU and no fixtures for one either despite the back of the case being all grille to allow good airflow. I may have to get my drill out and fix up something should temperatures prove an issue. I haven't installed any monitoring tools yet so can't say how cool/hot it runs in practise.

    I think the motherboard is produced by ECS but I can't find an equivalent board made by any manufacturer (X38, BTX) so drivers will have to come from Dell. There's no overclocking or voltage options in the bios at all, which is a disappointment to say the least.

    I was pleasantly surprised by the included keyboard/mouse. The keyboard has two usb slots, a rotating volume knob and a handful of media-player style keys yet remains understated looks-wise. The mouse is on the small side for me (thinner than my Intellimouse Explorer and old Logitech MX518) but has the tilt-functionality on the wheel. They're both much better than peripherals I've used on other pre-builds.

    Not run any extensive benchies but HL2 Ep 2 plays in 1920x1200 4xAA with everything maxed out and I didn't notice any slowdowns. Everyday tasks are pretty rapid - Firefox runs like a dream.

    So, if I could go back, would I have chosen to build my own? I'm not sure. I think I'd have more of an affinity for a PC I built myself and obviously I could have overclocked a Q6600 substantially on a decent board getting better performance, but I don't really have the free time to fiddle should brand X of ram not quite be compatible with brand Y build Z of motherboard and make A of soundcard (yes, I got bitten by the KT133/Soundblaster Live screwup and lost data. I'm still bitter). If you're after a ready-built hassle-free system it's absolutely superb and a huge step-up from similar pre-builds from box-shifters I've seen in the past and the price I paid was a steal. If you like to tweak and tinker and squeeze every ounce from your machine and upgrade components every six months then it's not for you.

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    Re: Dell XPS 420 your views please

    Quote Originally Posted by Zathras View Post
    My comments from another thread on my XPS420, when it was £584. Now at the lower price I think it's a pretty amazing deal for a complete system, esp if you're not able or willing to recycle bits from old builds.
    Just picked up an XPS420 as a 50th <sob> birthday pressie to self and I would echo every word of Zathras's review. It is an excellent system if you don't want to overclock, or if you just can't be bothered to mess around researching endless compatibilties. Got mine at a good price (£462) from the Dell Home Outlet with the Quad Core Q6600, 1Tb (2x500Gb) hard drives, DVD-RW + DVD-ROM, 8800GT 512MB, Card Reader, etc.

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