Dell Dimension XPS: Gaming with all the Trimmings
by Wesley Fink on November 13, 2003 10:35 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Game Benchmarks
Dell's Dimension XPS is marketed as a top gaming system, so this will get close scrutiny by many. As you can see, the results are quite mixed. The XPS does very well in Aquamark 3, setting a new high, and also performs well in the new X2 benchmark. Performance is on par with tests of the Asus 875 at 3.2GHz in Unreal Tournament. We then see less than stellar performance in Quake 3, Gun metal 2 Direct X 9.0 benchmarks, and Media Encoding. Since there is no real way to disable the Audigy 2 in BIOS, we suspect part of this discrepancy may have to do with remnants of the Audigy drivers loading even after we disabled drivers in Windows XP. These 3 tests are sensitive to active sound drivers, and we suspect that this may be responsible for these lower scores.
All-in-all, the Dell Dimension XPS performs well in our gaming benchmarks, but as we have seen in other gaming tests, it is outperformed by Athlon64 FX51. Dell tells us the P4EE will also be an optional offering on the Dimension XPS, and this should bring the scores closer to FX levels. However, in our testing of the FX51 compared to the P4EE, the FX51 was still the top performer.
We wouldn't suggest holding your breath for an Athlon64 FX system from Dell, since Dell has never produced an AMD system. If you want an Intel P4 or P4EE gaming system, then Dell provides competitive equipment. If you want the absolute top gaming performance, you can choose an Athlon64 FX system from another vendor. We will soon be testing an Athlon64 FX gaming system from ElitePC, and it will be interesting to compare that machine's performance to the Dell Dimension XPS.
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Wesley Fink - Wednesday, November 26, 2003 - link
Flash is used for charts in all AnandTech reviews because it uses less bandwidth than any other option. On a site with very heavy traffic like AnandTech, bandwidth is very important. As Editors, we do not have the option to use other charting methods.If you still have an issue with Flash after hearing the explanation, you should send your complaints to anand@anandtech.com
mindless1 - Saturday, November 22, 2003 - link
I would tend to agree that this is a DELL high-end box, and the review best served to acquaint readers with Dell's current offerings, even though most of us do not want to be stuck with $3K worth of unconfigurable equipment that's so proprietary that it'll certainly cost more in the long run due to upgrade hassles.On the other hand, the review used flash images, which is clearly stupid. I'm opposed to flash to begin with, but could understand it IF you needed an animation for some reason, but it wasn't a case of that. Seems more like some people think they know better than the entire world or else have never heard of JPG and GIF.
sador - Thursday, November 20, 2003 - link
MY biggest complaint with this article is that it gives the impression that there are no other "pre-assembled" gaming rigs out there for the money that can compete with it. What a joke! There was a dearth of competitive "pre-builts" in tha article to give a real apples-to-apples comparison. (At least as far as $$$ is concerned)Alienware, like it or not, had pre-config'd systems that will torch this one for less money! Calling this a high-end gaming rig is an insult to qaulity gaming rigs everywhere.
This article did come across as "pandering" a bit to Dell. Whether that was to keep the Dell goods coming, or was sincerely to give this system a fair shake is for every reader to decide for themselves.
madgonad - Thursday, November 20, 2003 - link
to #34 - I don't know how long that coupon is going to last. Since it appears to be part of the Anandtech endorsement package I would guess about 10 days.As you noticed in the benchmarks the Dell was beaten about the head and shoulders by systems far far less the expensive. The excuse was given that the Audigy2 card was to blame since it could not be deactivated. It wasn't mentioned that almost every other system being compared also had an Audigy2 card, making the issue moot.
As to the reason most people have given, tech support, please do not trust anything important to Dell's tech support people. They will tell you to restore the reg or reinstall the OS. After that you get to hunt for the original box in basement to RMA it back to Dell. The onsite people will do the same.
The straight poop is that if you come here you are not the type of consumer to buy the generic-corporate-america product which just gets by. You want a stand-out product that you have control over.
Or put simply. If your shopping for a fast car, do you get a manual or automatic transmission?
cdrsft - Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - link
Can you spell.... SELL OUTway to go AT
jc1x - Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - link
I just did a quick browse to figure out how much it'ld have cost to setup the same system if I were to buy the components..300 MB + Case + PS
500 2x HD w/ SATA
400 P4 3.2 CPU
200 1GB DDR 400 RAM
460 VID - RADEON 9800XT
270 Logitech Z680
175 8x DVD+R/+RW
65 AUDIGY 2
50 XP Home
990 16ms 20.1 in LCD
---
3410
3410 in parts vs 3049* assembled.. (diff $361)
* 3049 = 3299 - 150 (rebate) - 100 off coupon
So, on balance, it's a good deal on price.. performance wise, well, if you want to tweak, buy a new MB for 250 and you'ld still be below component costs.. not to mention shipping costs and the hassle of multiple support locations.
BlackShrike - Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - link
Does anybody else think these comments are ridiculous? The proposed system is only good if you want tech support, a dell, or a very nice LCD. Otherwise, build your own computer. For $3300 I swear you could get the fastest and greatest cpu/motherboard combo of an AMD-51. Then 1 Gb of registered DDR 400. A sound blaster audigy 2. A beautiful surround sound system. A great 19 or 21 inch CRT (I don't like LCDs personnal preference). Then a radeon 9800 XT. A wireless mouse and keyboard. A DVD +/- RW etc and so forth. Hell all these are probably so far under $2500, plus you get the satisfaction of building it, which is quite enjoyable. Oh and why not a nice see through case with lights and cool fans. Basically, I'm saying if you want the best, BUILD IT YOURSELF! If you are lazy then quit bitching or get a Voodo/falcon northwest and lose all the flashy stuff and still pay over $4000. So good job at the review anandtech but I would NEVER buy a dell. AMD IS THE WAY TO BE! Plus all that proprietary stuff that the #5 guy was talking about was right! Man, shame on you anandtech for recommending such a system. Bad, very bad.ComputerBeatnik - Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - link
Please...that's a ton of money just to play games!!! Why not just buy an X-Box for $150?jc1x - Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - link
to #33. try using the code that was provided.. it's now 3299 w/ a 150 rebate = $3149.. no it doesn't have the P4EE but it sure is much cheaper than any comparable.Frankly, I'll probably get one of these.. and when I feel the need to (and actually have the time), just swap the motherboard w/ something tweakable..
madgonad - Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - link
I just went to the Dell website and built the XPS system as described. The regular price is in excess of Five grand when including the EE of the P4.Now if a couple FX51s systems equiped with the same video card and RAID were to be benchmarked, THAT would be a fair and balanced comparison. Anything else looks like a straw-man.