House of Dell | The Unofficial Dell Weblog, with News, Reviews, and Information.

Admittedly, this post is all about stuffing in a not-so-current (Nov. 2005) Dell review that I somehow managed to miss earlier. But in any case, I hope that this comprehensive review of the Dell XPS 600 - one of Dell’s very own SLI gaming PCs - from TrustedReviews will prove helpful.

So, let’s go to the negatives:

Essentially, Dells slavishness to Intel seriously hampers the appeal of the XPS desktop as a serious hardcore gaming machine. Sure, it’s fast but you know that an Athlon system of the same price, whether it’s a dual-core X2 or a FX-57 will give you better gaming performance.

If you’re aware of this, or you’re just an Intel fan boy and don’t care that you could get even more performance elsewhere, then there’s a lot to love about the Dell.

This I think, is what you really need to know when it comes to pricey top-of-the-line gaming PCs such as the Dell XPS 600. And this is where Alienware (and most other gaming PC specialists) shines as it provides the necessary AMD alternative. Nevertheless, the XPS 600 gave a sufficiently good impression as TrustedReviews concludes that, “The Dell XPS is generally very impressive and while it’s very expensive you do get a great specification for your money. It’s also great to look at, it’s very well built and it’s not too loud. However, it’s Intel based, and when it comes to games, AMD is faster. A great machine then, but it’s not the final word in gaming desktops.”

Note: The Dell UK website lists three configurations for the Dell XPS 600. I believe that TrustedReviews reviewed the most feature-packed (and most expensive) version of the XPS 600, i.e. The Ultimate Gaming Solution.

More information and reviews on the Dell XPS 600 here.

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CNET reviews the Dell Inspiron 710m notebook. The high capacity battery cell, low weight and wide-aspect display were deemed to be among the good points of the Inspiron 710m. But CNET seemed dissatisfied by the previous-generation specifications and the lack of multimedia features normally found in contemporary Dell notebooks. Personally, I share their dissatisfaction with the lack of industry-standard (or rather, Dell-standard) multimedia controls. However, I see the strong benchmark results as a significant reason to consider the Inspiron 710m anyway.

CNET’s conclusion: The Dell Inspiron 710m is a no-frills portable notebook aimed at basic users. Indeed, at its current price point, I feel that it’s well targeted for the standard non-intensive notebook user.

More information and reviews on the Dell Inspiron 710m here.

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(Source: luftwaffe at Neowin.net)

Over at CNET, we have a review of the Dell Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP. They see this 30-inch widescreen LCD monitor offering from Dell as a strong alternative to Apple’s Cinema Display line, with bright images, crisp text (even with the smallest of fonts) and a competitive price. However, it is clear that the use of the 3007WFP will mostly be limited to your computer as it only accepts digital input. Ghosting during DVD playback was also found during CNET tests.

Overall, CNET concludes that they will stay away from a full recommendation of the Dell 3007WFP due to the lack of S-Video ports and weak DVD playback.

More information and reviews on the Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP here.

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Matt Krantz over at USAToday.com discusses the possible impact of Dell’s (and a bit of Intel’s) diversification away from its flagship products. From Intel, this diversification is exemplified by Intel® Viiv™, while Dell’s diversification can be seen by how it has “…jumped into consumer electronics and sells everything from big-screen TVs to digital music players (such as the Dell DJ) and high-powered handhelds (the Dell Axim).”

Of course, being part of the Ask Matt column, the article completely focuses on Dell’s stock (and its potential in the near future). In this respect, Matt concludes that:

Dell appears to be another example of a large stock that has been ignored and punished by Wall Street. If the company is able to execute well in this new world of computers and consumer electronics and finds areas of new growth, there could be opportunity for investors. Just be aware that the risks are very large and it’s only for investors with a big appetite for risk, as part of a diversified portfolio. Also be aware that if large-company stocks remain out of favor, Dell could lag.

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India’s Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, has revealed that Dell has decided to set up a manufacturing facility in India. While such a move is not surprising given the reportedly strong growth of notebook sales in India, one can’t help but wonder whether this move was brought about by the intensifying competition by other branded PC manufacturers, such as Acer.

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It seems competition is going up a notch for the world’s largest computer makers. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Michael Dell has stepped up speculation on AMD-powered Dell PCs by saying that Dell is “…never averse to geeing up long time partner Intel by opening the visitor book at Round Rock to AMD suitors.”

With a number of competitors already utilising AMD chips in their PCs, e.g. Acer, Dell - as the world’s top computer maker - may soon be pressured to do the same.

[News via The Inquirer]

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Today, we have a review of one of the most powerful mobile gaming notebooks - the Dell Inspiron XPS M170 - by BIOS. With up to 2.26GHz of raw processing power and the GeForce Go 7800 GTX, the M170 scores in the key 3D-intensive games. But the lack of an almost industry-standard Wi-Fi button, numberpad, and irDA port brings the Dell M170 down. BIOS’ verdict is that the Dell Inspiron XPS M170 is: “Packed with the latest technology to help you handle any application, game or any task with confidence.”

More information and reviews on the Dell Inspiron XPS M170 here.

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This week, Dell will launch the Inspiron 9400 - a high-end multimedia notebook, powered by a Core Duo processor and a 256MB GeForce Go 7800 - and the UltraSharp 3007WFP 30-inch widescreen LCD - Dell’s largest LCD screen to date.

There’s nothing really special on the Inspiron 9400, except for Dell’s MediaDirect function, which will provide one-touch functionality for many media functions, e.g. playing videos, listening to music, etc. The Dell 3007WFP LCD screen, on the other hand, doesn’t look like it will disappoint, with a WQXGA screen with max. resolution of 2560 x 1600. You’ll also get some useful extras, such as a 4-Port USB Hub, 9-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader/Slots, and a height adjustable stand. But of course, we can’t forget the most important point: The price range is expected to be between $1635 and $1771.

You can catch up with some forum discussion on the 3007WFP LCD screen over at Ars OpenForum or Neowin.net (picture above leeched from Neowin.net poster, luftwaffe).

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NotebookReview.com reviews the Dell Inspiron B130 “budget” notebook. From the review, we can see that the reviewer likes the firmness of the notebook’s build and the 5400 RPM hard disk drive - which is definitely above expectations for a budget notebook.

He concludes that, “The Dell B130 ends up being a fine notebook for general usage and as an extension of a desktop computer. Obviously this notebook is not for gaming, but if you’re looking for a cheap solution for a portable PC so you can do work or surf the web from the couch, or have a cheap PC in the dorm room then the B130 is fine. To be honest, I think the HP dv4000, HP dv1000 and equivalent Compaq offerings (Presario v2000 and Presario v4000t) are price equivalent notebooks with much better features. I can’t whole heartedly endorse buying this notebook when there’s better options out there for the same price, but if you like Dell and can use one of the often available Dell coupons to get a good price on this machine then it’s not a bad pick.”

More information and reviews on the Dell Inspiron B130 here.

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(Source: HDTV Magazine)

CNET previews the Dell W4201C - a 42-inch plasma HDTV. On the upside, they see impressive out-of-the-box audio options and connectivity - with a pair of HDMI and component inputs, as well as a built-in HDTV tuner. But, the price of the Dell W4201C plasma and Dell’s direct-sales model seem to be turn-offs. Overall, the CNET reviewers believe that the Dell W4201C’s impressive specifications would put it at least on par with the competition (including Dell’s own plasma HDTV range), but they are unable to review its image quality until they receive an actual test unit.

More information and reviews on the Dell W4201C here.

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