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Dell XPS 600 SLI gaming PC

When it came to testing this machine, things did not go smoothly. The biggest issue was that Steam simply refused to finish updating - it would hit 100 per cent and then start again, relentlessly. It turns out that this was a problem with Nvidia's drivers and took a registry hack to fix. However, when we updated to newer drivers the problem came back again, hence the lack of Day of Defeat performance scores.

Dell XPS 600

The performance numbers that we did get are nice and high, as you'd expect for a machine such as this. The problem is though that they're just not high enough, especially at the price that Dell is asking for this machine.

The 3DMark05 score at 1024 x 768 is 9092 but the first system we tested with 7800 GTX SLI (on its launch date), the Evesham Axis 64 Decimator 78, obtained 11,023. Moving to Far Cry at 1600 x 1200 with FSAA and AF enabled, the Dell gets 81.03fps, while the Evesham got 90fps. Looking at the Dell's Half-Life 2 scores, the are essentially the same from 1024 x 768 all the way up to 2048 x 1536, a clear indication that the machine is CPU limited. The Evesham was also CPU-limited in Half-Life 2, but it's Athlon X2 4800+ pushed this to 115fps.

The Evesham machine was much cheaper than this Dell. Of course, it wasn't as fully featured, and when I priced up an Evesham machine of similar specification is was actually even more expensive than the Dell. However, that was based on an Athlon X2 4800+, so you know that you'll be getting better performance.

Essentially, Dell's choice of an Intel CPU seriously hampers the appeal of the XPS desktop as a 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.

Verdict

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.

Review by
TrustedReviews.com

70%
Dell XPS 600 PCMark

Dell XPS 600 SLI gaming PC

Expensive but you get a great spec for your money. It's great to look at, well built and not too loud...
Price: £2346 RRP

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