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Gadgets Dell Unveils Studio XPS 435 Desktop
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - February 25, 2009 1:26 PM
Print 36 comment(s) - last by zshift.. on Feb 26 at 10:41 PM

Dell Studio XPS 435  (Source: Dell)
The new Studio XPS 435 is Dell's flagship multimedia desktop

Dell is one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world and sells numerous notebook and desktop computers for different uses. Dell purchased the Alienware brand a few years ago, but the company still makes gaming machines under its own XPS brand. However, not all of the computers under the XPS brand are aimed at gamers; some of the machines are for multimedia enthusiasts.

Dell has announced a new multimedia desktop called the Studio Desktop XPS 435. The desktop computer uses the Intel Core i7 CPU with triple-channel DDR3 RAM. Dell says the machine can be optioned with up to 24GB of RAM and up to 4.5TB of storage.

A variety of CPUs available are up to the Core i7 965 Extreme Edition and all systems use the Intel X58 chipset. Operating system choices include Vista Home Premium 64-bit and Vista Ultimate 64-bit. The mainboard used by Dell has six user accessible DIMM slots.

Graphics card options available for the system include the Radeon ATI HD 4870 with GDDR5 RAM. Onboard sound comes via Intel 7.1 HD audio while a Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi sound card is an option. Dell offers a Blu-ray option and DVD burners are also available. The mainboard offers a single x16 PCI-E slot, so dual graphics isn’t an option for the XPS 435. The machine also features a built-in IR receiver for control via a media center remote.

The power supply offers 475W of power and the chassis is tool-less for easy upgrades. Two colors are available including white and translucent black.

Dell is mum on the pricing for the system for the moment, but details should be available soon.

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Clearly not for gaming
By UNCjigga on 2/25/09, Rating: 0
RE: Clearly not for gaming
By KorruptioN on 2/25/2009 2:55:44 PM , Rating: 5
Because watts mean everything... right?


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By computergeek485 on 2/25/2009 3:27:20 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
Because watts mean everything... right?


Exactly you can have a crappy computer but if you have a 1,200w Power Supply your computer OWNS.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By yacoub on 2/25/2009 3:34:07 PM , Rating: 3
not to mention normal people don't need crossfire or SLI to play their games.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By BZDTemp on 2/25/2009 4:41:39 PM , Rating: 5
Normal people don't buy Dell XPS machines unless perhaps Dell has decided to price this one right instead the usual over-pricing!

In fact people should stay away from those things. A friend of mine has a XPS 720 and while the case looks nice there are issues. It's loud, PSU is inefficient so it uses a lot of watts, upgrade flexibility is questionable... basically it is a Dell.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By Arribajuan on 2/26/2009 11:23:39 AM , Rating: 2
If the thing is targeted as gamers, it should have a better supply to allow for huge graphics cards. And of course allow sli / crossfire

"Normal gamers" could just buy any inspiron and should be enough.

Having those limitations does not makes sense in a gaming rig regardless of the "normality" of the user.

Seems like having a Ferrari and only being able to bolt in a 4 cylinder...


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By quiksilvr on 2/25/2009 8:38:26 PM , Rating: 2
Watts don't mean everything, just like size doesn't matter...right...I mean you can get things done with 500W but 1200W doesn't hurt...well maybe a little ;)


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By TheFace on 2/25/2009 3:32:15 PM , Rating: 4
Because a Core i7 and a 4870 just won't do for gaming situations...


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By omnicronx on 2/25/2009 3:37:46 PM , Rating: 3
Do you really think a PC that contains 'Studio' in the name is for gamers? Let alone the need for 24GB of RAM. This kind of PC is for things such as graphics designers, video editing etc etc..


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By DEredita on 2/25/2009 5:05:28 PM , Rating: 2
...and us virtual machine lovers. :)


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By CK804 on 2/25/2009 4:42:55 PM , Rating: 3
Do us all a favor and get yourself a Kill-A-Watt meter. You'd be surprised at how much power a typical computer actually draws.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By Fnoob on 2/25/2009 4:48:56 PM , Rating: 2
You could always install a 4870x2 or a 295 if you wanted a Crossfire or SLI setup with the single available slot.

I do have some doubts that the 450W P/S would be able to handle one of those cards, along with maximum RAM and HDD configs.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By Redfoot on 2/25/2009 5:07:56 PM , Rating: 2
I would advise against running an X2 or GX 2 card in this...

I purchased a xps 420 last summer (tke it easy on me the entire system was 416 shipped back when the Q6600 that came with it was still retailing 300+), and the cooling solutions are aweful. 1 intake fan, no exahust fan-and seemingly no where to mount one without a dremel, not to mention BTX form factor so no swapping of mainboards. PSU had only a single 6 pin PCI-E. I have a 9800GX2 in it right now, and the thing doubles as a space heater, the card almost to hot to touch. Admittedly, the case is very handsome, but after this long, it is going to get gutted.

Like most XPS products, I will assume this one will be overpriced, relatively buggy, and limited on expansion and cooling.

-Redfoot


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By Fnoob on 2/25/2009 5:33:36 PM , Rating: 2
You did get a deal at that price. I still see the XPS 420 at Wallyworld selling for $895 - granted, with monitor, KB, etc... but still, way too much for that price.

You do get that nifty LCD display on the top of the case - how you likin' that?


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By Redfoot on 2/26/2009 3:01:48 PM , Rating: 2
The LCD screen was a cool "gee whiz" aspect of the case for about two weeks, then the novelty wore off. The sideshow gadgets that work with the screen are spotty at best, but you can get system stats, email, solitaire on it. Plus, the damn thing would refuse to turn off at times, lighting up the room. I guess it would be more useful if I did not have a laptop sitting next to my desktop all the time.


RE: Clearly not for gaming
By DEredita on 2/25/2009 5:09:56 PM , Rating: 2
Do not need those, but if they offered a 4 DVI port 4850x2 w/ 2GB GDDR3 - that would be perfect to run 4+ monitors.


ATX?
By mjcutri on 2/25/2009 1:51:02 PM , Rating: 2
So has dell officially abandoned the BTX format now?




RE: ATX?
By Brainonska511 on 2/25/2009 2:12:26 PM , Rating: 1
Probably. BTX was made because of the ridiculously hot Prescott processors. Now that you have cooler running Core 2 processors in use, BTX isn't really needed. Plus, with few suppliers, it was potentially more expensive to get BTX boards over ATX boards.


RE: ATX?
By TomZ on 2/25/2009 2:54:21 PM , Rating: 3
Newer high-end processors still have a TDP of 130W, so really the total power hasn't changed much, although performance/watt has improved radically of course.

There still is a need for the improvements that BTX provides; however, ATX is so entrenched...


RE: ATX?
By omnicronx on 2/25/2009 3:34:37 PM , Rating: 2
Actually CPU heat was not the issue, it was components that were cooled passively and were not getting the right airflow because of their positioning. BTX actually moved the CPU away from where normal cases position their fans.


RE: ATX?
By FITCamaro on 2/25/2009 2:14:10 PM , Rating: 2
Their BTX designs were one of their few pluses. BTX made sense too.


RE: ATX?
By omnicronx on 2/25/2009 3:33:09 PM , Rating: 2
I think it never caught on because it required an entirely new case and from what I remember (the position of the PCI* slots and external ports are reversed.)

It was a great idea though, moving components to achieve lower latencies, and improved airflow. Moving the Ram horizontal (bottom of MB) instead of vertical would have greatly improved the RAM cooling.


RE: ATX?
By ChuckDriver on 2/25/2009 5:41:02 PM , Rating: 2
BTX also oriented the heatsink on video cards above the PCB instead of being positioned underneath it as in standard ATX cases. I don't know if that made a significant difference in temperatures, but it provides a path for the hot air to rise and be exhausted.


RE: ATX?
By Dreifort on 2/26/2009 11:13:29 AM , Rating: 2
HP uses BTX in their desktops.


Pricing
By Fnoob on 2/25/2009 5:30:56 PM , Rating: 2
Probably going to come in at about $2195 - since you could build it yourself for ~$1750. That seems to fall in line with the Dell model of about a 25-30% markup.

Of course, it is red and shiny and an XPS.... so maybe more like $3795.

I just went on their site and configured something as similar as the one I am now building as I could get... sighs. Dell is out of control on their high end pricing:

Their XPS 730x H2C :
Dell watercooled case
unspecified motherboard
Intel i7-965
6GB DDR3 @1066
ATI HD4870X2
Veliciraptor 300G x2
Blu-ray Reader
DVD+RW
Killer NIC
SB X-Fi Titanium
Dell KB/M
19-1 Multicard Reader
Vista Ultimate 64bit

Total = $4916

My build:
Lian LI PC-V2100B full tower
DD watercooling setup
Intel i7 920
Asus P6T6 Revolution
12G OcZ DDR3 @1600
Corsair 1000W
BFG GTX 285 x2
Fujitsu 300GB 15K SAS x2 RAID 0
Seagate 500GB 7200K SATA x2 RAID 1
Hauppage HVR-2250 Dual TV tuner
Lite-On 6x Blu-Ray Reader
Lite-On 16x DVD+RW
Rosewill 40-in-1 card reader
Logitech Wave pro KB/M
Windows Ultimate 64

Total $4051 - which includes a full copy of windows, unlike the Dell, which only has a recovery disk. The double amount of ram is 1600 v 1066. The storage options destroy the Dell in terms of speed and reliability. The video setup is far superior. TV tuner not available on Dell. Also includes some freebies like 2 copies of World at War (one with each VC), the latest Warcraft, a 7" photoframe, and 24/7 live-in tech support from someone competant who also speaks English.




RE: Pricing
By xKeGSx on 2/25/2009 7:42:08 PM , Rating: 2
Let's be a little more Apples to Apples. Taken of the Dell site, default config for XPS 730x H2c:

Stealth Blue Anodized Chassis
Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Intel Core i7 965 Extreme
6 GB DDR 3 @ 1066MHZ ( 3x2gb)
Dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW
Killer K1 Gaming Network Interface Card
Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Dell 19-in-1 Media Card Reader with Bluetooth 2.0
All for 3852. Note that it does come with 4 year coverage and a liquid cooling system.
Newegg Says:

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 ATX Intel Motherboard
Sony Optiarc 22X DVD±R DVD Burner
Sony Optiarc Black SATA DVD-ROM
Thermaltake SwordM
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB
X-Fi Titanium
Antec EA650 650W P.S.
SIIG Memory Card Reader
3x2gb CAsS 7 DDR3 1066mhz
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965
Vista Home Premium
HIS Hightech H485FN512P x 2
Killer NIC K1 Gaming Network Card
All for : $2792.87 before about 50 in mail in rebates. I think it's been know that on the lower end Dell and HP can be hard to beat, especially when they through in those package deals with monitor, printer, etc. for low prices. Anything after entry level, starting low mid-range, can be built for less and the savings increase as the performance does. Had this been a no holds barred system the savings would have been even greater if going home built instead. The 4-year warranty is nice though.


RE: Pricing
By Fnoob on 2/25/2009 10:23:55 PM , Rating: 2
Thanks, your comparison is more accurate - but my point stands - the markup is massive the higher up you go. I was just trying to illustrate bang for the buck possibilities.

For my setup I went with the 920 instead of the 965. Anyone can overclock the 920 to the same 3.2Ghz as the 965 with about as much effort as a fart. The 6.4 v 4.8 QPI is irrelevant in a single CPU setup, and will fall into play with the multi-CPU Nehalem EX setups coming soon to a box near you.


RE: Pricing
By Digitime on 2/25/2009 11:43:00 PM , Rating: 2
Until the coupons roll and the spec is official, you can probably do much better at companies like this for better hardware- http://www.pugetsystems.com/ (no, I don't work there).


RE: Pricing
By zshift on 2/26/2009 10:41:09 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The 4-year warranty is nice though.


What almost everyone forgets, however, is that when you build your own system the warranties for each individual part are usually much better. Most ram modules come with lifetime warranties, same for many video cards (xfx even offers double-lifetime warranties and covers aftermarket heatsinks too, real nice ;), my wd black hdd has a 5 year warranty, and cpu and mobo come usually with with 3 year warranties. 4 years is much more than standard but still less on average for what you can get in a DIY.


so...
By ashegam on 2/25/2009 4:08:34 PM , Rating: 2
so those that say 475 is enough since not everyone is an extreme gamer are also saying 475w is more then enough if I choose to go with 4.5T of storage, 24G of ram and a couple of 4870 graphic cards?




RE: so...
By TomZ on 2/25/2009 4:13:44 PM , Rating: 3
It's a moot point, since this is not a gaming machine, it's a multimedia machine. 475W is more than enough for that purpose.


RE: so...
By omnicronx on 2/25/2009 4:15:34 PM , Rating: 2
I assume its only 6 possible Ram modules, and they never mention what the configuration of the 4.5T storage is. What do you think we used to do before there was such thing as 1200W power supplies. I've had computer setups using 4 dimms at higher voltage and draw than what is in use currently with DDR3 and 4 hard drives on a 500W ps without issue. As for the dual video cards, this is not an SLI/crossfire board.. (which the article specifically states it only supports one 16x pcie slot.)


RE: so...
By omnicronx on 2/25/2009 4:18:43 PM , Rating: 2
Furthermore one would assume that a 475W PS in this setup is high efficiency. The rating rarely tells the entire story. This is why I personally never use PSU's that come a case, it is one of the most overlooked components when assembling a PC.


By DEredita on 2/25/2009 5:04:40 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Dell has announced a new multimedia desktop called the Studio Desktop XPS 435. The desktop computer uses the Intel Core i7 CPU with triple-channel DDR3 RAM. Dell says the machine can be optioned with up to 24GB of RAM and up to 4.5TB of storage.


If I can order that now, with 24GB of RAM, I am in.




By Fnoob on 2/25/2009 5:36:09 PM , Rating: 2
Me too. Or not. Just point me towards the 4GB DDR3 sticks por favor!


By DEredita on 2/25/2009 5:40:20 PM , Rating: 2
That's what I am talking about. I find myself holding back with the Core i7 until I can install 18GB - 24GB of ram into it.


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