Dell unleashes XPS gaming speed machine

Dell has today released its new XPS desktop PC, combining Intel's 925x chipset with gamer-friendly features and services in a system that will outperform almost any other current one.

Priced from £950 (ex. VAT), the XPS is built for gamers who want the benefits of the 925x's Redundant Array of Independent Disks (Raid) and PCI Express fast data handling coupled with the performance of Intel's Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors.

"The XPS is designed and built around gamers," said Gavin Duncan, product marketing manager at Dell.

"The hardware is state of the art, but it is specific features that give the new XPS a different feel. Ideas like the user-controlled chassis backlight should also prove attractive to the gaming community."

The 925x chipset allows tandem disk drives to be connected as Raid storage.

The chipset can be configured for Raid Level Zero, which boosts performance by spreading software between disks, and Level One control for disk mirroring, running duplicate disks simultaneously so that no data is dropped.

This kind of technology is more usually found in servers but is increasingly demanded by hardcore gamers who want similar data access speeds and protection from software crashes.

The inclusion of PCI Express ports will allow users to order performance graphics cards, as it allows much higher bandwidth between the card and the motherboard. ATI and nVidia both have PCI Express graphics cards on the market.

The dark blue tower chassis uses multiple cooling fans on both sides of the CPU to keep the processor from overheating. Improved internal component positioning also ensures cleaner airflow.

The customisable light source behind the front panel of the XPS can be cycled through a range of colours by the user.

Dell has provided a technical hotline staffed by specialists in games hardware and software fixes. While the hotline does not provide games hints and tips as yet, the company has not ruled out such a service in the future.