CNET Editor's rating: 7.9 out of 10
Reviewed by
Rich Brown
Review date: 11/16/07
Release date: 11/16/07
The good: Best HD-equipped all-in-one; 802.11n and Bluetooth for plenty of wireless flexibility; convenient walk-up controls.
The bad: In light of a recent HP Slimline system, PC vendor HD format allegiances now look silly; not as fast as an iMac, not as home-theater-capable as the aforementioned HP; $2,400 is a lot for a secondary home entertainment PC; no video out.
The bottom line: It's outclassed as a computer by Apple's iMac, and as a home entertainment system by a recent HP, but in the weird niche of high-end, digital-media-friendly all-in-ones (of which we know of one other competitor) the Dell XPS One gets our nod. If you're not shopping in that narrow market, move on.
Description:
The Dell XPS One (with Blu-ray drive) is a Core 2 Duo-based, high-end personal computer.
Compared to other high-end desktops on the market, it is midpriced at around $2,145.
This unit also comes with a 20-inch flat panel display that supports 1680 x 1050 resolution.
This PC comes with 2 GB RAM, and a 500GB hard disk.
Pros:
Has a BD/DVD/CD burner disc drive, which is somewhat more preferable than some similarly priced desktops.
Also, this desktop has an ATI mobility Radeon HD 2400 graphics chip.
Also, the 500GB hard disk installed on this machine is roomy when compared to most of today's PCs.
Furthermore, this machine's Core 2 Duo based processor is beefy enough to handle demanding applications, such as digital video.
Cons:
This computer lacks CD burning capability, which is required for common tasks such as data backup, and for recording audio CDs.
Suitability:
Suited for those who want a powerful computer for multimedia or power-hungry applications.
Comes with a DVD player for watching movies.
Value:
Overall, this desktop has great features for the money.
However, this desktop combines burly processing power with plenty of storage.
Note that the purchase price also includes a 20-inch flat panel display.
(
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Suggestions:
(1) Using this PC's Firewire (1394) port, you can connect to many digital camcorders and other equipment and rapidly upload data to the computer's hard drive.
(2) If you plan to store digital media such as photos or audio or video files on this PC, make sure that your PC has a CD burner.
(4) For help in deciding if this is the right desktop for you, see CNET's
buying guide for desktops
.
11 out of 21 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular
BUYER BEWARE
What you need to be aware of is when you purchase a Dell XPS One, also ask for the update... Read more
by djo12209 (see profile) -
May 3, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Sexy Machine
This machine replaced a desktop, laptop, and small TV that was occupying my office. Now, the... Read more
by busevo (see profile) -
May 1, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal
Dont be Fooled
I purchased my XPS with high expectations and after 45 days the message on on the screen was "can... Read more
by dso3501 (see profile) -
April 9, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Impressive.
IT manager testing useability in a proposed computer lab environment. Appears to have all the... Read more
by jaywill60 (see profile) -
July 28, 2008
1 ( 0 ) x Internal - 3.5",
1 ( 0 ) x Front accessible - 5.25" Slim Line
Expansion Slots Total (Free)
2 ( 0 ) x Memory - DIMM 240-pin,
1 ( 0 ) x Processor - LGA775 Socket
Interfaces
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45,
6 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire,
1 x Audio - SPDIF output - TOSLINK,
1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
1 x Display / video - LVDS - 10 pin mini-DIN,
1 x Audio - Line-out/headphones - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
1 x Audio - Line-in/microphone - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
1 x TV antenna - Input,
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 6 pin FireWire,
1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone mono 3.5 mm,
2 x Speaker(s) - Output
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