Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

While in the throes of customizing your dream machine over at Dell, weighing CPU cost vs. memory cost, would you click on a $19 option called “Iron Man movie with bonus content?” We sure wouldn’t, but now you can, part of what the Director of Dell’s Global Consumer Group is calling the company’s “slow immersion into content as a major piece of the puzzle in terms of what consumers want from a PC.” Right. The (surely DRM-riddled) film is available on any Inspiron, Studio, or XPS laptop or desktop, playable on that machine itself or through your choice of Windows Media Extender. Iron Man is the only film on offer now, but meaty palms are likely being pressed as you read this to drive other partnerships and more choices. This could let the company hook customers before even shipping their hardware, a potential advantage for what looks to be a looming content battle with Apple.

[Thanks, SebS]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We sort of figured Dell’s Studio branding would come to the XPS line sooner or later — the family resemblance between the Studio laptops and the XPS m1330 and m1530 is hard to ignore, after all — and it looks like we don’t have much longer to wait, if you believe these slides discovered by Jayson in the NotebookReview forums. The Studio XPS 13 and 16, due in November, will be Intel Centrino 2-based machines with hybrid SLI support, slot-loading Blu-ray drives, edge-to-edge glass displays with optional LED backlighting, backlit keyboards, and WiMAX and UWB support. We’re digging the funky woodgrain on the Studio XPS 16, but it’ll be interesting to see how much these cost if and when they hit — the Studio line was supposed to sit in between the Inspiron and XPS lines, so we’re hoping these’ll also come in below the current XPS price tags. Check the other four slides, including the Studio XPS 13, after the break.

[Thanks, L. Rawlins]

Continue reading Dell Studio XPS 13 and 16 leak out, due in November?

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Filed under: Laptops

It’s not as momentous as the new enterprise-focused Precisions and Latitudes, but Dell’s got a tiny little treat for consumers today as well: an available $450 Samsung SSD for the XPS M1330 and M1530. Sure, the benefits are debatable, but c’mon — you know you want it.

[Thanks, Justin R.]

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Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

If you pulled the trigger early on an XPS M1730, you may have gotten “stuck” with “just” a GeForce 8700M GT or similar. If you just can’t be behind the times, Dell is finally offering a solution with the GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade kit. Said package includes dual SLI 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express graphics card designed specifically to boost frame rates and install all sorts of Vista-compatible bragging rights. If you’re comfortable with doing the swap yourself, the upgrade price sits at a penny under $1,100. For those seeking professional help, you’ll be coughing up $1,218.99. For those of you not frozen in place by sticker shock, you can peek the how-to guide for installation after the break.

[Via Laptoping, thanks Danijel]

Continue reading Twin GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade now available for Dell’s XPS M1730

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Dell’s plans for Alienware and the XPS line are getting a little clearer, even as rumors swirl — a post on the company’s Direct2Dell blog today says that the XPS and Alienware dev teams are going to be integrated, and that the XPS line will go in “new directions,” hinted at by the m1330 and XPS One. Furthermore, you can now buy the Area-51 m9750 gaming laptop direct from the Dell website in addition to the Area-51 m15x, which doesn’t seem all that wild to us — we’re more interested in why Dell picked the super-geeky XPS brand to be its “premium” line. Ever heard of friendly, guys?

[Via CNET]

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Filed under: Desktops

Oops, looks like the Wall Street Journal was getting a bit of ahead of itself calling for the end of Dell’s XPS lineup. While Dell will definitely “invest like crazy” in its Alienware brand, XPS systems and indeed, XPS gaming systems “will remain an important part of our gaming product portfolio.” There won’t be an early phase-out of the XPS brand as reported by the WSJ. So there you have it, Dell XPS, resurrected after just one day in the tomb. Michael Dell truly is a savior.

[Via c|net]

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Hot on the heels of the news that Dell is axing its XPS gaming line to focus attention on Alienware, we’ve got word that Alienware will intro a new, low-end model soon. Clearly aiming for a bigger chunk of the market, the eyeball-shattering-system makers will offer a $1,699, AMD-powered desktop, featuring 4GB of RAM, a 2.2GHz quad-core 9550 Phenom X4 CPU, and two ATI HD 3870 X2 graphics cards. The system will be based around the AMD 790FX chipset, which will be served up on an ASUS motherboard. In a feat of absurd cliché, Alienware spokesman Marc Diana claimed, “It’s not your granddaddy’s AMD system. We’re talking top-of-the-line quad core.” The PC will be available sometime in the next two weeks, so stay alert.

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

We’ve got some news that’ll make a PC gamer or two weep: the Wall St. Journal is reporting that as of next month Dell will be dropping four models of XPS performance PCs to focus solely on pushing Alienware. Certainly no surprise though, we’ve been waiting for this move since they picked the company up back in 2006. Of course, there will be certain challenges, namely how Dell will keep its Alienware brand separate (read: pristine) — as its done since the acquisition — yet be able to offer performance PCs on its site alongside the rest of its machines. It’s also unclear what will happen to is XPS line of laptops, since those are big sellers as well, but we’ll all have to wait patiently for the bomb to drop before knowing for sure what Dell’s cutting and what they’re not. [Warning: subscription required]

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Filed under: Laptops

Ugh, it’s springtime again. So in addition to the pools of human secretions warming into an olfactory howdy-do on city sidewalks, we get these, the pink laptops. The pink XPS M1530 and M1330 now official. Check the late-nite Dell Infomercial after the break; Ron Popeil Productions must be so proud.

[Thanks, Matus]

Continue reading Video: Dell’s XPS M1530 and M1330 now pink like flowers and pigs

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Filed under: Desktops

It was kinda-sorta announced at CES and we’ve already seen some in-the-wild shots, but it looks like Dell’s newest gaming PC, the XPS 730, is getting close to release — it’s just gotten an official entry on Dell’s support site. Nothing really earth-shattering to be found, except for some hints that it’ll ship with either XP or Vista and confirmation that it’s triple-SLI ready in the owners manual. Alright, secret’s out — let’s see some specs, guys.

[Thanks, Andrew]

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Filed under: Displays, Laptops

Got a hundred bucks to burn? Lucky you, ’cause that Benjamin will now take the stock 15.4-inch 1,440 x 900 display of Dell’s XPS M1530 and squeeze in a full 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution. Toss in the optional $500 Blu-ray Disc drive and you’ve got yourself a sweet portable HD rig pumping Intel’s Penryn at the core. Another $50 and you’ve added a presumably brighter, LED backlit display but you’re now back to the original 1,440 x 900 resolution. Oh decisions, decision.

[Thanks, Jonaid]

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Filed under: Laptops

Sweet heavens, Dell hasn’t forgotten that there’s a 15-incher in between the Penryn-stocked M1330 and M1730! As we suspected it would, Dell really, truly went ahead and added options for a Core 2 Duo T8300, T9300 and T9500 to its XPS M1530 in short order after a mysterious message popped up hinting at as much on Friday. The 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz and 2.6GHz chips come at an upgrade cost of $75, $200 and $475 (respectively) and can actually be ordered right now. No, celebrating wildly in your cubicle wouldn’t be overreacting.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Hailed as a rig that “gamers won’t outgrow,” the XPS 630 that we originally peeked at CES is finally official. As expected, the tower is ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI-ready and will support Intel’s Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors on the nForce 650i SLI chipset. You can beef things up with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 1TB of HDD space or an optional Blu-ray drive and AGEIA PhysX accelerator, and you’ll have plenty of room for all those peripherals thanks to six total USB 2.0 ports, an optional 19-in-1 media card reader, gigabit Ethernet, audio in / out, FireWire and even PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors. Also of note, it’s the first pre-fab PC to support the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA), and you can snag your own for as little as $1,249 right now. Click on through for more of the breakdown. Oh, and if you’re interested to see how this beast stacks up, you can check out reviews from PC Mag, Hot Hardware and Computer Shopper.

Continue reading Dell’s XPS 630 gaming desktop gets official, reviewed

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Filed under: Laptops

We already saw Intel’s Penryn lineup invade Dell’s XPS M1330, but now folks gunning for its (much) larger sibling can finally get in on the new CPU action, too. That’s right folks, effectively immediately, prospective M1730 buyers can select a 2.4GHz T8300, 2.5GHz T9300, 2.6GHz T7800 or 2.8GHz X7900 to run the show. Ready to claim one for yourself? Follow the read link below.

[Via Laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

Jonesing for more wireless USB options in your laptop? Dell’s got you covered with extended availability of the $145 add-on in its XPS M1530 (plus its Gaming Edition), Inspiron 1525, which brings the tally to those and the 17-inch Inspiron 1720 and 13-inch M1330. Still out of the wireless USB loop: the low end 14-inch 1420, the XPS M1730, and the juggernaut M2010 (which really should have it by now).

[Via Electronista]

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Filed under: Laptops

The last Dells we saw with a slot-loading Blu-ray drive were the XPS One and monster XPS M2010, but it looks like Round Rock’s taking it mainstream soon — the latest BIOS update for the popular XPS M1330 lists support for an unspecified “Blu-ray / DVD +/- RW Combo Drive.” No word on when we’ll see these actually for order, but if you were in the market for an M1330, you might consider holding off until these become available.

[Thanks, Rupert]

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Check that evil scowl will you. You’re looking into the menacing red grill of Dell’s newest gaming desktop the XPS 630. Dell’s site modestly teases, “Here comes a new challenger.” Challenger eh, not leader? Come on Dell, you’re not going to generate any gaming hype with such tepidity. Drop in some NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics and say it loud, boy. Just not too loud, you don’t want to step on the toes of your Alienware subsidiary.

Update: Mystery solved. Looks like Dell dropped the “i” from the XPS 630i which we had the chance to get up close to at CES. It’s just an mid-level gaming rig. Nothing to see here folks, move along now.

[Thanks, Thomas C.]

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Filed under: Desktops, Features

Back in October of last year, we all wondered just what impact Dell’s leaked XPS One would really have on the all-in-one PC, nay, computer market, and truth be told, we’re still waiting for something definitive. Sure, the first press shots were emanating with all kinds of sexy (for a Dell), and this thing was teased more than any single hunk of plastic and metal ever should be, but it still maintained a certain aura that kept people anxious for release day. Shortly after going on sale in mid-November, reviewers from all walks of life managed to fall innocently in love with Round Rock’s latest, but as with most other XPS machines, we’re fairly certain the discerning crowd that this piece is aimed at will find plenty of reasons to nitpick room for improvement.

If you were given a round-trip ticket to Texas with keys to the XPS One’s design laboratory, what would be your first (and second, and third…) order of business? Are you honestly satisfied with the graphics performance? Is the built-in display that you’re now stuck with up to snuff? Does it really look as good in your humble abode as it did in a classy New York City furniture store? Of course, we fully understand that Dell must have done something right here for ole Walt to highly praise it, and while we’re sure the current incarnation of the One may suffice for many, we want to hear your vision of One.one. Shout it out below!

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Filed under: Laptops

We weren’t exactly thrilled when Dell launched the 15.4-inch XPS m1530 with a lackluster 1280 x 800 display, but it looks like the cries of anguish from Dell fans across the tubes have been heard in Round Rock — the company just announced on its Direct2Dell blog that m1530 buyers will now have two additional high-res display options. Bumping up to 1440 x 900 will cost $50, while a 1680 x 1050 WSXGA+ screen will tack on $150 to the m1530’s base price. That’s definitely better, but we’re still wondering why 1440 x 900 isn’t standard to begin with.

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Filed under: Laptops

If you’re down with your “laptop” weighing some 10.6-pounds, and you don’t mind shelling out copious quantities of cash in order to see those frame rates hold steady in the triple digits, the XPS M1730 has your name written all over it. At least, that’s what we’ve gathered from reading the first batch of reviews to hit the ‘net. Generally speaking, the adoration for this so-called Beast was universal, as just about everyone came away thoroughly impressed with its gaming performance, mesmerizing LEDs and cutting edge hardware found all over. Truth be told, the only real digs revolved around its unwieldy size, ho hum port selection, paltry battery life and the humongous power supply. ‘Course, anyone remotely interested in this thing is probably willing to deal with the aforementioned negatives in order to posses such an incredibly powerful mobile gaming rig, and if you’ve been holding that trigger finger waiting for the critics to give you the all clear, feel free to fire at will.

Read - HotHardware (”…a mobile gaming dream system…”)
Read - CNET (8.4 out of 10; Editors’ Choice)
Read - LAPTOP (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors’ Choice)
Read - PCMag (4.5 out of 5 stars; Editors’ Choice)

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