Dell's XPS branded products have come a long way since they first appeared in 1993. Starting life as a performance trim for the Dimension product line, Dell has nurtured XPS into a well-known and respected premium performance brand. While not all XPS branded products are specifically targeted at gamers, gaming has always been at the core of the product line-up. The XPS brand's flagship desktop and notebook products have always been heavily gaming oriented, but it looks like that is set to change.
The XPS 730 is Dell's latest XPS flagship desktop product, the fourth generation of the XPS 700 series, and it may be the last. Or at least the last XPS flagship product as we currently know them; large, aggressively styled behemoths sporting the latest hardware and adorned with colorful LED lighting. A week after the XPS 730 was launched, news regarding the demise of XPS as a gaming brand began to circulate. Since its acquisition of Alienware in the summer of 2006, Dell has effectively been operating two separate gaming brands with directly competing products. It was speculated that some changes, possibly in the form of consolidation of the two brands, would eventually be in order. It is now fairly clear that Dell is to focus on Alienware as its premier gaming brand in the future.
While Dell has only now acknowledged that the XPS brand will give way to Alienware as Dell's premier gaming brand, there have been numerous signs that such a move was in the works. Since Dell brought Alienware into the fold, they have been busy introducing new, non gaming oriented products to both the XPS desktop and notebook line-ups. Starting with the XPS M1330 notebook and its derivatives and then the XPS 420 desktop, Dell is busy converting XPS into a premium multimedia brand. While the XPS brand of the future may still include gaming systems, they will not be the high-end flagship systems of today.
So it is with a slight bit of regret that we begin our review of the XPS 730 H2C, possibly the most exciting and last generation of the flagship XPS 700 series.
The XPS 730 is Dell's latest XPS flagship desktop product, the fourth generation of the XPS 700 series, and it may be the last. Or at least the last XPS flagship product as we currently know them; large, aggressively styled behemoths sporting the latest hardware and adorned with colorful LED lighting. A week after the XPS 730 was launched, news regarding the demise of XPS as a gaming brand began to circulate. Since its acquisition of Alienware in the summer of 2006, Dell has effectively been operating two separate gaming brands with directly competing products. It was speculated that some changes, possibly in the form of consolidation of the two brands, would eventually be in order. It is now fairly clear that Dell is to focus on Alienware as its premier gaming brand in the future.
While Dell has only now acknowledged that the XPS brand will give way to Alienware as Dell's premier gaming brand, there have been numerous signs that such a move was in the works. Since Dell brought Alienware into the fold, they have been busy introducing new, non gaming oriented products to both the XPS desktop and notebook line-ups. Starting with the XPS M1330 notebook and its derivatives and then the XPS 420 desktop, Dell is busy converting XPS into a premium multimedia brand. While the XPS brand of the future may still include gaming systems, they will not be the high-end flagship systems of today.
So it is with a slight bit of regret that we begin our review of the XPS 730 H2C, possibly the most exciting and last generation of the flagship XPS 700 series.
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| Processor Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (3.2GHz @ 3.8GHz,6M L2 Cache,1600MHz FSB) Operating System Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Memory 2GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHZ OC to 1600MHz Graphics Card Dual 1024MB ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 (Quad-Crossfire) Chipset NVIDIA nforce 790i Ultra SLI - Supports ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 in four way Crossfire or NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 in quad SLI - Standard ATX Form-Factor Cooling H2C 2-stage Hybrid Cooled CPU and MCP Communications Dual Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000Base-T) Bluetooth Audio Creative Xi-Fi XtremeGamer Integrated 7.1 Audio (disabled by default) Hard Drive 2x160GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive (programs and OS) 1x1000GB Hitachi 7,200 RPM SATA Hard Drive (data) Optical Drive 16x CD/DVD Burner (DVD +/- RW) w/ Double Layer Write Expansion Slots 2 x PCIe x16 Gen2 slot 1 x PCIe x16 slot 2 x PCIe x1 slot 2 x PCI slot External Ports 8 x USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 4 rear) 2 x 1394a Firewire port (1 front, 1 rear) 2 x RJ45 Ethernet (10/100/1000) port 1 x eSATA 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port 1 x 19-in-1 card reader (front media-bay) 1 x 1/8" headphone port (front) 1 x 1/8" stereo line-in (microphone) port 1 x S/PDIF Optical 1 x S/PDIF Coaxial 1 x 1/8" surround sound outputs | Chassis Dell XPS 730 ATX Aluminum Chassis - ESA Compliant - 4 x 3.5" Internal Bays - 2 x 3.5" External Bays - 4 x 5.25" External Bays Color Option Anodized Aluminum in Victory Red Power Supply 1000W Power Supply - EPA Compliant - 80+ Certified Physical Dimensions Width: 21.9 cm (8.6 inches) without stand; 35.6 cm (14.0 inches) with stand Height: 55.5 cm (21.9 inches) without stand; 57.2 cm (22.5 inches) with stand Depth: 59.4 cm (23.4 inches) Weight: 21.7 kg (47.8 lb) typical configuration, 25.6 kg (56.4 lb) maximum configuration Included Accessories and Extras DVI to VGA Adapter Recovery DVD Norton™ Internet Security 2007 or McAfee SecurityCenter (15-months) FREE Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA2 6-channel Headphones FREE Dell XPS Mouse Pad FREE Dell XPS Beanie Cap FREE Dell XPS 2-in-1 Pen & Laser Pointer FREE Dell XPS Tool Kit FREE System Recycling (recycle your old system with Dell) Warranty And Support 1-year In-Home Service (upgradeable to 4 years) 1-year Parts and Labor (upgradeable to 4 years) 1-year 3GB DataSafe Online Backup (capacity upgradeable) 24x7 Online and Phone Support Optional CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection Price: $6,629.00 USD (as configured here)  |
As we saw in our unboxing and preview article, the XPS 730 H2C is possibly the most well-specified XPS desktop ever. It is powered by the latest dual and quad-core Intel processors cooled by a redesigned H2C hybrid TEC-assisted water cooling system and complete with a warranty that has room for processor and memory overclocking. Not to mention the graphics performance afforded by Quad-GPU graphics setups from both ATI and NVIDIA (although at this time the Quad-SLI option is not yet available). All of this is built on NVIDIA's top-end nForce 790i Ultra SLI platform in the form of a fully-ATX compliant motherboard, unlike all other XPS 700 series machines which used BTX designs. Other features new to the XPS 700 series like a fully ESA compliant chassis design round out the package.
One of the XPS 730's most interesting new features is the motherboard's support for both Crossfire and SLI. The nForce 790i Ultra SLI based motherboard under the hood of the XPS 730 will be able to support both multi-GPU technologies, making it compatible with basically every single graphics configuration currently available. While Dell is not the first manufacturer to pull this off (Voodoo PC has offered this on several systems in the past), it is certainly still a novelty.
The XPS 730 chassis is the first significantly new design in the XPS 700 series. The XPS 700, 710 and 720 were nearly identical in their outward appearance and the only significant change, until now, was a few alterations to the available color options. While the XPS 730 features the same profile and dimensions as its 700-series brethren, it sports a totally new grill design reminiscent of the XPS 630.
The XPS 730 also features a new color scheme. There are three color options in total; unpainted brushed aluminum, anodized Victory Red and anodized Stealth Blue. The standard XPS 730 will only be available in brushed aluminum but the H2C trim option will be available in all 3 color schemes. We like the new color options a lot more than the ones available with previous XPS 700 series machines. We especially like the fact that consumers who want the premium H2C trim are no longer stuck with a single color option (Midnight Black) like in the past.
It is worth noting that Dell has not completed roll-out of the XPS 730 yet so these details may change in the future. Currently, the XPS 730 is only available in 3 different H2C trims starting at $3,999, $4,999 and $5,999. A standard non-H2C XPS 730 is not currently available, presumably so Dell can clear out XPS 720 stock.
The XPS 730 also features a new color scheme. There are three color options in total; unpainted brushed aluminum, anodized Victory Red and anodized Stealth Blue. The standard XPS 730 will only be available in brushed aluminum but the H2C trim option will be available in all 3 color schemes. We like the new color options a lot more than the ones available with previous XPS 700 series machines. We especially like the fact that consumers who want the premium H2C trim are no longer stuck with a single color option (Midnight Black) like in the past.
It is worth noting that Dell has not completed roll-out of the XPS 730 yet so these details may change in the future. Currently, the XPS 730 is only available in 3 different H2C trims starting at $3,999, $4,999 and $5,999. A standard non-H2C XPS 730 is not currently available, presumably so Dell can clear out XPS 720 stock.
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The XPS 730 is available in 3 colors; Victory Red, Brushed Aluminum, Stealth Blue
The uniform, horizontal louvered design of the previous 700-series models has been replaced with a more modern design punctuated by a large XPS badge. All previous XPS 700 series machines had been adorned with a single, small Dell badge on the front grill. The horizontal button and connections bar is in the same place, but is now in a slight V-shape. The large, louvered intake grill of the previous design has been replaced with a simple wiry crosshatch painted in high-gloss black that looks invisible from a distance when the system is off.
Our review unit has the H2C trim with a Victory Red color scheme. Like the original XPS 700 design, the entire case is wrapped in aluminum, except for the front and rear. The anodized film on the aluminum appears to be fairly thick and scratch resistant. It holds color well and the Victory Red paint is bright, reflective and uniform. The new design also features a high-gloss finish on the non-aluminum parts that is very reflective. Thankfully the paint manages to ward off fingerprints but it does attract a fair amount of dust which becomes visible under harsh lighting. Overall, the paint job is fairly low maintenance, perhaps surprisingly so, considering how reflective and glossy it is.
In our evaluation of the XPS 710 H2C, we criticized Dell for not having a windowed side-panel as an option and it seemed we were not alone in our wish. Around the same time we published our article, Dell launched their IdeaStorm user feedback website. One of the first votes to appear on the IdeaStorm website was over several side-window designs under consideration by the XPS team. Ultimately the winning design was incorporated in the XPS 730.
Instead of a standard rectangular window, the voters chose a unique X-shaped design, as you can see in the following photos. The window doesn't extend to the top of the case to hide the cables and generally unsightly optical and hard drive bays. The side-panel is held on by the same tool-less latch system as the previous 700 series chassis and the latch can be locked via a standard Kensington security port. The side-panel window is available as an option so you will be able to choose a windowless version if you prefer when Dell has completed the XPS 730 roll-out (at the time of writing, all XPS 730 configurations offered come with the windowed side-panel).
Our review unit has the H2C trim with a Victory Red color scheme. Like the original XPS 700 design, the entire case is wrapped in aluminum, except for the front and rear. The anodized film on the aluminum appears to be fairly thick and scratch resistant. It holds color well and the Victory Red paint is bright, reflective and uniform. The new design also features a high-gloss finish on the non-aluminum parts that is very reflective. Thankfully the paint manages to ward off fingerprints but it does attract a fair amount of dust which becomes visible under harsh lighting. Overall, the paint job is fairly low maintenance, perhaps surprisingly so, considering how reflective and glossy it is.
In our evaluation of the XPS 710 H2C, we criticized Dell for not having a windowed side-panel as an option and it seemed we were not alone in our wish. Around the same time we published our article, Dell launched their IdeaStorm user feedback website. One of the first votes to appear on the IdeaStorm website was over several side-window designs under consideration by the XPS team. Ultimately the winning design was incorporated in the XPS 730.
Instead of a standard rectangular window, the voters chose a unique X-shaped design, as you can see in the following photos. The window doesn't extend to the top of the case to hide the cables and generally unsightly optical and hard drive bays. The side-panel is held on by the same tool-less latch system as the previous 700 series chassis and the latch can be locked via a standard Kensington security port. The side-panel window is available as an option so you will be able to choose a windowless version if you prefer when Dell has completed the XPS 730 roll-out (at the time of writing, all XPS 730 configurations offered come with the windowed side-panel).
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Like previous XPS designs, the XPS 730 has 'stealthed' drive bays and the optical drive eject buttons have been smartly integrated into the design. The drive bay doors are spring-loaded and swing down when the drive opens. The drive bay doors operate smoothly and it doesn't seem likely that they could catch on the drive tray, which occasionally happens on several designs we have examined in the past. It is worth noting that when the drive bay door is open, it blocks access to the drive eject button so the only way to close the drive tray is to push on it until the servo activates (all optical drives should have this function). While this isn't a problem per se, it would have been more elegant if the drive eject button remained accessible.
The XPS 730 chassis has two external 3.5" bays which are hidden behind a small flip-down door which is decorated by the XPS badge. The door has a small magnet embedded at each corner which firmly holds it closed. The door has a series of holes cut into it so the 3.5" bay can double as an additional intake grill unless both bays are filled.
The horizontal V-shaped bar on the front of the chassis, just under the XPS badge, holds all of the system's front buttons and connectors. In the apex of the V is a circular back-lit power button. To the left of the power button are FireWire, heaphone and microphone ports and to the right are two USB ports. The XPS 730 does not have a separate reset button so all hard-resets must be done with the power button.
The entire case sits on a stand which slightly elevates the case. The stand is pre-installed at the factory and it has two metal feet or 'wings' that can fold out for added stability.
The XPS 730 chassis has two external 3.5" bays which are hidden behind a small flip-down door which is decorated by the XPS badge. The door has a small magnet embedded at each corner which firmly holds it closed. The door has a series of holes cut into it so the 3.5" bay can double as an additional intake grill unless both bays are filled.
The horizontal V-shaped bar on the front of the chassis, just under the XPS badge, holds all of the system's front buttons and connectors. In the apex of the V is a circular back-lit power button. To the left of the power button are FireWire, heaphone and microphone ports and to the right are two USB ports. The XPS 730 does not have a separate reset button so all hard-resets must be done with the power button.
The entire case sits on a stand which slightly elevates the case. The stand is pre-installed at the factory and it has two metal feet or 'wings' that can fold out for added stability.
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All XPS 700 series machines are lit by a series of multi-color LEDs and the XPS 730 continues this trend. While the LED lighting system on the previous XPS 700 series chassis looked good, the LED system on the XPS 730 looks great. This is mostly due to the new high-gloss paint used on the non-aluminum areas of the chassis. The paint reflects the light from the LEDs and gives it a much brighter and more uniform appearance. The effect of the lights on the new wiry crosshatch grill, which is covered by the same glossy black paint, is especially pleasing.
While the LEDs on the XPS 730 are located in the same general regions as those on previous models, the LED system on the XPS 730 is quite a bit more advanced and offers much greater control to the user. The LEDs on the XPS 730 are divided into 5 different zones which are controlled separately. The zones are front-top, front-bottom-left, front-bottom-right, rear and internal. Each region can be configured to have its own color and brightness.
With previous models, the multi-color LED system had a fixed number of preset colors to choose from (8 for the XPS 710). For the XPS 730, the LED color is a composition of three separate colors (Red, Green, Blue). Each color has 15 different brightness settings where 0 would be off and 15 would be the brightest setting. This allows for a significantly greater number of colors than before and the LEDs can still be turned off by setting all colors to 0. These settings can be changed on-the-fly via a custom version of NVIDIA's Control Panel utility which comes with the system so you can see the results of your change immediately.
Overall, the new XPS 730 chassis looks every bit as good as the old design, if not better. We like the new color schemes and it is nice that the H2C trim is now available in more than just one color. The paint job and materials seem to be of high quality and we had no problems with the operation of the various switches, latches and doors on the front of the unit.
While the updated exterior of the XPS 730 doesn't stray too far from the previous XPS 700 series chassis, the interior is significantly different. One of the greatest complaints against Dell (and several other vendors) and especially the XPS 700 series is the use of a BTX chassis and motherboard. This made upgrading the system nearly impossible since the BTX form-factor never took off and none of the major after-market manufacturers produce BTX motherboards. The XPS 730 is the first in the series to address and fix this problem by offering full ATX compatibility. In fact, Dell has gone to some lengths to make the XPS 730 chassis as upgradeable and future-proof as any high-end after-market chassis you might purchase from the likes of Coolermaster, Lian-Li or Thermaltake.
Dell has also designed the chassis to be ESA (Enthusiast System Architecture) compliant which allows the system to monitor and report a wide variety of temperature and performance data in real-time. We'll explore the XPS 730's ESA features in detail on a later page.
While Dell has ditched the BTX form-factor, they have kept the "inverted" motherboard setup that visually characterizes the BTX form factor. The motherboard is mounted upside down with the CPU near the bottom of the case and the graphics cards near the top. This is a popular alternative to the original ATX standard configuration and it is used by many computer chassis manufacturers such as Lian-Li. The attraction to this alternate motherboard mounting configuration is that in certain conditions, this configuration has been shown to provide superior cooling efficiency.
The XPS 730 features a variety of system monitoring (as per ESA) and special control capabilities for the LED and cooling system (in the case of the H2C version). In previous 700 series models, these controls were handled by the motherboard. This would be a problem if the motherboard were replaced, since all of that functionality would be lost. In the XPS 730, these functions are contained on a separate circuit board which sits to the left of the motherboard, under the cooling shroud. This means you retain all functionality when the motherboard is upgraded. Both the motherboard and the separate control board sit on a removable motherboard tray, which can be unscrewed from the chassis and lifted out. Unfortunately it doesn't slide out the back like in some after-market solutions.
The XPS 730's motherboard (see image below) is a fairly typical looking ATX board that is not unlike NVIDIA's reference design. However, it features a less ornamental cooling solution than most after-market motherboards and doesn't sport an excessive number of copper heat-pipes. The motherboard's chipset is cooled by a single heatsink and the northbridge and southbridge sides of the heatsink are linked by a set of heat-pipes hidden under the heatsink itself. The voltage regulators around the CPU socket have their own dedicated heatsinks connected by a single heat-pipe.
The interior of the XPS 730 is lit by several multi-color LEDs, just like the exterior. There are also a set of LEDs located on the rear of the system. They are strategically placed to illuminate the rear I/O panel and the expansion slots. This is both aesthetically pleasing and very functional since the illumination makes connecting cables in dark environments, such as under desks, much easier. All of the decorative LEDs are part of the chassis and not the motherboard so you do not lose them if it is replaced.
Compared to the previous 700 series chassis, the power supply and drive bays remain in the same position. There are four 5.25" drive bays at the top of the case and two externally accessible 3.5" drive bays under them. The power supply is located in the rear-top corner. There are four 3.5" internal hard drive bays located in two columns under the power supply. The position of the hard drive bays leaves little room for the two central 5.25" bays and the area is very cramped. Thankfully the front panel can be easily removed, allowing access to the 5.25" bays from the front.
The chassis has built-in cable management for all hard drive cables. Cables are also installed and pre-routed for all four hard drive bays, even if they are not all in use. This makes upgrading extremely simple since all of the cables are provided and installed. You simply need to push the new hard drive in and connect the cables. Unfortunately, like with the previous 700 series chassis, there is no strict cable management for the other cables in the system. This isn't a large issue since Dell routes the cables behind the expansion cards and for the most part they are tucked out of the way and none of the cables are in a position to degrade airflow within the case.
The original 700 series chassis featured a tool-less expansion card design. Push-tab clips were used to secure the expansion cards instead of screws. The new XPS 730 chassis forgoes that and uses screws. A tool-less design would be favorable but this is less of an issue in this case, at least for H2C systems, since all H2C systems come with a free tool kit complete with a set of screwdrivers, as we saw in our preview article.
The chassis cooling is configured in a wind-tunnel setup and no air escapes from any side but the front and back. Except for the drive bays at the top, the entire front of the system is basically one big intake grill. The rear of the system is similar in that, except for the I/O shield and the expansion slots, the entire rear of the system is a large grill to allow for exhaust. This makes for a very efficient cooling design and airflow within the case is relatively straight forward. Another advantage to the design is that there are almost no dead-spots where air becomes trapped or isn't moving.
The chassis has built-in cable management for all hard drive cables. Cables are also installed and pre-routed for all four hard drive bays, even if they are not all in use. This makes upgrading extremely simple since all of the cables are provided and installed. You simply need to push the new hard drive in and connect the cables. Unfortunately, like with the previous 700 series chassis, there is no strict cable management for the other cables in the system. This isn't a large issue since Dell routes the cables behind the expansion cards and for the most part they are tucked out of the way and none of the cables are in a position to degrade airflow within the case.
The original 700 series chassis featured a tool-less expansion card design. Push-tab clips were used to secure the expansion cards instead of screws. The new XPS 730 chassis forgoes that and uses screws. A tool-less design would be favorable but this is less of an issue in this case, at least for H2C systems, since all H2C systems come with a free tool kit complete with a set of screwdrivers, as we saw in our preview article.
The chassis cooling is configured in a wind-tunnel setup and no air escapes from any side but the front and back. Except for the drive bays at the top, the entire front of the system is basically one big intake grill. The rear of the system is similar in that, except for the I/O shield and the expansion slots, the entire rear of the system is a large grill to allow for exhaust. This makes for a very efficient cooling design and airflow within the case is relatively straight forward. Another advantage to the design is that there are almost no dead-spots where air becomes trapped or isn't moving.
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In total, the chassis itself has two fans, power supply has its own, another fan for each of the two video cards, and two more for the H2C cooling system for a total of seven fans within the system. These fans are all dynamically controlled and vary their speed depending on the stress the system is under. When all the fans are manually turned up to 100% power, the system sounds like a vacuum cleaner but this never happens during normal operation. During our time with our sample unit, most of the fans operated at well under 50% power.
While the system is at idle, the fans are relatively quiet considering the caliber of hardware it is packing. Under load, the fan speed and noise the system produces increases slightly although the system still remains fairly quiet. While it is certainly louder than a modern office productivity PC, the XPS 730 remains deceptively quiet and doesn't announce its presence to everyone in the room.
Located under the externally accessible drive bays is a fan shroud and the H2C unit. In the air-cooled, non-H2C version, the H2C unit would be replaced by a second fan shroud. The fan shroud holds a caged 120mm cooling fan that intakes cool air and blows it over the motherboard's expansion slots. It is protected by a grill on both sides to prevent stray wires from catching in the blades. This fan manages to move a significant amount of air while remaining fairly quiet.
A small 60mm fan is wedged in between the two columns of hard drive bays. It sucks in air through the first hard drive column and pushes it through the second column and out of the case via a dedicated rear exhaust vent. The chassis has no dedicated exhaust fans. However, judging from the high airflow out of the back of the system, it probably doesn't require them.
f you're at all into enthusiast computing, the highly anticipated single player, FPS smash-hit Crysis, should require no introduction. Crytek's game engine visuals are easily the most impressive real-time 3D renderings we've seen on the computer screen to date. The engine employs some of the latest techniques in 3D rendering like Parallax Occlusion Mapping, Subsurface Scattering, Motion Blur and Depth-of-Field effects, as well as some of the most impressive use of Shader technology we've seen yet. In short, for those of you that want to skip the technical jib-jab, Crysis is HOT. We ran the full game patched to v1.2 with all of the game's visual options set to 'High' to put a significant load on the graphics cards being tested.
Oddly, our Crysis benchmark gave us another strange result. Here we see that the dual Radeon HD 3870 X2 configuration is not the best. However, the XPS 730 H2C puts up a lower than expected score. It managed to be slower than our own quad-Crossfire system, despite having a faster processor and memory. We tried this benchmark many times to ensure that our result was not a fluke and each time we had the same result. We can only attribute this discrepancy between the XPS' performance and our own quad-Crossfire system to differences in the system configurations and drivers. Hopefully in the near future Dell will have a resolution. However, despite this issue, the XPS has enough power to still manage to be perfectly playable at these graphics settings.
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