DELL XPS 710 H2C

DELL XPS 710 H2C DESKTOP PC
Speed, features rival those of costlier systems; near-silent operation; overclocked, under warranty CPU; great-looking case.No Blu-ray-drive option

SPECS 2.66CHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (overclocked to 3.2GHz) ; 4GB DDR2- one 750GB , two 150GB hard drives; double-layer DVDtRW; DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo; 20-inch Dell LCD; two nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards (768MB) ; Windows Vista Home Premium

Salute to dual graphics card technologies and the expensive, high-wattage power supplies required to run them, the average price of a very top of the line PC has ballooned to well over the $7,000 mark. That's why, despite costing $5,759, our Dell XPS 710 H2C review unit seems like a downright bargain.
For that money, you get an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 quad-core processor (overclocked to 3.2GHz out of the box), 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, two 768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards, and a whopping full terabyte of hard drive storage (split among two l0.000rpm 150GB drives and a single 7.200rpm 750GB unit). A Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card. a double-layer DVD burner, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive lend multi media punch. (No Blu-ray drive option is available yet, however.) You'll also find a flash-memory-card reader and a floppy drive behind a front-panel door. Dell also includes a Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard a Razer Copperhead mouse but you can dispense with them to save a little money Speed-wise, the XPS 710 H2C performed on par with other machines in its class. It's not the fastest, but its score of 114 frames per second on Quake 4 (at 2,048x1,536) shows that it's more than equal to most any reasonable gaming demand. The PC isn't just about speed, either. The "H2C" in its name refers to a specially designed cooling unit that combines liquid and Peltier cooling for ultraquiet performance. We continue to admire the case designs of the XPS 700 se ries. The combination of black plastic, front-panel lighting, and an angled design creates a dramatic depth-perception effect you're likely to find as striking as we did. Dell's service and support for the XPS 710 H2C is thorough, if stingy one year of pans and labor, which covers the over clocked CPU; 24/7 toll-free phone support; and a year of onstte service. Dell does get an extra point, however, for its DellCon nect service, a remote-support feature that gives a Dell techni cian direct control over your PC. Dell's Web site has plenty or resources, as well.
Scorching quad-core performance collides with a cutting-edge cooling system in Dell's XPS 710 H2C, a polished if pricey high-performance desktop for gamers and others who need a top-tier system.
What it's for: You name it. System-stretching games are a great choice, but this PC should have no trouble cutting through any intensive task you throw at it. Who it's for: Those who need (or want) the latest and greatest system that won't be obsolete a few months from now and have a spare $6,000 to pay for it.
What's included: A one-year parts-and-labor warranty, which includes 24/7 toll-free phone support; a Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard; a Razer Copperhead mouse; and a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card.
The bottom line: The XPS 710 H2C's performance is unquestionably expensive, but if you can afford it, you'll get what you pay for.