5GB DDR3
Two 300GB hard drives (RAID Level 0)
BD-ROM/DVD±RW; DVD±RW
None
Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 (1GB)
Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
How much cash are you willing to pay for your flash? With the release of Intel's new Core i7 family of processors, which brings terrific performance out of the stratospheric price ranges where it's too often been trapped in recent years, that question is going to be of increasing importance. Since outstanding machines can now be built from middle-of-the-road CPUs, even in the gaming-desktop category, the balance between green and glitz is going to be more crucial than ever. A machine like Dell's new XPS 730x is right on the edge.
First, its components are impeccable. Its 2.93GHz Core i7-940 processor is the midrange model, offering virtually eight cores of high-speed processing power for under $600. With that CPU matched with 5GB of triple-channel DDR3 RAM, the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, the XPS 730x is a system primed to scream. Two 300GB hard drives in a RAID Level 0 configuration give you lots of storage space for installing games, while the two-stage H2C hybrid cooling system ensures you won't slow down just because you get heated up. (In case anything does go awry, you have at your disposal 24-hour phone support, 5GB of online backup space, and a two-year limited warranty with in-home service following remote diagnosis.)
You get two optical drives with the XPS 730x: a standard DVD±RW, and a Blu-ray reader/DVD±RW for watching high-definition movies. A multiformat card reader occupies one of the two external 3.5-inch bays, while two other external 5.25-inch bays and two internal 3.5-inch hard drive bays remain free. Connectivity is of the standard, but useful, variety for this class of system: two USB, one FireWire, and headphone and microphone jacks up front; eight-channel audio, two Ethernet, six USB, one external SATA (eSATA), one FireWire, digital audio, and two PS/2 connectors in the back.
