Dell Studio XPS 8000, 9000 Desktops

via Gizmodo by Danny Allen



The sleek multimedia PCs can be configured with Intel's new "Lynnfield" Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The 9000 takes-over from the Studio XPS 435 with new "performance graphics options", while the 8000 has a smaller, but similarly-styled case design.

The Studio XPS 8000 starts at $800, and that includes a 500GB hard disk, 4GB of DDR3-1066 RAM, and Intel's new Core i5-750 (2.66GHz) processor. That's not too shabby, and early Core i5-750 tests suggest its shaping up to provide some respectable bang for your buck. If that's not enough grunt for your games, the Core i7-860 (2.8GHz) and Core i7-870 (2.93GHz) CPUs will cost you an extra $170 or $380. RAM capacity goes up to 16GB, and you can also opt for up to 2TB of storage (RAID 0).

As you'd expect with mainstream gaming/multimedia themed PCs, Blu-ray is also an option for both PCs. The 9000 isn't up on Dell's site yet, but it's expected to start at about $900, and have slightly higher-end CPU and graphics options.

Intel Core i7, world's fastest desktop chip

via DVICE by CharlieWhite on 6/3/09



Time marches on. PC processors get faster. But this one is unusually quick, especially when overclocking. The cool-running 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition is a $1000 quad-core chip currently aimed at gamers who can afford to spend $8000 on a PC, but don't let that discourage you. This will be an average processor a couple of years from now.

It starts getting geek-gasmically astonishing when you hear tales of the guys at Hot Hardware Review overclocking this sucker, revving it up beyond 4.1 GHz. They reported the chip wasn't even breathing hard at that much-higher speed, and only noticed a "small voltage bump" when the chip reached its 50°C maximum temperature. And that was with a normal heatsink, no fancy liquid cooling required.

Get one of these babies, and you'll be living the future. For a short while.

Hot Hardware Review and PC Perspective, via Engadget