Buzzillions.com - Dell XPS Desktop with Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8300 Reviews www.buzzillions.com

Read! It might affect you might not!

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Read! It might affect you might not!

JayJ81 from Undisclosed

This computer is impressive and I like it very much. If you are fimiluar with Windows Computer rating service 1.0 - 5.9 it comes out of the box with 5.2. When it came home I had problems and hope you dont. It comes with a Radeon HD 3650 graphics card pre-installed with a non working driver from the factory Wide-screen monitors. I called Geek Squad 1-800 and talked to him for 1:45:00 min and he couldn't figure it out and the best option he had was to pay $30 for some one to remote access a NEW Computer so they could fix it. I couldn't see that I would have returned it before paying that dumb fee. So I called Dell AND PAY ATTN: Dell will NOT talk to you if you don't buy the product directly, they just gave the the geek squad's # and told me to discuss further with them. Long shot they still couldn't help, called ATI they couldn't help. Took it back to the store to return/exchange 2 days later and a lot of fighting that I didnt do anything to cause the problem, PC came home working. Now … Read more

Good Computer

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Good Computer

jptros from Hattiesburg, MS

I've had this computer for about a week. Out of the box I updated it with the drivers from dell's website. There were a few critical updates and more recommended updates. I suggest anyone who gets this system to make driver updates a top priority to help ensure stability. Like other posts have stated, the TV tuner drivers have to be updated otherwise playback is choppy beyond the point of even being watchable. I use it for multimedia, software development and to play a few old school games here and there like quake 3. Not a big gamer so I can't really comment on the graphics card though from what I've read, the ATI graphics that come with the machine are not the greatest. I bought the computer because it's a work horse and in those regards I'm pleased with my purchase. I noticed a firmware update on dell's site for the hard drive. These computers (at least mine) come with seagate hard drives and seagate had an issue with data corruption due to a flaw in the firmware some months back. … Read more

Totally revamped XPS430!

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Totally revamped XPS430!

Snyder85 from Gilbertsville, PA

I was in the market to get a new PC for my online schooling but also media use and my beloved video gaming! I was in between either getting this or the new Dell Studio XPS with the new Intel Core i7. While I reallly wanted that computer for it's new technology the case it is in is just absolutely horrible! Overheating has been a big problem from what I've heard and I could only imagine how bad it would get in there if I were to throw the ATI Radeon HD4870x2 in there! Ok after buying this computer I saw that it had an ATI Radeon HD3650, that just won't cut it for modern gaming. ATI Radeon HD3650 is a 256MB DDR3, whereas an ATI Radeon 4870x2 has 2 1GB cards that are internally crossfired with DDR5 memory! Do your research or even use one and you'll see that it blows every other card out of the water except for the the NVidia GTX295. I purchased an ATI Radeon HD4870x2, now that's some power! I ended up having to replace the power supply too. I put in a OCZ GameXstream 700W PSU to power t … Read more

Decent system

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Decent system

gil1 from Dayton, OH

I'll try to mention things that others haven't in prior reviews. System startup takes a little less than 2 minutes after the initial setup, which to me seems just a touch sluggish considering the decent specs. I'd recommend updating the BIOS among everything else from Dell's support page as soon as you can. The display: the Radeon 3650 has an HDMI connection not mentioned on this site. The drivers should be updated from ATI's support page but download the driver and the Catalyst Control Center (CCC) software separately. You'll get an error upon installation. I had success with it after uninstalling the CCC using Windows Add/Remove Programs, then reinstalling. The software also defaults to downscaling the display 15% (this effectively shrinks the display, not using the full screen). This can be fixed in the advanced menu of CCC. The system does come with an IR remote for use with Media Center. The TV tuner is Hauppage's WinTV-HVR-1250. You'll want to update the drivers from their sit … Read more

Great computer for 4 months!

Sun, 17 May 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Great computer for 4 months!

1988jd from Westlake Village, CA

I bought this computer on January 19th of this year expecting exceptional performance at the recommendation of the Best Buy salesman. It performed extremely well until May 15th, when the hard drive crashed. I called tech support at Dell, who led me through several attempts to resolve the issue, but was ultimately told the hard drive was bad and asked if there was anything important on it. (????!!!!) I was told a Dell tech would have to come out to replace the hard drive and that I could take the old hard drive "somewhere" to try to recover the data. Hopefully, my backup drive actually backed up the data, but won't know for sure until the hard drive is replaced. In any event, 3 days later and still no Dell tech...just a couple of computerized messages indicating that someone will call, but there's a "delay" in getting the necessary part. The computer, when it was working, was great. My advice if you get one.....1) make sure you have a working back up drive; and 2) get the Best Buy prote … Read more