The Bottom Line
Feb 8 2012 - Dell's XPS 8300 may be a fairly dated PC system now but thankfully pricing has come down to make it more affordable yet it still retains much of its strong performance making it a solid choice for a general performance system that will be used for demanding tasks like desktop video. Those hoping to use it for gaming might be disappointed with the base graphics card selection but at least it does offer some upgrade potential compared to many other systems in this price range.
Pros
- Strong General Performance
- Includes Wireless Networking
Cons
- Memory Setup Makes Upgrades Less Efficient
- Graphics Card Lacks Performance For Gaming
Description
- Intel Core i7-2600 Quad Core Desktop Processor
- 8GB PC3-10600 DDR3 Memory
- Two 500GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer DVD Burner
- AMD Radeon HD 6450 Graphics Card With 1GB Memory
- Intel HDA 7.1 Audio Support
- Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless,
- Eight USB 2.0, eSATA, HDMI, DVI, VGA, 19-in-1 Card Reader
- Windows 7 Home Premium, Office Starter, McAfee Security Center
Review - Dell XPS 8300-6007BK
Feb 8 2012 - Dell's XPS 8300 is the company's current top of the line desktop system but it still has versions that can be found for under $1000 such as the XPS 8300-6007BK. This is a retail version of the desktop are typical retails for between $850 to $950. Frankly, the configuration isn't much different than another XPS 8300 model I looked at in 2011 but there are some key differences.
In terms of general performance, the Dell XPS 8300 still performs extremely well thanks to the Intel Core i7-2600 quad core processor and the 8GB of DDR3 memory. This should let it do just about any task a consumer might have for it including very processing intensive tasks such as desktop video editing and transcoding. One thing that is a bit disappointing however is the memory layout. While it comes with 8GB of memory, this is achieved by using four 2GB modules that fill all the existing memory slots. If you wish to upgrade the memory, you will need to remove 4GB of memory to fee up any slots. Most companies offering 8GB use two 4GB modules to make it easier to upgrade without loosing some memory.
Storage features are pretty typical of a desktop in this price range but the way it is delivered is a bit different. There is a full terabyte of storage space for applications, data and media files. Unlike most system that use a single hard drive, Dell has installed two 500GB hard drives. Setup in a RAID 0 array, this actually provides a bit better performance than a single drive. If the drives are not setup in this manner, then it can be a bit more problematic as performance is less and it splits your data stores. A standard dual layer DVD burner handles playback and recording of CD and DVD media. High speed external storage is available through an eSATA port. It would be nice to see USB 3.0 as well but much of the competition still lacks one or both of these port types.
Graphics for the XPS 8300-6007BK is handled by an AMD Radeon HD 6450 graphics card. This is a fairly low end graphics card that will do decently for accelerating non-3D applications but lacks much performance for those looking to use it for gaming. It could be used for more casual PC gaming at lower resolution of data levels, but those wanting to use it for gaming will want to upgrade to a faster card. Thankfully, the system does come with a 460 watt power supply that will allow for some hgher end cards but may be insufficient for some of the most powerful available right now.
