Dell Delivers Next-Generation Technology to Desktop Customers

June 21, 2004—Dell today announced three Dimension desktops for performance-oriented customers to run the most demanding applications. All products are based on new Intel chipsets which incorporate PCI Express and dual-channel DDR2 memory, technologies that will set a new standard in performance systems, while providing headroom for future functionality.

PCI Express bus architecture represents the first major system input/output advancement in the last 10 years. It features two key enhancements over existing PCI technology. First, PCI Express slots allow nearly four times the bandwidth of existing PCI slots. Second, PCI Express slots do not share bandwidth across multiple slots, which means that add in cards can operate at near maximum throughput capabilities without slowing down other devices.

Dimension 8400 and Third-Generation XPS
The Dimension 8400 (starting at $1,369) and new XPS utilize the Intel 925X Express chipset. Both machines support up to Pentium 4 processor 560, up to 4GB of dual-channel DDR2 memory and up to 400GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives. Both offer standard integrated Gigabit Ethernet and integrated RAID through the ICH6-R controller.

The Dimension 8400 and XPS are designed for a wide array of productivity applications and have more than enough power to help consumers and small business users create and store large amounts of digital content. New options like the double layer 12X DVD+RW drive and 400GB SATA hard drives enable these systems to be used to create and store multi-gigabyte digital video files. Double layer DVD+RW3 drives will allow customers to store up to 8.4GB of data on a single disk—nearly twice the amount available on single layer discs.

For gamers, the Dell Dimension 8400 and XPS support the new PCI Express 256MB Radeon X800 XT graphics card. It features a native PCI Express implementation and 16 pixel pipelines, faster clock speeds than previous generation cards and six programmable vertex shader pipelines. This new technology is designed to translate into faster framerates in the most demanding 3-D games when compared to previous generation graphics cards, especially at higher resolutions.

Starting at $2,599, the XPS Generation 3 features an eye-catching Venice blue chassis with midnight gray accents and a brushed silver front cover. For a higher level of customization, it comes with a lighted front cover with a choice of seven colors that can be changed. The XPS comes standard with a 460-watt power supply, two 1394 ports, and supports up to three hard drives for a maximum 1.2 terabytes of total storage. Additionally, XPS customers can order high-end peripherals like the Klipsch™ ProMedia® Ultra 5.1 speakers right from the system configurator on www.dell.com, and can utilize a dedicated XPS Support Queue.

Dimension 4700
The Dimension 4700, which will be available in July, gives consumers and small business customers access to next-generation technologies at an affordable price. Based on the Intel 915G Express chipset, the 4700 will support new Pentium 4 5xx series processors, PCI Express and dual-channel DDR2 shared memory to deliver strong performance across a wide array of applications.

The 4700 will feature the new Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, the first integrated graphics solution that provides Direct X 9 support. Intel’s third generation of integrated graphics can use up to 128MB of system memory for improved performance over previous-generation integrated graphics. Customers looking for even faster graphics performance can opt for the new 128MB Radeon X300 SE PCI Express graphics card.

Technical Highlights: Dimension 4700, 8400 and XPS

Pentium 4 processor 520 (4700 only)
Pentium 4 processor 550 (8400 only)
Pentium 4 processor 560 (8400 and XPS only)
3.4GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition (8400 and XPS only)
Up to 4GB dual channel DDR2 memory (400MHz on 4700 and 8400; 533MHz on 8400 and XPS)
ATI E-Home Wonder TV tuner card (included in systems ordered with Media Center Edition 2004 only)
Hard drive options: Up to two 400GB SATA hard drives (4700 and 8400), up to three 400GB SATA hard drives (XPS)
Integrated RAID 0 or 1 functionality via the ICH6-R controller
Integrated Gigabit networking capability on PCI Express bus (8400 and XPS only)
Integrated 100Mb Ethernet (4700 only)
Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional, Media Center Edition 2004
Dell Jukebox for music downloads and managing digital music, Dell Picture Studio for digital photo organization, and Dell SecurityCenter or Norton Antivirus 2004 for antivirus, firewall, and privacy controls (all software optional for XPS customers)
Standard 1 year limited warranty plus 1 year at-home service; optional upgrade up to 4 years
Dedicated XPS Support through specialized phone queue (XPS Only)