Dell XPS Gen 5

The top of the line computer from Dell is the new Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 desktop. To my knowledge, Dell is the first major vendor to ship 500-GB Serial ATA 2 hard drives and you can now order them for the new XPS Gen 5. The XPS series was custom designed from a clean sheet of paper for high performance gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. With these new mega-hard drives in place, the XPS can store hundreds of thousands of digital music files and photos or hundreds of hours of video.

One of the coolest (literally) advances on the new XPS series was solving its noise problem. Generally, powerful computers need a lot of cooling and that means fan noise. Older XPS machines were suffered from this. The problem has now been addressed: Dell combines its latest QuietCase technology and industry standard “Balanced Technology Extended” design to deliver a quieter and cooler system than the previous models, while helping to improve the machine’s reliability. We were told that Dell plans to incorporate this innovative design in future consumer desktops.

The fifth-generation Dimension XPS continues to be an industry leader in delivering the latest technologies to customers. It can support up to three SATA 2 drives to deliver faster access to information, photos, music, videos, and games. You can also specify Intel Pentium D 8xx and Pentium 4 6xx processors and an integrated media card reader.

For the technically inclined, additional specifications include:

• Intel 945P Express chipset with integrated Intel XD antivirus protection
• Pentium D Processors with Dual Core Technology
• Up to 4GB DDR2 memory
• Six expansion slots: (1) PCIe x16, (1) PCIe x4, (1) PCIe x1 and (3) PCI
• Integrated 7.1 audio support and 10/100 network controller
• Easy open chassis for increased reliability and serviceability
• Microsoft Windows XP Home, Professional or Media Center Edition 2005