A Gaming-Multimedia Crossover -> Dell Studio XPS 7100

Price: $1,149 direct
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The Dell Studio XPS 7100 is a genre-straddling desktop PC. On one end, it has a quick six-core AMD multimedia processor and 1.5TB hard drive. On the other, it comes with an ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, so it’s a contender as one of the better entry-level gaming rigs. It’s packed with a lot of future-proof technology, and its price tag won’t break the bank.

The XPS 7100 comes in a silver version of the tower on the XPS 8000. The system is angled, so it appears to be leaning back, making it easier to access the media card bays and optical drives. The XPS 7100 also has some internal expansion room, including space for one PCI card, two hard drives, and one optical drive. You’ll need a screwdriver to get inside, but everything is well laid out and easy to access. Also notable is the fact that this system comes free of bloatware.

In terms of performance, the XPS 7100 was able to complete the Windows Media Encoder (WME ) test in a speedy 38 seconds, and the Photoshop CS4 test in 1 minute 38 seconds—which is reasonably quick. The XPS 7100 also showed totally playable frame rates on three of our four gaming tests, scoring 65 frames per second (fps) on Crysis (at 1,280 by 1,024 resolution) and 82 fps at World in Conflict at the same resolution. Though the Gateway FX6831-01 is still our Editors’ Choice for gaming PCs (offering more bang for the buck and easier upgrading), the XPS 7100 takes the EC crown for multimedia PCs.—Joel Santo Domingo.

Pros Very good gaming performance. 6-core AMD Phenom II processor. Intelligent solution to bloatware problem. 15-month McAfee Security Center subscription. 802.11n wireless. Immobilizing bracket on graphics card. HDMI, eSATA, DisplayPort. Blu-ray.

Cons Fewer legacy technologies. Very little expansion space.