Dell Studio XPS 8000-2361JBK – A Gaming PC

Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

Good performance, plenty of connection options as compared to previous low end Dell systems.

Thumbs down:

Wireless networking card was not needed.

Inside the Trunk:

Power cable, softwares.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

This machine from Dell is powered by Intel Core i7 I7-860 / 2.8 GHz, Quad Core processor, it has L2 cache memory of 8 MB, chipset type is Intel P55 Express, RAM is 8 GB of DDR3 SD RAM and can be further expanded to 16 GB. The PC has 1 TB SATA hard disk drive of 7200 RPM. The optical drive in the machine is DVD±RW (±R DL). The graphic card in the computer is NVIDIA GeForce GTS 240 of 1 GB memory, sound output is 7.1 channel surround sound.

For networking, data link protocol – IEEE 802.11n (draft), Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, Ethernet. The computer runs on 350 Watt power adapter.

The computer runs on Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition. The 19 in 1 card reader supports the following cards – CompactFlash Card type I & II, MultiMediaCardmobile, Memory Stick PRO Duo, MultiMediaCardmicro, MultiMediaCardplus, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card, SmartMedia Card, SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Microdrive, microSDHC, miniSDHC, microSD, miniSD, RS-MMC.

Connectivity interfaces are 1 x Audio – SPDIF output, 1 x Storage – eSATA – 7 pin external Serial ATA, 1 x Microphone – Input – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio – Line-out (center/subwoofer) – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio – Line-out (center/subwoofer) – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio – Line-out (back surround) – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio – Line-out (front surround) – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Audio – Line-in – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T – RJ-45, 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1 x Audio – Line-in/microphone – Mini-phone 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), 1 x Headphones – Output – Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), 8 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 pin USB Type A ( 2 front, 4 rear )

Dell gives 1 year warranty for this product.

Razzle Dazzle:

It is very difficult to make a desktop make look pretty. For some, it doesn’t matter if a desktop looks sexy because the cabinet is tucked beneath the table, in the dark, somewhere close to your legs. Dell has done its 2 bits to make this cabinet look pretty. The machine is offered in choice of three colors black, white and red though we are unsure if the latter is the correct choice for a desktop computer. The cabinets have been given a round shape which we thought was cute.

Inside Dope:

This machine from Dell is for gamming and general day-to-day activities. The hardware that has gone inside the machine makes it capable of high end usage. Dell has revamped the looks of the cabinet to make it look better than the usual boring cases.

The machine is powered by 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860 which is extremely fast and hence high end chores such as gaming or graphic development can be handled easily by this computer. A fast processor is useless unless complimented by plenty of RAM. Dell does exactly that by putting 8 GB, 1066 MHz DD3 SD RAM to make sure the computer remains fast.

This computer cannot handle games in all its glory but it can certainly do well in mid range gamming. There is GeForce 240 GTS graphics card in the machine for churning out great looking graphics. We thought that Dell could have got us a better graphic card by sacrificing wireless networking card.

The hardware inside is good for now but it is certainly not a future proof computer. With new power hungry games coming out everyday you can never be sure if you have got future proof hardware. This computer doesn’t give you many options for upgrading. There is a PCI expansion slot and also a PCI express card slot. If you don’t need the Wi-Fi card then take it out and you have an extra PCI card slot. There is no space for putting more RAM and we don’t think you will need more with the four sticks of 2 GB each put in. All four slots are occupied. You can add one hard drive to the machine.

When it comes to connectivity, Dell has been lamentable in the lower end machines but it does a great job here. There are USB ports, DVI outputs (on the graphic card), optical S/PDIF audio output and eSATA port for transferring data quickly. For quick connectivity there are a couple of USB ports and headphone/audio jacks on the face of the cabinet

Dell gives you a one year warranty for this product and 24/7 free phone support.

Nitty Gritty:

We didn’t have anything to complain with the XPS 8000-2361JBK from Dell. It has good hardware inside for mid range gaming and is low on power consumption so it makes sure there are plenty of savings.

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