Dell XPS One

[Clementine]

I have been rather taken with the reviews on this All-in-One but I would like the opinion of actual users rather than professional reviewers. I have always had laptops, not necessarily for their portability but more because I hate the spaghetti of wiring that comes with desktops. However these All-in-Ones seem a nice compromise.

How quiet is this machine?

Can it be updated like a desktop?

Any drawbacks?

I would really appreciate some user opinions.

Thanks, Clementine.

[cbridge]

PC Pro: Product Reviews: Dell XPS One

[Clementine]

Thanks, but that again was a reviewer's review and not a member of Joe public who has actually bought the machine.

I missed the huge discount back in December, it crossed my mind that perhaps Dell were clearing out that model to prepare for a new one. I don't think many people like the All-in-Ones for some reason.

I will wait for the Spring and see what turns up.

Regards,
Clementine.

[TheVoice]

Originally Posted by Clementine

I have been rather taken with the reviews on this All-in-One but I would like the opinion of actual users rather than professional reviewers. I have always had laptops, not necessarily for their portability but more because I hate the spaghetti of wiring that comes with desktops. However these All-in-Ones seem a nice compromise.

How quiet is this machine?

Can it be updated like a desktop?

Any drawbacks?

I would really appreciate some user opinions.

Thanks, Clementine.

Hi there, I realise this is probably far too late to be of use but I can try and answer your questions. I took delivery of one of these (on behalf of my step-dad who's out of the country at the moment) in January, after getting it cheap during the 50% discount Dell were doing.

To answer your first question, it's very quiet. Not as quiet as an Apple iMac or your average laptop, but still quiet compared to most desktop PCs. The iMacs primarily use mobile CPUs (designed for laptops), hence why they run cooler and quieter but also cost more. The XPS One uses a normal desktop CPU. It puts out a fair amount of heat through the vents at the top, but it seems perfectly capable of keeping itself cool without being intrusive.

Upgrading is fairly limited, as far as I know. Dell haven't made it very easy to get to the internals; you have to remove the entire back cover to do so and it doesn't seem like something they'd necessarily want users doing. That said, I believe it's only a couple of screws. You are then able to upgrade the RAM (should have two slots and use normal DDR2 desktop RAM), as well as the HDD, although that may take more effort to get to. Potentially the CPU could be upgraded I imagine, but it all depends on whether the system BIOS supports newer CPUs. The graphics card is limited to what it comes with as it's integrated on the motherboard obviously.

Drawbacks: Aside from the fact that it only came with 2GB of RAM (which is enough but would have preferred to see more considering its RRP), there really isn't much in the way of negative things to say about it. Obviously if you want a gaming or powerhouse PC this isn't for you, but as a tidy, full-featured all-in-one solution it comes with a hell of a lot. The wireless mouse and keyboard aren't amazing but they're not bad either, and the keyboard has a selection of media keys and a very useful built-in trackpad so you don't necessarily need the mouse if you're using it has a media PC. The optical drive is quite loud and noisy, and seems to cause the system to rattle slightly, but unless you're always reading from CD or DVD it's not a huge issue, just a niggle.

Dell's factory install of Vista was pretty awful as always; the system took a long time to start up, general performance and responsiveness in Windows was poor and it didn't even come with Service Pack 1 installed. After a completely clean install however, it's perfectly quick. The display is very clear and vivid, the freeview TV tuner works nicely with Media Centre in Vista, and it's a true one-cable PC - all I needed was the power cable. The keyboard and mouse are wireless and I connected it to my wi-fi network. It also has Bluetooth for connecting to phones etc.

I'm very impressed with it, and were I in the market for an all-in-one and had that sort of money to spend, I'd go for it. What it lacks in raw power (CPU and memory), it makes up for in other features that users may find more value in.