The savvy choice of components in the Dell Studio XPS 7100 makes this PC one of the best midrange gaming desktops we’ve seen all year. A $1,149 configuration (available at this price through the end of July) built on an all-AMD platform, this new six-core Dell might not be the fastest all-around PC at its price, but its overachieving gaming performance and strong feature set will appeal to value-oriented gamers, or anyone looking for a capable desktop for home entertainment.
On the outside, the Studio XPS 7100 looks almost the same as the Intel-based Studio XPS 8000-series. The only difference comes down to the 7100’s dark gray front panel, in contrast with the all-black 8000 series. Lighter shades notwithstanding, we still like Dell’s midtower design, particularly the upswept media card reader and the USB-equipped device tray on the top of the case. A drop-down panel on the front is a bit clunky, especially as it only conceals an unoccupied 3.5-inch bay and a pair of USB ports. Otherwise, there’s little for us to complain about on the exterior.
Inside things get a bit messier. We wouldn’t want Dell to lose the double-wide 3D card, but to keep it stable in shipping, Dell has tacked a mounting bracket on the card that connects to one of the spare hard drive spots. To improve your drive storage options, Dell has added an internal drive cage that can hold two drives, but it also missed an opportunity to face the drive cage outward for convenient drive swapping, or, even better, allow the drives to slide in through the front of the system. The latter might require a case redesign, so for now Gateway, Origin, and a few others are unique in offering front panel hard drive access. Let’s hope Dell is paying attention for its next system revision.
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