Dell XPS 420 user reviews
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User reviews5
mikefillary 15 November 2011
Good: Fast
Bad: Black screen very often on widows 7
Comment: No problems when it is operating but black screen problem on start up is irritating.
KEEFYBOY 10 October 2010
Good: Everything as described,Superb bit of Kit
Bad: Underpowered PSU,BTX Case
Comment: I have had mine for about 2 years and overall very happy with this machine.
However about 1 Year after purchase [1 Month after Warrenty Expired] it wouldnt start and got constant Fan noise,turns out that the Graphics card [Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT]had failed.
But in all fairness to Dell they offered me an Extended Warrenty for 3 years[Parts and Labour ] for £134 which was about the price of a new Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT at that time.
So a new card [Refurbished] was depatched and worked fine for about 4 Months then Same problem.
Anyway I am on my Fourth card now and after scouring the Dell Forum and the net generally it transpires that this is a commom fault on these macines because Dell for whatever reason put either a 375W or 475W PSU with the 475W being the Max that they offer in this P.C ,AND with this being a BTX Case its not just a simple case of buying another off the shelf standard ATX compatible PSU.
Nvidia recommend at least 600W PSU for the Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT plus this also has a Quad core Q6600 processor and 4GB Memory and of course its a High end Gaming machine so running Games with High graphics Requirements puts even more strain on the PSU and the Grahics card so something had to give, hence one Fried 9800GT [or should I say Three].
I love this Machine its just a shame that its been underpowered by PSU that isn't fit for task.
But if Dell want to keep giving me new Graphics cards rather than a more powerful PSU then thats fine with Me.
I only hope that next time the PSU fails rather than the Graphics card or worse the MoBo then at the very least I might get the 475W
Will keep you posted
Regards
KEEFYBOY
Robert Purvis 26 August 2010
Good: Great for the money
Bad: Noise
Comment: I got this brand new, but end of line from Tesco for a ridiculous £170 Inc VAT
boffisme 17 July 2008
Good: When it works its great; but it never works
Bad: Its constant crashing and xps 24 tech support
Comment: I absoloutly loved this pc for the 1st week, it worked like dream. but now i am having serious problems with it and tech support. They never ring back, 8 calls and my problem is still there. Dell was supposed to visit but at 11.00 o'clock I called to ask what was happening and they said they did not have tha parts so it was cancelled. half an hour later we got a call to say a mistake was made and they did have the parts. I have had vista reinstalled 4 times and only half of my hard drive works. Dell has told me not to install office 2007 as it may not be comaptible with the system. Great.
brl21 9 January 2008
Good: Great performance, great looking, great price!
Bad: A bit on a noisy side. Sideshow screen is somewhat pointless
Comment: I bought my xps 420 for £650, which included a 2.4 GHz Quad Core processor, 3gb of RAM, 2 x 320GB Raid 0 HD, and a 512mb Nvidia 880GTS graphics card. I didnt purchase with a monitor, nor did I need the Xccelerator or blue-ray drives. It arrived only 4 working days after ordering (thanks Dell!) and I am extremely happy with it thus far - it blows my older desktop out of the water. In spite of the 'multimedia desktop' label this PC is ideal for gaming as well, which is primarily what I bought it for. It has handled everything I have thrown at it graphically, thanks to the hefty nvidia card and quad core processor. Obviously general programs and multitasking is no problem for a computer of this spec.
My only gripes are that it is a little bit noisy, and while the machine itself is very easy on the eye, it is a tad bulky and a little heavy (though I'm sure it has nothing on the higher spec xps models like the 720) The sideshow screen on the top of the pc chassis is a nice touch, but I have yet to find a real use for it. Vista will take some getting use to but that was to be expected.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase and I would definitely recommend it - worth every penny!