Dell's XPS 8300 is the first mainstream system we've reviewed to feature Intel's new second-generation (nee Sandy Bridge) Core i7 desktop CPUs. While that doesn't automatically translate to best-of-breed performance, Dell has wrapped a well-balanced, reasonably priced $1,615 configuration around the new chip. We wouldn't recommend this system to dedicated gamers, nor is it the best deal for fast, affordable day-to-day performance.

As a media-playing, mainstream-gaming general productivity system, however, the XPS 8300 offers a fair deal for performance-oriented generalists. Just know that for a few dollars more you can get a better-equipped, more cleanly designed desktop elsewhere. To buy this specific configuration, go to Dell's Web site and click on the first column on the XPS 8300 product page. At least, we think. Throughout the course of this review, Dell suggested we click on another column on that page, where we would find this configuration available for about $1,400. Pc disk clone ex serial number. For at least a day, that was true.

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But when we followed up after a weekend had passed, the column Dell recommended pointed us to a new configuration that couldn't be customized to match our review unit. You may find this system for less than $1,615, but all we can say for sure is that Dell's Web site offers little price stability depending on both the day and the route you take to buy a particular configuration.

Perhaps this design is intended to thwart comparison shopping ('What if Dell offers a deal tomorrow?' ), but it's frustratingly cryptic. Which of these XPS 8300 configurators on Dell's Web site offers the best price for a given build?

Purchasing confusion aside, we like this system well enough, even for $1,615. Dell has used this case for the last year or two, and the white, black, and red design offers a welcome alternative to the sea of all-black desktops out there. Dell hasn't moved to the convenient front-access hard-drive bays that we've seen from Acer, Gateway, and many boutique vendors, but the gadget tray on the top of the system is convenient, as are the USB 2.0 and audio ports dotting the rear edge of the tray. We're also glad to see Dell adopt USB 3.0 ports on this system, by way of a single port on the front panel and another around the back. Dell XPS 8300 Velocity Micro Z40 Price $1,615 $1,189 Motherboard chipset Intel P67 Intel P67 CPU 3.4GHz Intel Core i7 2600 4.0GHz Intel Core i5 2500K (overclocked) Memory 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM Graphics 1GB AMD Radeon HD 5870 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 560Ti Hard drives 1.5TB 7,200rpm 1TB 7,200rpm Optical drive Blu-ray burner Blu-ray/DVD-burner combo Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) We're more or less satisfied with the relative value offered by the XPS 8300.

Compared with the Velocity Micro system above, Dell has advantages in its system memory, its hard-drive capacity, and its Blu-ray burning capabilities. We would credit the Dell's graphics card as well, but Velocity Micro is using an overclocked version of the GeForce GTX Ti card, which gives it an edge over the Dell's typically faster Radeon HD 5870. Velocity Micro will also overclock the CPU, which gives the Z40's Core i5 chip a raw clock speed advantage, but the Dell's Core i7 chip still offers advantages due to the HyperThreading technology that effectively doubles the Core i7's four processing threads. The difficulty for the Dell is that if you go to Velocity Micro's eminently usable Z40 configurator, you can match the XPS 8300's specs for $1,829. For that price, Velocity Micro includes an overclockable Core i7 2600K (compared with the locked Core i7 2600 in the Dell), as well as a beefier power supply, a second graphics card slot, and superior build quality by way of expertly routed and bound internal cables. The gaming-inclined could leave off the Wi-Fi card and settle for a 1TB hard drive and a standard Blu-ray player and come in at just $50 more than the Dell.