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Dell XPS 420 (Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM)

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Performance

And while the upgraded XPS 420 has a distinct features advantage over the HP, Dell still couldn't beat it on our application tests where the HP tied or won in every case. The HP's biggest advantage was on Photoshop, where it likely benefited by its 3GB of 1,066MHz memory to the Dell's 2GB of 800MHz. You can add more RAM to the Dell, of course, but for extra cost.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 image-processing test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
 In seconds  
Apple iMac
133 
Dell XPS 420
169 


Apple iTunes encoding test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
 In seconds  
Apple iMac
161 
Dell XPS 420
169 


Cinebench 9.5
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 Rendering multiple CPUs  
Rendering a single CPU  
HP Pavilion Elite m9040n
1,268 
401 
Dell XPS 420
1,260 
398 
Apple iMac
754 
400 


To Dell's credit, though, it was a better at gaming than the HP in our Quake 4 test. Our review system came with a 256MB GeForce 8600 GT. That's a solid--if not outstanding--3D card, and it outpaces anything HP has to offer. Dell also offers a much higher-end (and more expensive) GeForce 8800 GTX, as well as an Ageia physics card if you'd like to make this system more gaming-friendly. Unfortunately, Dell XPS 420 does not offer support for dual-card SLI or CrossFire graphics setups.

Quake 4 performance test (in frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 1,280x1,024 (4xAA, 8xAF)  
Dell XPS 420
70.7 
Apple iMac
39.2 


System configurations:

Apple iMac
Mac OS X; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700; 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics chip; 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive

Dell XPS 420
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600; 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card; two 320GB 7,200 rpm Western Digital hard drives

HP Pavilion Elite m9040n
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600; 3GB 1,066MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8400 GS graphics card; two 320GB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drives

Service And Support

Dell's support is also superior to Apple's and competes well against other Windows vendors. In addition to the standard one year of parts-and-labor coverage, you also get 24-7 toll-free phone support, as well as a year of onsite service. Dell also includes a handful of utilities to help you maintain your system and get help, and it also has its DirectConnect tool, which lets you chat live with a Dell technician and gives you the capability to grant a technician remote access to your PC for faster service.

 
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