Dell XPS 8950 Desktop PC Review
Dell's XPS 8950, while based on Intel's 12th Gen, offers a solid starter platform that is easily upgraded for the future. Join us as we test it out.
TweakTown's Rating: 88% The Bottom Line With its available configurations, the Dell XPS 8950 is a good platform for any gamer, streamer, or creative professional to get their start. Pros + Price
Price + Upgradable
Upgradable + Supports 13th Gen Intel CPUs
Supports 13th Gen Intel CPUs + Plenty of options Cons - Proprietary motherboard
Proprietary motherboard - Proprietary PSU Should you buy it? Avoid Consider Shortlist Buy Buy at Amazon
Introduction and Pricing
It has been a while since we had a desktop system in for testing, but we were lucky enough to snag an XPS 8950 from Dell just as we finished the XPS 9315 just a few weeks back. As most know, XPS is still the flagship brand for Dell, while Alienware is the premium gaming brand. That said, the XPS still offers a strong platform that can be configured for gaming if one doesn't like the aesthetic of Alienware platforms. The 8950 is a very configurable system, as seen in the image below, so let us see how our review was spec'd out.
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VIEW GALLERY - 32 IMAGES
Before diving in, I will note that our review system was configured with the 12600K. At the time of writing, I could not configure the system as sent on the website, so we chose the 12700 non-K for pricing reasons.
Moving on, the XPS 8950 is an Intel 600 series chipset platform. It can be spec'd with any CPU from the 12400 to the 12900K. As mentioned above, our unit was sent with the 12600K. Memory is DDR5, 16GB in a two-stick configuration running at 4400MHz. Further, our XPS 8950 includes the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR with 8GB of GDDR6, and storage consists of a 2TB NVMe and 1TB SATA HDD. Allowing for expansion, the XPS 8950 has several PSU options, ours coming with the 750W unit. We also added water cooling just for the extra thermal headroom in testing.
The MSRP for this system comes in at $1717.99 at the time of writing. Dell includes a one-year warranty along with available 24/7 support.
Dell XPS 8940 Gaming Tower PC Today Yesterday 7 days ago 30 days ago $1249.00 $1249.00 $1349.32 $1249.00 Buy * Prices last scanned on 12/19/2022 at 12:47 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.
The XPS 8950, BIOS and Software
Packaging and BIOS
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Unboxing the XPS 8950, we are graced by a mostly white chassis with the front I/O painted silver. At the top, you will find the power button followed by a full-size card reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, three USB 3.2 ports, and USB-C at the bottom. Also of note, this unit does have an optical drive installed.
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Moving to the backside, at the top, you will find a thumbscrew to release the side panel of the chassis. We then move down into the exhaust fan and rear I/O. This includes a full set of rear audio outputs and DisplayPort. Further down, you'll note another set of four USB-A ports and another USB-C.
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At the bottom, we have the PSU and its input, and above, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and its four DP and one HDMI ports.
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Opening the XPS 8950, Dell manages the cable arrangement quite well. Starting at the top, we have two cages for 3.5" HDDs, one occupied by our IronWolf drive. Moving down into the system, Dell uses a custom motherboard; even the form factor is not a DIY standard. It offers multiple NVMe slots and is a four-slot DDR5 motherboard that can handle 128GB of memory. The CPU is socketed, so there is room for an upgrade. Further down, we note everything snapped into place, including cooling fans and the GPU itself.
BIOS
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The BIOS is basic and includes the main menu showing the installed hardware configuration.
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The advanced menu does include options for core configuration along with HT and Speed Step. Further down, you will find support for resizable bar support and SATA/NVMe operation mode.
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Dell includes overclocking features in the BIOS. Though simplified, it does allow several levels.
Software
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My Dell is the software included with the XPS 8950. This includes model identification and warranty support on the right panel.
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Exploring the software, the menu above allows for personalization control, device manager, and system health.
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Dell Cinema moves into sound and network traffic control with CinemaStream.
As seen above, we have CPUz shots for both the CPU and memory.
As noted, our 8950 came with the 3060 Ti installed.
Cinebench, Crossmark and AIDA64
Cinebench R23
Cinebench is a long-standing render benchmark that has been heavily relied upon by both Intel and AMD to highlight their newest platforms during unveils. The benchmark has two tests, a single-core workload that will utilize one thread or 1T and a multi-threaded test that uses all threads or nT of a tested CPU.
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Starting with R23, the XPS landed us 1902 single thread and 17333 for multi-thread.
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Throwing the 8950 into our charts, we have just one comparison machine in the ThinkStation outfitted with the 12900.
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Above we tossed our nT results into our chart.
Crossmark
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CrossMark allowed a score of 1911; this includes 1822 in productivity and 2051 in creativity. Responsiveness landed in 1786.
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Moving that data to charts, the XPS holds its own, grabbing a better score in responsiveness.
AIDA64
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Above, we have the memory bench results for 8950 with throughput running between 52K and 58K while latency is quite high at 92ns.
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Throwing those results into our charts, the 8950 has considerable latency from the stock DDR5 modules. It's 10ns slower than the ThinkStation using DDR5 SODIMMs.
UL Benchmarks
3DMark and Gaming
3DMark
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Getting into 3DMark, the XPS landed a single-thread score of 986 and a sixteen-thread score of 8019.
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In comparison, we still have the ThinkStation alongside the 8950.
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Time Spy landed an overall score of 11374, slightly above average for the hardware and capable of 105 FPS+ in BFV.
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Back to our charts, the XPS 8950 performs better in gaming than the productivity-focused ThinkStation.
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Hitting the storage benchmark, the XPS 8950 landed with a score of 2750, with bandwidth at 476.32.
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Procyon results were quite good and on par with what we found testing a host of Z690 boards last gen with our 12600K. 6501 for Photo and 6792 for Office.
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I tagged a few extra benches in here for the 8950. One was WEBXPRT4, scoring 316 points.
Value and Final Thoughts
Value
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Price v Performance landed well for the 8950, given the small number of platforms in our charts.
Final Thoughts
Dell's XPS 8950, while a 12th Gen Intel platform, is a good starting point for a nervous newbie just getting into gaming or streaming who is still deciding about building a machine. It offers the performance expected of its components, as we noted in our testing, and does not require all the knowledge needed when putting together a system yourself. It's upgradeable to a point; this includes memory, CPU, and GPU, and if configured correctly when ordering can support the absolute best components available.
In our testing, while limited on pre-built comparisons, the XPS 8950 did quite well and aligned with what we saw evaluating many Z690 motherboards with our 12600K last generation. R23 provided 1902 single thread and 17333 nT. While looking at CrossMark, we saw a fantastic score for responsiveness and productivity. Procyon performed where we expected, with a slightly higher score in Office, though Photo was just a little behind. We did do limited game testing on the XPS, Time Spy showing a score of 11374, which ended up slightly above average for the components.
As with all pre-built systems, it is always hard to justify pricing because "you can build it cheaper." On that note, we attempted just that, using to build a system as close as possible to the unit sent to us from Dell. We saved about $100 overall by choosing a Z690 motherboard from ASRock, the 12600K, a 3060 Ti from MSI, and Sabrent DDR5. Storage was the 980 Pro in the 2TB configuration, and we found a decent Corsair 750W PSU. The total came in at $1649.
On the flip, the XPS 8950 is coming at you around $1700, a $50 premium, but that does include support and a one-year warranty. If anything goes wrong with the system, you do not get that when you build your own machine.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Review: A Durable Business Desktop Computer
8.4 Expert Score Dell Inspiron 3880 Review: My Take The Dell Inspiron 3880 features a clean design and provides impressive performance for simple and intensive productivity tasks. Furthermore, this desktop offers multiple hardware configuration options to choose from. However, it does not come with a monitor. Design, Display, Ports, And Connectivity 8 Processor (CPU) Performance 9 Memory (RAM) Performance 8 Storage Options And Performance 9 Graphics Card Performance 8 PROS 1. Solid design
2. Great cooling system
3. Impressive CPU performance
4. Multiple configurations
5. Excellent overall performance CONS 1. No monitor
Are you in need of an adequate desktop computer for business purposes? If yes, I believe reading this Dell Inspiron 3880 review will be helpful to you.
In this review, I will be talking about the design features of the Dell Inspiron 3880 as well as its display, ports, and connectivity features. Not only that, but I will also discuss the desktop’s processor, memory, storage, and graphics card performance in great detail.
Furthermore, I will compare the Dell Inspiron 3880 with similar desktops in its category in various sections. In addition to that, I will rate the desktop on a scale of one to ten in each section based on its performance.
Thus, at the conclusion of this review article, you should be able to tell if the Dell Inspiron 3880 can satisfy your needs.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Review: My Initial Thoughts
Over the years, Dell has been one of the major pacesetters in the world of desktop computers. This is because they offer durability and excellent performance with their desktop computers.
Thus, to add to its list of excellent desktop computers, Dell released the Inspiron 3880 in 2020. This desktop computer offers a lot of amazing features and specifications that should deliver optimal performance.
Moreover, the desktop is available in various configuration options and its price isn’t too expensive. Speaking of price, in June 2022 (when this review was published), the Dell Inspiron 3880 had a starting price of $737.99.
Having said all that, I know you are curious to know more about what this desktop computer has to offer. Well, you will have to read on as I unravel everything about the Dell Inspiron 3880 in the other sections below.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Design, Display, Ports, And Connectivity Review
In terms of design, the Dell Inspiron 3880 looks quite basic and simple. However, the desktop is not void of style.
Notably, the Dell Inspiron 3880 offers a rectangular body that is made of a mixture of solid plastic and metal. As a result, the desktop appears really sturdy and durable with no flex around its body.
Furthermore, this desktop has a mini-tower form factor, and it features a matte-black finish all over. Due to this matte finish, the Dell Inspiron 3880 is not prone to fingerprints or smudges.
Besides, the body of the desktop is beautifully patterned with slanted stripes on the front panel. This slanted stripes pattern is highlighted in black and subtle gray, thereby giving the desktop a premium stylish look.
To make the desktop more stylish and less bland, Dell included its logo in the middle of the desktop’s front panel. This logo has a reflective silver finish that shines blissfully when exposed to sunlight.
That aside, the front panel of the Dell Inspiron 3880 features some of the desktop’s ports. These ports include an SD card reader, an audio jack, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and two USB 3.1 Type-A ports.
Moreover, at the top of the desktop’s front panel, there is a DVD+/-RW drive as well as a power button. Meanwhile, the back panel of the desktop is mostly characterized by cooling vents and the remaining of the desktop’s ports.
These ports are a VGA port, HDMI port, and two USB 3.1 Type-A ports. In addition to that, there is also two USB 2.0 ports and an Ethernet port on the back panel of the Dell Inspiron 3880.
Combining the number of ports on the front and back panel, it is fair to say that the Dell Inspiron 3880 has a good port selection. Overall, the desktop offers a total number of 11 ports.
Having said all that about the desktop’s exterior, let us proceed to discuss what the interior looks like. Before you can have access to the interior for maintenance or upgrades, there is something you need to do.
Basically, you have to loosen the two thumbscrews with a screwdriver in the back in order to take off the right side of the desktop. When you are done doing that, you should have access to the interior of the desktop.
However, upon seeing the interior, you will notice that it isn’t flashy or attractive. Nonetheless, since this is a performance-based desktop, looks and appearance aren’t much of a concern.
Besides, the desktop offers a good deal of specifications on its interior that delivers nothing but the best performance. Notably, inside the Dell Inspiron 3880, you’ll find a metal cover enclosing the power supply down below.
You will also see a black plastic ventilation funnel over the processor. This funnel creates a direct route to the rear fan, allowing for good ventilation distribution to the inside of the desktop.
Impressively, the funnel can easily be removed by pinching and pulling the two blue clips on its sides. In doing so, you will have a clearer view of the desktop’s hardware specs which we will be discussing in other sections of this review.
Moving on, Dell equipped the Inspiron 3880 with a keyboard and mouse. However, Dell doesn’t offer a monitor, which is quite disappointing.
Hence, you will have to buy a monitor separately for the desktop. On a positive note, the keyboard as well as the mouse that Dell offered work well without issues.
Specifically, the keyboard offers decent tactile feedback with well-spaced keys, making typing a fun experience. The mouse, on the other hand, isn’t too big and should fit into most palms.
Moving to the dimension and weight, the Dell Inspiron 3880 measures 154 x 293 x 324.3 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 6020 g. Compared with most of its closest counterparts, this Dell desktop is lighter and more compact.
For example, the Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 measures 184 x 521 x 446 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 8164 g.
In conclusion, the whole look and appearance of the Dell Inspiron 3880 befit its price and purpose. Furthermore, this desktop weighs lesser than most of its rivals.
As a result, I will rate the Dell Inspiron 3880 an eight out of ten in this design review section.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Processor (CPU) Performance Review
Coming down to the processor, the Dell Inspiron 3880 offers an Intel Core i7-10700F processor. This processor is an octa-core CPU, meaning it has up to eight cores.
For this reason, the Intel Core i7-10700F has the ability to perform better and faster than CPUs with a lesser number of cores. In addition to its eight cores (octa-core), this processor offers 16 MB of cache memory.
That’s not all, the CPU delivers a base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.80 GHz. Moreover, the Intel Core i7-10700F is a high-end processor that delivers nothing short of optimal performance.
Thus, with this CPU, the Dell Inspiron 3880 should be able to handle most computing tasks. To further evaluate the desktop’s CPU performance, let us briefly discuss its Geekbench 5.0 benchmark test results.
In brief, Geekbench 5.0 is a benchmark test that checks the processing abilities of a computer when its processor’s cores are put to use. Therefore, Geekbench 5.0 consist of two tests – the single-core test and the multi-core test.
For better understanding, the single-core test measures the processor’s ability to perform tasks efficiently with one of its cores being utilized. Meanwhile, the multi-core test estimates the processor’s abilities when all its cores are put to work.
Moreover, a high score is preferable on these tests because it shows that the processor has a good performance. On that note, based on the test results, the Dell Inspiron 3880 scored 8903 points on the single-core test.
On the other hand, the desktop scored 1368 points on the multi-core test. In comparison, the Acer Aspire TC-895-UA91, which uses an Intel Core i3-10100 processor, performed below the Dell Inspiron 3880.
Precisely, the Acer Aspire TC-895-UA91 scored 1200 points on the single-core test. Furthermore, this Acer desktop scored 4772 points on the Geekbench 5.0 multi-core test.
In summary, the Dell Inspiron 3880 offers an impressive high-end processor that can handle most computing tasks. Moreover, the desktop outperformed one of its counterparts on a processor benchmark test.
Therefore, I will rate the Dell Inspiron 3880 a nine out of ten in this processor review section.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Memory (RAM) Performance Review
In terms of memory, Dell equipped the Inspiron 3880 with two UDIMM memory slots and a 2666/2933 MHz DDR4 memory type. Furthermore, the desktop comes with a standard memory of 4 GB and supports a maximum memory of 64 GB.
Therefore, with the help of the memory slots, you should be able to upgrade the desktop’s memory up to 64 GB. However, this review focuses on the Dell Inspiron 3880 with 8 GB RAM.
With this size of memory, this desktop will be able to multitask decently. To give more details, the Dell Inspiron 3880 should be able to run up to 15 Chrome tabs simultaneously without slowing down.
Moreover, transitioning between these tabs should be easy for the desktop. Having said that, let us consider the desktop’s result on a PCMark 10 test to further verify its memory performance.
PCMark 10 is an app-based cross-platform benchmark test that measures the memory performance of a computer by simulating office-related tasks. These office-related tasks include word processing, web browsing, emailing, and other basic tasks.
Furthermore, the desktop with the highest score on this test is the best performer. So, according to the test results, the Dell Inspiron 3880 scored 7512 points.
Comparatively, this Dell desktop performed way better than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p. To be more specific, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p was only able to score 5083 points on the PCMark 10 test.
Thus, to wrap up this memory review section, I will rate the Dell Inspiron 388 an eight out of ten.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Storage Options And Performance Review
For storage, the Dell Inspiron 3880 comes with multiple configuration options to choose from. Therefore, you can purchase the desktop with a 3.5″ SATA AHCI HDD or an M.2 2230 SSD.
Notably, with the HDD storage drive, the desktop supports a maximum storage capacity of 2 TB. Meanwhile, with the SSD storage drive, the desktop supports a maximum storage capacity of 512 GB.
Impressively, the Dell Inspiron 3880 allows users to combine both storage options. Hence, with the combination of the HDD and SSD, you get a maximum storage capacity of 2.5 TB.
Besides, Dell included a multi-format SD card reader on the Inspiron 3880 that allows for storage expansion. Hence, with these various storage configuration options, you should find the one that suits your preference and budget.
However, for the sake of this review, we will focus on the Dell Inspiron 3880 with a 512 GB SSD. To evaluate the desktop’s performance with this storage drive option, I will highlight its CrystalDiskMark test result.
In case you don’t know, CrystalDiskMark is a benchmark test that calculates the read and write speed of a device’s storage drive. By read and write speed, I mean the duration it takes a storage drive to open and save files, respectively.
Additionally, a high “MBps” value on the CrystalDiskMark test means fast read and write speed. With that in mind, at the end of the test, the Dell Inspiron 3880 delivered a read speed of 3350 MBps and a write speed of 1930 MBps.
In comparison, this Dell desktop delivered a faster read and write speed than some of its counterparts. For example, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p which also uses an SSD offered a read and write speed of 2571 MBps and 2465 MBps, respectively.
Thus, the Dell Inspiron 3880 deserves a rating of nine out of ten in this storage review section.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Graphics Card Performance Review
Similar to the storage, Dell offers multiple GPU options for the Inspiron 3880. Thus, you can get the desktop with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 or an NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 graphics card.
The good thing about the above-listed GPU options is that they are both dedicated graphics card and features 2 GB of dedicated VRAM each. However, in terms of speed, they differ.
Specifically, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 has a standard frequency of 902 MHz. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 offers a base frequency of 1228 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1468 MHz.
Performance-wise, with either GPU option, the Dell Inspiron 3880 should be able to handle graphics-demanding tasks. Also, the desktop will be able to play a handful of high-end games.
This is because the graphics card options are dedicated graphics cards with dedicated VRAM, as mentioned earlier. However, this review is based on the Dell Inspiron 3880 with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 GPU
With this graphics card, the Dell Inspiron 3880 is able to deliver a smooth frame rate of 73.4 fps while playing Back 4 Blood. To take a deeper dive into the desktop’s graphics performance, let us discuss its 3DMark test result.
Briefly, 3DMark is a graphics-based benchmarking tool that assesses the 2D and 3D graphics rendering abilities of a computer’s GPU. Moreover, a high score on this graphics-based benchmark test equates to good GPU performance.
Therefore, based on the 3DMark test results, the Dell Inspiron 3880 scored 18847 points.
When compared with some of its opponents, this Dell desktop surpassed most of them. For instance, the Lenovo IdeaCentre 3, which uses an AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU, scored 13162 points on the 3DMark test.
All things considered, I will be rating the Dell Inspiron 3880 an eight out of ten in this GPU review section.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Review: Frequently Asked Questions
1. When Was The Dell Inspiron 3880 Released? The Dell Inspiron 3880 was released in 2020. 2. How Much Does The Dell Inspiron 3880 Weigh? The Dell Inspiron 3880 weighs 6020 g. 3. How Much Does The Dell Inspiron 3880 Cost? As of June 2022, when this review article was published, the Dell Inspiron 3880 had a starting price of $737.99. 4. What Is The Maximum RAM Capacity Of The Dell Inspiron 3880? The Dell Inspiron 3880 supports a maximum RAM capacity of 64 GB. 5. What Type Of Graphics Card Does The Dell Inspiron 3880 Use? The Dell Inspiron 3880 offers two dedicated graphics card options to choose from. Thus, you can acquire the desktop with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 or an NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 graphics card.
Dell Inspiron 3880 Review: My Final Thoughts
The Dell Inspiron 3880 is an efficient desktop computer that is basically designed for business purposes. Moreover, this desktop features a durable build and an impressive port selection.
Furthermore, the desktop is available in various configuration options and comes with a keyboard and mouse. There is almost nothing to dislike about this desktop aside from the fact that it does not come with a monitor.
Nevertheless, the Dell Inspiron 3880 delivers an overall excellent performance that makes it worth its $700+ starting price tag. Thus, if you need a durable business desktop computer with adequate performance, I suggest you consider the Dell Inspiron 3880.
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References And Further Reading
Best Dell gaming PCs 2020
Here at PCGameBenchmark we’ve reviewed and scored 54 Dell gaming PCs to help you find the best desktop computer to game on. There are so many different things to consider when looking to pick up a new gaming computer, and so many different options, that it can be a daunting task.
So to help we’ve given each gaming PC we review a single rating to make it easy to compare the rigs on your radar, basing our score on a combination of graphics card power, CPU, storage, memory, and how many of the top PC games it will be able to run.
And, whether you’re going for a cheap gaming PC or a high-end gaming desktop, you want to know that you’re getting a good PC deal so our database is continually refreshed with the latest pricing on Amazon so we’re always up to date.
Who are Dell?
Dell is an American manufacturer of computers and laptops. They sell a wide range of desktops, however their XPS and G Series range are best suited for gaming. Dell's acquired a specific gaming brand - check our Alienware PCs guide for higher end gaming PCs.
Are Dell computers good for gaming?
Both their G Series and XPS range are good performers when it comes to gaming. They can both be specced with latest 10th gen Intel processors, and the RTX 2000 series cards. Choosing between the two lines comes down to what the best deal you can get is. The XPS range are not specifically called Gaming PCs by Dell, but the internals are pretty much the same as you’re getting in the G Series range.
Where are Dell computers made?
Dell computers are made in one of their manufacturing facilities in Malaysia or China.
Best Dell PC for Gaming?
Check our Dell G5 gaming desktop review. These PCs can be specced with an RTX 2070 SUPER, an i9 processor and up to 64GB of RAM. This GPU is great for playing pretty much any game on Ultra, 60fps at a 1440p resolution. If you want a better graphics card than this you might want to have a look at Dell’s sister high end gaming company Alienware.
Where to buy Dell computers?
They can be bought directly through Dell but we would recommend Amazon for the best prices. If you click on any of the PCs below we’ll show you the best price available on Amazon.
