Dell - XPS Desktop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive

Bought this new PC to replace one that was about 14 years old running Windows XP. With XP having gone out of support, decided it was time to upgrade my hardware and OS. Chose this PC due to the high level of Dell quality I've always experience as well as some of the ease-of-use features (USB ports on the front of the PC, card reader slots on top of CPU, etc.) and it's coming pre-installed with Windows 8. I will say that although this PC is blazing fast, I'm not a big fan of Windows 8 so far...it is definitely not intuitive. Also - be aware that if you buy just the tower/CPU like I did, it DOES come with a keyboard and mouse but DOES NOT come with speakers. Also - separate video card vs. integrated video was very attractive to me in making this purchase as well as memory expandable to 8GB.

I'm not a whiz on the computer, I can usually find my way around w/o too much trouble. However, I like hands-on w/ my how-to-manuals, not looking around in cyberspace for the info. Another thing is Windows 8...when I first read the reviews on it I was surprised how negative everyone was. After using it for about a month or so I can understand the negativity but it's a new PC computer concept (used on iPhones). It just takes time getting use to it. I'm no spring chicken but I'm making it slowly but surely. Like that I can change to wireless if I choose to.

Fine hardware machine. I like the big hard drive. It's worked great the four weeks since I bought it. The key tops are too flat, and the typing feel is lousy, there's no Numlock. I'm going to replace it. There is no Centronics printer port to connect my older laser printer. I'll have to buy a board for an expansion slot to connect it, or replace it with a USB or wireless one. Win 8? I can't seem to import my address list or emails from my older Win XP machine, or open and work with all the MSWorks files on my old PC. I suppose it's fine if you mostly surf with it and use the mouse almost exclusively. If you want to use it for serious work, it lacks the tools unless you load Microsoft Office. And, how the heck do you add more mail folders to the default set? Perhaps "In The Cloud"? Phooey! It's fine to add new ways to do things, but don't drop backward compatibility. Some of us don't choose to move to the Brave New World....

First, Windows 8 is not Windows XP 2.0. It is a very different operating system and if you don't view the built in tutorial you will have trouble. It works just fine with the mouse. In fact, I kept my old wireless keyboard and wireless mouse and they work just fine. You can get the Start Menu 8 program from Iobit (and others) to restore the Start Menu button and the Menu. Eliminating the button was a mistake my Microsoft that they will hopefully correct. This computer works well with Windows 8 and associated programs. I had to replace my old computer because it kept crashing while on the internet.

Since Dell originally released the XPS series of desktop computers, I have always been pleased with their performance. They don't offer the same performance as a home-brewed P.C. of comparable price, but do provide adequate performance for most recreational and serious gamers. The XPS provides a good level of performance for those of us who want a solid unit right out of the box. The one thing about this computer, (and with just about any "out of the box" computer on sale lately), is the OS. Windows 8 is not a good operating system for a desktop computer. This is especially so if it is being used primarily as a gaming system. This doesn't present a huge problem, since one can easily revert to an older version of Windows. Windows 8 aside, the XPS is still a solid desktop for the price.

I bought this computer last month and it has done nothing but out perform my expectations. This PC is a beast! Super fast start up speed. Above average graphics card. I plan on upgrading this computer to 32GB of memory (it's full capacity, comes with 8GB) very soon! (Even though it's not even needed!). I would recommend this computer to just about anyone.

This is a nice sleek quiet machine. However, I use my HDTV as my monitor. One of the reasons I picked this computer, was it had an HDMI output. The card that came installed would only work on a digital computer monitor, you couldn't hardly make out anything on the TV. I had to buy a bigger, better, faster graphic accelerator card to see me TV the way my old Vista machine had. Same on it, I had to add a big graphics card. Other than that, I really like windows 8. I had heard a lot of negative reviews of windows 8, but it only takes a few weeks to become proficient at getting around, then it has so many features, it would require a longer review than here. I would recommend this computer to a friend, but would have to tell them about the graphics issue if they planned on using it as an HDTV display. I have it now run from my HDMI output on the computer to an HDMI on my amp/receiver , then from there to the TV, so I have computer input sound into the amp, and anything I watch on TV from computer is being put out on a 5.1 sound system surround. I love it. Bobus

I Bought this to replace a 9 yr old HP Desktop. The Dell is so quiet you can barely tell it's on. It does not come with the best instructions for setup, but I figured it out(make sure to use the Analog or HDMI out on the Video card, not those shown on the setup instructions) for the monitor. Windows 8 is a pain. I downloaded start8 and basically have windows 7 features and desktop again with the few benefits of windows 8. After a week I could not get it to come out of hibernate(factory settings) and it went into recovery after powering it down and back up. Had to reinstall a few newly added programs, but it has been ok since(about 6 wks). I did set hibernate to "never" except for the monitor. I manually power it down when not in use now. Other than that, plenty of computer for my needs which includes paying a few bills, surfing the net and some video/photo editing.