New Dell Studio XPS 435 PC chock-full of RAM

Update: According to Dell, "nothing has changed with the XPS brand." Also, TB vs. GB typo corrected.

We can't tell too much about Dell's new Studio XPS 435 from the press release. The new case in the picture certainly looks slick enough, and we're glad to see convenient design notes like the top-mounted USB ports and an unconcealed media card reader (unlike Dell's generic Studio XPS PCs). Based on the $1,099 starting price and specs (Intel Core i7 chips, up to a ridiculous 24GB of RAM, single graphics card slot), the Studio XPS 435 seems to be aimed at the performance crowd, if not necessarily dedicated gamers.

The Dell Studio XPS 435 with optional floating space ruler

(Credit: Dell)

Among the Studio XPS 435's other configurable options, you can get up to a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, up to 24GB of DDR3 RAM, and a Blu-ray drive. The 3D card, and the 24GB memory and 4.5TB hard drive limits are all new for Dell's Studio XPS family. The memory and hard drive options are impressive for even high-end gaming PCs, let alone an upper-tier generalist desktop. Not even the boutique vendors have 24GB of RAM yet, a discrepancy we expect will last about two seconds after news of this system breaks out. Paired with fast Intel Core i7 chips, that much RAM should excite even pro-level digital media artists.

We also find the fine print of the Studio XPS 435 press release interesting. Wrapping up its PC family at the end of the text, Dell mentions its Inspiron, Studio, and Studio XPS lines, but skips right over vanilla XPS, home of the XPS One all-in-one and Dell's gaming desktops, for Alienware. We've heard rumors that Dell's Alienware division might finally become the full-time standard bearer of Dell's gaming efforts. We'll see if we can find some clarification.

[cboileau]

"The 3D card, and the 24GB memory and 4.5GB hard drive limits are all new for Dell's Studio XPS family. "

Who edits this stuff? 4.5GB Hard drive eh? Good luck even fitting and OS on it. I supposed you mean TB? Also, you say that it can have up to 4.5GB of DDR3 RAM, but say it can have up to 24GB of memory. This article makes no sense and is contradicting. Also, i'm going to assume that this is going to be running a windows OS, which can only use up to a maximum of 4GB of RAM anyways.

[gilbertfh]

Although I agree with you on some points (i.e. 4.5GB hard drive) I think you are mistaken on others. It is my understanding that computers can have well more than 4 GB of memory. 32bit windows architecture is limited to 4 GB but 64bit has a much higher limit although I admit I don't know the maximum. It would be interesting to see an actual spec sheet.

[gilbertfh]

After doing some research on Dell this is what I came up with for the XPS 435:
Intel® Core i7
Intel® X58 Chipset
Up to Intel® CoreTM i7 965 Processor Extreme Edition (3.20GHz 1066MHz FSB, 8MB L2 Cache)
Up to 24GB Tri-Channel 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 6 DIMMs1
Six (6) user-accessible DIMM connectors, Installed in three for Tri-Channel memory performance
Up to 1.5TB configured with a 7200 RPM SATA hard drive.
Up to 4.5TB configured with 3 hard drive bays utilized.
Up to ATI RadeonTM HD4870 1MB GDDR5 graphics1
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet LAN on system board
Power: 475 Watts

Hope this clarifies any typo's in the article

[rhbrown]

Thanks for the catch on the TB vs GB mix-up. I think the other commenters have addressed any questions with 64-bit Vista's RAM limits.

[jmcintire]

Vista 32-bit is actually limited to 3 GB of RAM, whereas 64-bit Vista is required to address 4 GB of RAM; however, 64-bit Vista is able to address far more than 4 GB.

[TedFlip]

dude what are you talking about!? Apple sells macs that allow up to 35gb of ram. I've used one!

[timedwards12]

"seems to be aimed at the performance crowd, if not necessarily dedicated gamers."

I think there are more important things to gamers than TB's and a lot of RAM. Definitely a workspace beast.

Oh, and the limit is 128gb of ram for Vista Ultimate 64bit edition.

[jmcintire]

Not that that will matter in a year, when anyone using this rig will likely have installed Windows 7!

[PolarExplorer]

Also Dell isn't the first to offer 24 GB of RAM in a Desktop. AvaDirect has offered desktops with 24 GB of RAM for at least the last 2 - 3 months when I started looking at them to buy a new desktop.

[illegallydead]

yup, and Apple has had the 32GB max in their Mac Pros for at least a year or two. Although that is sort of technically a workstation / server, and that option came at a price of about $35,000, so... I'll say that doesn't count :)

[PolarExplorer]

It doesn't when its in a workstation/server especially since this is a Desktop that you buy for under $1,500 if you don't actually buy all 24 GB of RAM.

[illegallydead]

look like a nice machine! I might end up going for something like that when my current Macbook bites the dust (hopefully not for another 2-3 years, crossing my fingers :) Ah, who am I kidding, I'll just build one!

Oh, and cboileau, get over it. You confused yourself there, the article is pretty clear on the specs. You can certainly point out the TB/GB mixup, but way too many people on here are too eager to jump down everyone's throats over a simple spelling error...

[HashimotoTech]

I've had my (once top of the line) Inspiron 8500 for going on 6 years now (I know, I know. A dinosaur, but I'm a computer tech and have kept it running smooth - it's still faster than the computers where I work ...) This xps 435 looked pretty nice, except for when I noticed that when I customized them (according to my budget) with nearly exactly the same specs, you can get the regular Studio XPS at $400 cheaper.

XPS 435 specs:

PROCESSORS Intel® Core?i7-920 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate SP1, 64-bit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
MEMORY 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
HARD DRIVE 1TB Performance RAID 0 (2x500GB SATA 7200 RPM HDDs)
OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD) and DVD+/-RW
MONITORS Dell 24 inch Ultrasharp? 2408WFP Widescreen Flat Panel
VIDEO CARD ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
SOUND CARD Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
SPEAKERS No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
KEYBOARD Dell Wireless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse
MOUSE Mouse included in Wireless, Laser or Bluetooth Package
MODEM No Modem Option
ACCIDENTAL PROTECTION CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 3 Year

Pricetag: $2,957

Now the Regular XPS Studio:

PROCESSORS Intel® Core?i7-920 Processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate SP1 64-bit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE DellCare Value
MEMORY 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
HARD DRIVE 1TB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 500GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs)
OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD) and DVD+/-RW
MONITORS 24 inch Ultrasharp? 2408WFP Digital Flat Panel
VIDEO CARD ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
SOUND CARD Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
SPEAKERS No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
KEYBOARD Keyboard included in Dell Bluetooth Package
MOUSE Mouse included in Dell Bluetooth Package
BLUETOOTH AND MEDIA READER Dell Bluetooth Wireless Media Hub + Keyboard/Mouse
FLOPPY & MEDIA READER Dell Media Card Reader included in Dell Bluetooth Package
WIRELESS Dell 1505 WLAN PCIe card with11n mini-Card & external antenna
ACCIDENTAL PROTECTION CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 3 Year

Pricetag: $2,523

Note that the XPS Studio even comes with a wireless N card. I wish there was space for a 3rd hard drive bay on either of these models, but it's not a deal killer.

I realize the 435 has some nice design upgrades, but $400 worth of aesthetics and convenience? I think I'll pass.

[AVADirect_Joe]

One thing I find particularly fascinating about this article, is that they boast "24GB" RAM capabilities, but they fail to mention that NO manufacture makes 24GB kits at this time....

[gilbertfh]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/memory/display/20090225193838_Kingston_Readies_24GB_DDR3_ValueRAM_Memory_Kit_for_Desktop_Computers.html

[Lenter101]

I bought the Dell XPS Studio 435 MT at Best Buy for $999.00 and added 12 GB of RAM for another $300.00. Got the RAM from Tiger Direct. The computer runs with Windows Vista 64 bit. I use this computer primarily for video editing and it is a nice step up in its ability to render the video quickly.

Crysis, BTW, runs on the highest settings automatically. Overall, a very nice computer at a reasonable price.

[gravitydown]

Maybe I'm not upto speed on the Memory stance, but an ATI HD4870 1MB GDDR5 graphics .... should it not be 1GB of GDDR5 memory instead of 1 Megabyte?
i couldnt imagine a great graphics experience with 1MB of Memory.......unless im misunderstanding how great gddr5 really is. lol.


g.

[gilbertfh]

I personally think it is a typo but it is copied and pasted directly from the dell website.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/desktop-studio-xps-435?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

[pleporini]

Anyone know where to go on line to distinguish between all of the different model numbers. i.e. XPS 435, XPS 630; is the larger number better?

Thnaks in advance

[rainyangel]

Go to Dell.com.

The Studio XPS 435 starts at $999, but can quickly add up to $2,000+ with all of the upgrades. You can pick from the i7-920 to the i7-965 Extreme and have it shipped with up to 24GB DDR3 RAM.
Dual video card upgrade NOT available, but the highest option is very good, (ATI Radeon HD 4870) The tower is actually quite large and weighs 40lbs.

The XPS 630 starts at about $100 more than the 435, but at the moment, i7 chips are not available on this model and they will only build it up to 8GB DDR2 RAM. Dual video card upgrade available.

The XPS 625 comes with a AMD Phenom? II X4 940 processor & Dell will build it up to 4GB DDR2 RAM. It starts at $899. Dual video card upgrade available.

And the XPS 730X starts at $1,599-- it is a huge and expensive machine. You can upgrade to Liquid/TEC Cooling for $650 and choose from the i7-920 to the i7-965 Extreme, Add about $1,000 for the i7-965. It is of course, large enough for a dual video card but Dell will only ship it with a max of 6GB DDR3 RAM.

Hope that helps :)

[Anime21]

The Base system with monitor on the XPS 435 comes with 6GB (3X2GB) DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz Memory and with a 1024MB ATI Radeon HD 4870 GDDR5 graphics card and the Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-920 processor (2.66GHz, 8MB), 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive with Native Command Queuing included in the base price of $3,599

[wallybigman]

You can save %25 on the Dell Studio XPS 435 by using the current dell coupon code, which expires on May 27th or until Dell has sold their required amount. The coupon code is WFZWN?VTVN3MDK

I purchased one for about $1,200 after savings, and it had the following Configuration:


Studio XPS Studio XPS 435
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Processors Intel® Core? i7-920 processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Memory 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
Keyboard Dell USB Consumer Multimedia Keyboard MMK
Monitor Dell 24 inch S2409W Widescreen Flat Panel S2409W
Video Card ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB AT4850
Hard Drives 750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Mouse Dell Laser Mouse 6BTNLM
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9.0 Multi-Language AAREAD
Optical Drives Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (BD-ROM; DVD/CD Burner) and DVD+/-RW BDRWDRW
Sound Card Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio IS
Network Integrated 10/1000 Ethernet IE
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft® Works 9
Security Software Norton Internet Security? 2009 Edition 15-months NIS915M
Hardware Support Services 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Datasafe Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

[m_chan1]

Microcenter has a version listed similar to the one posted by wallybigman but no monitor and comes with 1Tb Hdd.

I'm using it now as I type and it's pretty good. I'm satisfied with this version as it meets my needs for video/audio work! It's relatively quiet!

I did fill up the 2 HDD slots with 2 1Tb HDDs but had to add a SATA PCI card for an add. SATA port since only 1 was available and I needed 2. Now I just have to find a sound card that's PCIe!

The inside cables are wound up tight so it's very difficult to put in the HDDs or even the PCI card due to everything being squished together! Hoping to add Blu-ray drive in future but it'll be a tight fit.

Current, I'm hopeful that the 475w PSU will be sufficient to handle everything.