The Good Fastest gaming performance in its price category (mostly); distinctive chassis; lots of expandability; Nvidia software makes overclocking easy.The Bad Large case.The Bottom Line With its second full-fledged gaming PC, Dell shows that it understands the mainstream gaming desktop as well as the high-end. The Dell XPS 630 delivers everything a gamer would want in a sub-$2,000 PC, from its components, to its case, to its powerful software. We've seen no better system in this newly competitive category.Visit for details.
We have a feeling that Dell is going to sell a lot of XPS 630 systems. This new midrange desktop brings over many of the features we like about Dell's, but in a more manageable size. The price starts at $1,249 at launch, and for that you get the sleek angled case, a well-organized interior, a quad-core CPU, and a fast 3D graphics card. Bump the price to $1,619 and you get our review system, which includes a second graphics card for even better gaming power.
Compared to other systems in its class, the XPS 630 did very well on our benchmarks, which sealed the deal for us. This system was built for strong gaming bang-for-the-buck, and Dell most definitely achieved that goal, making this system an Editors' Choice winner.The XPS 630 combines familiar characteristics of a few desktops we've reviewed recently. Like the and the, the XPS 630 is a sub-$2,000 gaming PC with a quad-core processor, respectable gaming capabilities, and a spacious 500GB hard drive. Is also similar to this Dell system in price, although it has dual-core CPU with a faster clock speed.
When you compare the Velocity system with the XPS 630, it becomes apparent that the Dell is a more well-rounded PC, despite the fact that the Velocity has the edge in a few component categories. 3506Even though the CPU might be up for grabs, the Dell has the clear graphics card advantage over the Velocity Micro, and indeed, any of the three desktops we've mentioned so far. The XPS 630's pair of cards dominates on our benchmarks to the point that it's a little embarrassing for Velocity Micro.
Even if you opt for the Dell with a single 8800 GT, that's a vast improvement in 3D capability over the Velocity's lower-end card.For the most part, the gaming scores speak for themselves, but we should point out the Unreal Tournament 3 chart, specifically the differences between the Dell and the Uberclok. On that test, the Dell and its pair of 3D cards wins out on the more demanding 1,920x1,200 test, but it lags behind on the Uberclok on the 1,280x1,024 test.
The reason is that SLI is able to flex its muscle at higher resolutions, but as you drop the resolution down, CPU speed begins to make more of a difference. The Uberclok has only a single 3D card, but an overclocked Core 2 Quad Q6600 chip, the same one as in the Dell. The good news for you is that not only can you overclock the Core 2 Quad Q6600 yourself, Dell even provides software that makes it easy. 20.24The software in question comes thanks to Nvidia's new Enthusiast System Architecture program, ESA for short. Basically, ESA involves bringing all of your PC components under the control of a unified Windows software package that lets you monitor settings, make changes to the BIOS, and overclock your CPU and other hardware.
You make the settings changes through a dedicated menu item in Nvidia's Control Panel (where you currently tweak the video settings), and you can monitor the health of various components through the Nvidia System Monitor, an Apple Front Row-style icon carousel that displays CPU temperature and other important info, depending on the component. The XPS 630 is the first desktop we've seen with the full ESA implementation, and we love the way it makes overclocking and other tweaks much more accessible. Just be sure to take it easy with those settings, so you don't cook your CPU.
Dell Xps 630i Install Xps 4
Voklskier4452I would stick to the EVGA 750i FTW, it is actually a newer board then both the 680i and 780i. Finding it could be slightly difficult though.
The other question I would have for you is what type of case is the dell chasis, ATX or BTX?+1 to that.I have a 630i I got from my office, so I'm familiar with it. I also built a similar system to what you're trying to build a couple of years ago.
Basically, it was a 750i mobo with an E8500 cpu and Corsair Dominator RAM. The same cpu and RAM are in the Dell I have too.What I can definitely tell you is that you'll be MUCH happier with an EVGA 750 FTW motherboard than with the Dell motherboard in your 630i. The one in the Dell is a piece of crap. There are only two or three BIOS options for voltage control.
You should be able to change it over without too much hassle though. It is ATX form factor, but it's mounted upside down in the 630i case. Also, it's a bit crammed in the Dell case. The only decent cpu cooler that fits in there to my knowledge is the Thermalright Ultima 90.Also, get rid of that smaller board that sits behind the 5.25' bays. It controls the Nvidia ESA stuff. None of the fans or anything I had plugged into that work right.
Dell Xps 630i Specs
The ESA software is buggy as hell anyway. Djcypher1iride4uThe question that I have is does it have a propriatory PSU?I think he's good with the PSU. I just glanced inside mine and it looks like a standard 24 pin connector for the motherboard and 8 pin for the CPU.On a side note, it's funny looking inside a Dell. I haven't peeked inside that case for quiet some time. It lacks cable management to say the least.lolSounds pretty good,but what am i looking at $$ wise,the problem i'm having with mine with the Dell motherboard is the random system freeze/lockups,i'd say mine happen once a month or maybe longer,so far it's been 3 week's since it happened,so that's why i'm looking at a different board and would need a estimate for the hardware price and a estimated cost for installing hardware,because i doubt i could do it myself.Oh i guess i should ask can i use my current components CPU/GPU'S ect. I started with my current setup in a 630i.
The only things left are the dvdrw and cdrw.I did have a prob with the psu and transfering it to a different standard atx case. When I bought the Thermaltake Armor+ and tried to screw in the psu I realized that the holes on the psu did not line up with the standard atx holes. It looked like they would but they didn't.
I even got someone else to try to see if I was doing something wrong. I first put in a 780i mobo then a new Zalman 9700 Heatsink. I also had 2 8800gt's it was really cramped though. There was no airflow so I moved to a larger case.Did you check out my630i.com? It is a good place for info about mods and such with the 630i. MikejustisI started with my current setup in a 630i.
The only things left are the dvdrw and cdrw.I did have a prob with the psu and transfering it to a different standard atx case. When I bought the Thermaltake Armor+ and tried to screw in the psu I realized that the holes on the psu did not line up with the standard atx holes. It looked like they would but they didn't. I even got someone else to try to see if I was doing something wrong. I first put in a 780i mobo then a new Zalman 9700 Heatsink. I also had 2 8800gt's it was really cramped though.
There was no airflow so I moved to a larger case.Did you check out my630i.com? It is a good place for info about mods and such with the 630iYeah i've been to that forum and got pretty good advice,but 2 people i was talking to felt i would be better off pushing for a exchange up to a Alienware system,which of course you have to work your way to that point which both of them did do,i just told them that sounds nice and all,but i know from dealing with Dell is a major hassel,so that's why i was looking at changing some stuff myself since you can't count on Dell and the warranty you paid for.