Dell's new trim XPS 200 series of desktop computers for gamers are packaged in a slim BTX chassis and start out at a very competitive price. Gamers will want to upgrade the graphics, but the rest of the system looks pretty impressive when priced at less than $1,100.

At that price, Dell includes a 1.8GHz Intel Pentium D 820 processor with dual cores on a single chip. It's an impressive CPU that works well when gaming and handling large multimedia files. Dell pairs that processor with a very respectable 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory in these desktop computers for gamers. That's enough for most users--even hard-core gamers--but if you want more RAM, these systems are capable of housing up to 4GB. Doubling the memory to 2GB will run an additional $135.

This core power makes these gaming desktops solid performers as well as Windows Vista ready, so they'll transition to Microsoft's upcoming operating system, and Vista-specific games, without a problem.

Storage is impressive on these desktops. Dell starts the XPS 200 out with a 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive, providing plenty of room for game installations and multimedia file storage. One disadvantage of the slim chassis is expansion room--you can't add a second internal hard drive later. You can step the starting hard drive up to 320GB for $50, but that's not a very cost effective upgrade in today's storage market.

The optical drive is also slimline, to make sure that it fits within the confines of this gaming computer's trim tower. At baseline, Dell offers a 24X CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo drive that will burn audio and data CDs as well as play DVD movies. Users interested in burning their own DVDs can upgrade to an 8X DVD writer with double layer capability for a reasonable $40. It's not as fast as full-sized DVD writers, but it does handle double layer media that lets you store up to 8.5GB of data on a single disk.

The one upgrade we would insist on is the video card. Dell positions their XPS PCs as gaming machines, but the baseline XPS 200 utilizes integrated graphics (even if it's Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator 3000). While that's well and good for average computing users, gamers will want to make the upgrade to the ATI Radeon X1300 Pro with 256MB of dedicated video memory. It's not a cutting-edge card, but unless you're going to add your own, this is a decent gaming card for a reasonable $100 upgrade.

Audiophiles may consider upgrading the internal audio as well. It offers 7.1 channels of sound, but you can step up to a SoundBlaster Audigy sound card for $25. Dell includes a 10-watt speaker that attaches to the LCD at the baseline price. It's not thunderous sound, but it's adequate for most uses. If you want a surround sound set for gaming and movie watching, they offer their own 100-watt 5.1 speaker set for $70 or Logitech's booming 500-watt 5.1 speaker set for $310.

Dell includes Microsoft Windows XP Media Center edition with these gaming computers. It's a great OS for handling multimedia, and you can even turn your XPS 200 into a digital video recorder by adding a $100 TV tuner and remote control. This lets you watch and record live television on your PC, which works great with that extra-large display.

Dell bundles Microsoft Works 8 with the XPS 200 providing some basic productivity tools. If you want Microsoft's Office suite of applications for school or work, you can step up to the Basic Edition of Office with Word, Excel, and Outlook for around $150.

Dell's XPS 200 series of desktop computers for gamers ship very nicely equipped at under $1,100. With just an upgrade to the video card, you've got an impressive gaming system that's small enough to tuck into the corner of a desktop or even mount under your desk.


Pros: Great price
Cons: Integrated graphics at baseline

Warranty
1-year limited