Dell XPS 8300 Review (Core i5/Nvidia)

Our version of the Dell XPS 8300 is based around the Intel Core i5 2500 processor which is a 3.3ghz processor, capable of a turbo frequency of 3.7ghz. It is built on 32nm architecture with 6 megabytes of shared Level 3 cache. This is not the unlocked ‘k' version, but Dell don't allow for overclocking anyway in their bios, so it makes little odds.

The motherboard is a Dell branded H67 Sandybridge model. There is 6GB of 1333mhz DDR3 installed via a 2x2GB and 2x1GB configuration. The memory is set to 9-9-9-24 @ 2T timings.

The Nvidia GTX 560 ti is a very capable graphics card and one that gamers have adopted en masse. It is built around 40nm architecture and features 352 unifed shaders with 1.25GB of memory connected via a 320 bit memory interface. The core clock operates at 732mhz and the GDDR5 memory at 950mhz.

The drivers were a little outdated (270.57), so we updated them manually to 280.26 WHQL.

We wouldn't normally mention it, but we feel Dell have the pricing of the GTX 560 ti configured wrongly. According to their system builder this card costs £370 more when upgrading from the onboard Intel HD2000.

Software:
Windows 7 64 Bit
SiSoft Sandra
Cinebench R11.5 64 bit
Cyberlink Media Espresso
Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra V11
PCMark 7
3DMark 11
HQV Benchmark V 2.0
From Dust
Resident Evil 5
Dead Island

Technical Monitoring and Test Equipment:
Thermal Diodes
Raytek Laser Temp Gun 3i LSRC/MT4 Mini Temp
Extech digital sound level meter & SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter
Kill A Watt Meter

All results are gained from multiple test runs to ensure any abnormalities are removed before publication.

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