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Dell XPS One 27 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £1399
inc VAT

It’s got a beautiful screen and powerful hardware, but adding a touchscreen makes it very expensive

Specifications

3.1GHz Intel Core i7-3770S, 8GB RAM, 27in 2,560×1,440 display, Windows 8

http://www.dell.co.uk

The Apple iMac has consistently been the most desirable and powerful all-in-one computer for years, but the Dell XPS One 27 could finally be a worthy contender. On Dell’s website this is sold as simply the XPS One 27, though the model number is actually 2710.

Its highlight is the gorgeous 27in panel, framed in edge-to-edge glass, which has a huge resolution of 2,560×1,440. It looks fantastic and, on a 27in screen, it’s hard to settle for anything less, as this gives you plenty of space to have multiple windows open simultaneously, or edit photos in fine detail. A 1080p (1,920×1,080) resolution on the same-size screen feels positively primeval by comparison. We found that the screen’s glossy finish made it quite reflective, but this was a minor complaint in the face of such crystal clear precision.

Dell XPS One 27

This bore out in our solid colour image tests. Reds, blues and greens were extremely bright and vibrant, and blacks and whites were deep and true. We did notice a very slight shadow in the bottom right hand corner of the screen as well as all the way across the bottom of the screen, but you wouldn’t really notice this on a day-to-day basis and the rest of the screen was near perfect. Its contrast and brightness levels were similarly excellent, with our high contrast test photos showing plenty of detail in both the light and dark areas of each image.

Our review sample also came with a touchscreen, but this optional extra will set you back an extra £300, over the standard model. This makes the Dell XPS One 27 feel rather expensive, as the hardware underneath is exactly the same regardless of whether you opt for a touchscreen or not.

Whether or not you need the touchscreen is up to you. As Windows 8 now fully supports touch and has a brand-new touchscreen interface, you may find it more useful. In fact, for the new Start Screen apps, a touchscreen is really useful and you’ll find yourself using it a lot.

Dell XPS One 27

The extra £300 also gets you an articulating stand, so you can tilt the screen up to 45 degrees backwards, making it even easier to use on a desk. At this angle, we found it more comfortable to use standing up, making touch controls by far the most natural way to interact with the PC. That said, a touchscreen’s not essential and the base model, at £1,399 including VAT, is excellent value, so you may want to save the money.

Dell XPS One 27

We found the bundled wireless keyboard and mouse were also very comfortable and easy to use, as all the Chiclet-style keys had plenty of bounce and tactile feedback, and the mouse was just the right size for our hands.

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Basic Specifications

Rating *****
Processor Intel Core i7-3770S
Processor external bus 100MHz (DMI)
Processor multiplier x31
Processor clock speed 3.1GHz
Processor socket LGA1155
Memory 8
Memory type DDR3
Maximum memory 8GB
Motherboard Dell 02XMCT
Motherboard chipset Intel H77

Ports

USB2 ports (front/rear) 2/4
Firewire ports (front/rear) 0/0
eSATA ports (front/rear) 0/0
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support 802.11n

Internal Expansion

Case all-in-one
PCI slots (free) 0
PCI-E x1 slots (free) 0
PCI-E x16 slots (free) 0
Free memory slots 0
Free 3.5in drive bays 0

Hard Disk

Hard disk model(s) Seagate Barracuda (ST2000DM001-9YN164)/Intel SSD
Interface SATA3
Total storage capacity 2,032GB

Graphics

Graphics card(s) 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M
Graphics/video ports HDMI

Sound

Sound Realtek HD Audio
Sound outputs 3.5mm stereo line out, 3.5mm mic in, optical S/PDIF output
Speakers integrated

Removable Drives

Supported memory cards SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick, xD
Optical drive type(s) BD-ROM, DVD+/-RW +/-DL

Display

Viewable size 27 in
Screen model N/A
Native resolution 2,560×1,440
Screen inputs HDMI

Other Hardware

Keyboard Dell KM713 Wireless Keyboard
Mouse Dell KM713 Wireless Mouse

Software

Software included N/A
Operating system Windows 8
Operating system restore option restore disc

Buying Information

Warranty one year onsite, next business day
Price £1,399
Supplier http://www.dell.co.uk
Details www.dell.co.uk

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