XPS 730x General Hardware Discussion thread

I have been considering purchasing a Dell XPS 730x but after reading some of the posts here and at other Dell forum threads, I'm seriously considering to NOT buy one.

I have seen a lot of posts complaining about one thing or another and very little response from any Dell staff. That is a bad sign! :emotion-6:
If you go to a computer forum, say for instance "Corsair", and see someone post about a problem or complaint, you find a pretty quick reply by Corsair staff to get the issue resolved. I see very little, if any at all, of that here!

With regard to the Dell phone support people being in another country, that does not bother me at all. I have done a bit of traveling in the world and I enjoy talking to people from other countries. What does bother me is having one person say one thing and then another say something different. At some point I'm going to think that I'm being lied to!

Has anyone here actually received a working XPS 730x right out of the box???

What's happened Dell ???
I have 3 Dell computers in my home and my job site has just as many if not more.
There are a lot of other gaming computer makers out there, i.e. DigitalStorm, CyberPower, IBuyPower, etc. that don't make millions or billions of dollars but can respond to customer questions.

I received mine on Monday.  So far it's worked flawlessly.  I have Premiere CS4 on here and it's eating every AVCHD video I throw at it, which is great because I primarily bought this for high def video editing.

I haven't had any problems with the sound card like other people have EXCEPT... DO NOT LET THE WINDOWS UPDATE DO THE DRIVER UPDATE FOR THE SOUND CARD.... I did... and then I started getting blue screen random crashes... as soon as I restored just prior to the driver update, everything was stable again.

The computer is EXTREMELY quiet.  I can't believe how quiet it is.  I have an Alienware that I bought right when the P4 Extreme HT 800Mhz FSB boards came out and it sounds like a monster next to this thing. (it IS fairly loud, to be fair).  But.. the 730x...right when you power it on, it's the loudest computer I've ever heard... but as soon as it starts to boot and during normal operation.. I just can't get over how quiet it is for how powerful it is.

It's enormous, btw.  I weighed the box when it showed up.  No monitor or speakers.  82.6lbs.  I haven't weighed the PC itself yet.  The case is slightly taller and slightly wider than the big Alienware cases.  It's all metal.. very nice... they took the time to put a plastic protective layer on all of the case that you peel off once it's set up.  Even the metal stability feet that you swing out to keep it from tipping left or right are made out of a pretty good thickness metal.

So far... all headaches aside... I'm happy with my purchase.  The only thing wrong... the mouse was missing.  And Dell is being lackluster on its support for getting me a new one.  But it's a pretty minor complaint, all things considered.

Hey Mike, that's good news! Is yours air or water cooled?

I know you'll all laugh, but I ended up cheaping out on the processor for now.  Just went with the 2.6Ghz and plan on buying a speedier proc once they're a bit more available and maybe even a few faster models out (and then cheaper to upgrade to the higher end ones once they're easier to get).  I did the 2.6 proc with 6gb ram and the Nvida 280 1GB vid card.  So... no... just the fan and sinc.  I'm guessing the water cooling is even quieter.

I could make a recording of the noise level of just the PC running in a closed, 15' x 15' room if you guys want.  I don't have a dB meter, or I'd find out real levels, but approximating it with a recording wouldn't be too bad.

I do know my ... I think 6 years old now... Alienware is easily 3 to 4x as loud.

Mine is working fine. The only issue was with a well-known problem with Creative sound cards and 64-bit vista. During gaming I would get static/feeback - often referred to as the SOD/SCP (Screech Of Death / Snap Crackle Pop). I never got any bluescreens or reboots. The issue arose with the factory installed drivers as well as after a complete reinstall I did to switch over to a Velociraptor Hard Drive.

The definitive fix for me was simple - removed the X-fi and install an HT Omega Striker 7.1 card. Sound is absolutley perfect!! Works flawlessly with my speakers as well as my HPA2 powered Headphones. Before my HT Omega arrived I was using the on-board (integrated) audio which also worked fine.

As for weight - mine was also over 80 lbs in the box. I think someone mentioned their packaged only weighed 48 lbs - I cant see how that is possible. I will weigh mine to make sure, but the pc by itself is easily over 60 lbs. When mine arrived - it was carried to the door by 2 UPS guys (granted they were kinda small ;) ).

 What temps does the xps 730x run at? Could someone post temps at idle and useing prime95 at full load. Thanks

 I just built a core I7 965 system and it runs at 41c at idle and 79c at full load useing core temp. Not sure if I need to turn my fans up.

Here are links to download the software.(twists arm) Thanks

Core Temp 0.99.3 http://www.majorgeeks.com/Core_Temp_d5665.html

prime95 http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=205

Greetings,

I've just placed an order for an XPS 730x on 12/22/08 and I have a question in regard to the "length" of an SLI bridge connector for two graphic cards. This system will be shipped with a single nVidia 9800 GT which I plan to replace with my EVGA 9800 GTX+ which I already have at hand (and I'm in the process of buying another 9800 GTX+ for SLIing). The confusions started when I started to look for an SLI Bridge to purchase since Dell doesn't supply one (That's what I've heard and not sure why not since the connectors length themselves can be different from each motherboard make/model). Boy, they do come in different lenghts!! Which one, in length wise, would I need to purchase for this XPS 730x?

Thanks in advance and have a Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

I got my 730x and was happy with it until VISTA started randomly crashing and rebooting my computer in the middle of my work.  So I decided to instal my old copy of windows XP PRO 64 . I read about slip streaming and made an ISO disc with the XP drivers provided in the utilities disc but its not working! XP pro 64 setup is saying that the drivers are incompatible with the OS! Any help please? The drivers listed for Windows XP seem only to be available for "XP" with no specification as to XP 64 or XP 32. Very frustrating as I have 6GB of memory and planning on upgrading to 12.

So basically does anyone here know where I can get the windows XP 64 drivers?? 

Btw, my system is configured with the ATI 4870X2 with i'm guessing from all the posts if the main cause of the problem. Has anyone gotten the ATI 4870X2 to run smoothly on VISTA  !!!

Additionally I am curious if the free Turtle Beach headphones ONLY come with the H2C version so I know what to expect.

Thanks!

Chris or anyone else can you clarify some things for me?

1. What sound card does it actually come with? I see XFI Titanium in my email receipt, I see XFI extremegamer on my online receipt. It of course said XFI Titanium as I was making the order. Which is it

2. What power supply brand and model is it that it comes with?

The setup I ordered was:

core i7 965

6gb ram

raid 0 velociraptor (300x2)

CF ati 4850

Mine came with the X-Fi Titanium. One other member verified his came with the Titanium as well.