Core 2 Duo-powered Dell XPS 410 and HP Pavilion d4600y desktops announced, reviewed

If there's anything better than killing two birds with one stone it's killing four of them, and thanks to a pair of early looks from Cnet, we're able to cram two product announcements and their corresponding reviews into one tidy little post. Even though they were just unveiled today, the tech mega-site was already able to take Dell's XPS 410 (pictured, left) and HP's Pavilion d4600y (pictured, right) Core 2 Duo-powered desktops out for a spin, and both machines come across as very capable performers. The two rigs share the same 2.4GHz E6600 CPU and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM -- meaning that they throw down almost identical benchmark numbers, with the HP enjoying a slight but ultimately inconsequential edge -- but the Dell's nVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS graphics card with 512MB VRAM makes short work of the ATI Radeon X1600XT-sporting Pavilion in the all-important gaming department. Dual 320GB hard drives also put the XPS 410 on top when it comes to storage capacity (although the d4600y still offers a very reasonable dual 250GB HDD array), and both towers seem equally well-suited for multimedia applications with their on-board dual-tuner TV cards and plethora of connectivity options. In the end, each $2,000 system earned a Very Good score of exactly 7.2 from Cnet, with the Dell obviously getting the nod for gamers, while the cheap-looking but feature-filled HP sounds like a better choice for the all-around user who wants greater expandability. Luckily, the hot new dual-core processors in both PCs means that you'll be getting one of the fastest machines on the market, no matter which model you choose.

Read- Dell XPS 410
Read- HP Pavilion d4600y

[Danny @ Jul 27th 2006 4:07PM]

WOOHOOO!!!
Some desktops are being released with Conroe!!!!
These desktops has everything I want except I dont really need that premium graphics card. That graphics bumps the cost of the pc up too much IMHO.
Anyways, pretty good specs, I'll be checking engadget for any new releases they find.

[Deezee @ Jul 27th 2006 4:33PM]

I cant believe I want a Dell!

[Tull @ Jul 27th 2006 4:45PM]

I can't believe I want parts being put into Dells!

[hartleyshc @ Jul 27th 2006 4:57PM]

I can't believe I spent my money on a Core Duo. I want a real x64.

[Matt @ Jul 27th 2006 6:31PM]

i cant believe i own a dell!

[verticalforce @ Jul 27th 2006 7:33PM]

I can't believe I wasted my time reading all the four comments above!

[mastershake916 @ Jul 27th 2006 8:49PM]

Do you really need to list every single computer announced to have a core2duo?

[Mobile Reviewer @ Jul 27th 2006 10:29PM]

just another good hardware by Dell & HP. With dual 250GB HDD it seems great to home using.

[Ben @ Jul 28th 2006 1:00PM]

I went to Dell's site, because as DeeZee said, "I can't believe I want a Dell" to check this out. This version they tested isn't the standard setup for an XPS 410. At just under 2k it has the E6300 in it and only a gig of ram and the default is an Nvidia 7600, not the 7900gs. You've got to "customize" it up, which adds about $400 to the system. Maybe I'm wrong but I still think I can build one cheaper. All said and done it comes to about $2400 still 2k... but add shipping and you're looking at 2.5k.

Just letting the people know!

[belmon @ Jul 28th 2006 4:35PM]

I have read a good comment, how will you make or assemble a similar version of Dell? i like to know thanks

[king of hyrule @ Jul 29th 2006 3:26PM]

I can't believe HP sells something that ugly.

[Herb Freeman @ Aug 15th 2006 4:50PM]

Well, just to add to the other posts, on the cost of this XPS 410, you will be forced to pony up even more dough, because Dell refuses to sell any XPS machine without a monitor! Go check for yourself on their website. You have the option of a 20" or 20" widescreen, that pumps the price up significantly.
i spend about 20 minutes on the support chat and was told that this decision was made by the marketing department and there was no way to order this PC without a monitor. That even after I explained that I just got a new 19" LCD with better specs then the one they are offering.
Whatever happened to customer service? How about let us make the decision as to what we want? A good anology would be, that if you want to buy a SUV or Pick-up truck, the only way they can sell it to you, is with a Camping trailer or you can't buy it.
Maybe thats why Dell's stocks are down and HP is on the upswing?

[Cavin @ Oct 25th 2006 4:27PM]

I just bought this system with 2 gigs of ram, the E6600 CPU, 640GB hard disk space, the 7900GS card and passed on the monitor (already have one) for 1400 dollars. I was not charged shipping nor was I taxed.

Sure I could build the same system prolly for the same price and I could have used the new DDR2 800 insted of the 667 the 410 comes with but I get a 1 year warnety with the Dell and I don't have to put it all together and configure it.

I am very happy with my purchase.

[bob deo @ Feb 17th 2007 2:01PM]

i just bought the xps 410 media guru and waiting for the delivery to set it up and see what it can do.