Dell shows off speedy game PC
During CES keynote, Michael Dell says it's his company's obligation "to take computing to the next level." Photos: Dell overclocks for CES
Speaking to a crowd at the Consumer Electronics Show here, the Dell Computer founder showed off a new gaming PC that includes several high-end components, including a "factory overclocked" 4.26GHz Intel Pentium Extreme Edition.
Dell's Limited Edition XPS 600 Renegade, which is expected to be available this quarter, also includes four Nvidia graphics processors in an airbrushed fiery red case designed by Michael Lavallee.
Dell also showed off a concept laptop design that folds out and resembles a desktop computer with a detachable keyboard. The computer included a 20-inch widescreen display and the company has at least 10 patents. A release date has not been determined.
The company also introduced a new 30-inch flat panel display that will sell for $2199 and a dual-core 17-inch widescreen entertainment notebook, the Inspiron E1705, priced at $2,299.
Although the consumer market makes up only 15 percent of the company's business, Dell noted that it has grown more than fivefold since 2000, while the rest of the PC industry has seen total consumer sales decline.
Overall, Dell said that his company sold 10 million PCs in the fourth quarter, a milestone he said had never been achieved by a computer maker. He noted that one of every three U.S. computers comes from the company he founded.
"It's because of this that we feel an obligation to take computing to the next level," Dell said.
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Dell shows off new PC
Get a first look at Dell's XPS 600 Renegade.
Dell, who was joined on stage by Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, made the case that PCs are better for gaming than consoles, which are considered fast when they come out, but remain static over their roughly five-year lifespan.
"The PC still ranks supreme as the high-volume device of choice," Dell said.
He also addressing the persistent speculation that Dell might adopt chips from AMD. "It's a distinct possibility," Dell told reporters following his speech. Pressed on the point, he said he "wouldn't want to speculate" on what role AMD might play. Historically, Dell has used only Intel's processors.
Addressing the gains AMD has made in creating speedy chips, Dell maintained that a fast processor is not the only way to improve PC performance. "What you see in these (new Dell PCs) is that the real improvement in performance is not coming so much from the CPU as from the (graphics processor)."