Dell updates PC line for Intel Haswell: XPS 12, XPS One 27, Alienware X51, plus a new touch-screen monitor
A variety of mainstream and business PCs -- and even a few printers -- round out Dell's PC announcements at Computex.
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Remember the Dell XPS 12? The flippy-toppy 3.35-pound laptop-tablet convertible's been updated with the latest Intel fourth-gen Core i-series Haswell processors (Core i5-4200U, Core i7-4700U, or Core i7-4650U), which enables more than two hours more battery life than before (according to Dell), and a significant graphics boost thanks to integrated Intel HD4400 or 5000 graphics. Storage options include up to a 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. The new XPS 12 starts at $1,199. These types of small tablet-convertible systems are, ideally, the ones that Intel's newest ultrabook processors were made for,
But that's not all that Dell updated; no, of course not. Intel's latest fourth-gen "Haswell" CPUs have meant just about all Windows PCs will be seeing updates.
The XPS One 27, CNET's Editors' Choice Award pick for best all-in-one desktop, has been updated to newer fourth-gen Core i-series processors, too. The Adobe RGB display has the same 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution, but boasts increased screen brightness and color gamut. Other new options include a dual SSD/HDD storage up to 256GB/2TB, upgraded Nvidia graphics (GeForce GT 750M with 2GB DDR5 memory), and a Thunderbolt I/O port.
The processor-refreshed XPS 8700 desktop tower starts at $699, and comes with four hard-drive bays configurable with up to 3TB HDD/256GB SSD storage, six USB 3.0 ports, and up to 32GB of RAM. Processor options include either a Core i5-4430 or Core i7-4770, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 645, 650Ti, 660, or AMD Radeon HD 7570M graphics.
The Alienware X51 desktop PC has been updated to include optional fourth-gen Intel Core i5-4430 and i7-4770 processors (up to 3.2/3.9 GHz) (a third-gen Core i3-3220 comes standard), packs either 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 645, 1.5GB GTX 660 or 2GB GTX 670 graphics, 6GB to 16GB of RAM, and optional dual hard drive/SSD storage (1TB HDD/256GB SSD). The new Alienware X51 starts at $899.
The business-end space hasn't been left out: the Latitude E6540 laptop and OptiPlex 9020 all-in-one desktop are getting fourth-gen upgrades.
Dell also announced a new touch monitor, the Dell 21.5-inch Touch Monitor S2440T, with 1080p resolution and a flexible multiposition design. It's a smart idea, since most screens are touch-enabled in the Windows 8 era -- and it's probably an idea we'll see a lot more often.
And, if that weren't enough, Dell also had a few printers up its sleeve. The new B1165nfw and B1265dfw multifunction printers for home, and the B1163w for office use, coming in August.
The Dell XPS One 27, Touch Monitor and XPS 8700 are available now, while the XPS 12 and other PCs will be available in the next few weeks.