Dell Studio XPS 435: Future-proof PC

The new Dell Studio XPS 435 is a sleek desktop with all sorts of upgrade options to expand storage, so in future you can turn it into a Frankenstein's monster of a multimedia PC

Richard Trenholm

Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.

See full bio

Richard Trenholm

April 27, 2009 8:06 a.m. PT

1 of 4

Dell has unveiled the sleek-looking Dell Studio XPS 435, a desktop with assorted upgrade options to turn it into a multimedia, superstorage monster.

It packs an Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which sounds exciting, but unfortunately doesn't make your computer leap over police roadblocks. It just makes it do stuff a bit faster.

The slanted design in white and black with an orangey trim looks pretty slick, with a neat little tray for your media doohickeys and a total of eight -- count 'em -- eight USB slots.

The 435 boasts up to 12GB of DDR3 1,067MHz tri-channel memory and up to 1.5TB of SATA 7,200rpm hard drives, with room to upgrade storage to 4.5TB.

For high-definition entertainment, there's 7.1-channel sound and an optional £80 Blu-ray drive. Discrete graphics options max out with an ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB GDDR5 graphics chip, and sound with a Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium sound card.

The 435 will ship with Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate, starting at £1,700 with free delivery from Dell. The top spec, with no other added extras, will dent your wallet to the tune of £2,839. The 24-inch Dell S2409W monitor, pictured above, will add £280 to that in Dell's online config, which is a cheek because it's only £250 separately. Click through our gallery for more pics.

2 of 4

Inside there's space for upgrades, including six DIMMs for up to 24GB of tri-channel memory, three hard-drive bays capable of holding up to 4.5TB, and dual optical options.