Studio XPS 7100: AMD 6-Core Processors in a Dell Desktop

For those of you who have been reading about AMD's new 6-core processors at sites like Anandtech and Tom's Hardware, you already know that they are the most affordable 6-processor processors available.

If you use a desktop to handle multi-threaded tasks like video encoding or editing multi-layered, high resolution photos in Photoshop, you're not going to find a more compelling desktop option than the Studio XPS 7100. With the 6-core AMD 1055T, pricing starts at $699. We also support quad-core AMD Athlon and Phenom II processors for customers who are looking for an even better price/ performance (an Athlon II x4 630-based system starts at $499). The Studio XPS 7100 is available for many customers starting today. It will soon be available to customers worldwide over the next several days. We'll offer it online at Dell.com and will also offer it through retailers.

We've also worked to ensure other components deliver great performance.  Case in point, a 460-watt power supply comes standard. That's enough to power a robust set of graphics card options (AMD's ATI Radeon 5450, 5670 and 5870 cards), up to 16GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory and up to two 3.5" hard drive bays for a maximum internal storage capacity of 3TB. Add it all up, and you've got a pretty capable quad- or 6-core machine with a great price/performance ratio.

Studio XPS 7100 - top port view The Studio XPS 7100 built on the Studio XPS 8100 chassis that we introduced at CES 2010, so it offers a good level of expandability in a pretty small footprint. The motherboard features one PCIe x16 graphics card slot, two PCIe x1 slots, and one PCI slot. As for ports: eight USB 2.0 ports (2 in the top tray + 2 in the front + 4 in the back) one eSATA port and an optional 19-in-1 card reader.

One thing that is different is the color: the Studio XPS 7100 features a slick-looking Carbide Silver chassis with Titan Silver trim. In my view, it's a nice way to round out a cool package.

Other things of note is that these systems will also support AMD's Fusion Utility 2.0 and their Overdrive and Fusion Media Explorer software as well. For more on the Fusion Media Explorer, check out this blog post and video from my bud Casey Gotcher over at the AMD @ Home blog. For more details on the AMD Fusion utility, check out this post from another friend from AMD, Wesley Faulkner.

Studio XPS 7100 and AMD's Fusion Media Explorer

And while I'm on a software goodies kick, integrated THX TruStudio sound gives customers who use their machine for music and movies more control over the audio fidelity. Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso is great for those of you who spend time transcoding videos from one format to another. The software makes it simple and speeds the process by using the processing power of your ATI graphics card in conjunction with your CPU to save time.

For those of you who have been waiting for a Dell desktop that features the latest and greatest from AMD, go for it. Click here to take a look at it on Dell.com, or click on the above image to go to the configurator. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section of the blog post. Or, if it's easier than commenting here, you can reach me on Twitter via @LionelatDell.

Studio XPS 7100 - interior shot

About the Author: Lionel Menchaca