Dell to Include Intel Dual-Core Processors

April 12, 2005

Dell today announced that its workstation and consumer desktop lines will be among the first to include the enhanced performance enabled by Intel's new dual-core processor technology. Available in the United States and Canada, the new systems help customers save time and use computing resources more efficiently for design and analysis or when creating or enjoying digital content.

The Dell Precision 380 workstation and Dimension XPS enthusiast PC can allow high-end professionals and consumers to multitask more effectively. In addition, customers can get better performance when running multithreaded applications with this new technology than when using single-core processor platforms. The Dell Precision 380, which offers an innovative, easy-to-deploy chassis design, enables workstation professionals to run applications that require fast processing performance for video editing, animation and computer-aided design (CAD). The advanced capabilities of the Dimension XPS let consumers play intensive 3D games while concurrently performing tasks such as streaming media or security scans.

"Dell is committed to leading the industry in offering innovation designed to enhance users' business and entertainment needs," said John Medica, senior vice president of Dell product group. "Whether a workstation professional, multimedia enthusiast or gamer, the new systems deliver ground-breaking functionality that will change the way people work and play."

"Over time, dual-core systems will become more and more standard for desktop computing as customers seek increased performance in more complex tasks," said Roger Kay, vice president of Client Computing at IDC. "Dual core shows particular promise in situations in which several compute-intensive tasks like video rendering and audio streaming need to be done at the same time."

Redefined Entry-Level Workstation

The Dell Precision 380 redefines productivity for professionals in the entry workstation segment by helping to increase scalability and reliability through an innovative product design. In addition to including the Intel® Pentium® Extreme Edition 64-bit dual-core processor, the Dell Precision 380 features 64-bit Pentium 4 600 series processors with 2MB L2 cache. The new workstation can support up to 8GB1 of memory2, which enables customers working with large data sets to experience high productivity through great performance and flexibility. This allows engineers and creative professionals who rely on Independent Software Vendor-certified (ISV) workstation technology to do more and work fast with maximum uptime.

The Dell Precision 380 also features an innovative new chassis that supports either tower or desktop orientations. The new chassis includes rotating optical storage so that the correct orientation is presented to the user regardless of how the system is installed. This means IT managers can reduce complexity with the ability to scale a single platform across an organization according to user needs.

Other Dell Precision 380 features include:
- Intel 955X Express chipset supports up to four SATA II drives and RAID 0, 1,5,10
- DDR2 ECC memory for reliable operation
- Future support for Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64
- Rack-mountable chassis

Redefined Extreme Gaming and Digital Entertainment

The new capabilities of the fifth-generation Dimension XPS make it an ideal entertainment hub for playing extreme games or serving up digital music, photos and video. Gaming enthusiasts-traditional Dimension XPS customers-will have a richer gaming experience with fast program loads and quick screen transitions because of the system's dual-core technology and advanced DDR2 dual-channel memory (up to 4GB1). Consumers in today's sophisticated home networks can watch a DVD while burning music or recording video simultaneously without experiencing a drag on performance. As more developers introduce multithreaded games, gamers and enthusiasts will be able to increasingly take advantage of the performance capabilities of their Dell dual-core systems.

Other features available on the Dimension XPS include:

- Intel 955X Express chipset with integrated Intel XD antivirus protection
- Six expansion slots (1) PCIe x16, (1) PCIe x4, (1) PCIe x1 and (3) PCI
- Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Media Center Edition 2005

Pricing and availability for the Dell Precision 380 will be announced in the coming weeks. The Dimension XPS will also be available soon starting at $2,999.