Dell XPS 8500: Core i7 1TB 8GB AMD 7570 for $649.97 + Tax + Free Shipping

Lot of chatter about this machine and what it can and can't do......

1) This will run AMD 7870 and GTX 660ti with factory 460W Power Supply

2) This machine comes with 2 x 4GB. Using recommended memory if you upgrade is going to give you a better chance for it to run at 1600mhz. The recommended memory will typically cost $60-80 for 2 x 4GB modules. Dell recommends Crucial, but Kingston is soild as well. The reference modules without all the bling cases and such. Buying memory on sale is not the way to go with this machine. XMS memory will work, but it's a crapshoot. Some brands will work at 1600mhz, otherwise might not work at all or will run at 1333mhz depending on the timing.

3) 1TB hard drive will be a Seagate 7200RPM drive that will support SATA III. It's a mechanical hard drive so it won't run at 6 gb/s like a SSD, but at least will take advantage of the larger bandwidth. It's a decent hard drive that is on par with the Western Digital Black Drives in reviews.

4) Has 2 SATA III ports. Port 0 and the msata interface on the motherboard. You can use the msata to put a 128/256GB SSD for the main OS or a smaller 32/64GB SSD as a cache drive. You can put any size SSD on Port 0 for the main OS.

5) Will support 3 monitors out of the box.....using the 2 ports on the graphics card and the onboard hdmi

5) No problems with dual height graphic cards up to 10.5" but try to stay with cards that are known to work with this machine due to some video bios issues with non-reference cards. With non-reference cards, some manufacturers are providing firmware upgrades to work in this machine. I'm using 9.5" GTX 660ti in mine.

6) Uses standard size ATX power supply and the case is pretty easy to work with. I have a Corsair 850W power supply in mine.

Pretty solid machine that has most of the bugs worked out as it's been around since last year and most issues have been taken care of by Dell and Intel.

One last thing, while this is YMMV, you can call Dell while it is in process and tell them you don't want it. They will come back and say "what if we gave you $30 or $50 back?" You then say "oh alright, that sounds okay." Return policy still should apply. Might make it a better deal.

dell's return policy :

Canceling an Order


We begin processing your order immediately upon submission, so once your order enters into production, it may be too late to cancel. To check if your order can be canceled, read below.

Note: If your order is delayed by Dell, you will receive notice and the option to cancel the order in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Mail Order Rule.
•If you have ordered a custom-built PC, we can only cancel your order prior to beginning the production process. Go to My Order Status to check the status of your order.
•If your order is listed as Pending or Order Processing, we will attempt to cancel your order — call us right away at 1-800-624-9897.
If your order is listed as In Production or Shipped, we will not be able to cancel it. However, after you receive delivery of your order, you still have the option to return it subject to Dell™ Return Policy. Read the Initiate a Return topic for more information.