14 DAY TRIAL // You know what? I hate upgrade kits. Maybe it's because I simply don't use brand PCs such as the monster XPS. Or maybe I simply dislike upgrading a PC since I could just as well buy a new one. Hmm, maybe I don't like Dell either (well, I haven't thought about that one yet but it might be it...).
Anyway, the proud owners of the XPS 700 and 710 series can now buy an upgrade kit which will transform their machines into a fully capable XPS 720 one. The hardware kit gets you the XPS 720 motherboard (a Dell branded Nforce 680i SLI-based motherboard). This will replace the Nforce 5 series Mobo used on the 700 and 710.
Moreover the kit will also come with some optionals which will help the 700 and 710 cases look like they were born again in the 720 era. And if they really want a CPU push, these particular customers can also get a quad-core QX6700 with a substantial price cut (25%). Nice one, especially if you need that much power.
Unfortunately that's where the story stops since the H2C unit won't be present in the Kit. And that's a pity if you like to overclock your PC. Maybe the front panel connections copied after the 720 will help improve the situation but cosmetics will never stand in front of pure performance. At least not for me.
In the end I don't get why Dell hurries to offer this upgrade. Maybe some of them will need it. Others won't and in the end this move may prove to be a bad one in terms of revenues. H2C cooling would have changed that by offering that special something but I guess that the unit is not compatible with the actual chassis of the 700 and 710 series.
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