The All-in-One Battle: Dell's XPS One 24 vs. Apple's iMac
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 30, 2008 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Can You Game on It?
So here's an interesting comparison, let's look at the graphics hardware in both the Dell XPS One 24 and the top of the line 24" Apple iMac:
| Apple iMac - $2199 | Dell XPS One 24 - $2299 | |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M |
| SPs | 64 | 32 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 128-bit |
See a problem? The Mac actually has a far more powerful GPU, which in theory means...
| Fallout 3 Performance - High Quality Settings, No AA | 1024 x 640 | 1280 x 800 | 1920 x 1200 |
| Apple iMac - $2199 - Vista | 70.8 fps | 65.5 fps | 48.5 fps |
| Dell XPS One 24 - $2299 - Vista | 25.6 fps | 21.5 fps | 14.1 fps |
Yep, much higher gaming performance. Fallout 3, just released this month, plays wonderfully on the iMac at high quality settings but struggles on the XPS One 24. Now neither machine is intended to be used for gaming, but one of the two actually can be and it's got an image of a common fruit on the front bezel - a bit unexpected.
Just for kicks I tried Red Alert 3, a real time strategy game also just released with lower frame rate demands. Unfortunately we see the same sort of performance breakdown - while the iMac can work as a light duty gaming system, the GeForce 9600M is just not up to the task. The GeForce 8800 GS in the iMac has around 2x the shader power of what Dell put in the XPS One 24, the results speak for themselves.
| Red Alert 3 Performance - High Quality Settings, No AA | 1024 x 640 | 1920 x 1200 |
| Apple iMac - $2199 - Vista | 30 fps | 30 fps |
| Dell XPS One 24 - $2299 - Vista | 15 fps | 7 fps |
In an attempt to keep the thermals manageable in the XPS One 24, Dell opted for a mobile GPU from NVIDIA - the GeForce 9600M. Apple instead relied on the GeForce 8800 GS (the same GPU as the GeForce 9600 GSO), which we've shown recently as capable of running most modern titles at 1280 x 1024. Now neither GPU is powerful enough to drive a modern game at reasonable settings at the native panel resolution (1920 x 1200), but gaming at 1024 x 768 and 1280 x 1024 should be easily possible on the iMac.
The XPS One 24 can run less stressful games or modern games at lower resolutions/detail settings, but as strange as it is to say, the iMac is better for gaming.
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croc - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
I personally don't like wireless mousies, keyboards, nor do I like batteries or charging stations... In fact, I actually hate all of the above. So I'd hope that Dell's devices have a 'remove' function so I could easily use my preferred wired devices.For both of these all-in-ones, the average user will get similar functionality. They will also get less cluttered workplaces. And if the user is moving from XP, then the learning curve of moving to either OS-X or Vista should be similar, so no advantage there, really. If my Mum's PC died, I'd let her look at both and be happy with whichever she chose. And understand that I will be the first port-of-call if she has issues...
Ptaltaica - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
The best part about your laptop articles is seeing the machines disassembled. It's important, at least for me, to see what they're doing with the cooling systems in the machines because I consider it an indicator of how well engineered the machine is. I really wish you'd done that with these machines as well; I realize that most people will never take them apart, but as I said, I think it's an important indicator of quality.sxr7171 - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
I'm sure it's designed just fine. Dell doesn't mess around with premium products like they do with their low end. You just want to see XPS porn.Xavitar - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
The implementation of the monitor's panel controls looks fantastic. I just got a new 24" Samsung LCD, and the display is killer -- but the design of the panel controls is very frustrating. Switching between input sources (HDMI -> DVI) in the dark is near impossible because there is absolutely no visual indicator or tactile feedback on the touch controls. Since this LCD model functions well as a small HDTV but does not include a remote control, this becomes almost unbearable. Especially when you accidentally hit the wrong button, which changes the "Input Source" button to some other function depending on the option you are in. Argh.chef24 - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
thanks Anand, this is the review i've been waiting for. all-in-one's have come a long way and manufacturer willing, could go even futher.i'd like to see these two match up against sony's latest LV line being introduced next week.
Spivonious - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
12 seconds on Vista? Really? My machine at home resumes from sleep in under 5 seconds. That's complete mouse-moving/application accessing awake.croc - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
So I guess you have a new Dell XPS? Because that was what was being measured, NOT your home PC.Wolfpup - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
-Most monitors do NOT use LED backlighting. I'm only aware of a SINGLE consumer level panel that does, from Viewsonic.-The iTunes control issue has NOTHING to do with Dell. That's EXACTLY the behavior you get with the current version of iTunes using ANY keyboard based media controls...and IMO it's a good thing. Apple briefly changed that behavior so that iTunes would respond to input from media controls even in the background-which means you can't use the media controls for playing back a Blu Ray disc or whatever while iTunes is open. Hit play, and both the movie and iTunes start in (or if one's playing, it stops and the other goes). It was extremely annoying, and I'm glad they switched it back to only responding in the foreground.
At any rate, that has NOTHING to do with Dell.
CSMR - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
Why does the article claim that the OS advantage, if any, goes to Apple? That needs an article in itself but suffice to say that Windows is the favoured OS among ordinary consumers, businesses and power users, such as frequent AnandTech. Especially businesses and power users are not so price-sensitive that they are picking Windows over Apple despite thinking Apple has the better OS.And regarding Dell's "improvements" to Vista: to non-technical style-conscious users they may be an advantage, but in Vista you can arrange program startup any way you want:
-you can put programs in the Start menu
-you can find them in start menu->programs
-you can use a combination of start menu main programs, frequently used programs, and the full programs list
-you can put them in the task bar for one-click access
-You can put them on the desktop
...
Look, you are not going to get Anandtech users saying: "wonderful, with Dell's new software I can now get at my programs".
preslove - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
I want to see what's inside. That's why I read your reviews, Anand :p.Also, the fact that the hard drive has not been user replaceable in the iMac since the switch to intel has been a serious reason for my reluctance to get one.