Dell’s new Inspiron Gaming PC boasts Intel’s 8th-gen CPUs and Optane acceleration

Dell has refreshed its Inspiron Gaming Desktop at CES 2018, adding Intel’s latest processors into the mix (up to six-core models) and offering optional Optane acceleration.

To be precise, the new PC offers a choice of Intel’s 8th-gen processors: the Core i3-8100 (quad-core, 3.6GHz), Core i5-8400 (six-core, up to 4GHz Turbo) or the Core i7-8700 (six-core, up to 4.6GHz Turbo).

The Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop (model 5680) can be specified with either 8GB or 16GB of system RAM (although you can later expand up to 64GB if needed), and a choice of Nvidia graphics cards: GeForce GTX 1070, GTX 1060 or GTX 1050.

As for storage, you can plump for a simple 1TB hard disk, or a dual-drive setup with up to a 256GB M.2 SSD along with up to a 2TB hard drive. You can also add an Intel Optane memory module of up to 32GB in size to turbocharge a hard drive.

All this is powered by a 460W PSU, and the case has plenty of air vents, and an internal design which aims to achieve optimal airflow to help keep everything cool. And to help keep everything looking cool, there’s an optional side window panel and ‘polar blue’ lighting.

On the sonic front, there’s built-in 7.1 Channel HD audio, and pre-installed software includes SmartByte, a ‘network optimizer’ that prioritizes video packets ahead of other traffic to ensure that streaming video runs nice and smoothly.

The Inspiron Gaming Desktop 5680 goes on sale in the US today with a starting price of $749 (around £550, AU$950).

Alienware Command Center

In other Dell gaming news from CES, the company revealed an all-new Alienware Command Center. If you’re not familiar with this, the software is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all your gaming-related tweaking.

The overhauled center benefits from a completely redesigned user interface, and a new game library that automatically imports all your gaming titles. You can specify profiles for each game to use different power management or thermal settings, overclocking, and system lighting effects.

Speaking of the latter, the new Command Center supports up to 16.8 million colors for custom lighting effects. And as for overclocking, there’s a tool on hand which makes this sometimes tricky endeavor a safe and simple experience.

All of these sound like worthwhile improvements, particularly when it comes to making overclocking more accessible to the less tech-savvy. The new Alienware Command Center should debut at some point in the first quarter (so at the latest it will arrive in March, but hopefully before that).

• New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018

January 10, 2018 at 01:59AM
Darren Allan