Announcing the new Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop computers

Dell Introduces Its First Inspiron Gaming Desktop

When it comes to high performance desktop PCs—the kind of rigs that are ideal for gaming—chances are a name like Alienware comes to mind. Well, Alienware parent company Dell is clearly aiming to shake the status quo up a bit. Dell is introducing a company first, a new line of high performance gaming desktop computers under its Inspiron brand.

Inspiron PCs have typically been aimed at families and budget-conscious buyers, so it’s an interesting move.

The idea is to offer PC gamers a more affordable choice, while still offering the power needed to run the latest high demand video games, including the support for trying out virtual reality. What made the move possible was the release of new CPUs and video cards this year from AMD. The Inspiron gaming computers are powered by new AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and the new for 2017 AMD Radeon RX570 video card. And you’ll find the all-new Dell Inspiron Gaming PC at Best Buy.

Focus on AMD

It’s worth taking a closer look at those two key components to the new Inspiron gaming PC series: the AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and AMD Radeon RX570 video card. They provided the high power/affordable price combination that the new Dell computer is based on.

I wrote a post about AMD’s new Ryzen series of CPUs earlier this year. Based on AMD’s advanced Zen processor architecture, the Ryzen chips are packed with the latest technology including advanced support for simultaneous multi-threading. The Ryzen 7 1700X found in the new Inspiron Gaming Desktop represents the performance end of the spectrum, with 8 cores, 16 threads and extended frequency range (EFR) support. That makes it perfect for high demand computing, including PC gaming.

Providing the all-important graphic firepower for the Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop is AMD’s Radeon RX570 video card. Launched in April, the card is based on AMD’s updated Polaris 10 GPU, with boosted clock speeds. The Radeon RX570 has 2048 stream processors and 128 texture units, with 4GB of GDDR5 RAM at 7Gbps. It’s designed to maximize your gaming experience in 1080p, but is also VR-capable (although if you want to to take full advantage of VR with effects maximized, Dell is recommending an upgrade to the Radeon RX580).

To put that in some real life context, in benchmark testing the Radeon RX570 manages 56 FPS playing The Division at 1080p with settings at Ultra.

Gaming Without Compromise

It may not be an Alienware, but Dell designed the Inspiron Gaming PC to be a no compromises gaming rig, especially when it comes to 1080p gaming.

The AMD Ryzen 7 CPU excels at multitasking and combined with the 12GB of fast RAM and an SSD boot disk, makes for a lightning fast computing experience. It boots fast and never slows down. There is also a full terabyte of HDD storage on tap for big game installs and multimedia libraries. With that kind of storage available, you shouldn’t be needing the optical drive much, but it’s there when needed.

The Radeon RX570 video card delivers the gaming firepower you expect. In addition, the Inspiron offers high definition 7.1 channel HD audio so your games (and movies) will sound as good as they look.

There is no shortage of ports. Between the front and back of this gaming tower, there a whopping six, super speed USB 3.1 ports, four USB 2.0 ports and even a new USB Type-C port. Multiplayer and online games will always be free of lag thanks to 802.11ac and Gigabit Ethernet. The case is designed to ensure efficient thermal cooling and quiet operation and despite the fact that this is an Inspiron—a wallet-friendly computer—you can also customize the appearance with its interior LED lighting.

It goes without saying that while the Dell Inspiron Gaming PC excels at gaming, it’s also well equipped to take on any other high demand computing tasks you might be able to think of. Editing video, 3D modelling or even crunching numbers in Excel spreadsheet (although really, it seems a shame to use something this cool for something as pedestrian as a spreadsheet).

Upgrade as Needed

The base Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop is a pretty capable gaming PC. For 1080p video games, it really can’t get much better. However it also retains one of the key advantages of a full-sized desktop PC: easy upgrades. Just pop off the side panel and you have full access to the components.

You can easily upgrade the Inspiron to be an even more capable PC. Need more storage so you can keep all your games and videos installed and ready to go? There are two additional hard drive bays available as well as a free SSD bay. With two PCIex1 plus two x PCIex16 slots, you can boost the graphics capabilities with a more powerful video card. Dell says the system can even handle dual video cards if you want to push into 4K gaming and take virtual reality capability to the next level. You can also boost the RAM up to 32GB.

The quickest win for improved game play would probably be to replace the included wired keyboard and mouse with specialized gaming versions. In my experience, pack-in keyboards and mice seldom match what you can buy separately.

Check Out the Dell Inspiron Gaming PC at Best Buy

Looking for a performance PC to make the most of today’s PC video games? Make sure to check out the huge selection of performance and gaming PCs at Best Buy. And while you’re there, don’t forget to have a look at the Inspiron Gaming PC, the new affordable high performance desktop from Dell.