Dell makes XPS 625 its first AMD gaming PC

Dell today used CES to launch its first gaming desktop to use AMD processors in place of Intel's. The XPS 625 mid-tower shares the same custom-lit aluminum case as the XPS 630 but switches to an AMD 790FX-based mainboard and can be equipped with one of several overclockable Black Edition processors up to and including the 3GHz, quad-core Phenom II just introduced at the same time. All video card picks are equally AMD-based and scale up to dual Radeon HD 4850 cards in CrossFire mode.

A base system also costs significantly less than the XPS 630 and starts at $999 with a 2.9GHz Athlon 64 X2, 2GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive and a Radeon HD 4670 for video; moving to the highest-end processor adds $375 to the base price. Options exist to equip the system with as much as 8GB of RAM, a Blu-ray burner and 1.5TB hard drives.

Systems ordered today start shipping in early February.