If you're in the market for a Core i7 machine, Dell's latest performance desktop - the Studio XPS 435 - may be worthy of consideration.
The XPS 435 gets off to a good start, sporting Intel's X58 chipset and Core i7 processors. As many as six RAM DIMMs can be installed, for up to 12GB of RAM, in tri-channel configurations and three hard drive bays can accommodate up to 4.5TB of storage. Graphics processing is provided by a 1GB ATI Radeon 4870.
By default sound is provided by Intel's on-board 7.1-channel audio controller, but a dedicated Creative X-Fi Titanium sound card can be specced. Optical drive options include both a standard DVD and Blu-ray drives.
Connectivity options are comprehensive, Draft-N wireless can be added to the already present four front and four rear USB ports, a 15-in-one card reader and eSATA. The case features a recessed 'tray' for storing devices connected to the front USB ports.
Pricing starts from £1,699 but will easily spiral up with upgrades. Adding on every option takes the XPS 425 close to the £3k mark, so be wary!