Dell XPS 8960 Desktop Review: Alienware in Disguise

Pros

Excellent gaming and office performance
Tame looks
Ample front I/O
Quiet operation

Cons

Proprietary motherboard limits upgrade options
No dust filtration
Lackluster storage speeds for the price

The XPS 8960 is a solid update to Dell’s long-running XPS desktop line. It has tame looks that could blend in at an office but has optional performance upgrades that’ll let it run games exceptionally well — an Alienware in a business suit if you will. The case’s tight confines might seem like they’d choke its mighty components, but it runs demanding tasks and even 4K gaming all without making too much noise or running into serious thermal throttling.

The pricing is even reasonable, at least for the components included in our test unit, with a $2,549 retail price discounted as low as $2,149 during the weeks we had it. However, given Dell’s use of proprietary parts and a nonstandard design (it isn’t an ATX motherboard), you may be limited with future upgrade options other than buying an all-new system. That said, the Dell XPS provides a very solid starting point and still has a few aftermarket upgrades available to help get extra life out of it.

Dell XPS 8960 Specs

Price as reviewed	$2,549
Size	27 liter (6.81 x 16.81 x 14.68 in/173 x 426.9 x 372.9 mm)
Motherboard	Dell Custom 09M47G-A00 Z690
CPU	3,400MHz Intel Core i7-14700K
Memory	32GB DDR5-5600
Graphics	Nvidia RTX 4080 Super
Storage	1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD (boot) (SK Hynix PC801)
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E 1675i 802.11AX, Bluetooth 5.3
Connections	USB 2.0 (x2 rear), USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (x3 front, x2 rear), USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (x1 front), USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (x1 rear), 3.5mm audio connector (x1 front, x6 rear), SD card reader (x1 front), Gigabit Ethernet, Antenna x2, HDMI (x1 on GPU), DisplayPort (x3 on GPU, x1 on motherboard I/O)
Operating system	Windows 11 Home

Before I go on, note that new processors and graphics cards are imminent, and I expect those will eventually be available in the XPS desktop or whatever Dell decides to call it now that the XPS label is dead. This might also include a full redesign, but that’s unlikely as this is a relatively new chassis.

The currently available XPS has a considerable range of configurations, with the base model coming in at just $800, though packing far less firepower than our test unit. That base includes an Intel Core i5-14600 with Intel UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics, just 8GB of single-channel memory, 512GB of storage and a 460-watt power supply. Our test configuration upgrades to a Core i7-14700K, RTX 4080 Super, 32GB of dual-channel memory, 1TB of storage and a 750-watt power supply, all of which raises the price dramatically to $2,549

There’s quite a range of options between the base and our test configuration, though, including various Nvidia graphics cards. Mine wasn’t even a fully maxed-out system, which could include an Intel Core i9-14900K, 64GB of memory, 4TB of storage and a 1,000-watt power supply. Optional CPU air- or liquid-cooling systems are $50 extra.

Performing beyond expectations

Josh Goldman/CNET

Given the components, it should be no surprise the XPS has some serious performance. Yet it is a surprise because the system has very modest ventilation, including a rather small single-fan air cooler and a beefy graphics card with limited fresh air of its own exhausting heat right up into the CPU cooling tower. The case itself has only two fans, one of which is half obstructed by the butt of the graphics card. And yet, the XPS rips.

Its single-core performance is excellent, nearly keeping pace with the Core i9-14900KF, and its multicore performance isn’t far off. That’s all the more surprising considering that the XPS is milking all of this performance from a modestly air-cooled CPU, while the recent Core i9-14900KFs I’ve tested were liquid-cooled in the Alienware Aurora R16 and Lenovo Legion Tower 7i 34IRZ8.

Turning to graphical performance, the XPS continues to surprise. It runs its RTX 4080 Super quite effectively, largely keeping on the tail of the Legion Tower 7i with its own RTX 4080 Super. Given the Legion has liquid cooling, more ventilation and more case fans, it’s impressive how well the Dell keeps up. With 1080p gaming the XPS does well, readily offering high frame rates, but it’s better suited to higher resolutions like 4K. Here it managed near 120fps averages on all our game benchmarks. It’s not just enjoying short bursts of high performance either. I put it through 3DMark’s Steel Nomad stress test, and it maintained consistent performance over the 20-run sequence.

Simply put, the XPS isn’t holding back when it’s time to run fast. It even manages to pull off those speeds while maintaining rather hushed fan noise. Really, the only aspect that left anything to be desired was the storage. Dell isn’t using the fastest NVMe drives available, but it is charging premium prices. With an SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB selling for $135 to $155, I’d opt for the minimum storage from Dell and plan on after-market upgrades.

An office PC hiding game-ready internals

Dell/CNET

The XPS is a proper sleeper. It comes in either a dark graphite chassis or a fairly classic gray. It looks like an office computer, though if you peek through the side vents, you might see the glowing GeForce branding on the side of the graphics card and get a hint of what’s really going on. In fact, popping it open, I was surprised to see a nearly identical arrangement to the Alienware Aurora R16 I tested (albeit with different configuration selections), showing just how much DNA is shared between the two lines.

Aside from the plastic front panel, the XPS’ case is metal. The rear has a lot of perforation that can passively let in some air while a 120mm exhaust fan pushes some out. The front of my review unit had a silver upper panel, which includes the front I/O, and a gray lower with ventilation holes. Thin slits on each side add more potential airflow. The last bit of ventilation comes from a roughly 30-square-inch rectangle of holes that lines up with the graphics card inside. It’s not downright choked, but this system has a lot less potential airflow and few fans compared with most gaming PCs its size. This design may help with sound though, as it doesn’t get very loud even under heavy loads. How long it manages to breathe easily is an open question. Disappointingly, the ventilation lacks any dust filtration and has plenty of areas for dust to build up.

Dell offers a great selection of I/O on the front, with a full-size SD card reader, three 5Gbps USB-A ports, 10Gbps USB-C and a 3.5mm combo jack. The rear I/O takes it even further with two USB 2.0 ports, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, one 20Gbps USB-C port and six 3.5mm audio jacks. It’s a shame to not see Thunderbolt or USB4, though. The graphics card includes one HDMI and three DisplayPort connections, and the motherboard adds one more DisplayPort. For networking, the XPS has a Gigabit Ethernet connector on the motherboard and two antenna connectors for its Wi-Fi 6E add-in card. Dell includes a wired Wi-Fi antenna that proved stable in my testing.

Getting inside is quite easy. A latch on the rear has one thumbscrew locking it in place, but loosening the screw and pulling the latch will release the left side panel, which then lifts away. The inside of the case has a ton of additional toolless parts that release with simple latches. There are two DIMM slots for memory upgrades and two easily accessible M.2 slots. The case also includes two 3.5mm hard drive cages at the top and has wires running up to them, simplifying the process of adding this storage. Beyond this, further modifications may be hard. Dell uses a custom motherboard, doesn’t have special cable routing channels and appears to use many proprietary parts. A future graphics card or networking card swap may be possible, but it will likely be a little difficult and space-constrained. If you hope to keep the case and make a future platform upgrade, like swapping the motherboard and CPU, you’ll likely be out of luck.

While this is likely the last desktop to bear the XPS name, I hope the spirit of the XPS 8960 will continue. If you’re looking for a quiet, high-powered PC without the usual gaming PC flash, though, the XPS is that sleeper.

Geekbench 6 (single-core)

Alienware Aurora R16 3092Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 34IRZ8 3062Dell XPS 8960 2948Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti 2833HP Omen 35L 2656Lenovo Legion Tower 5i 26IRB8 (90UT001AUS) 2427Lenovo LOQ Tower 17IRR9 (90WY0000US) 2273