Round Rock (TX) - Dell is the first OEM to offer a desktop PC that follows the guidelines of Nvidia's Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA).

The new XPS 630 extends Dell's gaming PC portfolio with a new entry-level model. It follows the styling of the more expensive 700-series, but uses a slightly smaller chassis. What makes the new model particularly interesting is the fact that it is Dell's first PC to integrate an ATX motherboard and uses ESA - a feature that enables users to monitor airflow, lighting and temperature of the chassis, power efficiency and temperature of the power supply unit through Nvidia's nTune software.

The $1249 XPS 630 offers hardware that is comparable to the $1499 XPS 720. The base system includes a Core 2 Quad 6600 (2.4 GHz) CPU, Nvidia's 650i SLI chipset, 2 GB memory, a 320 GB hard drive, a single GeForce 8800 GT graphics card as well as a 16x DVD burner and Dell's LightFX illumination technology. Dell also offers a $1299 version of the system, which comes with a second 8800 GT graphics card Compare Prices on Dell XPS Computers.

The XPS 630 is scheduled to go on sale on February 27.

See our review of Dell's XPS 630.