Dell Launches ‘VR Ready’ XPS 27 AIO: 4K, Core i7-7700, Radeon RX 570, 10 Speakers

Dell has launched a new version of their XPS 27 all-in-one gaming PC. The VR Ready flavor of the XPS 27 has the same 4K display and the same 10-speaker audio sub-system as the latest iteration of the large XPS AIO, but is powered by a more powerful CPU from Intel along with AMD’s discrete Radeon RX 570 graphics board.

AIO PCs have existed for decades, with their continued popularity fueled by their compact, desk-sized footprint. In the recent years demand for higher performance and even gaming-grade all-in-ones increased noticeably, and manufacturers started to offer AIOs with rather powerful hardware. In fact, in early 2016 several PC makers even introduced Mini-ITX-based AIOs with top-of-the-range discrete graphics cards aiming at customers seeking for maximum performance.

Dell’s new XPS 27 with the VR Ready badge are designed for gamers with average requirements for performance. The systems are still considerably more powerful than their predecessors launched earlier this year are because they do not use integrated or mobile graphics, but rely on AMD’s Radeon RX 570 (2048 stream processors, 128 texture units, 32 ROPs, 256-bit memory bus, etc.) graphics adapter with 8 GB of memory. Meanwhile, the key feature of the latest XPS 27 remained intact: the audio sub-system with 10 speakers (six on the front, two down firing and two radiating) designed to enable surround sound without using bulky external audio equipment.

The VR Ready versions of the Dell XPS 27 are based on Intel’s Core i7-7700 CPU as well as the H170 PCH. By default, the systems are equipped with 16 GB of DDR4-2133 memory, but that is upgradeable to 64 GB. As for storage, the PCs have one M.2 slot (PCIe 3.0 x4) as well as two 2.5” bays for HDDs or SSDs, all accessible to the end user. When it comes to connectivity, the Dell XPS 27 feature 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.x, a GbE port, five USB 3.0 Type-A headers, one HDMI output, one DisplayPort 1.2, two Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB Type-C), an SD/MMC card reader, a 720p webcam with an IR sensor for facial recognition, a microphone and so on. Overall, there are plenty of ports to plug-in additional peripherals, including various VR gear.

All Dell XPS 27 AIO PCs are constructed of CNC-machined aluminum and come with UltraSharp displays with a 4K (3840×2160) resolution. Meanwhile, computers with touch-enabled screens also feature articulating stands for added convenience. The stand comes at an extra cost, so some gamers may prefer to install a larger SSD and/or more memory and skip the touch option.

At present Dell offers two versions of the VR Ready XPS 27 featuring Intel’s Core i7-7700 CPU and AMD’s Radeon RX 570 GPU, but different storage configurations and touch support. The model with a 2 TB HDD and 32 GB caching SSD costs $1999.99, whereas the model with a 512 GB PCIe SSD, a touchscreen display with articulating stand and optional Windows 10 Pro comes at $2,649.99.

Gallery: Dell XPS 27 7760 ‘VR-Ready’

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Panasonic Recalls 280,000 Tablet Battery Packs Due to Fire Hazard

Panasonic this week announced a voluntary recall of batteries due to fire and burn hazards. The battery packs being recalled were used in one of its rugged tablets. In total, the company is recalling 280 thousand battery packs, after over a dozen of them encountered critical failures.

Panasonic has discovered that some of the hot-swappable battery packs used in some of its rugged Toughpad FZ-G1 tablets (Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3-series) can short circuit after a prolonged use in extreme temperatures. The company said it had received 16 reports of combusted battery packs between March 2017 and April 2017, including 12 from customers in North America, one from a client in Japan and one owner from Australia. Panasonic plans to provide a free replacement battery to owners of affected tablets.

Panasonic recommends owners of the Toughpad FZ-G1 systems (Mk1/2/3 versions only) to first identify whether they have a potentially affected tablet SKU (find the list here) by checking the backside of their tablets. If the SKU is affected, owners are asked to remove the battery and see whether this is indeed one of the models affected (FZ-VZSU84U, FZ-VZSU89U or FZ-VZSU96U) by removing the accumulator and checking its reverse side.

Owners of systems featuring the battery packs are advised to download a firmware utility from Panasonic’s website that reduces charging from 4.2 to 4.0 volts and lowers the peak operating settings of the accumulator. After the new firmware is applied, customers are asked to contact Panasonic using a special email address or by phone, which will then arrange them a new battery (no need to return the old one).

As makers of portable electronics are trying to make their products thinner and lighter while increasing capacity of their batteries to prolong their autonomous life, the number of problems with batteries has increased in the recent years. Since exploding, overheating or combusting batteries can damage property and/or cause injuries, manufacturers of notebooks, tablets and smartphones take them very seriously and recall hundreds of thousands of battery packs every year.

Related Reading:

• HP Recalls Over 100,000 Laptop Batteries Due to Potential Fire and Burn Hazards
• Apple Recalls “Duckhead” Power Adapters for Select Mac Laptops and iPads
• Microsoft to Recall Power Cables for Previous-Gen Surface Pro Tablets

Sources: Panasonic, The Japan Times.

Panasonic Recalls 280,000 Tablet Battery Packs Due to Fire Hazard

Panasonic this week announced a voluntary recall of batteries due to fire and burn hazards. The battery packs being recalled were used in one of its rugged tablets. In total, the company is recalling 280 thousand battery packs, after over a dozen of them encountered critical failures.

Panasonic has discovered that some of the hot-swappable battery packs used in some of its rugged Toughpad FZ-G1 tablets (Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3-series) can short circuit after a prolonged use in extreme temperatures. The company said it had received 16 reports of combusted battery packs between March 2017 and April 2017, including 12 from customers in North America, one from a client in Japan and one owner from Australia. Panasonic plans to provide a free replacement battery to owners of affected tablets.

Panasonic recommends owners of the Toughpad FZ-G1 systems (Mk1/2/3 versions only) to first identify whether they have a potentially affected tablet SKU (find the list here) by checking the backside of their tablets. If the SKU is affected, owners are asked to remove the battery and see whether this is indeed one of the models affected (FZ-VZSU84U, FZ-VZSU89U or FZ-VZSU96U) by removing the accumulator and checking its reverse side.

Owners of systems featuring the battery packs are advised to download a firmware utility from Panasonic’s website that reduces charging from 4.2 to 4.0 volts and lowers the peak operating settings of the accumulator. After the new firmware is applied, customers are asked to contact Panasonic using a special email address or by phone, which will then arrange them a new battery (no need to return the old one).

As makers of portable electronics are trying to make their products thinner and lighter while increasing capacity of their batteries to prolong their autonomous life, the number of problems with batteries has increased in the recent years. Since exploding, overheating or combusting batteries can damage property and/or cause injuries, manufacturers of notebooks, tablets and smartphones take them very seriously and recall hundreds of thousands of battery packs every year.

Related Reading:

• HP Recalls Over 100,000 Laptop Batteries Due to Potential Fire and Burn Hazards
• Apple Recalls “Duckhead” Power Adapters for Select Mac Laptops and iPads
• Microsoft to Recall Power Cables for Previous-Gen Surface Pro Tablets

Sources: Panasonic, The Japan Times.