Dell is preparing further changes on its strategy as it may be looking to streamline the products it offers to gamers and PC enthusiasts. According to an article from the WSJ, Dell will be phasing out its desktop XPS line to focus on similar high-end models offered under the Alienware brand.
This is a contradicting move however in light of the very recent launch of the XPS 730 H2C desktop system last week. This new model brought a number of refinements and upgrades to the XPS desktop which for a $5000+ price tag can get you factory-overclocked Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, a Nvidia nForce 790i powered motherboard, quad GPU graphics, custom water cooling and chassis, among other things. This kind of configuration goes in hand with similar products offered by subsidiary Alienware, and thus cannibalization of sales is highly likely. Dell has yet to officially pronounce regarding this move however.
Meanwhile, Alienware seems to be preparing a "low-cost" $1700 system based on an AMD platform. A surprising choice for a gaming system nowadays, the AMD Phenom X4 processor is no slouch as it is often publicized however. For that price, Alienware will equip a quad-core Phenom X4 9550 (2.2GHz), 4GB of memory, an ASUS motherboard, and an ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card.