Last year, when Dell launched the XPS 700, many customers purchased it anticipating strong performance along with an upgrade path to future technology. Today, Dell is finally fulfilling its promise, by offering XPS 700 and 710 owners that purchased their systems through June 30th, 2007, the option to upgrade their motherboard.
XPS 700 owners qualify for a free-of-charge upgrade to Dell's newer XPS 720 motherboard, which features NVIDIA's nForce 680i SLI MCP chipset, along with a 25% discount on Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor from the Dell Electronics & Accessories store. Those with a 710 system can snag the same package for $250 plus shipping - though they won't qualify for the discount. The upgrade kit also includes the required front panel I/O assembly, cables, mechanical assemblies, resource CD, owner's manual, XPS mouse pad and DTS audio upgrade.
As you might expect, the exchange program has caused some confusion among XPS 700 owners who are worried that something could be wrong with their machines. However, there isn't anything defective with the XPS 700, and customers certainly don't 'need' to take advantage of the program. Upgrading will add some additional features for those who want them, such as the capability to drop in a quad core processor. You can read find out more about Dell's XPS motherboard exchange program here.