Dell desktops
Updated November 29, 2005 The pioneer of the built-to-order home computer, Dell remains the number one choice for purchasers of home computers. As it has from the beginning, Dell sells PCs direct from its Web site. Aside from a couple of older models it has begun
selling at Costco, you won't find Dell systems in any brick-and-mortar stores, nor will you find them available from online retailers such as NewEgg.com or other places. Instead, Dell has achieved great success with the built-to-order model.
After years of calling all of its home desktops simply Dimension, Dell recently separated its consumer PCs into two distinct product families. The Dimension line is aimed at those who simply need a straightforward computer, and the newly expanded XPS series focuses on high-performance PCs for customers who are willing to spend extra on a complete PC for gaming and digital home entertainment. Dell also has a line of business PCs called OptiPlex, which offers an array of design and support choices tailored to the computing needs of the modern workplace.
Dell has two notable absences from its product lineup. It doesn't sell PCs based on AMD CPUs, which is unfortunate because AMD's chips have emerged as performance leaders over the past year. Whenever we ask Dell if it plans to incorporate AMD CPUs, we usually receive a content-free response along the lines of: "Dell is constantly evaluating the marketplace for technologies that will offer our customers the best performance for the best price."
The other item missing from Dell's lineup is a true component-style media center PC like the systems in our recent
media PC roundup. Dell does offer dual TV tuners in some of its XPS systems, so it wouldn't be fair to say that Dell is entirely behind the times. We will, however, suggest that Dell can be slow to adopt concepts and technologies before they demonstrate mainstream appeal.
That said, Dell offers a number of technologies that other big-name vendors don't. Its XPS line in particular is compelling if you're looking to build a top-notch PC. The XPS 600 remains one of the most full-featured PCs currently available, and the XPS 400 and XPS 200 each bring modern features such as the new heat- and noise-sensitive BTX form factor and the Windows Media Center 2005 operating system.
Dell desktop lines:
Dell XPS |
Dell Dimension |
Dell OptiPlex
Dell XPS
Dell launched its luxury XPS line with the XPS 600, a system aimed at well-heeled gamers and others willing to spend upwards of $5,000 on a PC. The XPS series recently grew, however, by absorbing two of the higher end Dimension PCs, the Dimension 9100 and the Dimension 5100C. Now dubbed the XPS 400 and the XPS 200, respectively, these systems benefit from the enhanced service and support provided to XPS customers, which includes a year each of parts-and-labor warranty coverage, onsite service, and special XPS-specific support that gets you talking to a specially trained XPS technician, with the promise of half the on-hold time of a Dimension owner. Dell also expanded the configuration options of each system to incorporate more high-end components, including faster graphics cards, dual TV tuners, larger hard drive capacities, and higher-end sound cards. The XPS 600 uses a large, full-tower case that offers ample expansion room but a cheesy, plastic shell. We prefer the look of the XPS 400, which is nearly as large but better-looking, without the XPS 600's faux-metal front-panel plate and flimsy door to hide the optical drives. The XPS 200 might be the best-looking of the bunch; the thin, white-and-silver case is definitely the smallest of the bunch. Like many new PCs, the XPS line offers dual-core CPUs, which we'll see more of in the coming months.
- Price range: $899 to more than $7,000
- CPU: Single-core and dual-core Intel Pentium CPUs
- Chipset: Intel 945G on the XPS 200, Intel 945GP on the XPS 400, Nvidia Nforce 4 SLI x16 Intel Edition on the XPS 600
- Memory: 512MB to 4GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
- Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 950 to dual 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX cards (XPS 600 only)
- Hard drive: 7,200rpm Serial ATA drives from 80GB to 2x 500GB Serial ATA II in RAID 0
Dell Dimension
Before the debut of the XPS line, you couldn't buy a Dell home PC that didn't carry the Dimension name. Now, the Dimension line includes midrange and budget configurations. Dimension PCs are still highly configurable, but you won't find options for modern features such as dual-core CPUs and dual SLI graphics cards. Still, Dimension systems offer most of the features you'd expect in a mainstream PC. The E510 offers 64-bit Pentium 4 600-series CPUs, the
Windows Media Center 2005 operating system, and a handful of multimedia-oriented components. And Dell's DataSafe, a dual hard drive data backup feature, is offered on the newer Dimensions (E510, E310, and B110).
The older Dimension 3000 system is still available from Dell. This last-generation, low-end budget PC offers only Intel's Celeron D 325 CPU, but considering that you wouldn't want to use any of these Dimension PCs for true 64-bit computing, saving money by going for only the bare necessities for day-to-day computing could be a prudent decision. One thing we would recommend upgrading is the standard memory allotment of 256MB on all Dimension desktops; we suggest at least 512MB for any Window XP-based computer, even cheap entry-level PCs. Overall, Dimension systems provide a wide mix of mainstream features for prices that are hard to beat. Dell constantly offers an ever-changing array of rebates and free upgrades (bigger hard drive, monitor bundle, and so on) that make its pricing that much more competitive.
- Price range: $349 to more than $5,500
- CPU: Intel Celeron D 325, single-core and dual-core Intel Pentium CPUs
- Memory: 256MB of 400MHz DDR SDRAM (upgradable to 4GB on certain models)
- Graphics: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 to 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX card (Dimension E510 only)
- Hard drive: 80GB 7,200rpm EIDE (Dimension 3000 only) to 2x 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA in RAID 1 configuration (Dimension E310 and E510 only)
Dell OptiPlex
The OptiPlex is Dell's long-standing business desktop. Current offerings include multiple form factors, letting you tailor each system to your work space. The high-end OptiPlex GX620 is available in four different chassis types, and all but the smallest let you configure the system with a dual-core Pentium D CPU. The more mainstream OptiPlex GX520 offers only single-core CPUs and three chassis types, although you can configure it with a 64-bit Intel Pentium 4 600-series processor. Finally, the OptiPlex 170L is a legacy system built on the dated Intel 865 chipset. It doesn't offer modern features such as 64-bit processing support or even PCI-Express graphics. But because you can purchase a 170L for less than $400, it might be a suitable choice for a nonprofit organization or another business with a selective IT purchasing budget. All OptiPlex systems ship with a minimum three-year parts-and-labor warranty, which you can upgrade to a full onsite support, including system setup.
- Price range: $379 to more than $4,200+
- CPU: Intel Celeron M to Intel Pentium D 840
- Chipset: Intel 865 (on OptiPlex 170L), Intel 945G
- Memory: 256MB 400MHz DDR SDRAM to 4GB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM
- Graphics: Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (OptiPlex 170L only) to 256MB ATI Radeon X600
- Hard drive: 80GB 7,200rpm EIDE (OptiPlex 170L only) to 2x 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA II drives
HP laptops
