Alienware DHS-301 Media Center PC review

3D graphics and gaming performance
The Alienware DHS-301 Media Center PC uses the generation-old but still relatively powerful 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro card, and it delivered a more-than-adequate score of 170.7 frames per second (fps) on our low-end, 1,024x768-resolution Unreal Tournament 2003 test. You'll be able to play older 3D games without any trouble, but its 54fps score on the higher-end, 1,600x1,200 Unreal test may cause you to balk if you're looking for a PC that will handle newer games, such as Doom 3, at higher detail levels. Then again, even if this PC delivered the fastest 3D scores around, can you really see yourself playing a 3D game, especially a precision-based game like a shooter from your couch? Neither do we. So from a value standpoint, if you don't envision using the DHS-301 Media Center PC to play 3D games, you could consider the lower-end 9600 XT graphics card and save yourself some money.

To measure 3D gaming performance, CNET Labs uses Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2003, widely used as an industry-standard benchmark. We use Unreal to measure a desktop's performance with the DirectX 8.0 (DX8) interface at a 32-bit color depth and at a resolution of 1,024x768 and 1,600x1,200. Antialiasing and anisotropic filtering are disabled during our 1,024x768 tests, and they are set to 4X and 8X respectively during our 1,600x1,200 tests. At this color depth and these resolutions, Unreal provides an excellent means of comparing the performance of low-end to high-end graphics subsystems. We report the results of Unreal's Flyby-Antalus test in frames per second (fps).

Performance analysis written by CNET Labs technician David Gussman.

Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations

Alienware DHS-301 Media Center PC
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004; 2.8GHz Intel P4; Intel 865PE chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (AGP); Seagate ST380011A 80GB 7,200rpm

Dell Dimension 8400
Windows XP Home; 3.6GHz Intel P4 560; Intel 925X chipset; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon X800XT PE (PCIe) ; two Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA; integrated Intel 82801FR SATA RAID controller

HP m1050y Media Center PC
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004; 3.6GHz Intel P4 560; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon X600 Pro (PCIe) ; Maxtor 7Y250M0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA

Shuttle XPC G2 7500M
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004; 3.4GHz Intel P4; Intel 875P chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon 9800XT (AGP); WDC WD2000JB-00FUA0 200GB 7,200rpm

Sony VAIO PCV-RA810G
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004; 3.4GHz Intel P4 550; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X600XT (PCIe); Maxtor 7Y250M0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA

Alienware provides its standard one-year AlienCare warranty package, which includes 24/7 phone support and onsite service, but you can upgrade to a two-year ($196) or three-year ($266) plan. Web-based support includes online tech support via a chat system, a driver and download section, customer-support forums, and the MyHive Personal Support Area. The latter uses information gathered from your specific system order to direct you to drivers and downloads for each of your components. All online support, with the exception of the knowledge base, requires a free account activation using your system's individual account number; the knowledge base is readily available to all. For an additional $48, you can let Alienware monitor your system via the AlienAutopsy program, which sends incident reports via the Internet directly to Alienware technical-support staff, who will analyze more than 30,000 data points to quickly diagnose and resolve system problems.

Alienware is well known for its top-notch service-and-support system, so we put it to the test. We called the 24-hour toll-free number twice to report a remote programming issue and were immediately connected to a representative both times. The problem was resolved within 5 minutes on both occasions, as the tech reps patiently explained the proper placement of the IR blaster needed to communicate with the remote. We posed the same question via the online chat tool and had our answer in just less than 10 minutes.