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When we looked at the customizable version of the Dell Studio Desktop a month ago, we were unimpressed with Dell's effort. This off-the-shelf model is much more compelling. Available at Best Buy, this $799 PC is faster than its competition, offers more useful features, and it's also better designed. Adding a $400 24-inch LCD would also net you a significantly more capable PC for the most part than what you can find from Apple for the same total cost. You likely don't need to spend $800 if you just want a PC for basic computing. And there's not enough computer here to satisfy gamers or professional digital media editors. But this iteration of the Dell Studio Desktop is perfect for anyone in need of more than a simple budget PC.
We weren't overly impressed with the Studio Desktop we reviewed last month, largely because it delivered fewer features than competing systems from Gateway and HP, but at $1,200 it also cost more. This $799 model actually has better hardware in some cases, with a 750GB hard drive and 6GB of RAM, compared with 640GB and 4GB in the other version. It also comes with no clunky accessories, which hurt that other model's design rating.
At its core, the Studio Desktop represents Dell's standard mainstream workhorse PC. You get little in the way of gaming or living-room-friendly hardware; instead this system provides a solid everyday Vista experience. You get a speedy-enough Intel quad-core CPU, plenty of RAM and hard-drive space, as well as a basic level of external connectivity and room for modest internal expansion.
| Dell Studio Desktop | HP Pavilion Elite m9402f |
| $799 | $819 |
| 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 | 2.3GHz AMD Phenom X4 9650 |
| 6GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM | 7GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
| 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 | 128MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE integrated graphics chip |
| 750GB, 7,200 rpm | 640GB, 7,200rpm |
| dual-layer DVD burner | dual-layer DVD burner |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
| Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) |
You'll likely find the Dell Studio Desktop sitting somewhere on the shelf near the pricier, AMD-powered HP Pavilion Elite m9402f PC. Compare the two and while they seem similar, we'd take the Dell's larger hard drive and full-fledged 3D card over the HP's extra GB of RAM and its wireless network adapter. We don't value Wi-Fi in standard desktops as much as we do with all-in-ones and small form factor PCs, and as you'll see in our performance charts, the extra memory can't help the HP outpace the Dell, making the Dell's larger hard drive that much more attractive.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Rendering multiple CPUs | |
Rendering single CPU |
As you can see from our tests, the Dell rolls over the HP and the $750 Editors' Choice-winning Gateway DX4200 we reviewed in August. The only surprise is the iMac's multitasking score, which continues to completely outclass its Vista-based competition, even when the Windows systems have six or seven times the RAM. But as we noted above, the
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Rich Brown is a senior editor for CNET Reviews, covering desktop PCs, peripheral devices, and video games. He has worked as a technology journalist since 1994. Full Bio
