Inside Dell's $379 Desktop
Although I'm a power user who requires a relatively high-end PC, I find it hard to ignore those Dell ads for ultra-cheap systems--like the latest one, which touts a Dimension 3000 desktop with a 15-inch LCD monitor and free shipping for $379.
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal...but obviously Dell is cutting a few corners, right? When you buy a $379 PC, what exactly are you getting--and what are you giving up? Let's take a look at the key components and see if this system is really all it's cracked up to be.
• Processor I'm surprised to find a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 in this system--I expected a Celeron. But it's a happy surprise, as that's a pretty robust processor, and more than adequate for mainstream computing tasks.
• RAM With just 256MB of "shared" RAM (meaning some of it gets used by the graphics processor), the Dimension will feel pretty sluggish. If you upgrade nothing else, make it the RAM. You can bump up to 512MB for $50.
• Graphics The integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 chip is fine for word processing, Web browsing, and the like, but don't try to play high-end games like Half-Life 2. Older games should run okay. What we don't know is whether the system has an AGP slot for installing a faster graphics card down the road. I'd check with Dell before ordering--unless games absolutely aren't part of the picture for you, in which case the integrated hardware is fine.
• Hard Drive A 40GB hard drive is pretty small, especially if you plan to use the system for games, music, and other multimedia. You can pay $30 up front to get an 80GB hard drive, or just wait and see if you outgrow the 40GB drive, at which time it's fairly easy and inexpensive to add a second drive.
• CD-ROM Drive Personally, I wouldn't touch a PC that didn't have a CD burner. That's because I like to make my own audio CDs and back up my data files. The Dimension's 48X drive will read CDs, but it won't write to them. The logical upgrade is a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, which will let you burn CDs and watch movies--but it adds another $60 to the price.
• The Rest Dell's E153FP 15-inch LCD is an analog monitor, meaning it won't produce ultra-sharp images, but you should find it acceptable for basic work. And I'll take a low-end LCD over a tube any day. As for software, Dell supplies WordPerfect; I recommend downloading the excellent OpenOffice.org suite instead, which is free and offers total compatibility with Microsoft Office. The Dimension's 90-day warranty gives me pause, but I guess that's to be expected from a $379 PC.
So, what's the lesson here? As you've probably guessed, the Dimension 3000 is a helluva deal--provided you can live with low-end performance and the most basic of features. By spending about $140 extra, you can add some much-needed upgrades--at which point you should probably start looking at $600 systems instead. At that price point, you're likely to get a few more bells and whistles.
What's your take on Dell's bargain-basement PCs? Let's hear from you!
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal...but obviously Dell is cutting a few corners, right? When you buy a $379 PC, what exactly are you getting--and what are you giving up? Let's take a look at the key components and see if this system is really all it's cracked up to be.
• Processor I'm surprised to find a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 in this system--I expected a Celeron. But it's a happy surprise, as that's a pretty robust processor, and more than adequate for mainstream computing tasks.
• RAM With just 256MB of "shared" RAM (meaning some of it gets used by the graphics processor), the Dimension will feel pretty sluggish. If you upgrade nothing else, make it the RAM. You can bump up to 512MB for $50.
• Graphics The integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 chip is fine for word processing, Web browsing, and the like, but don't try to play high-end games like Half-Life 2. Older games should run okay. What we don't know is whether the system has an AGP slot for installing a faster graphics card down the road. I'd check with Dell before ordering--unless games absolutely aren't part of the picture for you, in which case the integrated hardware is fine.
• Hard Drive A 40GB hard drive is pretty small, especially if you plan to use the system for games, music, and other multimedia. You can pay $30 up front to get an 80GB hard drive, or just wait and see if you outgrow the 40GB drive, at which time it's fairly easy and inexpensive to add a second drive.
• CD-ROM Drive Personally, I wouldn't touch a PC that didn't have a CD burner. That's because I like to make my own audio CDs and back up my data files. The Dimension's 48X drive will read CDs, but it won't write to them. The logical upgrade is a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, which will let you burn CDs and watch movies--but it adds another $60 to the price.
• The Rest Dell's E153FP 15-inch LCD is an analog monitor, meaning it won't produce ultra-sharp images, but you should find it acceptable for basic work. And I'll take a low-end LCD over a tube any day. As for software, Dell supplies WordPerfect; I recommend downloading the excellent OpenOffice.org suite instead, which is free and offers total compatibility with Microsoft Office. The Dimension's 90-day warranty gives me pause, but I guess that's to be expected from a $379 PC.
So, what's the lesson here? As you've probably guessed, the Dimension 3000 is a helluva deal--provided you can live with low-end performance and the most basic of features. By spending about $140 extra, you can add some much-needed upgrades--at which point you should probably start looking at $600 systems instead. At that price point, you're likely to get a few more bells and whistles.
What's your take on Dell's bargain-basement PCs? Let's hear from you!
posted by Rick Broida at
11:19 AM
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