Joel Strauch

Dell Dimension 4500

Dell's latest midrange PC retains the same case as its predecessor. The black-and-gray clamshell midsize tower folds open after you press two buttons, providing easy access to components that can be removed and installed without tools. A green lever holds the expansion cards in place, and drives slide in and out on green rails with shock absorbers to dampen noise and vibration. You can even pop out the power supply and the motherboard without lifting a screwdriver. The front of the case features the familiar door that covers the USB ports, but these ports now support the faster USB 2.0 standard, which is integrated into the system's Intel 845E chip set. A headphone jack is also on the front of the system, and four more USB 2.0 ports are on the back. Dell also includes a 16X DVD-ROM drive and a 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive.
At $1468, this Dimension is priced on the high side for value systems we've seen recently. The lightweight Harman/Kardon HK395 2.1 speaker set could muster only flat trebles and weak bass during our CD audio tests and DVD movie tests. Game play was also unsatisfying. Our judges found images in both Quake III and Unreal Tournament to have too much contrast. At a resolution of 1024 by 768 at 32-bit color, frame rates were fast enough for sooth game play in Quake III, but a bit too low for Unreal Tournament. And the 40GB hard drive, while not tiny, seems a bit underwhelming for a system at this price. (You can upgrade to an 80GB drive for an extra $90.)
The Dimension 4500 we tested used a 2A-GHz Pentium 4 processor and 256MB of 266-MHz DDR memory to reach a PC WorldBench 4 score of 108--which is about average for this configuration. Our review unit came with a 15-inch Dell 1503FP LCD monitor, which produced sharp text and icons in our test document. Colors appeared rich and flesh tones adequately realistic in our test photo, but the screen image darkened or lightened considerably when viewed from angles of 45 degrees or greater. The same was true during DVD movie playback--the image remained stutter-free, with rich, bright colors, but only when viewed from straight on. Dell now bundles the 1504FP monitor, which we haven't tested. Documentation includes a setup poster and a system-specific owner's manual replete with illustrations and thorough chapters for upgrading and troubleshooting the 4500. Microsoft Works Suite 2002--which includes Word, Money, and Encarta Encyclopedia--comes bundled with the system.
A solidly built system with good performance, the Dimension 4500 can handle traditional computing tasks well.

Buying Information

Dell Dimension 4500 PC WorldBench 4 score of 108, 2A-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 256MB of DDR266 SDRAM, Windows XP Home, 40GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, GeForce4 MX 420 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 15-inch Dell 1504FP LCD monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Harman/Kardon HK-395 speakers, network adapter, V.92 modem, midsize tower case, Microsoft Works Suite 2002, Dell Picture Studio. One-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited 24-hour daily toll-free support. $ 1468 PC WorldBench 4 score of 108, 2A-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 256MB of DDR266 SDRAM, Windows XP Home, 40GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, GeForce4 MX 420 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 15-inch Dell 1504FP LCD monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Harman/Kardon HK-395 speakers, network adapter, V.92 modem, midsize tower case, Microsoft Works Suite 2002, Dell Picture Studio. One-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited 24-hour daily toll-free support. http://www.dell.com 800/388-8542