Joel Strauch

Dell Dimension 8200

After months of trailing other vendors in performance, Dell closes the gap with this 8200. Equipped with Intel's 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 processor and a gigabyte of PC800 RDRAM, this system posted a score of 121 on PC WorldBench 4--a negligible one point behind a similarly configured Falcon Northwest Mach V system. The 17-inch Dell 1702FP LCD monitor delivered sharp, legible text and rich colors, including natural-looking flesh tones, in our image tests. We're not usually fans of gaming on flat-panel monitors, but at all supported resolutions, our Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament tests games appeared bright and colorful, with smooth play and no ghosting. DVD movies also played flawlessly. A six-speaker Altec Lansing ADA995 sound system produced crisp trebles and thumping bass during our audio tests, with Dolby Digital 5.1 support for DVD movie playback. You can record your own films with the included Philips DVD+RW drive (which also functions as an 8X/12X/32X CD-RW drive). And you can refine the footage with the included CyberLink PowerDVD video editing software. The 120GB hard drive gives you plenty of room for storing movies, music, or other files.
At $3058, the price is quite reasonable for such a well-stocked system, but you'll have to do some digging to find it. Dell is running a promotional special on this system in the "Hot Deals" section of the Web site. If you try to put this system together using the regular online configurator, you'll end up paying about $1000 more.
The tower includes two front-mounted USB 1.1 ports and a front headphone jack under a flip-up cover. A two-port FireWire (IEEE 1394) card provides connections for high-speed peripherals such as digital camcorders. Dell's clamshell case unfolds after you press one button on top and another (hard to find) on the bottom of the tower. Although the neat interior puts everything within easy reach and allows tool-less removal of most components, our well-equipped test system didn't have any free PCI slots, and only two open drive bays (one of which supports a removable media drive). Dell's documentation includes a helpful setup poster and a thick Solutions Guide that's specific to the 8200 line; the guide is packed with illustrations and thorough sections on troubleshooting and upgrading the system. Microsoft Office XP Small Business comes bundled for home-office workers.
This handsome, fully stocked system offers the best of everything--for those who can afford it.

Buying Information

Dell Dimension 8200 PC WorldBench 4 score of 121, 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 1GB of PC800 RDRAM, Windows XP Home, 120GB hard drive, 24X-40X CD-ROM drive, DVD+RW drive, GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 17-inch Dell 1702FP LCD monitor, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card, Altec Lansing ADA995 speakers, network adapter, V.90 modem, midsize tower case; Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition. Three-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited, 24-hour daily toll-free tech support. $ 3058 PC WorldBench 4 score of 121, 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 1GB of PC800 RDRAM, Windows XP Home, 120GB hard drive, 24X-40X CD-ROM drive, DVD+RW drive, GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 17-inch Dell 1702FP LCD monitor, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card, Altec Lansing ADA995 speakers, network adapter, V.90 modem, midsize tower case; Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition. Three-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited, 24-hour daily toll-free tech support. http://www.dell.com 800/388-8542