Dan Littman

Dell Dimension 8250

Dell has stocked our review Dimension 8250 with loads of high-end features, including a top-of-the-line 2.8-GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of 1.066-GHz RDRAM, an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics board with 128MB of graphics RAM, and a 120GB drive spinning at 7200 rpm. This collection of muscle hardware drives the 8250 to a PC WorldBench 4 score of 121, placing it a close second to the other speedy performer in our December roundup of home PCs, but below the average score of 123 for similarly configured PCs. It trails the current top score of 128 for comparably equipped systems by nearly 6 percent. Nevertheless the Dimension 8250 surged ahead of a similarly equipped system by 14 percent when blasting game frames in Return to Castle Wolfenstein onto the screen. With a frame rate of 106 frames per second when set at 1280 by 1024 pixels and 32-bit color, it didn't show a hint of hesitation or any other flaws. If you plan to work with video, the 8250 has the features you need, including two FireWire ports; S-Video ports; and two optical drives--a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD+R/+RW writer. It also has two empty RAM slots; Dell will double the RAM to 1GB for an extra $380. Dell's 21-inch P1130 display has two analog ports on the back, allowing you to hook it up to two PCs and switch back and forth. That could come in handy for checking e-mail on your old computer while the 8250 is tied up rendering a big video file. The P1130 displays beautiful color, though small text isn't perfectly sharp. Still, the monitor is big enough that you could set it to 1600 by 1200 resolution for a broad view of your spreadsheets or your movie's timeline. The Altec Lansing ADA995 sound system includes five speakers plus a subwoofer that's as big as the PC (and a lot heavier). The speakers sound wonderfully clear even when turned way up.
To get top-of-the-line features, you have to pay. Dell asks a hefty $2988 for the 8250 in this configuration. And the case finish isn't flawless--we had trouble releasing and closing the latches that hold the system together. Another inconvenience: The speakers get their power from the subwoofer, but the subwoofer's power switch and volume dial are on the back. If you place this monster under your desk, as most people will, you'll be down on your hands and knees whenever your significant other tells you to turn it down.
The price for our test unit includes a three-year warranty with toll-free, 24/7 tech support and on-site service. Dell bundles the 8250 with MGI's VideoWave 4 for producing video.
If you're shopping in the three-grand stratum, you'll find this a well-rounded gaming, digital-video, and everyday system.

Buying Information

Dell Dimension 8250 PC WorldBench 4 score of 121, 2.8-GHz Pentium 4 processor, Windows XP Home, 120GB hard drive, DVD+RW/+R drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 21-inch Dell P1130 monitor, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP sound card, Altec Lansing ADA 995 speakers, network adapter, V.92 modem, midsize tower case. Microsoft Office XP SBE. Three-year warranty on parts and labor, 24-hour daily toll-free tech support. $ 2988 PC WorldBench 4 score of 121, 2.8-GHz Pentium 4 processor, Windows XP Home, 120GB hard drive, DVD+RW/+R drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 21-inch Dell P1130 monitor, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP sound card, Altec Lansing ADA 995 speakers, network adapter, V.92 modem, midsize tower case. Microsoft Office XP SBE. Three-year warranty on parts and labor, 24-hour daily toll-free tech support. http://www.dell.com 800/999-3355