Dell Optiplex GX1 400

Dell Optiplex GX1 400

A perfectly engineered machine deserves your respect and admiration. After spending only a few minutes with Dell's OptiPlex GX1 400, you'll appreciate that you're working with the power of Windows NT--and great ergonomics to boot. At $2819, this midtower is a corporate user's dream, scoring 244 in our PC WorldBench 98 tests--a scant 8 points slower than the other Windows NT­based Pentium II 400 desktop system that made our chart (Sys Technology's Sys Performance Pro 400BA ).

With the OptiPlex's modular case, every part of the PC swivels, glides, or swings open for easy access and room to grow. But with so much supplied, upgrading shouldn't be in the cards for some time. Even the modest 6.4GB hard disk should suffice for most uses.

Dell's Ultrascan 1000HS, one of the best 17-inch Trinitron displays, offers excellent image quality. Though the graphics chip is integrated on the motherboard, you can upgrade to an AGP card later. It's literally a snap: Press a button on the PC's front, flick the case-lock switch at the back, and the cover swings up and out of the way. Expansion cards are mounted on a separate chassis that slides out as you press a lever--no scraped knuckles here. Similarly, the power supply swivels up and away to provide you full access to the CPU and memory.

Like all Dell OptiPlex models, the GX1 400 includes a network adapter--3Com's Etherlink card. The spartan software bundle is limited to Windows NT Workstation and driver floppies. Dell's warranty policy is excellent: three years on parts as well as three years coverage for labor. The company also staffs tech support phone lines around the clock.

SUMMARY

PRO: Inexpensive; ethernet card, nice monitor CON: Slower than the other 400-MHz Windows NT system on our chart