Dell Dimension 8300

WHAT'S HOT: Looking at the latest refresh of Dell's high-end Dimension desktop line, you'd be hard pressed to notice any outward differences--and that's a good thing, because the system retains such convenient features as an easy-open case, tool-less access to hard drive cages and PCI slots, and handy latches and tabs that let you swap, service, or upgrade components easily.

The 8300's components, though, are a different story. This is one of the first systems out of the gate to team Intel's 3-GHz Pentium 4 CPU with 1GB of DDR400 SDRAM. The new 875P chip set gives Pentium 4 desktops an 800-MHz frontside bus and dual-channel DDR-400 SDRAM main memory, designed in part to boost overall system performance. Our test configuration earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 126, which is 3 points faster than its predecessor managed with a 3.06-GHz Pentium 4 CPU and 512MB of PC1066 memory--not bad, but not likely to rattle many cages either. To see how other systems outfitted with the new 875P chip set perform, check out our news story.

Also new on our test unit is the ATI Radeon 9800 graphics board with 128MB of memory. Sure to please gamers, it achieved high frame rates and produced great-looking images when tested at 1280 by 1024 resolutions and 32-bit color.

Among the 8300's other high-end niceties are an 18.1-inch UltraSharp 1800FP LCD, which delivered lively looking colors and crisp text in our tests; a 200GB hard drive; and a 4X DVD+R/RW drive, which would be useful for video editing. Eight USB 2 ports (six of which are located on the back of the case, while two are on the front panel behind a flip cover) provide plenty of ways to connect USB devices easily.

WHAT'S NOT: We were disappointed with the Harman/Kardon HK 395 speakers, which consist of two satellites and a stout subwoofer. In our audio tests, we heard muddy bass notes and flat trebles For better sound, serious gamers and audiophiles will want to spring for a higher-end set--especially to take advantage of the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 sound card, which offers THX certification and supports 6.1-channel surround sound. Dell offers a set of Altec Lansing ADA995 5.1 speakers for an additional $190. Note: The price of $2999 listed in the chart for the August issue includes the Altec Lansing ADA995 speakers.

WHAT ELSE: The gunmetal gray system has enough upgrade options to satisfy most moderate needs--but the components that come in this unit should give most users plenty to work with for at least a couple of years. Our unit had three open drive bays (one for an extra hard drive, two for removable media drives), two open RAM sockets, and two accessible PCI slots. Like many current systems, our configuration of the 8300 forgoes a floppy drive, although you can add one for $20.

The company provides excellent documentation in the form of a nicely designed and helpful user's manual, with sections on troubleshooting and upgrading components. The software bundle includes Microsoft's Office XP Small Business Edition and Roxio's Easy CD Creator for CD burning. An application for backing up data to the DVD+R/RW discs would have been useful.

UPSHOT: The list of goodies accompanying this well-stocked PC will appeal to power users looking for the latest gear at a reasonable price, but audiophiles and gamers may want better speakers.

SUMMARY

Dell Dimension 8300 $