Dell Dell Dimension 8300

The ultraslim 17-inch Dell 1703FP Ultra Sharp monitor, which can work either as an analog or a digital display (though Dell includes only a DVI cable), comes with four USB 2.0 ports--two on the left side of the bezel and two on the back of the monitor. The panel rotates 90 degrees into portrait mode, so you can view Web pages lengthwise with less scrolling. Tested in analog mode, the monitor displayed vibrant hues on a test photo and crisp, easy-to-read text on both a newsletter and a screen with several font sizes.

The Altec Lansing ADA-995 5.1 THX-certified speaker system--Dell's beefiest speaker offering--and the Creative Audigy2 sound card yielded fantastic sound in our audio tests. Explosions and a roaring engine in a DVD movie almost matched cinematic audio quality.

FireWire and DVD rewritable drives are common fare in most high-end systems these days, and the 8300 has both. The sound card has a FireWire port, and the system provides a 4X DVD+R/RW drive for burning videos and backing up data. The standard hard drive provides a relatively modest (by today's standards) 120GB of storage space, but you can opt for a 250GB drive for $230 extra if you plan to archive an extensive video collection, say.

The 8300's case opens like a book after you depress latches at the top and bottom. Drive bays are installed in the swing-out section of the case, so you have easy access to the cages. We thought the interior could have been tidier, but upgrading the memory or installing a card in one of the PCI slots should not cause any aggravation.

The system's comprehensive manual has sections on performing upgrades and troubleshooting, with helpful illustrations.

Upshot: This Dimension 8300's full set of components will appeal to power users seeking a do-it-all machine.

Mick Lockey