While Dell's so-called "entertainment" systems previously seemed as staid and ordinary as Dell's business machines, the Dimension 4300 oozes style--at least on the outside. It's entirely modelled in beautiful matte black with grey accents adorning the tower and speakers.
Of course, sometimes beauty is only skin deep. Although stocked with a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 processor, the Dimension's use of the Intel i845 chipset and SDRAM results in pack-trailing performance. We wouldn't mind the performance hit if a bargain price came with it, but the Dimension costs about the same as some much faster, better-equipped system.
The performance picture isn't all bad. nVidia's powerful GeForce2 MX graphics card helps provide solid, if not exciting, 3D game performance; and the card's TV-out connector enables big-screen action. It's too bad Dell doesn't bundle any games, as only obligatory titles such as Microsoft Works Suite 2001 and Norton AntiVirus come standard.
The keyboard sports three programmable buttons for loading applications or URLs or performing system functions. It lacks dedicated volume and CD/DVD-playback controls. The keyboard itself feels flimsy and the keys mushy. But we absolutely love the tower, which, with the push of a button, swings open for easy access to the drives and motherboard. Inside, there's room for a second SDRAM module, two PCI cards, and another hard drive.
Outside, Dell cleverly routes two of the system's four USB ports and a headphone jack to the front of the tower, but then hides them behind a hinged flip-up door. If you place the tower on the ground, your head almost needs to be level with the floor to access the ports.
Dell's M991 monitor earns high marks for colour, geometry, brightness, and contrast. We liked the combination of the Sound Blaster Live Value card and the boisterous, Harman Kardon three-piece speaker system. Users planning to watch movies and play games should have no complaints about the Dimension's audio-visual capabilities.
Dell Dimension 4300
Company: Dell Corporation
Price: AU$2,858
Distributor: Dell Australia
Phone: 1800 812 393
Pros
- Beautiful matte-black components
- Solid 3D performance
- Strong audio subsystem
- Easy-access case
Cons
- Poor application performance
- Weak software bundle
- Front USB ports hard to access
3%
2%
