But it has one key difference: Intel's 845D chipset, which lets PC makers use DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM in Pentium 4 systems, rather than expensive, proprietary Rambus memory (RDRAM). This means you can enjoy a well-designed, reasonably equipped, and relatively speedy system with plenty of RAM for less money.
DDR SDRAM inside
The It community has been waiting for the 845D chipset ever since it realised that RDRAM would be a costly and, in some respects, impractical successor to SDRAM. And at AU$3049.20 (including GST and delivery), the Dimension 4400 is definitely economical as well as relatively speedy.
Configured with a 1.8GHz CPU and 256MB DDR SDRAM, it turns in application performance benchmarks slightly higher than a 1.7GHz Dimension 8200's equipped with 256MB RDRAM. However, comparing the 4400 to a 1.7GHz 4300 twists the performance picture into something dali-esque. Running 128MB of plain old SDRAM, the Dimension 4300's performance compares favourably to its successor, falling behind by as little as 10%.
While it's not designed to be a gaming system, the Dimension 4400's 64MB GeForce2 MX graphics should keep soft-core gamers satisfied. The US version of the product carries a GeForce3 Ti500, so if you need a little more gaming-grunt it shouldn't be hard to for Dell to arrange.
It's too early to tell whether the 845D was worth the wait. While the Dimension 4400 chipset's benchmarks results look fine, it's widely believed that the performance difference between RDRAM and SDRAM doesn't bbecome apparent until the 2GHz mark is passed.
As if to emphasise the point, the Dimension 4400 lagged behind a similarly configured Athlon XP 1800+ system, the ABS Performance XP except in the Internet-content-creation benchmark, where the Athlon CPU has a disadvantage. Furthermore, it seems to perform identically to the controversial Via P4X266 chipset as implemented by Atlas Micro in its GS7000.
Open sesame
The rest of the Dimension 4400's components are solidly midrange and pretty much what you'd expect to see in a system at this price. You get ample storage with a 7,200rpm 40GB hard drive, a 16X DVD-ROM, and a 10X/4X/24X CD-R/RW drive.
The audio subsystem consists of a Sound Blaster Live Value card and a three-piece (two speakers, plus a 30-watt subwoofer) Harmon/Kardon HK-395 speaker set. Everything works well together for encoding and listening to music, burning CDs, and watching DVDs. We did hear an intermittent buzzing in the left channel during playback of digitized music, but this was likely an anomaly.
The system design gives you some room to add components--and makes it easy for you to do so. It has all the requisite ports except for IEEE 1394. Two of its four USB ports as well as a microphone jack are located in the front under a flip-top cover. You get two open 3.5-inch bays (one externally accessible), two free PCI slots, and one free DIMM socket. To open the tool-free clamshell design, you lay the 4400 on its side, press two latches at the top and bottom, and unfold it like a book. All the drive rails are neatly hooked to the inside of the chassis, and all drives and cards come out with some pressure and pulling.
The only people who won't like this convenient design are those who prefer to leave their systems open for frequent upgrades; unfolded, the Dimension chassis takes up a lot of room. The one real complaint we have about the case, though, is that it's extremely difficult to see the glowing green light that indicates whether the system is on or off. That makes for lots of unintentional shutdowns.
Opt for a better view
Considering the system's price, the one disappointment is the monitor. The flat-screen Dell M782 17-inch CRT that comes with the system produces a bright, crisp image and a broad array of onscreen menu controls. But unless you're strapped for space or money, we'd recommend upgrading to a 19-incher for the bigger view.
The software and accessories that come with the Dimension 4400 fit the needs of mainstream users pretty well. The standard Dell keyboard has a mushy feel that we don't like much, but it boasts the convenience of three quick-launch buttons for files or applications--and an easy-to-use utility for programming them. The software bundle comes with a variety of Microsoft consumer applications, including Works Suite with Word and the basic Works spreadsheet application; the Money personal finance program; Streets and Trips for travel navigation; and for photo editing, Picture It Photo and Dell Picture Studio. Those who yearn to burn (discs, that is) will appreciate the bundled copies of Easy CD Creator 5 and CyberLink PowerDVD.
With better performance than an SDRAM-based system and a lower price than a similarly configured RDRAM-based PC, the Dimension 4400 and its 845D chipset help define a new archetype for midrange systems. If you're looking for a solid general-purpose system that's priced right, this one achieves just such a balance with very few compromises.
Editor's note: The above review configuration may not exactly match configurations offered by Dell in Australia. Here the Dell Dimension 4400 comes with 1.8 GHz P4, 256M DDR SDRAM, 40G/7200rpm hard drive 16x DVD-ROM 'and' 10x/4x/24x CD-R/RW, Sound Blaster Live Value + HK-395 speakers, 64MB NVIDIA GEFORCE2 MX with TV out graphics card, 17 inch M782 CRT monitor, Microsoft XP Home edition, AOL three-month Internet offer, and a one-year Next Business Day warranty. At the time of going to press this was priced at AU$3,049.20 (including GST and delivery).
Company: Dell
Price: AU$3049.20 (incl GST and delivery)
Phone: 1800 812 393
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