After using the Dell Dimension 2400 for work and recreational purposes,
we came away with a few conclusive opinions. First of all, for a budget system,
the quality of the individual components is excellent. Let's go through them.
The monitor (19-inch, non-flat
screen, 0.24 dot pitch) presented a more than acceptable image, even at its
maximum supported resolution (1600X1200 @ 75Hz). We settled on a more reasonable
1280x1024 @ 85Hz as our preferred setting. According to the documentation, the
recommended resolution is 1280x1024 @ 75 Hz, but the monitor showed no
perceptible issues with our faster refresh setting.
Text in our WordPerfect
documents was clear and easy to read, at least to our not-particularly-aged
eyes. The M992 is not the best CRT monitor we've seen, but it is
entirely fine for everyday use.
The keyboard and mouse were
also good. The keyboard is a standard black model with no extra buttons or
gadgets, but the typing feel was pleasant. The mouse was a highlight for us (as
you've probably noticed by now). Logitech's MX500 optical has great feel and
sensitivity, and an abundance of extra programmable buttons. And, it just looks
hella-cool!
We were ready to be
under whelmed by the sound from the bundled in pair of Altec Lansing stereo
speakers that the Dimension 2400 ships with, but they managed to produce pretty
good sound. Since the Dimension 2400 will not suffice as a gaming rig, its audio
requirements aren't very taxing - but should you want to listen to some
MP3's, or internet radio, these little speakers will do the job.
While the speakers don't look
particularly impressive, they were capable of perfectly respectable musical
playback at low to medium-high volumes without any perceptible distortion. We
tried a variety of musical styles, and while the bass was obviously rather weak,
it was audibly present, something you can't really say about your average pair
of $10 speakers. Musical playback was accomplished though the Jukebox
application. The speakers connect to the PC through a single audio cable, and
are powered by an small AC-adaptor.
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