I recently took some time to take a look at one of Dell's latest PC offerings, the home/small business targeted Dell Dimension 2400 PC system. As this computer package is one of the cheapest full systems (including monitor and operating system) available right now, we were curious to see what kind of value and performance Dell offers its customers for the Dimension 2400's minimal price. Dell currently offers the Dimension 2400 for $499 CDN and up. Our package clocked in at around $600 CDN with a 19-inch monitor.

We examined this budget system inside and out, and ran it through a full spectrum of benchmarks and subjective tests before we were satisfied. But were we satisfied? Read on...

The Dimension 2400 is a budget home/office system based on Intel's i845GV chipset, and houses a Celeron 2.4Ghz processor (in the model we tested) or a Pentium 4 up to 2.8 GHz. Depending on the processor, the system uses either 266MHz or 333MHz DDR memory, up to 1GB worth. Graphics and sound are provided by Intel's 'Extreme' integrated graphics chipset and Soundmax integrated audio respectively. Nothing to write home about here, but adequate for the PC's intended role as an office machine. A 40GB hard disk provides storage, and a 48X CD-ROM drive is present for software and music. No floppy drive was included in the system we reviewed, though a slot for one is built into the custom Dell case.

The system and peripherals come with a one-year warranty, including next-day on site service, and the Intel Celeron processor carries an independent three-year warranty.

Dell Dimension 2400 PC Includes: Manual, recovery discs, bundled software, plug, phone cable, microphone, speaker, keyboard, mouse, and 19" monitor. Detailed Spec Sheet: Processor: Intel Celeron 2.4 GHz processor, 400Mhz FSB (100MHzx4) Chipset: Intel 845GV chipset Videocard: Integrated Intel Extreme graphics Sound: Integrated Soundmax Sound Memory: 256MB PC-2700 DDR memory (one module) Networking: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 40GB ATA/100 7200RPM hard drive CDROM: Hitachi 48X CD-ROM drive Monitor: 19" Dell brand M992 monitor (max 1600x1200 @ 75Hz, .24 Dot pitch) Software Setup WindowsXP Home Edition Accessories Logitech MX500 optical scroll mouse Altec Lansing 2 speaker system Dell PS/2 keyboard PCI 56K modem Microphone

Besides the PC itself, the Dimension 2400 bundle includes a 19-inch Dell branded monitor, optical mouse (the excellent Logitech MX500 model) a plain black keyboard, two Altec Lansing satellite speakers and a small microphone. All the necessary cables and cords were included, as was a rather nice mouse pad.

For the operating system, the PC comes with Windows XP Home installed, and on a set of recovery CD-ROMs. Obviously, Windows XP Pro's additional security features would be a preference for office environments, and it is available from Dell for a few hundred dollars more. WordPerfect Office Suite 11, which includes the Word Processor as well as Quattro Pro and a few other productivity apps, provides basic office functionality to get you started. The software is not pre-installed, which is convenient if you would prefer to use Microsoft Office 2003. A copy of Microsoft's Money 2004 is also included with the system.

The list of pre-installed software on the Dimension 2400's is sparse, as you might expect, and includes MacAfee Virushield and a trial version of Jasc's Paintshop Pro 8, which provides Photoshop-like functionality. Musicmatch Jukebox provides MP3 playback and recording. QuickTime and Real Media's RealOne player are also installed for video playback.

© 2023 PCSTATS.com

Next Page >