| Product: |
Dell Dimension 8100 |
| Date: |
08/07/01 (628 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Powerful, Superb system build
Disadvantages: Not cheap, Could have better performance for what it is
I recently purchased a Dell Dimension 8100 with the Pentium 4 1.7Ghz processor, 1Gb of RAM, and 40Gb 7,200RPM hard drive. The intended purchase was for supporting my work and hobbies.
Dell's ordering process is quite good, and is possibly one of the better of the large PC manufacturers. As soon as the order has been put through, you can track the status and delivery of the order through their Order Watch which explains in quite some detail what your PC is going through (production, post-production, etc).
The order had to be delivered on a Saturday since the courier cannot accept any other signature other than the purchaser's which is handy for security, but a pain having to wait four extra days so that you can be available to receive the goods. Usually the neighbours are good enough to accept orders on our behalf and vice versa.
The machine itself is of excellent build, although the silver and black decoration is not going to be everybody's cup of tea. The cooling fans are relatively quiet, and the hard drive is berely audiable. The system is fast and quick to respond. Default systems come with Windows ME which professional reviewers have commented to have shown some performance degredation. However, I have opted for Windows 2000 and this just flies with the 1Gb of RAM :)
3D performance is supplied by the nVidia Geoforce 2 GTS/Pro and boy is it fast! It's certainly capable of handling any 3D game thrown at it and works very well at 1,024x768 in 32-bit resolution.
The 17" Dell Ultrascan monitor has one of the crispest (or crispiest) displays I've had the pleasure of using, and my decision to go with this rather than the TFT display has been a good one, I feel.
Overall, the system is great. With the three year on-site warranty, I am safe in the knowledge that I've got Dell's support should anything go wrong. However, the build quality of this machine is excellent and I dou
bt that I will need to have to use this. Performance wise, not the best, even with the processor, video card and RAM combination, but it still beats the living daylights out of other similiar specced systems.
Highly recommend this system to anybody looking for an all-rounder of a PC.
Summary:
|
Last comments:
 |
- 05/08/01 My 8100 machine is 1.7Ghz Pentium 4 with 1Gb RAM, 40Gb Turbo hard drive, a 17" ultra scan monitor and with 3 years on site warranty. The other review is of a far lower specification and hence is much cheaper. |
 |
- 05/08/01 Just wondering...I've been reading a few of the reviews on the Dell 8100. But there was a huge difference in the prices quoted. Yours was £2900, but someone else bought theirs at £1089. Could you shed some light, please? For obvious reasons, I'd prefer the £1089 option!! |
 |
- 08/07/01 We've got the 8100, but have found Dell support to be dreadful. The fax simply won't work, and it's proving difficult to get any response from them. Hope you fair better! |
|
Deutschland 
España 
Italia 
France - 
