DELLBOY (Dell Dimension 8200)

Member Name: Jaguar1000

Product:	Dell Dimension 8200
Date:	06/04/05 (803 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Minimal fuss in setup,ordering and use .

Disadvantages: No Dell stores to view the machine beforehand

---Overview---

Having had my two previous systems from PC world I was advised by my friend (who has two Dell computers) to have at look at Dell. So I took a gander at there website and was impressed by their customise and buy feature, which allowed you to stick to budget. So I decided to go around and have a look at his machines.
Although he had the Dimension 8300, the Dimension 8200 is very similar in look and design to most of Dell's other ranges.

---Quality---

All the components and perhiperhals which came with my Dimension 8200 computer seemed that bit more solid than my previous PC's, such as the keyboard and mouse. The black casing was also more fashionable than my previous machines. Setup was easy and took me no longer than 10 minutes to get all of the machines parts together and working, which is considerable quicker than my previous two systems (with the printer taking 3/4 hr on one PC).

---Price---

Although a little more expensive than my PC's from PC world the price did include everything to my needs(mine cost just over £901inc VAT and came with their Dell All-in-One A920 printer which prints, scans and photocopies). In addition the nifty customise and buy feature on their website ensured I didn't go over budget. Their website is frequently updated with the latest specifications and there are many deals on it to take advantage of (although you can probably get those over the phone too if you mention it to the sales person).

---Service---

I've heard that they can be pushy over the phone, but when I rang up Dell they seemed quite happy to assist me in my questions. I suppose it does rely on who you speak to though. With a 3 year guarantee my Dell is protected for quite a while, but the extent of that protection I do not know yet as I have not needed to use it (check the terms and conditions). The service I would therefore presume is similar to any other PC support networks, neither fantastic nor utterly pathetic.

---Conclusion---

I have had my Dell Dimension computer for 10 months now and I have had no problems with it whatsoever. The Dimension 8200 also has plenty of potential for upgrades in the future, however I do not know how good Dell are on this.
The 8200 comes with a heavty 120GB hard drive which should cater for me well into the future and I have only just managed to use 40GB of that now. In addition the flat panel monitor is also a blessing in disguise, although coming down in price they are still quite expensive and I was a bit aprehensive in spending so much on one. Now I have one I can never see myself going back to anything different as they are trendy, take up less space and are more clear in my opinion. Overall Dell have managed to come up with a very satisfactory package personalised to my needs and although a little more expensive than the high street or out of town stores matches my wish list perfectly.


---Specifications---

The specifications for my Dell Dimension 8200 are different to those posted on the Dell website now because Dell are continual updating their goods to the latest hardware levels. You can probably get much better specs at a different price now.

- Processor
Intel Pentium 4 Processor at 3.0GHz
-Operating system
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Microsoft Works 7.0
-Memory
Was 256MB, Now 512 MB Dual Channel DDR RAM
-Monitor
17" Analogue Flat Panel Monitor (17.0" v.i.s)
-Harddrive
120GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
- Optical Drive
8x DVD ReWriter Drive and CD-ROM Drive
-Graphic Card
128MB GeForce4TM FX5200 TV-Out Graphics

Summary: