Speed, Space, Sight, and Sound
The Dimension series has traditionally produced rock-solid performers, so it came as little surprise that this 800-MHz Pentium III-based machine came out on top in applications tests. And the T800r's 32MB Nvidia GeForce graphics card helped place it ahead of the pack on games and 3D tests. The hard drive's 20.4GB size is average among current home PCs, offering enough storage for many years' worth of files. And if you need some of your files to be portable, the built-in Zip 100 drive will come in very handy.

Plus, you get a nice DVD-viewing package. The 19-inch Dell M990 monitor had the sharpest, clearest display of any computer in this roundup, making it a nice accompaniment to the included 12X DVD-ROM drive. Throw in a Harman Kardon speaker system with subwoofer and you're well on your way to a complete home entertainment system. If you don't have much space though, be warned: the subwoofer is huge compared to most. Also, unlike many of the systems in this category, this Dell didn't come with a CD-RW drive.

Education, Expandability, and Extras
Dell's preloaded I-Learn My Dell PC software includes an excellent tutorial and answers many questions commonly asked by newbies. The software is accompanied by a good hard-copy setup and reference/troubleshooting guide. Overall, the software package was a little thin, although it does include a copy of the pricey Microsoft Office.

The Dell's three-year parts and labor warranty is certainly better than the meager one year many companies offer. One disappointment was the RAM configuration: the T800r has only two RAM slots, and instead of putting one 128MB DIMM in the machine, Dell opted for two 64MB DIMMs, using up both the slots. As a whole, this package's solid performance and support plan impressed us enough to recommend it to most anyone needing a new, or first, home PC. One caveat: If you're on a budget, you may w
ant to look elsewhere. At $2,439, this was the second most expensive system in this roundup.