There went my computer monitor rolling down the steps!
Written: Sep 21 '00 (Updated Oct 08 '00)
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Pros: Reliable and durable, easy to use, excellent company web site
Cons: I haven't found any
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| tony_miller's Full Review: Dell Dimension XPS T500 |
This time last year, I was still using a Pentium 100 that I had built myself (with a lot of guidance from a friend who actually knew what he was doing)in 1996. I had completely outgrown this computer. I once thought that I would NEVER manage to fill up a 2Gb hard drive, but guess what - I did. I had also acquired several huge programs that just ran too slow on this computer. I hate to spent money, but the time had come to turn the old computer over to full-time service supporting my son's game addiction and get myself a new computer.
First, let me say that this epinion will not be full of technical details about the Dell computer. It is intended to provide information aimed at the average buyer and user of computers, not at people who build their own computers. That being said, it is necessary to give some detail on the computer so it can be compared with other computers.
What I needed. I had a good image in mind of what I wanted in a computer, but had not decided for certain which brand I would buy. First, I wanted a huge hard drive that would hopefully take me a few years to fill up. I wanted lots of memory and a good video card with plenty of onboard memory so I could view and manipulate large image files quickly. I also wanted both a CDROM drive and a CD writer/rewriter. I decided on the PIII 600MHz processor (that would later change).
I thought I wanted a Gateway. I have never owned a Gateway computer, but have used several of them at work and know a few people who own them and have a high opinion of them. I went to the Gateway homepage and "built" the computer that I wanted. The price was not too bad, but it was a little higher than I wanted to pay. I also built my computer on the Dell homepage and the price was even higher. I wanted to talk to a computer guru friend before I bought either one.
Price easily changed my mind. My friend highly recommended the Dell over the Gateway. He also told me to check out their "Federal Employee Discount Program" which I had never heard of before. When I did, the price was suddenly over $200 less than the Gateway! Gateway also offers a government employee discount, but it is far, far smaller. Neither company published a percentage for the discount - you just go to that section of their homepage and customize the computer. If you want to compare with the regular price, you have to customize the same computer there and do the math yourself. Another price saver was in shipping costs - $35 from Dell and $90 from Gateway.
What I bought. I intended to buy a PIII 600 computer with a 15 inch monitor, but my friend suggested that I would be much happier with a 17 inch monitor even if I had to sacrifice processor power to buy it. In the end I bought the PIII 500 computer with a 17 inch monitor. That thing will cause a hernia if you have to move it, but it is so nice! The picture is the sharpest I've seen and it has been absolutely trouble free. I know you are wondering about the "rolling down the steps", but I'll get to that in a later section.
I upgraded the standard 6Gb hard drive to 13.6Gb. So far, in a year, I used about 4Gb of space so the 13.6Gb was the right choice. Only the price kept me from getting 20Gb. I did get the CDROM and CD writer/rewriter, but now I wish that I had gotten the DVD instead of the CDROM. I thought I would never watch a movie on the computer, but after seeing the quality of this monitor and the incredible sound from the Altec-Lansing speaker system, I know that I was wrong.
The AGP video card with 32mb of memory provides a superb 16 bit color display at 1024 by 768 resolution and even 40mb images load quickly. If you display a lot of images, I would say get as much video RAM as you can afford. I also upgraded the system memory from 64mb to 256mb and this also helps in loading and running programs quickly.
Reliability and performance. This computer has performed flawlessly. It is very easy to use and I have never had any problems with it. I can't comment on customer support because I've never had a reason to call them.
Now the "rolling down the steps part. I moved about three months after I bought the computer. As I wanted to ensure that the computer was packed properly, I took everything apart and put it into the original manufacturer's boxes myself. I left them open so the movers could inspect and then they taped the boxes up. As one of the movers was taking the computer boxes out of the house, the monitor box fell off the top of the dolly about three feet to the porch floor, then rolled end over end down the steps and finally came to rest out in the yard. My heart stopped! I, of course, noted that this had happed on the moving paperwork and waited, expecting to send the monitor back to the factory as soon as I unpacked it. However, much to my surprise, there wasn't a scratch on it and it worked great. The point to all this is that, in addition to building great computers, Dell also provides superb packing materials. I wouldn't recommend dropping your monitor down the steps, but if it happens you want to be prepared.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2200
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
tony_miller
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Member: Tony Miller
Location: Monterey, CA
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 28 members
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