Dell rocks the competition...literally!
Written: Mar 21 '00 (Updated Jan 04 '02)
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Pros: Amazing sound, video, support...
Cons: I can't marry it.
The Bottom Line: I've found tech support to be excellent, and the quality and reliability of the computer to be great as well. Definitely worth considering for your next computer!
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| xiphoid's Full Review: Dell Dimension XPS T500 |
I own the Dell XPS T-500 this computer has exceeded all of my highest expectations. I ordered it for college, and they shipped it right to me. Now, the most important thing for me at this point is music. I put a CD into this computer, and I literally sent my stereo back home! My computer came with two small Altec Lansing desktop speakers and a floor subwoofer, model ACS340 (when you order the computer, you can choose to have these speakers included, and I would recommend doing so). I couldn't believe my ears. It's the best sound I had ever heard from a computer at that point. Better than any other computer, and any other stereo for that matter! Not only great sound from CDs, but mp3s will sound, and video games are just as incredible. I play a lot of Quake and Rainbow Six, and the speakers (which come with the 3D sound) have the potential to greatly improve your gaming experience. You can hear everything...from birds off in the distance to enemies creeping up behind you...it sounds real, and it rocks!
But now that I'm going off on a tangent...
Here's some of the great stuff you'll get if you decide to order:
Sound...
Check the above paragraph...I can't say enough about the amazing sound quality on this computer!
Monitor...
Beautiful display, full control. Up down, trapezoid pincushion, contrast brightness, horizontal vertical, color temperature, all relatively easy to navigate. The settings menu takes a little getting used to, but the buttons are labeled, and are located unobtrusively under the display, on the front of the monitor.
I, of course, couldn't afford the flatscreen, but the standard Dell monitors are perfect.
Video Display...
Mine came loaded with a Diamond Viper card. Nothing fancy, but the graphics are still great. I'm really into video games, and this computer works out great for me. No lagging at all, everything is smooth, textures are real and DVDs look crisp and clear. That is, if you choose the DVD option, which I did only because at that time, regular DVD players weren't as cheap and easy to come by as they are now. If I was buying this computer now, I probably would have no need for the DVD drive. I'd go for the CD-RW instead. Or you could take both...
Performance...
Fast! When I ordered this, 500MHz was close to the top of the line. A month later that changed, but I was amazed when I first turned on the computer at how fast it was. I had been working with an older computer, so I wasn't used to the speed. I was actually able to run several programs at once without killing the machine!
Now they offer over 1.5GHz, and it will clearly keep increasing...
Accessories...
You have several top quality photo editors, outstanding sound software, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Microsoft Office (which includes Word, Excel, Outlook and Publisher), games, tons of demos to try out, great DVD software (if you choose to order the DVD player), excellent CD burning software (if you choose to order the CD-R), an optional built-in zip drive, with enough ports left to add some new hardware later! You also get a Dell 'QuietKey' keyboard, a not so noisy accessory! The mouse is great too. It's a Microsoft scroll mouse, for easy scrolling through documents and web pages without using the keyboard! Not to mention, you get all the latest and greatest virus software in this bundle as well.
Ease of Use...
This is a user-friendly computer. It comes with Windows,
and if you're a new computer user, Windows will guide you through its features. It also comes with all the necessary manuals and help programs. The best thing, is that the plugs are color-coded. I know that the symbols can be confusing and you can easily end up plugging the mic into the speaker jack, the subwoofer into the headphone jack and whatnot. Well, the plugs are all colored accordingly with the appropriate jack! No more mistakes here, it's virtually foolproof.
Support...
The best support around! I rarely have problems with this computer, but when I'm unsure of something I check out the support website. This site covers everything! You search the Dell Knowledge Base, and it gives you all possible results. Everyone of my questions have been answered right from the support site! But there's more. If you want to talk to someone, you can call the Tech Support hotline, which is comprised of friendly, extremely helpful people who actually know their stuff. If you don't know how to do something, they will stay on the phone with you for as long as it takes, walking you through each step for your convenience and ease! But if that's not enough, a Dell representative will come to your house! Regardless of where you bought the computer, representatives are everywhere and ready to help you out when you need it. I can't emphasize how great these people are, they're really helpful.
Keep in mind, a Dell is a very reliable computer, and chances are rare that you'll even have to talk to one of these guys. But if you do, have no fear. They are personal and patient...and that's a real plus!
Final Thoughts...
One of the best things about Dell, is you get to personalize your computer when you order it. You need a great printer to go along with that great computer? You can get it right from Dell. I have a lot of music and movies loaded onto my computer, so I ordered a 12G hard drive. Now the drives are more like 30G. If you don't need that much, you can get less, or if you need more you got it! If you need a DVD player, built-in zip drive, CD burner, they'll put it in for you. You can choose your accessories to meet your needs, and they send you all the disks for you to fully customize your computer. All this and they send it anywhere you want. Your house, office, dorm, wherever. You can't go wrong with this computer. I lived in a dorm where everyone had a computer, which gave me a great chance to compare. I really think that Dell is the best thing out there, and I know that you will agree. With Dell, you can't go wrong.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: Zip Drive
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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