I own a Dell Dimension 4100 series computer with a 733 Pentium III processor, 296 MB of ram, 32MB 4X NVidia Video Card, 7200 RPM ATA-66 10 Gig Maxtor Hard Drive with built in ATA-66 controller on the mother board, Conexant 56K Modem, Creative Labs 64V PCI Sound Card with altec lansing speakers, Sony 8X CD-RW rom, 48X Cd-Rom and a 17" monitor.
First of all, this computer is a great deal for the money. Most of the computers sold at retail stores are horrible!! They typically come with integrated graphics, a slow 5400 or 4400 RPM hard rive with only ATA-33 transfer rates (the higher the transfer rate the better -- 33MBs a second is slower than 66 MBs a second). In addition, the ram is typically PC-100 whereas Dell uses PC-133 ram in their 4100 series, which makes it faster (it works on a higher bus rate, which allows faster transfer of data). Also, most of the computers you buy from retail stores are skimpy with the Ram. Believe me, a super fast processor is not nearly as important as an abundant amount of Ram. You need at least 128 MB of ram. Most of the retail computers like Comcrap come with fast processors, but there other components are so slow (hard drive, video memory, etc.) that the processor just waits for the other components to catch up. It is wasted speed; thus, do not be sold on a fast processor alone. However, Dell makes an overall attractive and performance-oriented package. They use name brand components that are typically always rated high with PC World and other magazines. In fact, I have built a couple of computers and found that I used many of the same components as Dell. Dell does only use Intel Processors (AMDs are just as good if not better), which is kind of disappointing. However, they also use Intel motherboards; thus, they tend to have fewer problems and compatibility issues.
As for my particular model, the performance is great with business applications such as Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and Quick Books. It also performs very well with graphic-intensive games; however, if you are a serious game player, I would upgrade the video card to something like the NVidia GeForce or ATI Radeon. They offer better performance for graphic-intensive programs and games. In addition, the sound quality from the Altec Lansing speakers is good, and the Sony CD-RW Rom works very well (avoid 8X recording on audio however -- it leads to errors on the disk). The mid-line 17" monitor (I believe the model is M791) is a great monitor. It has good resolution and is easy to configure. As for problems with my Dell, I have had only one minor problem with the processor fan being noisy. The processor fans on this particular model are mounted on the back of the case, and there is a plastic tunnel from the fan to the processor heat sink that funnels hot air out of the case. This is a good design, but the plastic air tunnel also acts as an amplifier for the fan. This seems to be a common problem with 4100 series computers after talking with the Dell representative. However, they replaced mine with a new model fan, and I have had no troubles or noise since then. The customer support is very knowledgeable and courteous, but you could be in for a wait if you call in the early evening hours. The on-site service technicians are courteous, flexible and knowledgeable.
Overall, this is the best computer for the buck. I would definitely recommend it. I would stay away from Dell's L series unless it fits your budget better. They are similar to the retail makes in that their components are slower. However, they still come with Dell's excellent reliability and customer service, and they come with the ability to actually customize the options you want.
As a final note, PLEASE, PLEASE avoid Compaq computers. There service is horrible (my new Compaq that I have now sold sat in the shop for a month right after I bought it) and their tech support reps are mentally inept and rude. If you must buy retail brand, buy a Hewlett Packard; they are slow but rarely break.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1700.00
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 701-800
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20