Dell Dimension 8100 Series: Cute, Stylish, and the Most Powerful PC As of This Opinion
Written: Mar 14 '01 (Updated Mar 18 '01)
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Pros: The state-of-art machine spec. The parts are combined with careful selection.
Cons: If a computer isn't a durable goods for you, this is pricey.
The Bottom Line: Do you buy a computer to use for at least few years? Or not?
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| uribou's Full Review: Dell Dimension 8100 Series |
Probably, I am obsessed with computers and internet. Since the time I often see the ads for Dell Dimension 8100 Series on the side bar, I have been looking for somebody who actually owns this machine. I just wanted to see, touch, try it.
The following review is mainly based on my short-period trial on this machine. It is possible that its hardware design includes some other seriously notable aspects. The owner's comments will be found after my own comments.
PRODUCT FEATURES
The first thing impress you is its design. To be fair it's not innovative, but definitely cute and stylish.
Let's go to the details. The machine I tried has the following specs:
Dimension® 8100 Series,Pentium® 4 Processor at 1.5Ghz
512MB PC600 RDRAM
Dell® Enhanced Quiet Key Keyboard
19 In M991 Monitor
32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 4X AGP Graphics Card
80GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
Windows Me
12X/8X/32X CD-RW Drive
Let's face this combination: (Pentium4: 1.5Ghz) + (512MB RDRAM) + (80GB HD) If you can afford their price tag, you cannot lose. I was extremely amazed by its machine power. (I come back to the price part later.) I ran web designing, web management, and some quantitative analysis software over and over again, and I saw the new windows and the results pop up with in seconds. During my few-hour trial, I didn't have any problems which forced me to reboot this machine.
Moreover, their original keyboard has a nice touch, and decently quiet. Graphics and sound qualities are superb. This machine can satisfy the picky gamers' demands, though I am not a serious gamer.
Let's me add the comments from the owner, who is very though to be please with a normal machine, and is very satisfied with his Dell Dimension 8100. What impressed him a lot is the default customization. He found almost nothing to change after examining the internal setting. This is especially nice for those who are not computer engineers. If the price tag falls below your maximum budget, buy Dell Dimension 8100. You are all-set.
PRICE
The owner didn't remember the specific price. So I just went to Dell's web site, and checked the current price by customizing the basic model. The price the web site told me was $2518, which is pricey but reasonable.
Dell's web is at the URL http://dell.com. The E-Value Code for the spec under concern is 6V810-8100RH.
You should check by yourself.
During I was checking the price at Dell's site, I found one thing very strange. The default page for Dell Dimension 8100 Series advertises the price for the basic model with Pentium® 4 Processor at 1.5 GHz is $1999. However, when you click through the link to customize the spec, you are directed to the page for Pentium® 4 Processor at 1.4 GHz, and the price shown is $1998. And if you want to upgrade the processor speed to 1.5 Ghz, you should add $280, which makes the price tag $2278.
If you are seriously thinking about to buy this machine, you definitely should call the company, and make sure how much they charge for your machine.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
I know Dell wins a lot of awards for its customer support system. But I am not very in favor of their service based on my personal experience in the past. The qualities of the customer support reps is high on average, but its variance is high as well.
Nevertheless, considering Dell Dimension 8100 Series is a combination of carefully selected parts, your chance of consulting with their supports is minimum. (Hopefully)
FINAL REMARKS
Today, the speed of technological progress is very high. And the state-of-art technology comes with the highest price tag. On the one hand, if purchasing a computer is an investment on durable goods for you, I would strongly recommend you to maximize your budget and buy Dell Dimension 8100 Series. On the other hand, if you take computers as highly perishable goods, there must be a better way to spend your big money. Personally, I am the former type.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2500
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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uribou
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