get the cheaper p3
Written: Apr 14 '01
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Pros: reasonable cost, ease of use, case
Cons: hidden cost savings, poor performance, deteriorating tech support, needs more SSE2 applications for real speed
The Bottom Line: Dell crippled it with slow RAM and a poor video card. How else could they get it out under $2000?
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| beanbear's Full Review: Dell Dimension 8100 Series |
Abstract:
The 8100 is more of a marketing coup than a speed demon. For people who need a pre-built P4, it's a decent machine, but be warned that it will be slower than a P3 or Athlon. Dell on-site service is ABYSMAL.
Design:
It's a nice case, with the solidity and attention to detail that marks Dell cases (usually based on Palo Alto cases). The aesthetics are subjective - many people will feel that the black/chrome theme is on its way out, but others won't. It is worth nothing though, that if you want to replace the monitor, keyboard, etc. in the future, black components are more expensive and harder to find than beige ones.
Quality:
Overall quality is nice and what you expect from Dell; however, you're still at the mercy of the quality of the individual components. Anecdotal evidence suggests a sharply rising rate of hard drive failures for some reason. Regardless, the Achilles Heel here is that Dell outsources its on-site service. Typically, expect at least 2-3 days of phone troubleshooting with a Dell tech via the dreaded "instruction tree" - ie: "Ok, do A. Is it doing B? Ok, try C. Let's go back to A and try D."
Our experience with the on-site tech was frustrating, resulting in numerous canceled appointments (4) and they brought the wrong capacity hard drive. Be aware that all the on-site techs do is bring and install a new piece of hardware per Dell's instruction. They will not troubleshoot any resulting issues or help you get back on your feet. Backups and system restores are your responsibility.
Performance:
To get the 8100 under the magical $2K price point, they cut many a corner. The most crippling is the use of slower PC600 RDRAM. The 2 key advantages of the P4 are its superior memory bandwidth and SSE2, a vector unit similar to the Apple G4's AltiVec (this is oversimplified, of course). By using the much cheaper PC600 instead of PC800, Dell has seriously hobbled the memory performance of the P4. Second, there are few SSE2-optimized applications. Unless you make your living with an application like Photoshop, the added costs simply aren't worth it. Third, Dell uses a remarkably old video card that provides only 1/4-1/3 of the performance of a modern card.
Finally, this generation of P4 is merely a transitional chip. The smaller, lower-temperature P4 is about 3-6 mos. away and will make a gigantic difference in price and system requirements.
Value:
Very poor. If you absolutely have to have a pre-built P4 now, then there's little alternative. However, if you actually need the P4's performance, and not just the status, you need PC800 RDRAM, a fast video card, and to run SSE2-optimized applications.
Alternatives:
The 1Ghz P3's have dropped deeply in price and represent a much better value. This will be even more true as the P3 prices drop further in the coming weeks as Intel goes into full "price-war" mode. The top P3's provide as much real-world performance as the P4 for a fraction of the price.
The Athlon and Duron from AMD also provide a great value, with the Duron providing near P3 speeds at 1/3 of the cost; however, there is spotty motherboard support and questionable Windows 2000 compatibility. The AMD's are excellent options for those who know their hardware inside-out, but less than ideal for those who just want their computers turn on and work.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 2125
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
beanbear
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Member: B Kim
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 7 members
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