Product Reviews

The Dimension XPS M233s is the updated version of the XPS M200s, from which it differs primarily in being equipped with Intel's Pentium/233 MMX processor. Despite the turbocharged CPU, the Dimension has features and a price that should make it appealing to both the home user and business purchaser. In fact, when you consider that in addition to the fancy processor you get 32Mb of SDRAM, a 512Kb cache, a roomy 4Gb hard disk and flashy Millennium II graphics, the £1,524 ex VAT Dell is asking for this machine is extremely reasonable.

The midi-tower case looks reasonable, and it didn't emit an excessive amount of noise from its cooling fan or the hard disk, although you could hear the metallic singing of the latter at close quarters. The keyboard is nothing special, with a moderately positive action which felt better than it sounded, but you do get an OEM Microsoft mouse with the extra rotary scrolling control between the buttons.

Dell supplies its own 15in Trinitron monitor with a 13.75in image diagonal and digital controls. They're basic, but adequate for setting up the test unit satisfactorily as far as geometry is concerned. This 15in monitor is much more usable at 800 « 600 than at 1,024 « 768, but it does meet the new VESA standard of 85Hz vertical refresh in the latter mode. The image is bright and the general focus is reasonable, but not quite the standards of the best Trinitron/ Diamondtron tubes I've encountered.

Dell has used an ATX-style

This leaves one ISA and three PCI slots free, but if you use the ISA slot at any point a shared backplate cut-out between the two types means you lose a PCI slot. This isn't a vast amount of expansion, but it is enough given that this is a well-equipped machine.

A pair of DIMM sockets next to the expansion slots provides memory expansion to a maximum of 64Mb. An upgrade should be painless - the sockets are in plain view and one is empty.

There are three drive bays up for grabs: one internal 3.5in slot and two that open through the fascia, one 3.5in and one 5.25in. Given that this machine has 4Gb of storage, a 100Mb Iomega Zip drive and a fast 12-24-speed NEC CD-ROM drive, the free bays should be enough for the needs of most users during the lifetime of the system.

The Iomega Zip drive is worth having: it provides 100Mb of backup or data transfer for £10 per disk, and comes with a set of software utilities to encourage you to use the thing (see Labs issue 35).

To add a thick layer of icing to this particular cake, Dell throws in a rather tasty set of Altec Lansing speakers made up of a chunky subwoofer and a pair of satellites. This lot produces a meaty and convincing sound that makes music playback a pleasure as opposed to a punishment, as is often the case with the cheaper and nastier PC speakers some manufacturers will palm off on the unsuspecting.

With the Pentium/233 MMX processor inside and a Millennium II on board, you'd expect a fast performance, and the Dimension provides one, clocking in quicker than the P200 MMX-based AST Bravo (see opposite). While it's not a record beater, this is a solid performance from Dell.