Dell Dimension 4300

You'd be forgiven for thinking the Pentium 4 was designed solely for Rambus if you had listened to Intel's marketing spiel earlier this year. Only now are we seeing Pentium 4 chipsets that support other types of memory, as Intel pushes the Pentium 4 into less expensive systems as well as high-end power PCs.

In the case of Dell's Dimension 4300, the Pentium 4 is supported by Intel's 845 chipset with PC133 SDRAM - the choice for the cost-conscious system builder, which also provides an easier upgrade path. Our first look at the chipset in Systemax's P2000RV Premier 1180 (see Reviews, issue 85, p145) provided fairly pleasing results in comparison with the similarly specified Evesham Evolution 2000 (see Reviews, issue 84, p125) with Rambus.

Unfortunately, Dell's most recent offering doesn't match up quite as well, partly due to its use of a 1.7GHz CPU compared to Systemax's 2GHz unit. An overall 2D benchmark score of 3.66 compares poorly with the Systemax's 3.93, although at £1,149 the Dell offers better value for money.

The price even includes a GeForce3 graphics card over the Systemax's GeForce2 MX/400, although the 3D performance was surprisingly slow. Running 3DMark2001 at our standard test resolution of 1,024 x 768 in 32-bit colour produced a fast but unremarkable score of 5,080. You only need to look at a GeForce3 Titanium and 1.53GHz Athlon machine like the Mesh Matrix XP1800-Ti5 (see p149) with a score of 7,611 to see how far 3D performance can go now.

Dell supplies the Dimension 4300 with a 17in Trinitron monitor. It's well focused in all corners even when you increase the resolution to 1,600 x 1,200 at 75Hz, and it offers a sharp and clean picture with bright, vibrant colours. A DVI output is also available on the graphics card, giving you an upgrade path to a DVI TFT like the superb Philips Brilliance 150P2 (see Labs, issue 85, p123).

The black exterior of Dell's PCs is becoming more commonplace and contributes to the stylish case design, which is also easily accessible. The Dimension 4300 features two USB ports behind the front flap and two at the rear. Opening the unit is simple - a release button on the top of the machine allows the case to swing open. Only then will you notice the loud whirr from the huge Pentium 4 fan, as Dell does a good job of soundproofing the case to ensure the fan doesn't become annoying when the box is closed.

Dell is also keen on making the unit easy to upgrade, and the use of retainer clips inside the machine means you won't need a screwdriver to install new hardware. However, with only two free PCI slots - the first two being used for a modem and sound card - options are limited for additional peripherals. Similarly, users interested in upgrading system memory to make full use of future Windows XP applications will be disappointed that both DIMM sockets are already used up with just two 128Mb DIMMs. There's room for an additional hard disk inside the machine, although the 40Gb Western Digital hard disk should be enough to accommodate most users in the near term. The optical drives are also well catered for, with an LG CD-RW, which can write CDs at 16-speed and re-write them at ten-speed, in addition to a 16-speed NEC DVD-ROM.

The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card provides decent audio and even offers 5.1 decoding through its three outputs. However, the supplied Harmon Kardon HK395 speakers offer only basic stereo with a subwoofer - a missed opportunity for Dell to offer a fully featured 5.1 sound system.