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The three computers, which come with a price tag starting at around £300, will have the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux system pre-installed for use out-of-the-box. The desktop PC models will be the Dimension E520 and XPS 410n, while the laptop will be the Inspiron 1505.

All three PCs will use Intel Core 2 Duo processors. The two desktops machines come

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with 1GB of RAM and 250 GB hard drives, while the laptop includes 512MB of RAM and an 80 GB drive.

The move comes as Dell looks at ways to tap into lucrative niche markets, such as Linux users, as well as find ways to reduce the cost of its complete systems. One big way of doing this is to cut the cost of bundled software and operating system licences.

Earlier this month, Dell joined the interoperability collaboration between Microsoft and Novell in an effort to improve the way Linux systems and software work alongside Windows software and operating systems.

This will not be the first time a major PC retailer has offered Linux-based systems. US supermarket chain Wal-Mart has offered PCs running the Linspire operating systems for several years.