Dell’s Dimension 8100 PC

For some PC enthusiasts, nothing but the best will do. It doesn’t matter to these people that a computer with an 800 MHz processor will work almost as fast as a 1.5 GHz one for the applications they use. Let’s look at the Dell’s

Dimension 8100 PC for their benefit.

The Dimension 8100 is the latest and fastest machine currently available from Dell (until the time we went to press). At its heart lies an Intel 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 processor, the second fastest processor available from Intel (the fastest one now a is 1.7 GHz one). It also has an NVIDIA GeForce Ultra video card that handles graphics well and a 7200-rpm Western Digital hard drive. Bundle this with a 17” monitor, built-in network interface, and a well-designed cabinet, and you end with an appealing computer.

Too much praise? Well, it does have a few glitches. The model shipped to us came with 128 MB RDRAM–inadequate considering the rest of the hardware. Also, the two speakers that come with the computer are grossly inadequate for its sound card–a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz with support for four-speaker output. Apart from these two inconveniences, there is little else to complain.

Performance is excellent. The machine can satisfactorily run any application you would want to. In 3D gaming, the GeForce Ultra gives some of the best scores we’ve ever seen in PCQ Labs, and makes mockery of games like Quake III by delivering frame rates of above 200 on a low resolution like 640x480, and above 80 on high resolutions as well as color depths like 1280x1024x32. A processor like a P4

1.5 GHz will not really make a difference if the majority of work that you do has to do with productivity applications. For such applications, a slower processor will give a similar performance at a much cheaper price. 

This computer is obviously for the professional and avid gamer. Also, it has been Dell’s USP to sell customized machines online. So, you can make alterations to the configuration to suit your needs. Overall, Dell’s Dimension 8100 PC is a good, but expensive, performer.

Anuj Jain at PCQ Labs