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By Jonathan Blackwood
An old candybar advertising jingle declares, "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't." Dell is offering a similar choice with its two new delectable 200MHz Pentium desktops-the Dimension XPS 200s and the OptiPlex GXM 5200. While both are based on Intel's top Pentium processor, they have decidedly different missions. Dell's Dimension line of desktop systems is targeted to small business and home enthusiasts, and its OptiPlex line is clearly intended for high-performance corporate computing. I found a lot to like in both.
The Dimension model is based on an Intel Terminator motherboard in the new ATX form factor with an AMI flash BIOS and the Intel 430VX chipset. It was equipped with 512KB of pipeline-burst level 2 cache, a 1-gigabyte Quantum hard disk and 16MB of SDRAM (expandable to 64MB of SDRAM, or 128MB of EDO RAM). The system has three PCI slots, three ISA slots and one shared PCI/ISA slot. A Creative Labs Vibra 16S sound chip is motherboard-mounted, and there are two integrated bus-mastering IDE channels on the PCI bus. The Dimension also comes with an NEC 8X CD-ROM drive and a 28.8Kbps U.S. Robotics Sportster V.34 fax modem.
Complementing the excellent 17-inch Dell monitor (from Samsung) is a Number Nine Imagine 128 Series 2 graphics adapter with 4MB of VRAM. A Microsoft mouse and a space-saving keyboard with Windows 95 keys round out the configuration.
The OptiPlex GXM 5200 was similarly configured, though it uses a Dell-designed motherboard with the Intel 430VX chipset. The system has a built-in 3Com EtherLink III network interface, but it does not include a fax modem. The OptiPlex has only two PCI slots, but it does offer six ISA slots.
On our Wintune benchmarks, the Dimension 200s racked up scores of 362MIPS for the processor and 17.0Mpixels per second on the video. It achieved a data-transfer rate of 3.5MB per second on the hard disk test. On our application tests, the Dimension took an average of just 9.33 seconds to complete our Excel macro, and 12.67 seconds to execute the Word macro. The OptiPlex actually scored better, a surprising result for a machine geared for the stability-over-performance corporate world. Its CPU score was 361MIPS, its video pumped out 21Mpixels per second, and its hard disk transferred data at the rate of 3.8MBps. The 5200's average times to execute the Excel and Word macros were extremely fast-7.67 and 10.67 seconds, respectively.
If you choose either the Dimension XPS 200s or the OptiPlex GXM 5200, you'll get a competitively priced, high-performance machine with all the trimmings.
Info File
Dell Dimension XPS 200s
Price: $3,099
Pros: Performance; configuration
WinMag Box Score: 4.0
Dell OptiPlex GXM 5200
Price: $4,232
Pros: Performance; price
Dell Computer Corp.
800-BUY-DELL, 512-338-4400
WinMag Box Score: 4.0
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