Dell Dimension 3000

10/4/04 - It has been quite some time since Dell introduced its last budget desktop system but they have finally released the new Dimension 3000 to replace the aging Dimension 2400. Of course, with all of Dell's budget systems, the buyer has to pay attention to the special offers at the time as system specifications can change dramatically.

Powering the Dimension 3000 is the new Celeron D processors with the increased frontside bus speed. This gives a good increase in the performance of the CPU, but it still lacks behind the Pentium 4 line. Matched to this is 512MB of PC3200 DDR that runs at a PC2700 speed. While the memory may run at a slower speed, the faster memory can allow for future processor upgrades.

Storage on the Dimension 3000 is standard for the budget segment. Hard drive space is handled by an 80GB hard drive that should provide sufficient storage for most users. Optical storage is handled by a 48x CD-RW burner. One odd thing to note is that Dell charges extra for the CD recording software suite which is unfortunate.

Graphics are definitely the weak spot for the Dimension 3000 as it is for most budget systems. It uses the Intel Extreme 2 integrated graphics which has very limited 3D capabilities. To make matters worse, the system lacks and AGP or PCI-E slot for a graphics upgrade.

Overall, the Dimension 3000 is a decent budget system that gives users a bit of extra headroom for future processor upgrades, but it is still limited by its graphics.