Dell Dimension E510

Dell's Dimension E510 offers a very unique double layer of data protection with their DataSafe features, but beyond this the system doesn't have much to offer those that can't be found in other systems for less.

2/20/06 – Dell continues to buck the trend towards AMD processor by being one of the only companies to solely use Intel. The Dimension E510 is based around the Pentium 4 630 (3GHz) desktop processor. This is a fairly strong processor that also supports future 64-bit software such as Windows Vista. Dell sadly only matches this up with 256MB of PC2-4200 DDR memory instead of the 512MB or 1GB of RAM found on most competing systems.

What really sets the Dimension E510 apart from other systems is the storage capabilities. In particular it deals with the DataSafe system. This combines the RAID1 system to take two hards drives and mirror them in case one fails along with Norton Ghost to create data backup images as well. This gives two layers of protection to really help prevent catastrophic data loss. It would be nice to see Dell include this with some larger drives and a DVD burner standard as well.

Graphics wise the system is a step up from previous mainstream desktops because it includes a PCI-Express based Radeon X300SE card with 128MB of memory over a integrated graphics solution. This allows the E510 to perform 3D graphics, but they are still below what many would want for PC gaming. Dell also includes their 17” flat panel LCD monitor to make this a complete system.

One of my biggest gripes with the E510 is the Windows Media Center in a system that lacks video capture and playback features to truly take advantage of the operating system.