The Bottom Line
- Dedicated Graphics Card
- Includes 19" LCD Monitor
- Relatively Inexpensive
- Smaller Than Average Hard Drive
- Case Is Relatively Large For Small Form Factor
- Difficult to Upgrade
Description
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor
- 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- ATI Radeon X1300 With 128MB Memory and Dell E197FP 19" LCD Monitor
- AC'97 Audio with Stereo Speakers
- 10/100 Ethernet
- Six USB 2.0 Ports and 13-in-1 Card Reader
- 15.8" x 4.5" x 14.2"
- Windows Vista Home Premium and MS Works 8
Guide Review - Dell Dimension C521 Small Desktop PC
2/21/07 – Dell's Dimension C521 was their first product to offer an AMD processor, something they had never done before in their history. This was a significant achievement for the rival to Intel and offered a new avenue of low cost computers for Dell.
The Dimension C521 is based around the AMD Athlon 64 line of processor. They are available either with the single core or the dual core X2 models. Most ship with the X2 3800+ dual core model that provides strong multitasking without much cost. This is matched up with 1GB of PC2-4200 DDR2 memory that is pretty much a requirement for running the new Vista Home Premium operating system.
Storage is quite good as the C521 uses desktop sized drives. The 16x DVD+/-RW dual layer burner is a nice touch as Dell tends to offer low cost systems with CD-RW combo drives instead. On the downside, the 160GB hard drive is a bit on the small side even for a small form factor system.
One of the big pluses for the Dimension C521 is the inclusion of the ATI Radeon X1300 graphics card. Even though this is not going to make huge waves in terms of 3D performance for things like gaming, it does provide the system with sufficient power to use the new Aero interface of Vista. Dell also includes a sizable 19” flat panel LCD monitor with the system.
The Dimension C521 has some problems with its case design. Essentially it is a half sized version of a normal mini-tower desktop case. One would think this would make it easier to upgrade, but its tight confines make upgrading quite difficult. It is also much bigger than many other small form factor desktops on the market.
