Discontinued... But Still Kickin'!
Written: Aug 29 '00
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Pros: Should be inexpensive now, Easy to upgrade!
Cons: Not for Overclockers
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| KarsinTheHutt's Full Review: Dell Dimension XPS T500 |
Although discontinued, the XPS T series still packs considerable punch!
The XPS T was my first Dell PC. Although Dell has replaced this venerable model with the 4100 series, the XPS T provides great value should you ever decide to purchase a used one.
XPS T computers were manufactured with only the highest quality parts. The motherboards on all XPS T machines use time proven Intel SE-440BX boards. The 440BX chipset, while limited to 2x AGP and ATA-33 hard drive controllers, has the most efficient memory controller to date, and manages to meet and even beat newer core logic sets such as the Intel i820. The Intel board has 1 AGP slot, 5 PCI slots, and 1 ISA slot, leaving much room for system customization and expansion. 3 DIMM sockets allow for up to 768 MB of PC100 SDRAM, or 50% more than boards based on the Intel i820 chipset. And should you need a faster chip, the XPS T can support Pentium III Coppermine processors at speeds of up to 850 MHz. The only caveat concerns overclockers, because the Intel mobo doesn't allow users to change the front side bus settings.
Over the past year, I've been able to upgrade my XPS T with amazing ease. Adding a CD-Burner and replacing the hard drive was a piece of cake. An ATI TV Wonder card also posed no problems when I installed it. The mid tower case is slim, but there is more than enough room to work with inside.
Should your computer ever need replacement parts, Dell will ship them to you overnight. For minor problems, tech support is OK, but sometimes I knew as much or more than the staff. For example, I talked to three Tech Support people about a Zip Drive problem before I found one who could resolve my problem (I Didn't know that Zip drives must always be the secondary slave IDE device when all IDE sockets are used).
If you decide to buy a used or refurbished computer, the XPS T is an excellent choice. But be sure to inquire about what kinds of video cards and components are inside. All components used in the XPS T series are top notch, but you may want to know whether the video card is TNT2 or GeForce based, etc. As far as Dell is concerned, the XPS T is history, but I'm convinced this computer will remain useful to any user for years to come.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 501-600
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
KarsinTheHutt
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Karsin Eng
Location: United States of America
Reviews written: 83
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
I am a part time computer hobbyist and moderator at forum.thinkpads.com
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