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OptiPlex Gs 200
From a design standpoint, Dell Computer's Dimension XPS M200s
($3,179 direct) and OptiPlex Gs 200 ($3,265 direct) are impressive
machines. (With an upgrade to 64MB of RAM, the systems sell for $3,479
and $3,565, respectively.) Both units also offer competitive
performance, although the Dimension fared better than the OptiPlex on a
number of tests. OptiPlex units have optional networking features and
are aimed at corporate users, whereas Dimension PCs, with their 12X
CD-ROM drives and high-end audio subsystems, are targeted at small and
medium-size businesses. The Dimension was a price/performance leader in
this roundup, and it earns a well-deserved Editors' Choice in the
business systems category.
OptiPlex PCs offer Dell's convenient (and recyclable) OptiFrame slimline chassis. Internal components pull out or swing away easily, affording clear access to the motherboard. The value-priced OptiPlex that we received came with an optional 16-bit audio card and integrated Ethernet, although it lacked some features of the higher-end OptiPlex GXi line, such as USB ports and DMI compliance. The unit also came with a pair of Altec Lansing speakers and a 15-inch Dell monitor. The integrated graphics subsystem was bypassed in favor of a 4MB PCI graphics board, the Number Nine Imagine 128 Series II.
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| OptiPlex GS |
The Dimension midtower's most salient feature is its internal Iomega 100MB Zip drive, which comes with three cartridges. The system also offers a Matrox Millennium graphics board; a 33.6-Kbps voice modem; audio provided by a wavetable card from Creative Labs, the Sound Blaster AWE32; a pair of Altec Lansing speakers; and a 17-inch Dell monitor. In addition, Dimension XPS units come with a software bundle that includes Microsoft Office Professional.
Both of the Dell machines were strong performers on most of our tests, although the Dimension surpassed the OptiPlex on several test suites. On our Disk WinMark 97 tests, the Dimension earned the roundup's highest score using its 3GB IBM hard disk, but the OptiPlex produced a score below par with its 2GB Quantum hard disk. The Dimension also outperformed the OptiPlex on our CD-ROM WinMark 97 tests: Its 12X CD-ROM drive helped it to an above-average score, whereas its sibling's 8X drive produced a below-average score. On our applications tests, the Dimension again fared better than the OptiPlex, earning better-than-average scores on our Photoshop Gaussian Blur and Unsharpen Mask tests; the OptiPlex posted a worse-than-average score on the Photoshop Gaussian Blur test. All other scores were average.
Both Dell PCs are good choices for their intended users. These models show why two other similarly equipped Dell systems recently won Editors' Choice awards ("Pentium and Pentium Pro: Choose Your 200," December 3, 1996).
- Robert S. Anthony
Dimension XPS M200s. Direct price: $3,179. OptiPlex Gs 200. Direct price: $3,265. Dell Computer Corp., Austin, TX; 800-388-8542, 512-338-4400; fax, 512-728-3653; www.dell.com.
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