X

Dell soups up its Dimension PCs

Dell Computer will on Monday unveil a new model in its Dimension line with a 166-MHz Pentium and a new design engineered for speed.

headshots_Brooke_Crothers_140x100.jpg
headshots_Brooke_Crothers_140x100.jpg
Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
See full bio
Brooke Crothers
Dell Computer will introduce a new top-of-the-line PC for its Dimension line on Monday.

The Dell Dimension XPS P166s comes with performance-boosting hardware, including the recently introduced Intel 166-MHz Pentium and synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) previously found only in high-end workstations.

Dell will complement its SDRAM technology with next-generation dual in-line memory modules, or DIMMs. A single DIMM will replace two SIMMs--the traditional design--increasing reliability by reducing the number of necessary components. The new model will also include a super-fast 8X CD-ROM drive and a massive 2.5GB hard disk drive.

The system will come with an integrated Vibra 16 sound chip from Creative Labs. For customers who require higher-end sound capabilities, Dell will offer a Creative Labs AWE 32-based upgrade card.

Finally, the Dell Dimension XPS P166s is housed in a new chassis that offers easier access to internal components through an improved layout and more efficient cooling.

The Dell Dimension XPS P166s is priced at $3,799 for a fully configured system that includes: 16MB of SDRAM, 512KB of pipeline burst cache, a CD-ROM drive, a 2.5GB hard disk drive, the "Imagine 128" video card with 4MB of video RAM, the Creative Labs AWE 32-based card, speakers, a 28.8=kbps data-fax modem, and a monitor, as well as Windows 95 and Microsoft Office Professional software.