Testing
Specification
| Dell Dimension C521 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD X2 4200+ dual core 2.20GHz processor |
| Memory | 2x 512MB DDR2 Dual Channel 533MHz RAM |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon X1300 128MB graphics card |
I've now had a chance to test the machine and it seemed very quick indeed (in terms of processing performance, at least). It came with all the usual Dell software rubbish installed. AOL, McAfee etc. I cleaned all this off, updated Windows and the ATI drivers, then gave it a quick spin on HEXUS.pifast and 3D Mark 2006. The machine itself was very quiet, the main fan span up initially then tapered off gradually until the only noise I could hear was hard disk activity.
HEXUS.pifast
HEXUS.pifast was run on the system to provide an idea of its CPU performance.
| HEXUS.pifast | |
|---|---|
| Series computing time | 47.59 seconds |
| Division time | 5.80 seconds |
| InvSqrt time | 3.59 seconds |
| Final huge multiplication time | 2.44 seconds |
| Total computation time | 59.61 seconds |
3D mark 2006
I downloaded and ran the latest version of 3D Mark 2006. It ran quite slowly, but that's not very surprising considering the graphics card isn't targeting the gamer. The X1300 in the system is a half height PCIe card with TV-out and a DVI port.
| 3D Mark 2006 | |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 874 |
| HDR SM3.0 Score | 327 |
| CPU Score | 1646 |
Additional poking around
I took a trip to the BIOS to see what tweaks there were in there. I was disappointed. Apart from a hard disk noise setting there were no performance options at all. Not a massive surprise seeing as this is a Dell, but one can hope.
I also took the time to inspect the inside of the case in a bit more detail. I saw two interesting things. Firstly there is an unused USB header inside, as well as space to put another IDE connector on the board which Dell seem to have decide to leave blank. I also noted that Dell has not bothered with PS/2 ports, which is good to see; why these are still taking up space is beyond me! The PSU is a custom Dell model which states it is 280W in output.
Our thoughts
First of all, thanks to Gordy for giving us a little insight into what's inside a Dell-AMD PC and how well it performs.
Inside, the system has Dell written all over it. Modern Dell PCs are exceptionally easy to get inside and swap things around, usually without any tools.
As for performance, graphics performance seems to be roughly in line with what we'd expect from the system and CPU performance with 2.2GHz cores also seems fair.
Overall, Dell's usual build quality has been applied to an AMD-based PC and it looks to perform exactly how it should. We'd discuss its appeal, but it seems a moot point given that it's not available on Dell's site any more.
