Dell Dimension C521 (AMD Sempron Processor 1.8GHz; 256MB RAM)

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After so much buildup, you might think that the Dell Dimension C521 would make a more dramatic entrance. It is, after all, one of the first two Dell consumer desktops to include a processor from AMD. But rather than rolling out the new partnership at the top of the desktop market with an unattainable gaming PC, Dell has made a wiser move in debuting its AMD boxes as more budget-friendly, day-to-day PCs. The Dimension C521 starts at S$699 (US$467.78), and our review model costs S$1,979.25 (US$1,324.53) thanks to its various upgrades. At that price, it's competitive performance-wise compared to other systems in its class, but Dell hasn't used the smaller chassis very well here. The Dimension C521, unfortunately, feels like an uninspired throwback.

Design
The Dimension C521 measures 400mm tall, 362mm deep and 114.3mm wide, making it taller and wider than the Fujitsu DeskPower C620(which is 321 x 315 x 84mm). Both can accept only half-height expansion cards, but we're more willing to forgive that in the DeskPower C620 because it's smaller overall. The Dimension C521, on the other hand, takes up only slightly less space than a typical midtower desktop, so we're not really sure what benefit you get from its barely reduced volume. If you want to stick with Dell, the midtower Dimension E521 (the other AMD-based PC Dell announced alongside this one) makes a much better system for adding parts.

	It may look sleek, but the C521 doesn't save all that much desk space.

Features
Our Dimension C521 came with a 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+, 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a half-height 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro graphics card. There are few day-to-day tasks the Dimension C521 can't handle. Windows Vista should operate well, although you might need to scale back on the Aero visual effects due to the lower-end graphics card. The current Windows Media Center 2005 operating system and the DVD burner should give you a decent digital entertainment experience, but you can forget about a more powerful sound card, a dedicated video encoder, or even a more powerful graphics card for bolstering video quality and playing games, because the Dimension C521 case isn't large enough to accept full-size expansion cards.

In addition, Dell includes a 13-in-1 media card reader and a 17-inch LCD monitor. You can make the typical upgrades to add memory, a larger screen, or various software bundles (our system came with only Microsoft Works), but again, due to the limitations of the case, you can add neither a second internal hard drive nor a second optical drive. We wouldn't expect to find a wireless networking adapter in a larger, budget-to-low-midrange desktop, but we might expect to find one in a smaller PC. No matter how you consider the Dimension C521's case, Dell doesn't offer one here. But to be fair, few other vendor of a small-form-factor PC, mainstream or otherwise, makes built-in Wi-Fi available. The overlarge but still upgrade-limited case meant that Dell, in our opinion, really needs to reconsider its ideas about the reduced-footprint PC.

Performance
At least we can say that Dell chose our review Dimension C521's config wisely. On our performance tests, it hung in alongside the other systems we've reviewed over the past few months that fall within the S$700 (US$468.45)-to-S$1,000 (US$669.21) price range. Yes, it finished last on a few tests but never by a wide margin, and in general it performed exactly where it should given its specs. We've made it clear in past reviews that Intel's Core 2 Duo chips are superior to AMD's Athlon 64 X2's, but AMD adjusted prices to stay competitive, and by using an Athlon 64 X2 4600+ in this price range, Dell has shown that AMD's chips are still worth considering. We are also satisfied with this system's 3D performance. You won't be able to play the most cutting-edge 3D shooters on the Dimension C521, but it will at least give you a playable experience with the more mainstream titles, such as the Sims 2 and World of Warcraft.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 image-processing test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Adobe Photoshop CS2 image-processing test

Dell Dimension C521

277

Apple iMac Core 2 Duo 17-inch

805

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Apple iTunes encoding test

Apple iMac Core 2 Duo 17-inch

165

Dell Dimension C521

179

Service And Support
Dell offers a one-year next business day onsite warranty which covers parts and labor. The company's support Web site contains a knowledge database for basic troubleshooting and downloading of updated drivers. Optional warranty options include extended three-year warranty, HelpDesk, onsite service during nights and weekends, and Plus Phone support can be purchased together with the system. Plus Phone support extends the technical phone support to include Saturdays. HelpDesk coverage provides a 24-hour phone support to an expert who can help with any problems related to Dell hardware and peripherals and even some third-party software from major vendors like Microsoft Office. The full package, which includes all the optional warranty options, will cost S$180.60 (US$120.86).