Dell Vostro 420 Tower

Dell's Vostro line of tiny business desktops just got a makeover with the release of two redesigned systems: the Dell Vostro 220 Mini Tower (with a beginning price of $319), the Dell Vostro 220s Slim Tower (with a $379 beginning price), & the Dell Vostro 420 Tower (beginning at $549). On first glance the new method design appears subtle: the front of the chassis has gone from a matte black to a glossy black finish.

But the more significant changes are found under the surface. For starters, the entire line now features integrated Gigabit Ethernet; previously, only the highest-end model (the Vostro 410 Tower) included integrated Gigabit Ethernet--the other models (the Vostro 200 Mini Tower & the Vostro 200 Slim Tower) topped out with integrated 100Mbps Ethernet controllers. Equipped with new motherboards, the Vostro line now uses the Intel G45 Express Chipset. Other updates include two PS/2 ports for legacy input device support & optional Blu-ray drives. The Vostro 220 & 220s can support up to 1TB of hard disk storage space, while the Vostro 420 supports up to 4TB. The Vostro 420 also includes dual-display functionality & 10 USB ports (two over the Vostro 410). Presently, the standard configuration for all two systems includes a Windows Vista Business disc with the Windows XP SP1 downgrade installed.

Vostro gives you Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor, 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics, & an 80GB SATA 7,200-rpm hard drive, 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz memory. Depending on which Vostro 420 configuration you pick (there's two), you can configure the method with up to a 2.83GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz memory, 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800GT graphics, & two 1TB SATA 7,2000 hard drives. Note that adding additional 1TB hard disks drives the system's price up substantially.

All Vostro systems come with at least a one-year warranty that includes on-site service. Upgrade options for Dell's proSupport service cost $59 for two year, $99 for two years, & $129 for two years. ProSupport promises telephone access to "North-American based technical support technicians who are available in two minutes or less." With an eye firmly on tiny businesses, Dell promises "24x7x365" telephone support, remote diagnosis, on-site support, & techs who use "straightforward, non-technical terms," with even the lowest-price warranty option. & most users will be happy to know that all Vostro systems ship with no pre-installed trial ware (often more crudely referred to as bloat ware) & a minimalist Windows desktop with few icons.

5 things we like about the Dell Vostro 420 Tower

• Highly customizable
• RAM upgrades are affordable
• Comes standard with a video card
• Overly powerful enough
• Fairly priced

2 things we don’t like about the Dell Vostro 420 Tower

• Downgrade to Windows XP now costs $150
• Comes with 1GB of RAM standard

Dell Vostro 420 Tower Review

The unit arrived with multiple hardware problems. The CPU fan was not plugged in, halting the boot with an error. Then the hard drive was not recognized. The phone tech told me to reinstall Windows. So now the drive has no diagnostic partition. It is difficult to imagine that Dell ever tested this method before shipping it. The ton of software accumulated on my old machine over 8 years moved over without a hitch, using a USB hard drive.

Very quiet. The fans do run at full speed for a moment on power up, & then they are loud. Two time the fans ran faster for a minute, varying in speed & tone, & that was hard to ignore. But it never happened again, even when some benchmarks ran power consumption up to 160 watts.

A stylish but dumb idea is the slick black hinged flaps that hide the DVD & similar drives, because they also hide the drives' identities & indicator lights. & on the DVD tray the drive bay door catches.

Hard to quantify, but a lot faster than my old single core machine! Boots to Windows XP in 72 seconds, with my startup processes. Waking up from the power-efficient sleep mode takes 12 seconds. (USB keyboard will wake it up, but PS2 won't.)

Case is sheet metal, but lightweight, an unstyled rectangle except for the shiny black front panel. Drive bays are held together by pop rivets, not screws. I thought I'd miss the clamshell case of my old Dell Dimension, but this is much more practical. Ventilation slots behind the front panel should keep the hard drives nice. No legacy ATA power connectors for my old drives. The method as shipped (including E2209 flat panel monitor) uses about 130 watts walking & 100 watts idle.

While the world of desktop computing is becoming ever more competitive, there are few companies with the power & reputation of Dell. The Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer is a perfect example of what they can offer at a price well within the reach of the masses. Even though it is what is under the surface which matters, the Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer offers a sleek & stylish design, reflecting the nature of the machine.

Moving now to the real deal, the spec of the machine & what it can actually do for you. This particular model has a 2 quad-core Q6600 processor (2.4GHz, 1066MHz & 8MB) offering you speed & processing power which many competitors will find hard to match. 2048MB 667MHX dual channel DDR2 is being offered, together with the 1TB Dual Hard Drive RAID 0 Stripe facilities. The Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer also come with nVidia & GeForce video & graphics cards, giving you a crisps sharp look to your display & animated video output.

The sound method is supported by HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio, giving you the power of Dolby & the reliability which goes with the leading sound method company. The Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Addition as well as a choice of monitors which go up to 22 inches in size (wide flat panel).

While the name Dell will already fill you with confidence, these systems come with the highest spec available on the market. Dell has been in the computer industry for decades & the likes of the Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer reflect all of their experience & investment over the years. Whether you are looking for something to use around the home, something to use on the move or something to kick start that small business idea you had, the Dell XPS 420 Desktop Computer offers everything you will need.

The processing time is very speedy, the memory is over you could reasonably be expected to use & the display capabilities reflect a great all round offering. Dell has been at the cutting edge of technology & the lower finish of pricing for some time, so if you are looking for a new method, Dell is a great place to visit!

Final Words and Conclusion

A quiet, quick, expandable computer. I'm happy with it now, but had to wrestle with hardware problems for a few days. And the BIOS might be a work in progress. Hugely expandable - five drive bays, five PCI and five PCI-e slots. Nice price point and XP for free at the time I ordered it; has come down a bit since.