Dell Studio MT Review

Dell is known for its customizable laptops and desktops. But it is now trying to sell to consumers an off-the-shelf desktop without offering any customization. Dell Studio MT desktop is the successor to Dell Studio desktop which we reviewed here at DigitGeek. The Dell Studio desktop failed to impressive with high pricing and not up to the mark configuration. Dell has definitely improved over its predecessor by attaching an attractive price tag with the desktop while offering good configuration at the same time.

Dell Studio MT specifications :

• Dimensions : 6.7″ x 17.1″ x 14.3″
• Form factor : Mini-tower
• Weight : 24.9 lbs
• Color : Piano black
• Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad 8200/ 2.33 GHz
• Chipset  Intel G45 Express
• RAM : 6GB RAM DDR2 SDRAM
• Graphics : ATI Radeon HD 3450
• Sound card : Integrated
• Power Supply : 350W
• Card Reader : 15-in-1
• Hard Drive : 750GB SATA-300 7200rpm
• Optical drive : DVD-RW 16x
• OS : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit
• Warranty : 1-year
• Approx. price : $749

Dell has managed to stuff in a lot of high end stuff in this mid-range desktop PC. The Intel Quad Core processor with 6 gigs of RAM is surely going to get a lot of people interested. It also has a 750GB hard drive along with a ATI Radeon HD 3450 which will get gamers interested too. The desktop can be used for various tasks which include normal home use, gaming as well as an entertainment PC.

Dell hasn’t worked on making the exterior look attractive and it still has plain looks but it has a better design that the Dell Studio desktop. Dell has surely worked on including better components at a reasonable price which you can instantly make out from the configuration and the price tag. The graphics card now has a HDMI port allowing you to hook up your TV to the desktop. HDMI port is slowly gaining on popularity in desktop due to a large number of devices now supporting the standard.

The desktop does not have wireless connectivity which is increasingly becoming common in desktops. Although having WiFi in desktops has limited use but if you having wireless connectivity all over your house it can be helpful at times. Talking more about the ports, it has Firewire 400 ports, coaxial S/PDIF digital audio output port and the regular USB stuff. It also includes a card reader that supports around 15 formats. Dell does not have the eSATA port, really useful if you have a external hard drive with eSATA capability.Dell hasn’t included any accessories with the system.

Dell has left just enough space for expansion with space for adding a hard drive and PCI cards. There are two 1x PCI card slots free for you to use. Also there is a free 16x PCI card slot and a free PCI modem slot. The memory slots are all filled up, so you will have to remove existing RAM sticks to bump up the memory. The inside of the cabinet is clean with cable tied properly and tucked into corners.

The desktop competes with its HP and Gateway counterparts which have similar configuration at similar price point. HP also has some AMD machines in the market which can match their Intel counterparts. HP on one hand have better looks than HP but is prices slightly on the higher side. Gateway is always known to have offered great configurations at attractive price.

The Dell Studio MT has a dedicated graphics which most desktops lack at this price point. The addition of the 3D card is a major strong point of the desktop as it converts it from a desktop for regular use to one which can be used for gaming as well as also as a home entertainment PC. The ATI Radeon 3450 has showed what is worth of and can be used for either of the two tasks mentioned above efficiently. A dedicated graphics is always recommended for Windows Vista for the ‘WOW experience’.

Desktops have been shipping with Quad Core processors for a long time now, but not many desktops in sub-$800 category have been shipping with these monsters. Quad cores are more expensive than their AMD counterparts  which are more likely to be found in budget systems. Multi cores have hit the scene big but applications have failed to utilized them to full potential. Applications such as Photoshop etc are the only ones to discover their true potential.

Coming on to the performance of the desktop, it outperforms in its category. The processor can handle high processing load especially when running multiple applications. For applications such as Photoshop supporting multiple cores, it makes life much more merrier. The 6GB RAM isn’t something you would run out of easily even when running most memory intensive applications. Having no free memory slot isn’t a downside when you have 6 gigs of memory under the hood.The graphics of the desktop can handle games at mid settings making it an attractive option for gamers too. Overall a great performer without any performance issues. The desktop comes with a standard one-year limited warranty. Expecting extended warranty in this price range is asking for too much.

Pros :

• Great performance
• Attractive pricing
• HDMI port
• Expansion capability

Cons :

• No wireless capability
• Plain looks
• No memory expansion slot

Final Thoughts

Dell Studio MT is an excellent desktop from Dell’s warehouse. It combines great performance with killer pricing to make it a winner. One can probably overlook the plain looks and lack of wireless capability as they are not much of a concern. The Quad core processor coupled with 6GB RAM makes for a deadly combo. The addition of a dedicated 3D graphics card that you normal don’t see in budget rigs is the icing on the cake. It adds more dimensions the PCs. The PC also has room for expansion with free PCI slots and a hard drive bay though you can not add more memory without removing the stock one. If you are looking for a desktop in the same range then your search ends here. You could actually save a few bucks by getting this machine rather than something expensive!

My Rating : 4.25/5