Thread: Dell Dimension ES21

The Dell Dimension E521 represents the entry point for Windows Vista Home Premium. Sure you could run that Vista edition with less (1GB instead of 2GB, single core instead of dual core), but in my opinion, this E521 is the effective minimum configuration to keep you computing in good stead for the next few years. With the introduction of more programs that take advantage of Vista's new features, and with the extra add-ons like Vista Gadgets and (missing) security software, you'll need the future-proofed features if you're the type of user (beginning multimedia enthu¬siast or budding power user) who wants Vista Premium instead of Vista Home Basic.

The Dimension E521 comes in Dell's stan¬dard mid-tower BTX case, with room for a couple of hard drives, a couple of optical drives, expansion cards, and memory. It's got the standard Dell level of tObl-Iess upgradeability: you don't need to turn a screwdriver to add mem¬ory, an extra drive, or PCI or PCle expansion card. Not that the system requires anything else: the E521 I tested came with a discrete AT! Radeon X1300 Pro graphics card, though the system can accommodate more powerful enthusiast graphics cards, too. You could argue for a higher-powered graphics card or a TV tuner, but these components cost extra, and I'm not sure if they're necessary on a basic midrange Pc.