Dell Dimension 4700 Review

Dell Dimension 4700

Dell’s new Dimension 4700 is built on Intel's 915G Express chipset and features DDR2 memory and the PCI Express expansion-card interface.

For around $1500 you can pick up a Dell Dimension 4700 with a 3.0GHz Pentium 4 530 processor, 512MB of DDR2 memory, a spacious Serial ATA 160GB hard drive, and a crisp 17-inch LCD. Gamers and power users looking for a midrange bargain will want to add a graphics card after purchase; our test system relied on Intel's new integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 900 chip, and this Dell comes with a low-end Radeon X300 SE.

The Dell Dimension 4700 uses the same case as the Dimension 4600, Dell's mainstream home PC, and it’s not the most attractive case available at the moment!

Outside the case, optical drives fill both of the front-accessible 5.25-inch drive bays, and although there's an empty 3.5-inch bay, the front panel is designed to accept a standard floppy drive but not a media-card reader. Along with standard legacy ports on the rear panel, there are also six USB 2.0 ports. You'll find an Ethernet jack that supports both 10/100 and Gigabit connections, plus audio jacks to connect up to a 7.1-speaker system (although you'll need to switch the function of the microphone jack in the BIOS to activate an additional outgoing channel). The Dimension 4700’s front panel contains a headphone jack and an additional pair of USB 2.0 ports, providing easy access and plenty of room for connecting devices such as your digital camera or MP3 player.

The Dell Dimension 4700 is built upon Intel's new mainstream 915G chipset. Incorporating features such as an improved integrated graphics chip and support for new DDR2 memory, new Intel Prescott processors, and Serial ATA hard drives, the Dimension 4700 brings with it a host of new technologies that add up to a strong midrange performer.

The Dell Dimension 4700 utilises Intel's new integrated graphics subsystem, the Graphics Media Accelerator 900.. If you're a casual gamer, you should be able to play most 3D titles currently on the market, with at least moderate detail settings.

Your Comments/Opinions

If the 128 PCI Express x 16 ATI Radeon X300 SE is not enough for a wanna be gamer and wanna be power user (!)...what do you recommend...at a reasonable price?

drbannister@hotmail.

$1500?? Not any more!!! If you watch dealcatcher.com, you can get a 4700 exactly as described above, also with a 17" LCD for less than $600, including free shipping & 2 year warranty and in home service!!! I ordered one today, Dec 17, 2004. An absolute st

Larry Parker

Sorry about the double post. I got cut off and the system double posted. As I was saying, the 4700 + 17" LCD at under $600 is a STEAL! Do NOT get the X300 SE. If you can't afford an X800, then Google "PCI-e video cards" & look around.

Larry Parker

Need a video card for this thing....know any good ones that will fit

darn_ship@hotmail.co

I have used the 4700 for 2 months now, and I'm very satisfied with it. It's a fast machine (I'm not a gamer) for surfing, music editing, and photo editing. It's a real multi-tasker... Tested the basic mac mini the other day... it is a very slow machine compared to mine, and cannot do other task at all during copying/writing cds.. Mine.. p4 3g, 512mb ddr2, 160BG SATA, x300SE.

Shazz

Umm id say PCI-e is worth the buy as its the best out there, even better then AGP and standard PCI being the worst, i got myself a Geforce 6600 GT with this computer and it runs like a charm!!!

Sheckler

i have a dell 4700 but i need help i dont now what graphics card do i need 2 get 4 up 2 date games like the ones with hi powerd graphics. and i want 2 know what cards 2 get at the monment i got x300se card with is crap. i have pci express slot and 2 pci slot so whitch card 2 i buy is it pci or pci espress card

andrew

'how much?? now.'

flywolf

I like my 4700 but i'm a heavy gamer and want the best visuals there are especially for company of heroes. I have no idea of what graphics card will be compatible with the system but want at least a 256 or even a 512, and help will be greatly appreciateed

flex

I GOT A ENGLISH DELL 4700 , 3GHZ PENTIUM 4 1500MB RAM AND A TERRIBLE 125 RADEON 125MB VIDEO CARD, I SPOKE TO DELL AND THEY SAID NO OTHER VIDEO CARD IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE 4700. THIS REALLY TICKED ME OFF CUS I'M A HEAVY GAMER. ANY SUGGESTIONS?? PLEASE PROVE THEM WRONG

FLEXTER

I have bought a nVidia 7800 GTX but it says I can't install drivers from nVidia website. I downloaded it and during install it says not compatible. How did you get the 7900 installed. My card came without a drivers install disk.

Breck

I have a 4700 and I'ts a beauty. I have riged it up with a 550 Watt PSU and a nVidia Geforce 7900 GTX, which AMASINGLY FITS! The PCI-E port is in not the most accessable of all places, especally with the small amount of space between the port and the DDR 2 RAM modules. I have 4 Giabytes of ram and two SATA harddisks at 1 TB each. I have also two dual dvd writers in the machine along with a SoundBlaster Audigy 2. The machine in my book is an outright high performer in all conditions, although to up its spec you need a little money. Gaming experience is amazing, what i would like to seen is dual SLI configurations in upcoming Dell's. But this machine is awesomley fast. I am also a video editor and under heavy loads the 3.6 GHz HT processor has no problems. What I would comment on is the poor cooling system the machine has. From my own expeince, the processor fan in may 4700's was inserted back-to-front, in stead of blowing air out it was infact sucking it in, thus making the machine sevearly hot. (anyone with a hot to the touch machine should have their CPU fan alterd ASAP) I also think that there isnt sufficiant cooling around the harddisks, I was experinceing tempretures inside the case and on the haddisks above 60oC before any upgrades! The 4700 is a alround high performer for gamers and enthusiats alike, although some more care could have been taken in its inital design, its a very good machine for its price, and upgradable to near high-end, if your willing to splash out a couple of hunderd quid. I say 9 out of 10.

Dan

i just got my new Jaton 3dforce mx4000 in the mail. took off the case of my 4700 and the card doesn't fit! it is standard length i don't know if it is a factory mistake but agp slot on my board is about 1/4 cm from where it needs to be for cards to fit... HELP

Vince

Dell Dimension 4700 PCs do NOT have AGP slots.