If you're not restricted by a tight budget and are happy to spend money on a fast PC that won't become obsolete within the next few years, the Dimension 8300 from Dell is a safe bet.

With a 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512Mb of memory and 120Gb hard disk chugging away, things already look good. The hard disk should be more than ample for the whole family, but there is space to add an additional disk if needed. In our system tests, the Dimension 8300 performed exceptionally well. The ATI 128Mb Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card also performed outstandingly and will run the latest 3D games with ease.

The Dimension sports a CD/DVD-RW combination drive and while two individual drives would have been better, recordable DVD is a definite plus. It also leaves a 5.25in bay free to add another drive. There's no floppy drive but as removable USB sticks are becoming the preferred small-storage medium, this is not a huge problem.

However, while the hardware is superb, the build quality is not the most user-friendly and opening the Dimension's case is not easy. Although there are no screws to fiddle with, the case can only be opened by pressing two separate buttons simultaneously, which are located at the top and bottom of the case. The case opens sideways but you need to take care not to yank it as this can tug on the internal wires. There are four memory card slots, two of which are unoccupied. However, because of the case design they can be a bit fiddly to get to. Of the four PCI slots, only two are in use - one for the modem and one for the Creative Audigy 2 sound card. The sound card is excellent for home entertainment enthusiasts wanting to add surround sound. This leaves two slots free for other devices.

The outside of the case looks neat, with a flap that lifts up to reveal a pair of USB 2 ports and a headphone socket. Although this is aesthetically pleasing, the USB slots are fixed at an annoying angle, which makes inserting anything a bit awkward. However, the back of the PC has a further six USB 2 ports and a FireWire port that comes as part of the Creative sound card. This is very handy for attaching multiple peripherals.

The Dimension 8300 comes with an 18in TFT monitor, which complements the powerful graphics card well. The display is clear and bright and provides great viewing at its native 1,280 x 1,024 resolution. There's also a standard Dell keyboard and mouse along with a set of Altec Lansing speakers.

The Dimension 8300 is supplied with Windows XP Home, Microsoft Office 2003 Basic and comes with a three-year warranty. If you're after a system that looks good and performs well, then this is a good buy, even with its few niggles.

Contact: Dell 0870 152 4649
www.dell.com