Dell's Vostro 200 line of desktop computers is designed for small businesses with basic needs and strict budgets.

You're obviously not going to get a thundering powerhouse of a computer for the low price at which these are offered. These models are built around the 1.6GHz Intel Celeron 420 processor, but you can upgrade to the 2.0GHz Celeron 440 for a small additional charge. Since these modest processors power them, the Vostro 200 computers aren't ideal for multitasking, but they are fast enough to get basic jobs done at a decent clip.

If you need a display, consider going with Dell's bundled Vostro 200, which ships with a 17-inch LCD at an excellent price. The display matches the black mini tower nicely, gives you abundant screen room and doesn't take up much desktop space. This bundle also includes an upgrade to a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 processor, so you'll get a boost in the speed of the computer as well.

Dell includes 512MB of fast 667MHz RAM with the Vostro 200 desktop computers. Unfortunately, even though Dell touts them as business machines, the default operating system on the Vostro 200 line is Windows XP Home or Vista Home Basic; upgrading to the Professional version of XP or the Business version of Vista will add to the price tag. You will also need to upgrade to 1GB of RAM if you want to run Vista.

Storage starts out at a modest 80GB on a 7,200rpm drive. You can increase the size of the hard drive or add a second one to these models (for an additional charge, of course) if you need even more storage space.

The combination optical drive is able to read DVDs as well as burn audio and data CDs although it doesn't have the capability of burning DVDs. If you need to write your own DVDs at the office, you can upgrade to a DVD-RW drive.

The graphics processors in the Vostro 200 computers are also rather basic, consisting only of integrated Intel graphics. While this is fine for most business applications, these systems will balk at any type of heavy graphics lifting, including computer-assisted design or gaming.

There are no modems in these computers, but the built-in Ethernet port makes them ready to connect to an office network. These models also lack floppy drives, but business users are increasingly turning to USB thumb drives for transporting small chunks of data, and the Vostro 200 features four USB ports on the front of its tower for easy access.

There are also front audio ports for connecting headphones and a microphone (or a headset), but these models don't ship with speakers at the baseline price. On the rear of the system are four more USB ports for connecting peripherals, but there is no parallel port for connecting legacy peripherals.

At just over 1 foot high and less than 1.5 feet deep, this mini tower can be tucked under or placed on top of a desk without taking up much space.

The Vostro 200's input devices are serviceable but pretty basic. You can upgrade to an optical mouse and a multimedia keyboard, but the prices are pretty steep. If you're looking for more advanced input devices, the Bluetooth combo is a better option; it's pricey, but it eliminates the cords for both keyboard and mouse.

The included software bundle is also rather limited. You get a 30-day subscription to Norton Internet Security, as well as Microsoft Works 8, which doesn't include Microsoft Word. If you want the more familiar Office applications running on your Vostro 200, you'll need to upgrade. You can get the Basic edition of Office 2007 with Word, Excel and Outlook, or you can choose the Small Business edition also gives you Publisher.

The barebones Vostro 200 cuts a lot of corners to get to its low starting price, but if you opt for the LCD bundle, you get a lot of appealing upgrades while still keeping the cost relatively low. If your small business needs are rather basic, the Dell Vostro 200 is a well-designed and capable desktop computer line.


Pros: Excellent price, decent components
Cons: Basic operating system

Warranty
1 year, limited