Dell Inspiron 518 - The Perfect Desktop For Everyday Use

Dells extensive desktop family now includes the new Inspiron 518. Backed by the Dell name, quality, and power, this mini tower desktop provides high performance for any type of user. With a shiny black casing and beautiful chrome accents, this desktop can make any office or room look a bit more exotic. The Inspirons budget, along with functionality, is geared a bit more towards families and students than those techy individuals out there.
The Inspiron 518 starts at $329. This is for the basic build with not extras or upgrades. As with any Dell, you can customize the build of your Inspiron 518 to meet your specifications. The more you add the higher the sticker price will go. Regardless, this is one of the most powerful computers on the market - especially for the price.
Under the hood you will find a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 256 ATI Radeon HD 3450, and a 320GB 5,400rpm hard drive. The Inspiron 518 also has gigabit Ethernet for fast connection speeds, dual-layer DVD burner, and operates on Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit).
Currently the Inspiron does not support 64-bit operating system, and Windows 7 Key cannot be upgraded to such without an upgrade to internal hardware. If you are planning to upgrade to Windows 7, you will need to consider Windows 7 Key this seriously, as the new operating system is 64-bit. Other manufacturers are selling similar desktops on 64-bit operating systems, so this is a step behind for Dell.
The overall design, of the Insprion 518, is quite sleek and easy on the eyes. Dell did not stop with the overall appearance; they actually added a tray, to the top of the mini tower, for easy storage of small plug-n-play devices. Additionally, there were two USB 2.0 ports added, near the tray, to allow users to conveniently charge and connect with these devices.
Dell provides consumers with friendly interfaces and easy navigation. To increase the user experience, they have now added what is called the Dell Dock. Similar to Vistas sidebar, you can customize this dock to hold icons for your favorite applications and files. This gives you easy one-click access to those things you use most. You can customize Windows 7 Key where the dock appears, on your desktop, along with the option to completely shut it off.
There are a few features, that Dell normally offers, that are not available on the Inspiron 518. Consumers cannot upgrade their optical drive to a Blu-ray drive. Draft-N-Wireless is an available extra on this model. As for graphics cards, your choices are limited. You will either have to choose the low-end graphic card, or stick with the ATI Radeon HD 3450 as no other options are available. There are still many other extras that can be added, but you are limited on the Inspiron 518, unlike many other Dell machines.
This is a great desktop for everyday personal use. Whehter you are a college or high school student, or simply need a computer for the entire family, this is a good deal. The Inspiron 518 is backed by the Dell name and provides users with outstanding performance, numerous features, and is extremely user-friendly.