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Dell Dimension 4100 (1999)

1999–2001 · desktop

Specifications

Cpu: Intel Pentium III (Coppermine), 500 MHz to 933 MHz depending on configuration
Gpu: Integrated Intel i810 graphics (base) or optional ATI Rage or Nvidia TNT2/GeForce2 MX AGP card
Ram: max: 512 MB PC100/PC133 SDRAM (3 DIMM slots) · base: 64 MB SDRAM
Ports: Serial x2 · Parallel · PS/2 keyboard · PS/2 mouse · USB 1.1 x2 · Joystick/MIDI (on sound card models) · 10/100 Ethernet (optional NIC) · 56K modem (optional)
Display: No integrated monitor; sold with Dell CRT displays (15" or 17") as a bundle option
Storage: base: 10 GB ATA/66 HDD · options: 13 GB HDD · 20 GB HDD · 30 GB HDD
Os Support: latest: Windows XP (unofficial, ran fine on higher spec units with a RAM upgrade) · shipped: Windows 98 SE or Windows NT 4.0/2000, depending on configuration ordered
Release Price: $999 (as configured with a Celeron; Pentium III configurations ran higher, up to around $2,000)

Variants

Models

Base configurationEntry build with Intel i810 integrated graphics and a 500 MHz Pentium III, sold as Dell's value desktop.

Performance configurationHigher clocked Pentium III (up to 933 MHz) paired with a discrete AGP graphics card, aimed at gaming and multimedia buyers.

Upgrade paths

RAM

512 MB PC100/PC133 SDRAM across 3 DIMM slots · Tool-free case latch on most Dimension towers of this era, DIMM slots sit right at the front of the board.

~$20

EASY

storage

Any ATA/66 or ATA/100 IDE HDD the BIOS can address, practically up to 128 GB with an updated BIOS or add-in controller · Standard IDE ribbon cable and Molex power, no proprietary Dell connectors on this generation.

~$15 for an IDE cable, drive cost varies

EASY

GPU

Any AGP 2x/4x card of the period (Nvidia GeForce2 MX, ATI Rage 128, later GeForce4 MX on some boards) · Base units with the integrated i810 chipset have a free AGP slot but a fairly weak PSU, check wattage before fitting anything power hungry.

~$40-$80 on the used market

MODERATE

CPU

Pentium III 933 MHz (Coppermine), the fastest socket 370 chip Dell qualified for this board · Socket 370 is physically compatible with faster Coppermine and even Tualatin chips via an adapter, but Dell's BIOS microcode support is the real limiter.

~$15-$30 for a used chip

HARD