Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower desktop review

Part of Dell’s new business computer range, the Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower desktop is one of the series’ smaller representatives. It is aimed at smaller businesses who might be conscious of the amount of space they use in their office. PC Site reviews the Dell Vostro 230 to see how well it stands up compared to other desktops.

What we like best

This desktop is powered by Intel Core 2 dual-core processors with hyperthreading capabilities. A business computer is expected to allow for smooth word and data processing as well as browsing – ideally simultaneously. This is fully met by the Dell Vostro 230: performance is fluid and reliable.

With cyber attacks on the rise in recent months, businesses are rightly concerned about their data being safe. The Dell Vostro 230 goes to some lengths to address these concerns, e.g. with the pre-installed backup and recovery software that secures data regularly and without hassle. The inclusion of Trend Micro Internet Security is overall a welcome step, although some might view it as unnecessary software to be gotten rid of as soon as possible after setting up the computer.

It is also a very light computer that won’t take up a lot of space – important factor in a lot of todays businesses.

What we like least

Four of the Dell Vostro 230’s six USB ports are at the back of the unit, which makes them a bit cumbersome to reach and use. This is presumably due to the fact that the main unit just isn’t very big, leaving little space at the front for ports.

The NVIDIA GeForce G310 does not make for great quality video viewing, it has to be said – the contrast tends to suffer compared to newer NVIDIA models. Similarly, the integrated graphics card will disappoint users who work with design software.