Dell showed up on the computer manufacturing scene in the 1980s, offering an innovative idea in home PCs. Instead of offering only "out of the box" computers, they would allow users to request PCs custom built to their specifications. One of the most popular Dell PCs, the Dimension, was a desktop model targeted to home users, unlike previous models which had been targeted primarily at business users. In the middle of 1997, the Dell Dimensions was replaced by the Dell Inspiron series. Current incarnations of the Dell Inspiron include the 530, 530s, 531 and 531s. In the model number, the small s indicates that the model is a slim style, with a smaller footprint, making it easier to use this computer when space is limited.

You can build these affordable computers to your own specifications on the Dell website. Include the processor and operating system of your choice (including the increasingly hard to find Windows XP, which Dell intends to carry alongside Vista until 2010), graphics cards, motherboards, hard drives and other options. You can pick out the software you want installed, too - including Microsoft Office, Quicken and others. These mid-range computers offer an affordable price and performance suitable for most home users. Those who need more out of their computer have access to the higher end business models, but those have an accordingly higher price tag. For most home users, the Dell Inspiron is all that's needed.

It should be noted that the slim design models for the Dell Inspiron cannot always incorporate every single feature of the full-sized models. For example, the graphics card must be half the size of that included in the full-sized model. Nonetheless, the slim designs do incorporate most basic PC functions at full capability, as their full-size counterparts. Because users go through Dell's detailed questionnaire as they build their computers, it's very easy to see whether or not certain functions can be included with a particular model. In other words, if the slim design is going to deprive you of functions you must have, it's very easy to see early on that you must have the full-sized model instead.

Dell Inspiron desktops have a great track record, and are known to be almost problem free. However, a design flaw in some notebook models led to easy breaking of solder between the chip and motherboard. This has not been a problem with desktops, which are almost universally sturdier than laptop computers.

Newer versions of Dell Inspiron (530, 530s, 531 and 531s) are also much quieter than previous computers. In fact, their fans operate at barely audible levels so that noise is almost nonexistent. This has not been true of previous computer models (including Dell's), where fan and even hard drive noise was troublesome enough to be distracting to users. For an affordable computer that can't be beat for the price, try a Dell Inspiron desktop computer. Its plug-and-play features also make setup very easy, so that even the most novice users should be up and running in no time.