COMPUTERS : Dell Seeks to Broaden Its Markets : Technology: The new machines try to match features--and prices--to different types of users.

Dell Computer Corp. will launch two new lines of personal computers and add to an existing one today, sharpening its strategy of different brands for different kinds of customers.

The new machines are designed for corporations that are linking PCs in a network and enthusiasts who are big on the latest technology.

For more than a year, PC companies have based brand strategies on a good-better-best model in which machines get more expensive as more features were added.

But Dell now plans to build and price computers based on the habits of users.

For instance, for a high-end computer aimed at the home enthusiast, Dell will not offer the capability to link to a corporate-style network as a standard feature. That would bring its cost down to customers who want an advanced machine but don’t need to hook up with anyone else.

The strategy follows months of research that resulted in the company creating different classifications of computer users--”techno-types” of people who use PCs in different ways.

“It’s operating on different planes,” said Sean Burke, director of product marketing and planning for Austin, Tex.-based Dell. “It’s not just more features, more price.”

He said the narrower focus should help Dell optimize its profit. Beset by trouble with its notebook computers and costs of changing its internal structure to cope with rapid growth, Dell has forecast a loss for its recently ended second quarter.

The company’s new NetPlex line is aimed at companies linking PCs in a network. Dell will introduce five such systems, ranging in price from about $1,350 to $3,500.

A new line called OptiPlex is meant for a company that has computer users who need a lot more power and features. The frame inside them can be removed easily to upgrade memory or add other features. The first models will range in price from about $1,700 to $3,750.

In addition, Dell will expand its Dimension line, which is targeted at consumers who understand a lot about computers, with three models called XPS that have very large hard drives and high-quality graphics. The computers, which range in price from $2,450 to $3,365, have a “virtual” video screen that extends beyond the border of a typical monitor, a feature aimed at artists, architects and graphic designers.

All the new machines use 486 microprocessors.