AxlxA said:
Desktop = poor but CHEAP
Laptop = good AND cheap!
dell mp3 players = sucky
Dell LCDs = good and CHEAP!
Tech support = talking to a machine because those outsourced indians are reading from a script.
Warranty = great. "I dont know why it's not working anymore(because i broke it myself)" Okay sir, we'll send you a replacement.
This is a fairly good summation. Except I am not a fan of their laptops. The business class laptops are definitely better than their consumer class ones, but they are still nothing compared to a thinkpad (pre-lenovo) or dare I say it, a MacBook Pro (+Boot Camp for you windows users). But hey, I bought my mom an Inspiron 600m and it's been fine for her use over the past 7 months, so maybe things are getting better. I have a friend who is buying the D620, so after he gets his, I MAY consider replacing my 3 year old Powerbook with it for daily use.
Their desktops are cheap, but they are far from reliable. I used to manage an entire computer lab of them (about 100+) and through my three years there, I ended up replacing EVERY motherboard, and EVERY hard drive, in each of the machines as a result of Dell shipping us some flawed machines. They never admitted they were all bad, and only after most had been replaced did they officially send us a crate of hard drives to replace the bad ones. We had horrendous downtime as a result of Dell taking their sweet time shipping us parts under warranty. The place I work now is a Dell shop as well, but using slightly better machines, so the parts turn over is quicker and not as frequent.
I'd probably trust them enough for a machine if it were available at the right price, and included a good 3+ year warranty (which I have had some good experiences with, especially when you clearly know more than the person you are talking to). I love their monitors but for the love of god, bring back the 2405FPW. Actually just give me the 2407FPW's screen in a case from a 2405FPW, because I do not like the new style of the xx07 series. I have one 2405 and want another (because I have gotten used to having 3 2001FPs and 2 1701FPs on my desk at work) but I can't find any in a decent price range, and would prefer the two match.