Dell

[Viper007Bond]

If I HAD to buy a prebuilt and I was using my own money, I'd get a Dell.

However, building my own is a much, much better solution.

 

[AxlxA]

well the problem is, you can get a dell dual core with some decent hardware for roughly 500, including a nice LCD and speakers and keyboard/mouse. So for 500USD, i dont think I can build a computer that can match its performance.

The processor alone is gonna be roughly 250-300. Then you tack on an LCD, 100gb harddrive, and 1gb of ram. + a dvd burner. wow.... dell is the way to go for CHEAP.

Hokie, I have to agree with your on thinkpad/macbooks.... that they're technically superior. BUT how much are they? and how much is an Inspiron?

I dont know about you guys but being Chinese has made me very FRUGAL with my money.

 

[hokiethang]

well the problem is, you can get a dell dual core with some decent hardware for roughly 500, including a nice LCD and speakers and keyboard/mouse. So for 500USD, i dont think I can build a computer that can match its performance.

The processor alone is gonna be roughly 250-300. Then you tack on an LCD, 100gb harddrive, and 1gb of ram. + a dvd burner. wow.... dell is the way to go for CHEAP.

Hokie, I have to agree with your on thinkpad/macbooks.... that they're technically superior. BUT how much are they? and how much is an Inspiron?

I dont know about you guys but being Chinese has made me very FRUGAL with my money.

No I completely agree, If I were suggesting a laptop to someone else, I'd probably suggest a Dell, but for my own personal use, I know I would need something pretty sturdy. Hell my Powerbook has been in for service under warranty a few times for reasons that can not be conclusively linked to my treatment of my machine. When I get into the market for a new laptop (Which likely will be after I pay for my trips to Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix) i'll seriously consider the Latitude D620. I need a laptop with a metal frame, something that was lacking from Dell for a long time.

I may pick up a $700 Dell dual core machine though to use for a project machine instead. Hopefully they'll do some more deals with the 24" LCD when I'm ready to buy one. I'd build one myself, but I couldn't build anything close to the same power, for the same price. I'm also very pleased with the quality of the Dimension 9150 (it's what I have at work), and I have had very few hardware related problems so far with it. Hopefully Dell build quality is coming back, but it's not quite there yet.

 

[cvrefugee]

No no no, it had one fan for the ENTIRE SYSTEM. Not including the one in the PSU.

That's a very efficient design, depending on the CPU. On my dad's whisper silent 400SC, it's perfect. With that same design on an early P4 or Prescott, then yes, I would agree with you.

 

[AxlxA]

ya 24" ws lcd was the best deal i've seen. Too bad I already have 2 LCDs and 2 computers...... maybe I should buy another since I have to move to Wisconsin in a month.

 

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I would never spend my hard-earned money on a Dell product.

 

[jeffy777]

I wouldn't buy a desktop from them, mum has one that's just awful. Their idea of a CPU cooler is a lump of aluminium with a green thing on it and one single 92mm fan. Her system was really overheating badly, I put some spare cooling kit in it that was left over from my old system.

Their laptops don't seem that bad, however.

and how many CPU coolers you've seen that have more than 1 fan?

No no no, it had one fan for the ENTIRE SYSTEM. Not including the one in the PSU.

No way, maybe they forgot to place some more at the factory? I've NEVER seen a PC without system fan, apart from ones designed to be silent.

I kid you not. This thing had a single exhaust fan with a green shroud connecting the cheesy aluminium heatsink to the fan. Dell calls it their "advanced thermal solution". I can tell you this, it certainly wasn't advanced and it was loud as hell, that fan would go bananas and spin upto about 3500rpm under load, very loud.

Yep, you're right. My little brother had a cheap dell desktop and it had the same fan setup. I've also seen an HP with this same design. Ultra lame.

I do like their laptops because you get a lot of bang for the buck. I bought my wife one with a dual core and I can play BF2 on there when I'm on vacation, so it was well worth it I even dropped it once and it didn't skip a beat :lol:

IBM's lineup was overpriced last time I checked, and since every student received one as part of their tutition at the college I went to, I got my fair share of the Think Pad. I had a number of hardware problems and had to exchange mine on more than one occassion. I don't think you get what you pay for in that case. That was my experience anyway.

 

[Magnet]

I just got a Dell laptop (although my uni paid for it) and it's great <touch wood>. I just elevate it a bit to give it a bit more ventilation.

 

[GTV V6]

We have all Dells at work, bought by me and a mate in 2 batches of 8 and 12. they are Dimention 8400s and are FAR better than anything else out there if you look at the costs involved.

If you look at the alternatives, you could buy from a "local" "PC maker", but these are just cobbled together from any old bits, any old case & not tested. or you cold buy from another "big name supplier" such as HP, Fujitsu-siemens or acer. These usually end up being much more expensive as the normal online price doesn't include a monitor. All of ours have 17" LCDs.

Another thing, ours have a similar "Big green" heatsink thing, but it's more than it seems, they use heat pipes which are typically used on SFF PCs as they work well and can be really quiet (as are ours)

To sum up, we have 8 + 12 identical PCs (which in its self is a big plus), that are quiet, reliable, fast and (overall) better and cheaper than anything else we could find.

Personally, I'd recommend them for business use.

As for home use, I'm not too sure, after building my last 6 systems, I'm not sure, though the XPS range looks good (not for sale in spain yet though).

 

[evoWALO]

You buy a Dell to get a deal. You buy branded so you only have to go to one vendor for the documentation & support. DIY PCs are OK only if you're confident about your PC knowledge. If you dont know squat about PCs then get a Dell or better yet a Mac.

A few years ago I worked on a Dell Optiplex & Dell Dimension and they're pretty OK machines for what they are.

 

[Overheat]

I think I'd go for a Dell over any other brand. One of the main reasons being that they hold their value well, which is more than can be said for most computers. But added to this, their laptops are great, their LCDs are great and occasionally they make a half decent desktop too.

I've had my Dell Inspiron 9100 for about two years now and although it's now quite outdated, it's still a brilliant machine that I'm really happy with.

 

[evoWALO]

Dell hold their value better? That's something seeming Dell normally price their warez so low that older models would have the tendency to depreciate faster.

 

[Overheat]

I've found that both Dells and Sony Vaio's hold their value better than any other computer maker.

 

[CBuck03]

DON'T EVER GET A DELL... THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!!! I HAD TO WAIT 4 MONTHS TO GET A PIECE THAT THEY DIDN'T SEND ME! FIRST THEY SEND A USED ONE! THEN THEY DON'T SEND A NEW ONE AT ALL. THEN AT THE END OF THE 4 MONTHS THEY SAY THAT THE COMPUTER WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO DO WHAT IT SAID IT WOULD DO!!!! IN THEIR ADVERTISEMENT IT CLAIMED THAT IT COULD DO SOMETHING THAT IT COULD'NT!!!

Don't Buy Dell

Sorry if i over did it with the caps :lol:

 

[jeffy777]

Dude, a little over dramatic, are we?

 

[evoWALO]

yeah get a Mac. these things retain its value like you dont know what.

 

[jeffy777]

Dell normally price their warez so low that older models would have the tendency to depreciate faster.

Man, I didn't know Dell had stooped to the level of selling "warez" :lol:

 

[cvrefugee]

DON'T EVER GET A DELL... THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!!! I HAD TO WAIT 4 MONTHS TO GET A PIECE THAT THEY DIDN'T SEND ME! FIRST THEY SEND A USED ONE! THEN THEY DON'T SEND A NEW ONE AT ALL. THEN AT THE END OF THE 4 MONTHS THEY SAY THAT THE COMPUTER WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO DO WHAT IT SAID IT WOULD DO!!!! IN THEIR ADVERTISEMENT IT CLAIMED THAT IT COULD DO SOMETHING THAT IT COULD'NT!!!

Don't Buy Dell

Sorry if i over did it with the caps :lol:

Michael would disapprove.

 

[janstett]

Dell is kind of like McDonalds to me... Good when you need something fast and cheap.

My desktop is a year- old XPS 5, Dual-core Pentium D Xtreme (Hyperthreading on each core so it looks like 4 processors). I like it OK, the case is relatively well designed too.

My work laptop is a Dell, it's a workhorse; it works, but I'm not thrilled with the design and lack of attention to detail. I've had Dell laptops for my job for the past 5 or 6 years, I'm overall displeased with how quickly they developed problems and cracks in the cases in the past. I prefer my personal Thinkpad and my MacBook over the Dell. I've had three Thinkpads in a row and I love them, but I think Lenovo is starting to ruin the formula so I may have to switch to something else.

When I get a Conroe/Woodcrest desktop (I really want one now), the Mac Pro really has my eye once they get the Windows/BootCamp part worked out. Two dual-core Xeons at 3 GHz And believe it or not it comes in cheaper than the equivalent Dell.

Dell is all about price (and when it comes to widescreen LCDs, that will work in my favor).

 

[Firecat]

Had several dell products, laptops & desktops. No real issues, except the dvd drive on the one desktop failed w/ hardly any use.

I have about 5 of their flat panel displays that I plan on using in a fast food restaurant i'm building. They were pretty cheap, hope they last.