Gateway or Dell??

[elmer166]

I am looking for a new computer and am thinking of buying a DVD burner with the computer. Would it be better to buy a third party DVD burner or just get the one that Gateway or Dell sells?

Thanks

[kitty]

I would look at the burners on the market and figure out what you want to do - data backup, movie backup, home movies, settop DVD disk compatibility, etc. Then choose a format such as +r(W) or -R(W) (or with the Sony 500a both). Then see what piece of crap that Dell & Gateway put in their machines and see if it matches your expectations. If it doesn't consider putting your own in (If you are uncomfortable installing a drive on your own many shops will do it with purchase for a small fee).

At this point I am comfortable picking out my components to make sure I have the compatability I want. The machine I bought had Lite-On CD/DVDROM drives which I knew were rated favorably and supported by programs like Nero. I've decided on getting the Sony DVD burner & install it myself based on reading things here on VCDhelp. If I were to get a machine with a noname burner in it I might get stranded using whatever piece of crap software they bundle with it (although many drives are a bit more generic/standard it is hard to be sure).

[crahak]

I wouldn't buy a gateway or dell. Most local shops can do better, and at a better price, or even better, you can build your own. It's really not that hard at all. So you might, save money, learn something, and have a better computer.

[Craig Tucker]

I wouldn't buy a gateway or dell. Most local shops can do better, and at a better price, or even better, you can build your own. It's really not that hard at all. So you might, save money, learn something, and have a better computer.

I totally agree, build your own.

http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=120773&highlight=dell+build

[Ste]

Either build your own or if you're too lazy, just go buy a VPR Matrix from Best Buy. They're the closest thing to home-made for a good price. They also come with 2 built in FireWire inputs.

http://www.bestbuy.com[/url]

[kitty]

Ste has a point if you are in the US. If you look at the vprMatrix machines at Best Buy they often have such nice things as Intel MB, Intel processor, Lite-On drives, lots of firewire & USB ports, decent HD, WinXP and good price. Factor in a 3 year warranty though to back it up - my CD burner bit it and they sent a new one with Nero to boot.

Don't get me wrong - rolling your own or having your local shop do it are also alternatives. Dell has always had a good rep & service but you pay for it these days.

[medievil]

Heck, buying one from tigerdirect would be better than Gateway or dell, they are a rip off (I know from experience, my first PC was Gateway and it took forever to pay it off)
Atypical Gateway $1200 priced PC will cost you over $2000 after finance if you go that route. Plus that $1200 pc wouldonly be $600 anywhere else.

[jman908]

look here for some opinions on dell's many screwed-up shipping policies. http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=120731
Oh and medievil, i have heard tigerdirect can be a real pain occasionally. heard of one guy whose tigerdirect comp bit the dust suddenly or something, he called tech support and they couldn't do anything.

don't flame me for that

[subclubkid]

I purchased a Dell around 7 months ago. I didnt know to much about computers at the time, and they offered a payment program.

I then purchased my own dvd burner, and drive kit (I have a labtop) and other "toys" for my labtop.

While Dell hasnt been a nightmare, I would still suggest building your own. I plan on building my next one.

[bnbhoha]

I bought two dells this past summer and have no regrets. I too have builit 3 computer for friends and family and in the end, I really didn't save much. Dell always has great deals w/ free shipping and upgrades at least once every two weeks. If you were going to buy from them, I would recommend getting the cd writer there too. It's hard to find black matching ones out there, although the price of them have gone down quite a bit. Check out techbargains.com, they list coupon codes for dell quite frequently. If I had to do it all over again, I would rather buy a dell. I got this for $378 w/ free shipping. If you look weekly, you can find similar deals from dell.

Purchased a dell 4550
-Pentioum 1.8 (now they're offer 2.0 and above)
-xp home
-128mb ddr memory
-cd rom
-no modem or ethernet (but they're so cheap anyways)
-built in audio
-extra bays for upgrades
-key board, mouse, 1 year warranty
-I added my own cd writer and painted it black
-MS works suite w/ word, encarta etc
-free 6 months AOL (I could care less)
-32 mb ATI radeon video card

NOT bad huh? Just look for those 10% off coupons; theys sometimes have 15% along with $50 stackable coupons. You can usually find them at techbargains.com under their coupon section. Also, read their daily threads about dell and other deals. Good luck