getting a dell pc

[deh707]

im planning to get this: (customizable)

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...d#bottom_anchor


i chose these settings so i could get to less than $1000: (which ended up to $919):

dimension 8400

Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology (3GHz, 800 FSB)
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz (2x512M)
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW)
256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800

will that comp with my custom settings be a good gaming pc?
i want to play half life 2 and doom 3 with at least no lag, and acceptable graphics. is the 6800 good enough?

[Faustus]

DONT!!!!! No dell. Dont do it to yourself!

and yes a 6800 should be good enough but there are other options without getting a Dell.

Build yourself, its not hard. Just look at other threads where we have helped people. Or maybe check out some other prebuilder that uses standard parts instead of Dell specific. Its very rarely worth the money you save.

[Soopafresh]

I second that emotion. Make it yourself.

[reboot]

Once you've built your first, you then become your own tech support. You can put in it exactly what you want, without any proprietary junk. You can purchase parts a few at a time, really get exactly what you want, and probably end up with better quality and reliability.
There's an absolutely excellent guide to build your own, at www.pcmech.com or you can even order their CD, with a TON of other software on it for cheap. It's one of the best investments you can make.

[Faustus]

Also if you have a good idea of exactly what you want. Say for example something much like that Dell I'm sure people can make some great suggestions.

[deh707]

so dell is bad.. what do you guys think of www.ibuypower.com

according the epinions.com, it got a 2 out of 5 stars rating... most of the people saying their pc died within weeks.

http://www.epinions.com/webs-Web_Services-All-Merchants-ibuypower_com/display_~reviews

[Faustus]

Well ibuypower.com uses standard parts, so if they die its because they were not handled properly or shipped properly otherwise its pretty much the same as building your own. The thing is if you do it yourself you can beat the ibuypower price because it IS standard componets.

[Nelson37]

Among major manufacturers, and avoiding the slimline cases, Dell is at least as reliable, if not more so, than Gateway, Compaq, etc. Some of their bundle deals are outstanding values.

Sony machines are overpriced, and use some strange configurations at times, but are EXTREMELY reliable. While they are not nearly as common, there are quite a few and it is very rare that I get a service call on a broken Sony.

While I remember the glory days of Compaq, that was some time ago and now I tell my customers that if they buy a Compaq I will come over and beat them with a stick.

I no longer sell PC's as the minimal profit does not begin to cover warranty expenses, which manufacturers do not really cover, and if I sell it to them I am responsible when they can't find the "any" key. Yes, I have actually been asked that question.

If you are comfortable building your own PC, by all means do it. I would recommend buying parts from a local distributor. Just one cross-ship to an Internet vendor can eat up your cost savings, not to mention the time involved.

[reboot]

I no longer sell PC's as the minimal profit does not begin to cover warranty expenses, which manufacturers do not really cover, and if I sell it to them I am responsible when they can't find the "any" key. Yes, I have actually been asked that question.

Just refer those people here:

http://web14.compaq.com/falco/detail.asp?FAQnum=FAQ2859

[Roundabout]

If you must buy a Dell, for about half the price, you could get this (just one of the deals you can find on Techbargains or XPbargains):

Dimension 4700 P4-2.8Ghz Desktop with 17in LCD
$449 shipped free

Includes Latest Tech: DDR2, PCI Express, Serial ATA HD

Dimension 4700 P4 520 2.8Ghz/800Mhz Bus Desktop 256MB DDR2-400/40GB Serial ATA HD, 48x CD, Free Dell e173FP 17in LCD Flat Panel, Ethernet, 6 months ISP, Word Perfect, XP Home SP2, 1yr warranty

$449 after $100 rebate, shipped free. Exp 4/3

P4-3Ghz upgrade only +$20

The $549 version of the Dimension 4700 with 19in e193FP LCD is a better value.

Even if you customize it and add whatever extra junk to it you need, it shouldn't come out to the amount you were going to spend.

[handyguy]

256M isn't enough. You need 512M or more.

Should cost around $500-$600 maybe with free LCD monitor after rebate & coupon. Just search the net or use xpbargains.com etc.

[shelbyGT]

I got mine at www.abspc.com
haven't had a problem yet.

[Hardcoreruss]

I thought this thread was going to say April fool.

[jackal70058]

Is Dell a bad company to buy from?

I am going to buy computer from them. It is a laptop computer (impossible to be made). If you dont think the Dell is the choice you would make, what would you buy?

[Hardcoreruss]

It would all depend on funds.

[Faustus]

Is Dell a bad company to buy from?

I am going to buy computer from them. It is a laptop computer (impossible to be made). If you dont think the Dell is the choice you would make, what would you buy?

With a laptop your kinda stuck between a rock and a hard spot.

My older Dell Laptop was a fine computer, of course they have no moved all their support to india which hurts them alot in my opinion. I liked Dell because they were more of a local company to Texas, they really have messed with that.

My cousin has an HP 4000 series Laptop that he likes a whole lot. It seems fine.

On the more egdey front http://www.powernotebooks.com has one of the most insane resellerratings ever. Also if you are in the market for ultra high end stuff falcon-nw.com also has a good rep.

[hech54]

My old Dell 4500 works fine:

[Faustus]

Yeah its not that they all suck. Its just the odds are not with you and if it goes wrong having to deal with their tech support is a nightmare. Much better to build and fix your own.

Jusk ask the Doctors office where my sister works how they feel about dells.

[Craig Tucker]

I have a new Dell inspiron 9200 laptop, dogs danglies. But I would never buy a Dell or any other competitor (compaq, gateway etc) desktop. I would always build myself.

I also have an old inspiron 3200 laptop still going strong.

[jackal70058]

Yeah its not that they all suck. Its just the odds are not with you and if it goes wrong having to deal with their tech support is a nightmare. Much better to build and fix your own.

Jusk ask the Doctors office where my sister works how they feel about dells.

Thats strange. Nobody here has had problem with the Tech Support. They come out the next day to help you.

[Poppa_Meth]

No thats the locals they send out. They aren't part of dell just affiliated for on site repair. The problem is when you actually call and get some one in india you can't understand to save your life. Sometimes they get rude as well and generally in my experience aren't very well trained to diagnose the problems you may have.

[hech54]

I've never had to call help/tech support...

[krazydl]

I had my Dell for bout 3 years and changed many parts, and not a single problem with it. and I build one myself, too.
If you can build one yourself, I think, you can manage one without any tech support, doesn't matter which company's computer you have.
Otherwise, just buy one that you think it fits best for your purpose.

[handyguy]

Some people get a $5000 off $5500 coupon. Lucky.

[dvcd]

Is Dell a bad company to buy from?

My Dell dimension 2400 died in 6 months.
Do NOT buy from Dell!!

[thevoelk]

We use nothing but Dell at work, save for the random laboratory equipment that is bundled with an HP or Gateway. This is a little biased, we have their premier/gold support. If a part fails, any part, they have it to me within four hours. No questions, no hassle, nobody in India. I can even order it online and get it within six hours. If they don't have the failed part in stock at their local distributor, we get the next up. The best part is the failed hard drives. I don't do this, but one of my fellow techs does occasionally. They have what's called a Keep Your Hard Drive plan. If the hard drive fails, he orders a new one on line and the replacement is free and we keep the old one. We wrok for the military, and much of the data on the drives is now considered Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU), if not higher. Anything that is SBU has the KYHD plan. He'll replace his own failed drives with those from Dell. If the workstation came with a 160GB drive, he'll order one and if they're out, he gets a 250GB SATA drive free. I'd still recommend building your own though, since you'll get what you want with nothing more, nothing less.

[Cobra]

Ever seen this?



In all seriousness, Dell have good technical support. That's just about all. They use cheap components in their machines, and they're held together with plastic clips. Your options are limited with those machines - no overclocking options in BIOS, very limited upgrade potential (eg. CPU) and generally the system they ship with is Dell-specific and loaded with all the junk they want you to look at.

Your own machine is your own machine. If something goes wrong, you can send it back. No lack of help on the Internet - these guys at VideoHelp have always given me all the advice I have ever needed in the past (something I am extremely grateful for). You can have your machine how you like it, use quality components and have a pure operating system on it, just as Bill intended.

I could argue the built it yourself point for a lot longer, but it is ultimately up to you. If you want simplicity but restriction, go with Dell. If you want to learn and build a unique machine that will leave a Dell standing, build your own. I did it a couple of years ago, and I've never once looked back. I now run a heavily-modified beast of a machine - that would never have been possible if I hadn't learned how they work in the first place.

Building PCs is virtually Lego - things only fit in one socket and in one orientation!

Oops - off I go again. Bottom line - your choice.

[Deku Scrub]

I am fortunate enough to have some really nerdy (smart) friends who helped me build my PC.
It's definitely the way to go. You will save money and ultimately have a better machine.

Dells aren't bad though. I use one at work and it's very reliable.

[thevoelk]

I have to agree the hardware is restrictive, along with the junk they load their OS with. Again, the only Dells I deal with are at work or neighbors/friends of neighbors, etc that bring them to me and ask me to fix them. We never keep the Dell 2K/XP OS, we have to use our customized version of Windows, but Cobra is right. Your options will be limited. If you do buy a Dell, you shouldn't have much of an issue using any video card or optical drive you want, unless you get the small form factor, but good luck for support from Dell if it doesn't work. One of my user's that actually had a clue tried install his own Pananonic LF-D321 -R/RAM burner a couple years back. No matter what channel or drive setting he used, the Dell Bios would not POST. The drive worked fine in my rig at home, it worked fine in a Gateway, and it worked fine in an external USB enclosure. Dell's stance was "You didn't buy it from us, we won't help you". At first glance, you probably won't save money building your own. But after paying the shipping on replacement parts that have failed, it will add up (not an issue for me as described in my last post, but that's a slightly different situation). Keep 2 things in mind when you attention is caught by their specials ad:

1) You always have, and always will, get what you paid for, and

2) There's a reason that the Dell is being sold for so cheap.

[smearbrick1]

Sorry, I have disagree with the negative reports on tech support. First of all, I never call tech support. I use the message system they have on their site. I simply stated, "my hard drive is dead". They responded with a simple "please run this diagnostic..." I responded to let her know that the diagnostic had run, but failed. She immediately scheduled a service tech to come to my house the next day. This comes with the 3 year, in-home service plan (which was free with coupon code). If this had been a home built system, I probably would've been within the warranty, but would've had to ship the hard drive to whomever. Then, wait until they decided the error was theirs... then, wait until the new drive arrived for replacement. Some people just don't want to deal with that.

With the exception of this hard drive, I've not had one issue with my Dell since purchase. Same thing with my Dimension 8100... not one problem. Even accepted the powerleap upgrades I installed without an issue. Unfortunately the cost of RDRAM kept me from updating the 8100 further, and I had to part it out.

I'm not a total Dell nut, but they do have some good values for the price.