getting a dell pc

16th Jun 2005 10:06 #31

Member

Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!

Sorry, couldn't resist. I see alot of hate for Dell here,I haven't personally ever owned a Dell system, but most of the people doggin' Dell probably hate EVERY home pc manufacturer. I saw someone knockin' compaq in this thread. My compaq evo 500 series is the best system I've ever owned- VERY quiet, lots of room for expansion cards, and came with Win XP Pro AND Win 2k Pro OS cd's, in addition to a system recovery cd.

There are advantages of course to building your own system. Personally they've never been enough to entice me to do so. Also don't forget that having a name brand pc DOES increase it's value. I tend to buy a whole new system every couple years, and sell the old one through the local classifieds. What does everyone ask: "So, who's the maker?"

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16th Jun 2005 10:45 #32

Nelson37

Member

I've tried explaining this before, but I'll try again.

All things break All manufacturers will have a certain number of products that slip through quality control.

Those who make the most, will have the most broken or defective machines. You need to evaluate LARGE numbers of items to get a real idea of what percentage are defective.

I spend all day, every day, for the last 15 years, fixing broken PC's. My opinion on Compaq comes from that experience, and 4 years working for the Factory Authorized Warranty Repair Center in my area. The number of defective or incorrect Replacement parts sent to me was staggering. The lack of Warranty support from Compaq was just unbelievable. Just one point - All Compaq parts are stamped with a part number. But, you cannot order a replacement part from that number. You have to call another center, get the Replacement Part Number, then place another call to warranty to get the Replacement (read used) part you need. Over a quarter of shipped Replacement parts were either defective or incorrect.
Numerous accounts had multiple defective parts shipped out. Unacceptable.

I'm sure some have good experience with Compaq, and even E-Machines, for that matter. Evaluating company quality is a numbers game. Seeing large numbers of PC's gives a better perspective.

Dell makes a decent box with decent parts. Warranty parts replacement is handled swiftly and with a minimum of hassle. Cross-shipping usually available.

Avoid their slimline cases. Unusual number of overheating problems, failed power supplies (which are a non-standard configuration), cooked hard drives (which get VERY hot in these cases). Bad design all around.

Sure, building your own is preferable. But I have customers who call me to hook up the cables after getting it out of the box. For many, building is just not an option.