Buying a Dell - a few questions

Hey guys,

It's time for an upgrade, and I've been looking at a few Dells. First off, if you think I'm crazy for buying a Dell, let me know so and tell me what I should be looking at

1. Should I definitely be looking at an XPS over a Dimension? The only difference I see is that the XPS ones are dual-core, but I wasn't sure how much of a difference that is if the specs on the two PCs are the same.

2. The PC that I'm looking at has a 19" (E193FP) Analog Flat Panel. Should I be considering the Digital flat panel instead, or is there not a huge difference?

Thanks for any help you could provide!

You could start by looking here. Your budget may differ from this guy but if you want a PC with components someone else who doesn't understand your computing needs and slaps them into a system with a canned casing then by all means get a Dell.

It seems to me that the XPS is extremely overpriced. This is the one time I would definately agree with the system builders about Dell. Personally, I buy Dell because I get the warranty. Who else is going to show up at my house for the next 2 years to fix my PC if anything goes wrong with it (free)? This goes well beyond the hardware warranties offered by OEM manufacturers.

Don't get me wrong, I dig the concept of creating your own thing.

I've had 3 Dells... one dead hard drive... no other problems.

You should definitely read this review of the XPS first... bloatware city; be prepared to do a major cleanup (among other things)!

Mate, you are "brave". I would not.
John

Vista is coming out this year, it should be in the new computers. Do you want to wait for that?

Build your own computer.....why buy a DELL that has inflated BLOATWARE that has already been mentioned....

you could always wipe the hd. thats what i did with my dell laptop to remove all the preinstalled garbage.
i havent purchased a desktop in along time, but i dont think preinstalled bloatware is unique to dell.
agree building your own is the way to go.

ok - I've split those threadjacking this post away to a new topic. Please keep to the OP's original question. Thanks

Originally Posted by offline

ok - I've split those threadjacking this post away to a new topic. Please keep to the OP's original question. Thanks

What about the hardware garbage in them
John

If you watch the Dell website they run short term (Hours) sales where you can snap up a bargain. Go for the Dual-Core system.

One thing about Dell, the PC will be quiet compared to anything you build, So if you like quiet?

Second thing to remember is Limited drive bay space so going beyond two hard drives and two optical drives usually is a no-no unless you go USB2 externals and they'll have a noisy colling fan. Whereas most decent build your own cases with a few exceptions will handle a total of ten (10) drives. Typical 4 x 5.25" bays, 2 3.5" floppy bays and for (4) 3.5" hard drive bays.

The newer better Dells have SATA HDDs, DDR2 memory and PCI Express Video. Be sure it has a 16X PII Express slot, not built-in video.

Gotta love them sales. They are almost as good as "upgrade to a 19" LCD for $200 more". They are actually feeling sorry for ripping you off and giving you a cramped case with limited upgradability, proprietary parts, and No operating system backup. They aren't feeling too sorry for you because at the $200 deal they are just giving an analog screen.

I'd avoid Dells dual core systems. They are wayyyy overpriced!

My Energizer Dell....Still Going.
Used for ALL internet access, ALL audio work, ALL video work, ALL of my photo hobbies including RAW .nef images from my Nikon D70.
Two DVD Burners, two internal HD's and one USB 2.0 external.
I only use Internet Explorer, Norton AV and Norton Ghost(just in case).
.....and I can write my name in the dust on the case.

I work on a fair amount of Dells here as well as other brands.....

Their hardware is no better and no worse than other brands.

The majority of problems I see are user problems (Spyware & Viruses) and the occasional Hard disk drive failure.

OTOH they do have limited upgradablity in some ways.... Not a lot of drive bays, and recently I sold Seven 500 watt power supplies to go in seven new Dells, the buyer bought them for gaming over a network, then went out and got real fancy Video cards. Surprise (NOT) the power supply was too small since Dell sized it for the system as delivered. I reccomended they keep the original Power supplies just in case of warranty needs.

Case looked like Dells version of a BTX case, Took standard power supply fine, we tested one before the sale.

Would I buy a Dell? I'm partial to my Lian-Li Aluminum case and Asus MBs. OTOH if I could get a Dual Core during one of their really good sales, Yup I would. They are nice and quiet.

Cheers