Is Dell a good computer?

I purchased a Dell 5100C and received it just one week ago. It has the Pentium D 820 2.8 ghz dual core processor, 160 gb ata hard drive, and 1 gb sdram at 533 mhz. First, trying to order this thing was a huge ordeal and saying that their customer sucks is being nice. Besides that, I have been receiving error messages, a Dell tech had to come to my house the day after I received it to fix the floppy drive and reinstall the video card (128 mb ati radeon). I am still having problems. I called Dell and they assurred me that a technician would call me and to make sure I was home. They never called. I have 14 days left to return this thing. My question is does Dell suck? Is it possible I received a piece of junk? I am very concerned about this since I am a full time grad student and if this computer breaks or turns out to be a lemon I can not just go out and buy another one. I think I should return it and possibly go with an IBM.

Can any one offer any suggestions? I just don't trust this company at all.

 

People have mixed experiences with Dell, personally I won't buy one. Dell customer service is nonexistent, return the computer and demand a full refund. Call and get a RMA before you ship it back.

 

The entire experience has been horrendous. The worst customer service I ever experienced and total waste of time. Would you recommend an IBM?

 

IBM's cost more, but they are solid systems. If the computer is for school, check out HP/Compaq, they have several systems under $1000 that are good for college. My son just bought a Compaq, for college use, from Walmart for $478. A system with the same specs as your Dell will be closer to $800.

 

I'd recommend building one yourself, or go to your local small computer shop and have a computer built to your own specifications. I hate and despise (as much as I hate laptops) computers bought from Dell, HP, GW2K, etc....

 

I had a computer that I had built at a shop and I also had a Gateway. I did not like either. Plus, I need a computer that will last me at least until I finish school (probably 4 more years). So, I need something that will hopefully last from a company that will stand behind their product.

 

Typically most companies will stand by their product as long as the warranty is still good!

 

build your own
build your own
build your own
build your own...got the idea?
i had 2 pre-built computers, then buddy convinced me to build my own...and i never looked back, have it for i think close to 2.5years now...and what a difference, it's PERFECT...luv it...and AMD.
with Dell and other pre-builts, they tend to use cheaper parts

 

The problem is how many hoops they make you jump before your done with the ordeal. Its easy for them to take your money, alot harder to get it back.

 

If you could post how much your willing to spend,it will be easier for us to find alternatives,other than that return the whole thing for a replacement,the odds are on your side now,good odds you wont get 2 lemons in a row

 

yeah i've had horrible experiences with Dell myself and will never even touch one again and advise all my friends against them also im an AMD person and isn't it true that Dell doesn't offer AMD processors? well anyway I would say build one I built a pretty good one for just over 800$ not including the monitor

 

I've had nothing but good experiences with Dell, including the one I bought used. I've recommended them in the past and would do so again. The one name brand PC we always saw in the shop was HP, but my current employer buys HP 5000 SFF PCs in bulk and they're great (except for the crappy Maxtor hard drives with a 10% fail rate in the first 4 months). I'm guessing that the quality of PCs from Wal-Mart, Office Max, and Best Buy are really not so good, since nearly all the PCs look like they came from those big box outlets. I think they're about 95% plastic.

However, my worst experiences by far have been with boxes that idiots must have built for themselves or by their friends. Motherboards screwed to the case without standoffs. Mixed brand and speed RAM. "500W" power supplies weighing less than a can of soda that came in $20 razor-lined cases. Trying to run Half-Life 2 with 256MB of RAM and a GeForce MX 4000. Overclocking, overclocking, overclocking. "Why is my system unstable?" "Why does it crash all the time?" "Why can't I play my game?" "It must have a virus!"

 

However, my worst experiences by far have been with boxes that idiots must have built for themselves or by their friends. Motherboards screwed to the case without standoffs. Mixed brand and speed RAM. "500W" power supplies weighing less than a can of soda that came in $20 razor-lined cases. Trying to run Half-Life 2 with 256MB of RAM and a GeForce MX 4000. Overclocking, overclocking, overclocking. "Why is my system unstable?" "Why does it crash all the time?" "Why can't I play my game?" "It must have a virus!" [/QUOTE]


Wow Lol who the heck would ever build a system like that? for me i use the better brands and products Lol

 

I think the issue here is that defense is going to need a system in the next couple of weeks, for college, to replace the Dell that isn't working properly. I have a HP, been running rock solid for 3 years now, then again I spent $1800 not $600 on the system. The old adage 'you get what you pay for', holds true when it comes to computer systems.

 

If you reinstalled Windows XP yourself I am sure everything will be smooth

 

We have Dells at work. Two of the five we have had for over 3 years. Only had one problem, one HD went bad.

At home I have a Compaq 700MHz. Got a refurb from Overstock.com 5 years ago. Found out why it was a refurb a year after I got it. A tab from the faceplate on the floppy drive was broken and floating around in the drive which would sometimes make it so the floppy wouldn't seat. Now that's fixed and I haven't had any problems with it since. Of course, I've had to add memory and a video card, and most recently an external serial modem. I got tired of the winmodems, especially since I use Linux (Gentoo to be exact), and they're a pain to install.

Next one will be homemade, though.

I guess I've had good luck with them.

 

i wouldnt let one bad experience put you off a product,the first Tagan power supply I ever bought was a dud,I took it back for a replacement and was gutted when they were out of stock,I would of snapped it up if there was one there,its still my favourite power supply and I have yet to own one and I dont hesitate in recommending them.

Customer service on the other hand should always be top notch,if you feel the service you recieved was sub standard,the only thing you can do is to take the business away from them,if so it maybe a good idea looking into a custom pc building company,one that will take pride in thier products and more importantly the parts they put in them,yet again though this comes at a premium

 

1) Yes, return it, but ask for a replacement machine, with same specs.
2) I've never had a single problem with Dell support, given the few times I've had to call them. Although I'm building a new AMD box right now, Dell is the only machine I'd buy pre-built now. I've had experience with HP and Compaq (Deskpro's and various laptops), and will never buy another low-end box again (Presario's).

 

Thanks for all the responses. I talked to Dell yesterday (more than once) and they are going to take care of the problem. They told me I could ship it back or a tech will get back to me. What got me so p*ssed was the fact that I received the computer on a Tuesday and a Dell tech was at my house on Friday to fix a loose floppy drive. For this hassle, Dell did credit my account $250. Then I received an error message stating something about referenced memory could not be read. I was all set to ship it back but someone told me that error messages are a result of the software and not the computer. So I felt a little more at ease knowing that a couple of minor changes could make this situation okay. I actually got the message after playing games in the MG Arcade.

I am going to see what they say when they call me. I got a really good system for about $1,600. I had so many problems trying to order the system that they upgraded everything for almost nothing. If I were to order this system today it would cost about $2,100-$2,200. My biggest concern is I am a graduate student writing my thesis and I am off to law school next year. So I wanted something that will last me 3-4 years because if something breaks in the meantime, I am pretty much SOL because when I attend law school I will be attending full-time and will not be workin.

 

Well you said it right there, "boxes that idiots must have built themselves"
I dont know how to build comps, but my friend does and built mine, the ONLY thing that was wrong with mine, was the RAM was the wrong one for my motherboard, but otherwise it's been running fine, no issue with the RAM really.

If you know someone who can build it for you, or go online,
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/109/1/
http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

then ANYONE can do fine building one...it's getting the RIGHT parts that will work well with each other.
Dell wasn't an idiot, he knew how to build them, the majority of others didn't and paid him to do so...
But now the parts are entry level crap, proprietary parts, must be Dell parts, bla bla bla...screw that...My computer has been running great since I had it built and now Im ready to build my next one, when i decide i need a new one....I learned that much more.

Back on topic...those idiots whose computers you've been fixing or helping with, probably didn't know a damn thing about building them

 

I am a big advocate of building your own PC. Even if someone does it for you. There is no better way to learn about the innerworkings of your PC. I learned more from my first build than I can ever hope to learn by browsing the internets.

 

exactly, it's b/c it's your baby...you want to know how it works.
my old man is interested in getting a new PRE-BUILT pc...he swears by the warranties...what a doofus...i told him, he gets it, then he can go to the store and get it repaired or w/e if needed, im done helping him, HPs and others are too damn annoying to fix and their speeds are so slow...