Anti-Dell Rally

Ok, I will begin by saying that I apologize to any loyal Dell followers. Pffft.

Is there a computer sales company out there that makes sure their consumers understand all aspects of what they are buying? I have yet to find one. I am forced daily to be reminded of what my rig cannot accomplish, and will never be able to accomplish, because I do not have the appropriate hardware, and cannot upgrade to the appropriate hardware. Of course, I can rebuild my system from the ground up, but I am still paying for this one and my fiance would kill me.
How is it that a company will send me a computer that cannot take a new video card? I stated to them when I purchased it that i wanted to be able to play games on it. I also stated that I wanted room to grow. I am unable to upgrade my video, RAM beyond 2Gb, or anything else it seems. To the fairytale heated basement with this company. I will spend the rest of my life denouncing them every chance I get.

With that vented, does anyone have any ideas on the best way, or company, to go about building a new computer?

 

If you are feeling confidant that you could build one yourself...chat around here and see what the best make-up for your particular situation, and just shop around and buy it piece by piece until you get everything to build.

If you are not looking to build yourself...goto the hardware forum and post any specs of whatever particular machine you come across and i'm sure someone will help you decide if it is best suitable for you!!

Roger

 

your not the only one i hate dell too. i have seen one tomany dell's with burned up processors because they did not put a cpu fan init

 

I have never owned a Dell but I have seen people with a Dell feeling ripped off and used. I will never own a Dell or IBM.

Build your own. Ace256 would probably be willing to give you input. I have noticed quite a few knowledgeable people around here.

 

I am going to wait for a little while and see if the floating RAM technology comes out or not. (I have heard rumors). I am also interested in seeing the next generation of video cards (have not heard rumors). I will probably need a case the size of my television for everything I want in it. I know that this is the place to see people though. Just seriously irked with Dell. I told them I am going to use my free webspace that i get from Comcast to allow people to post negative thoughts and comments. I will scour the web for negative Dell stuff and place it on the site as well. If I stop 1 person from buying a Dell I will have done well.

 

Well IBM don't make PCs anymore so that might be a good reason why too...

 

They still make workstations...only diff from a PC is the professional video card and scsi.

Even so, IBM PCs were great for what they were meant to do--everyday computing.

Not games. IBM AFAIK never made a gaming computer.

 

BlueGene?

 

If you are not comfortable with diving right in and building your own why not do what I did way back when and find a local, reputable computer store (not a large chain like CompUSA, etc.) and go in and talk to them. Tell them exactly what you want including upgradablility. They are usually more than willing to work with you, offer competitive prices, are good about honoring their warranties and would likely set you up with a custom bare-bones system at a price you can live with. Added to that, you have the convenience of having a local shop to go to if you get in a bind.

Most are also willing to talk 'geek' with ya too so that's always a nice bonus.

 

One thing I'll note about Dell: their support blows chunks.

As for the machines, aside from the Inspiron laptops, I've not seen them as too shabby of quality and upgradeability.

I'm eyeing this one myself:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXPS600G1&s=dhs

I won't be buying a desktop til Vista is released, and gone through to see what is good and bad about it. Unless of course, its shown you can dual boot Vista and OS X on an Apple. We'll see

 

i used to work for dell business tech support and we had better cust. experience surveys than corporate. which system didnt have the fans n5638j? try running a dvd burner in a comcrap pc that has a processor fan but no case fan. i built my own pc just so i would have the flexibility i wanted. i upgrade vid cards about once a year and ill be upgrading my ram again as soon as i get the cash. dell is the best oem computer manfacturer.

 

Ah, but Dell business support is based in the U.S.

Consumer support is not. I worked with people in India. I'd wager tha MS India employees are better than Dell, and even then, they were pretty poor on the technical end. Support comes in the form of reading a script, not using the brain.

 

the india support is definately based on script (dell is bring all support to the states within the 2006 year) but there were countless problems in business support that there was no script for...

 

And unless you are going to use your machine for fairly generic, non heavy-duty tasks then thats the only real way to go, be it building the machine yourself, getting a friend to build it, or having it custom built from a company that will fully scope your requirements.

I've been running my own systems for years now just because I like to research each component and put what I want in there... that way I'll know what it can and can't do and where its limits lie.

I've seen so many systems from companies that you buy the whole thing from (and not even on the scale of Dell) that have sub-standard onboard components that you can't necessarily control / disable. Ends up just being an expensive word processor/internet browser...

 

well if you must know i was working on it for a friend and now its become part of my junk pile. it was a Dim 4600 it had a fan on the back and it had a green duck on it pointing it to the processor. so it was not keeping it cold enough so it killed the processor and motherboard.

 

My 4100 has the same setup and unless the fan went bad or it was overclocked, sounds out of the norm.

 

The vast majority of Dell customers are satisfied, have a reliable system and don't have issues with support (Dell support here is pretty good).

Dell got to number 1 in the world for various reasons, but selling dodgy products isn't one of them.

Yes there are horror stories, that applies to every company.

If you compared them to satisfied customers, then that would give you a more accurate picture.

(Only thing stopping me from customising an XPS is Pentium only. I prefer AMD)

 

Along with what AbbySue just posted, I'll add my $.02 ----------- I did exactly what she suggested. I had gamed with, and posted and known guys at PCInnovations.com for years. When I needed an upgrade, I called and got a quote from them and they built my current system from the ground up. 3.0 gH cpu, Intel P4, 1 gig DDR ram, dvd & cd-rw bays (no dvd-rw then). It was very reasonable. I already had a 18" lcd NEC flat-screen monitor, and a Logitech MX-700 cordless mouse, and headphones, so I just went with onboard sound.

I have never had a problem with it. It has an 80 GB HDD, WinXP home installed and they shipped it to me 5 days later (I was living in Colorado then). Since then, I have just bought a 24" Dell flatscreen monitor (only Dell product I have ever owned) and have been more than pleased with its output. And I upgraded to a NVidia 6600GT 256MB Vid Card recently. It's SMOKIN'

Call around and talk with the geeks in your area computer stores ----- they will assemble and put you together a system YOU want, for a price YOU can afford.

 

Seems like that happens to a lot of computers you work on

You folks that are anti-Dell need to deal with Gateway or Compaq; Dell is like farting daisies compared to those two

There's about 70 Dell Systems in our two offices; never had a problem with any of them.

 

Dell support here are first rate.

You ring them and explain the problem, and they send you a replacement part no questions asked.

As far as having no AGP slot, that's hardly Dell's fault. Next time order the PC with one.

 

not every computer only the ones that see your posts

i have afew gateways they seem to do ok for 10year old systems.

i did have a compaq and i hated it. it used rare ram that cost $100 per 64mb stick so i sold it for another honda 3-wheeler.

 

Ehh, just a rant. I am over it now. I did not know as much about computers when I bought it from Dell and looking back I feel as if they took advantage of my lack of knowledge. I would think that a company would want their clients to be as informed as possible about the purchase they are making. At least a good company. Mind you, I did research when I was looking for a computer, and Dell seemed like a good choice. I guess my biggest problem is the lack of care they have about pleasing their customers. In a time when the average computer probably lasts about 5 years, they are not really planning on repeat business, so they only push to make the initial sale.
I had to have a CD drive replaced, and they came out and took care of that. I was impressed. I was not impressed that I had to go through the same troubleshooting steps with them 5 times before they understood what someone in here had already told me, it was broken. I do not understand how they told me I had to pay 253.00 a year for technical support so that they could send me a driver's CD.???
I am sure that others have good things to say about them, and that some look at the glass as half full. In my opinion, the glass is empty.

Besides, why sweat it. I just won't give them my business and that will be satisfaction enough for me.

 

Maybe I should start a pro-Dell rally but wiil just add to this one. I am on my 3rd Dell. Have a 300 (1998) 2400,4600. All have been. and still are,great. But..........since the support went off shore I try not to use it or to reach them via email. The overseas support may very well be the best in the world but if you can't understand them and they can't understand you they are of little help. Now if you want to start an anti-eMachine, Gateway, or Compaq thread count me in. Before I retired from the school dist we had all the above and the Dell was the best by far. At that time their support was stateside and the best in the world IMO. Forgot to mention HP. They are my second choice. That's my take.

Jack

 

To sum up this thread, Buyer Beware!

That applies to everything you buy, computers aren't an exception.

In fact, it applies more to computers than just about anything else.

 

dells are just as good as every other computer out there. from the sounds of it, u bought the not so good model, thats ur fault. this is why they advertise some computers as gaming computers, and others as just student or office computers. thats why they are cheaper.

 

I would wait until AMD m2 mobos come out, much more upgradeable, my computer(specs below) is great for the price, cost me $530 not including my video card, it came with an ASUS mobo, a socket 939 cpu, 2 SATA ports and 2 ide ports, 3 pci slots, 1 pci-e slot, cpu idles at 30C it was aweosme for the price, an Hp offers a 1 year warranty

 

OEM warranties are rubbish.

You don't get a new part if it has to be replaced. Instead you get a refurbished part in most cases.

So your dead drive might only be 1 month old, and you get one that's done hundreds of hours as a replacement, as opposed to getting a new one.

That's one huge advantage of building it yourself. You still have warranty on the individual parts, but they actually mean something.

 

Yes, but in the December Consumer Reports "Guide to the Gear" report, Dell ranked far below e-machines in the reliability ratings.

'Nuff said.

 

And they have checked every configuration of XPS, or any Dell system for that matter?

'Nuff said.

 

URL?

 

Didn't see the Consumer Reports article, but the Dec. issue of PC World reported on their 35000 reader poll on reliability. They ranked EMachines higher than Dell, but primarily because of the wait time for phone help.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,123409,00.asp

 

Prebuilt systems are ok...Iv had plenty of them around and most are ok for the price i payed for them ( normaly realy cheap at a yard sale )......but if you whant it built right you gatta do it your self .... just my 2 cents....

 

Thanks.

It does nothing to validate the Emachine reliability comment of course. We all know Dell support stinks. Except Insomniac. He smokes crack though.

 

Reader polls aren't accurate, primarily because the people that are eager to reply are those that have had a bad (usually) experience.

It's not an average or depiction of the product.

As far as waiting on the phone for help, that is a pretty long bow to stretch to correlate that with reliability.

 

And if anyone is having problems with Dell support, tell 'em Insomniac sent you, and that you don't know or have never met Adrynalyne.

 

Actually, this is probably more accurate than most. It wasn't a voluntary bunch of rants by the disgruntled, PC World asked subscribers to share their experiences on a fairly wide range of equipment, not just computers, and 35,000 of them responded. That's a huge sample for something like this. IIRC they were giving away a 40" plasma TV s incentive to take to time to respond, so it was not just the disgruntled that replied. The title of the resulting article was "Reliability and Service: The Best Companies to Buy From", which does indeed include how much time you waste on hold, and the survey was done by a professional research company, not by the magazine.

 

You originally didn't elaborate, but now that you have, it still doesn't make much difference.

Asking subscribers a few questions, regardless of how many questions or subscribers you ask, is far from scientific or accurate.

What about the ones who didn't, or wouldn't respond?

For any poll to have at least some merit, it can't work on that basis.

No respectable poll works like that, as the foundation is flawed to begin with.

Plus, imagine how many of those people who responded negatively, were responsible for their own problems, or at least contributed to it?

Yet all you get to see are their opinions, not fact.

Hardly scientific or hanging material.

 

LOL. I took the survey, which was a lot more than just a few questions, and I wasn't mad about anything. And the companies that do these are well aware of the tendency of the angry to respond more quickly. Most importantly, the request to DO the survey didn't present it as a poll for problems, they simply asked subscribers to share information about equipment they'd purchased.

And there was no "hanging". Results were presented accurately and no sensational claims were made. Read the article, and the description in it of how it was conducted. Statistical analysis IS a rigorous science. Even if it get abused, particularly in politics.

 

Well, it seemed pretty well constructed and surveyed to me. On the one hand, there is a survey with a pretty decent sample size of 35,000, and pretty evenly balanced. Perhaps not perfect, but a fairly decent indication, none the less.

.....On the other hand - we have Insomniac's opinion.

Which is likely to be more accurate, I wonder??

 

I still stand by Dell. It isn't the hold time, as it wasn't long till someone (?) answered. It is just understanding what they are saying and them understanding me. I have a short fuse when this happens. However, just recently I purch an HP all in one printer and had a question setting it up and had the same prob with communiating with whatever was on the other end of the line. So I guess it is everwhere.

Jack

 

I have a compaq and I am impressed, apart from the PSU it is built with quality parts, it was very affordable and upgradeable too. it has an ide hdd but has 2 SATA prots, it came with onboard video, but it also had a pci-e slot so i upgraded to a nice gaming card, the MOBO is an ASUS, I also think the case design is great, it is easy to open, it keeps my PC very cool and it doesn't get nearly as much dust in it as myn dads comp, it takes in air through a side vent rather then just blowing air out the back. the hdd is a seagate

 

Everyone isn't entitled to their opinion or to voice it, according to Phantom.

He will tell us what to think and post, and mercy to anyone who dares to do otherwise.

 

I'm game for any anti dell rally.. woo hoo!!

 

One thing I hate about Dell, apart from trying to phase out floppy drives, is their towers don't have a reset or reboot button. (At least none of the towers they sell here have them)

It's not like Windows is so reliable that you don't need it, and the worst thing for your hard drive is to switch it on, off and on without waiting in between.

Not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but annoying nonetheless.

 

Over here, we sell all kinds of buttons to turn the power on and off.

I have a power strip.

 

You went to the trouble of quoting me, without reading or understanding what I said. (if you said it in humour, I don't get it)

Turning it off isn't the issue, I'm talking about rebooting.

 

I personally would not buy a dell...but I can definately see why the are doing so well!! I personally build all my comps from the ground up.

I did, however, just recently purchased an HP Media Center Laptop, and it is awesome!! I have always been favorable of HPs, as far as name brand goes....whether it be printers and/or computers!! The thing that I REALLY like, is their 24/7 live online chat for help and troubleshooting!!

Roger

 

I've not had much experience with Dell so couldn't comment. But I'm with Roger on the HPs...hmm...that didn't come out right! I mean, I love my new HP. I've used HP printers for years and love their reliability and quality. I'm considering buying a new HP TFT monitor now to complete the package

 

The Compaq desk top help in Hyperbadtech is useless. I had done the checks to find my DVD drive had gone DOA and he still insisted I do all the same steps. I let him ask after the 8th time telling him what I had done. Finally I simply answered yes and then had him ship me the drive.

Clueless.