Is Dell one of those brands which limits the user to proprietary parts?

conceptualclarity · Nov 28, 2013

I'm seriously thinking about getting a Dell desktop.

Major Attitude · Nov 28, 2013

Over the years, much has changed. It's really hit or miss in this area. It depends on what you buy and what you want to possibly upgrade later. Sure, that seems obvious but not really. For example:

1: Make sure it has a good power supply, not an underpowered one.
2: Is the video onboard and does it have a PCI-e slot to add one later?
3: Is there enough memory or extra slots to upgrade.

I have Gateway and Acer (same company)my last couple boxes. Bought around $800 and have added an SSD drive and better video card over the past year.

Major Attitude · Nov 28, 2013

I walked away and realized a better way to out it. Cheaper machines have a higher risk of cheaper, hard to replace or upgrade parts and they also will need to be upgraded sooner due to slower processor, ram, etc.

Example: I have hit issues with a cheaper computer and the power supply could not power a new video card I bought. The power supply ended up being proprietary and smaller in size than a standard power supply and that was the end of that since a larger power supply would not fit.

If you tell us what computer you are looking at we can make an educated guess how much it can be upgraded.

conceptualclarity · Nov 28, 2013

Thanks.

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8700...-Graphics.product.100075203.html#product-tab2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...2810&item=131021112810&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466

Major Attitude · Nov 28, 2013

The one at Costco lacks pics but *should* be ok, however since they both mention a 460w power supply and have expansion slots, you should be good with either one.

Caliban · Nov 28, 2013

Greetings, conceptualclarity.

Agreed with MA. Both machines look good, but you really have to watch out for Dell power supplies - most Dell units use a Dell-specific pin arrangement which makes for a strange connector size so that only Dell PSUs can be used with Dell motherboards.

I've got a customer's Vostro on the bench right now that's down waiting for a Dell PSU - sure, I've got a couple of generics here, but I can't plug them in to verify. Sucks.

gman863 · Nov 28, 2013

I second Caliban's advice, but extend it to other store-bought desktops as well.

On Dell, power supplies (esp. "mini" or non-tower systems) can be an issue. The same is true for small (thin case) Acer, Gateway and eMachines units.

CPU fans/heatsinks are often a non-standard mount on most major brands and can be impossible to upgrade later.

There are HP/Compaq desktops (even seemingly full size towers) that use a mini-ITX board - no internal slot to add a video card even though the back external slots on the PC give you the illusion you can.

I still maintain that it's better to build your own desktop or have one built for you. If you decide to buy in-store or online, do your homework first based on the specs you need and preferably buy from a store that has a decent return policy (no restocking fee) if you get it home and decide it's not what you were looking for.

conceptualclarity · Nov 28, 2013

I still maintain that it's better to build your own desktop or have one built for you. If you decide to buy in-store or online, do your homework first based on the specs you need and preferably buy from a store that has a decent return policy (no restocking fee) if you get it home and decide it's not what you were looking for.
Click to expand...

AtlBo has shown me some custom builders on eBay, and I'm now very interested in that option. A great way to get the specs I've dreamt of without busting my budget. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=1847417#post1847417

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Is Dell one of those brands which limits the user to proprietary parts?

conceptualclarity Sergeant

Major Attitude Co-Owner MajorGeeks.Com Staff Member

Major Attitude Co-Owner MajorGeeks.Com Staff Member

conceptualclarity Sergeant

Major Attitude Co-Owner MajorGeeks.Com Staff Member

Caliban I don't need no steenkin' title!

gman863 MajorGeek

conceptualclarity Sergeant