Dell computers?!?

[FrugalGuy]

I'm helping my nephew get a new desktop computer from Dell. My budget is around $1K I just have a few questions


Does Dell charge tax in nyc?


How easy can i upgrade parts in Dell desktops? (eg.,are their parts proprietary or form factor where i can't easily upgrade a new cpu)


What are some good deals on their desktops?


Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?


How do you get Dell email coupons? I've gotten them from snail mail but not via email.


Are there service centers in nyc where I can bring it if it does break? I'm assuming I can't replace parts myself if the thing breaks because of it's form factor technology


Any help would be appreciated

 

[SaigonK]

Originally posted by: FrugalGuy
I'm helping my nephew get a new desktop computer from Dell. Unfortunately, I can't wait very long because his broke and he needs a new one to wokr on his homework. I just have a few questions

Does Dell charge tax in nyc?
This I am not sure about - I dont think they charge tax if you go through the home/home office area.


How easy can i upgrade parts in Dell desktops? (eg.,are their parts proprietary or form factor where i can't easily upgrade a new cpu)
Parts like RAM, Harddrives, video cards, etc are all easily upgradeable. CPU's can be a different story, Dell often uses passive cooling setups, so no fan headers on the motherboard. That may be your only hitch.

What are some good deals on their desktops?
Dell usually has some deals here and there, i would avoid anything like the 2100 series of systems, they suck.

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.


How do you get Dell email coupons? I've gotten them from snail mail but not via email.
Dell coupons via email are for people who sign up under small business.


Are there service centers in nyc where I can bring it if it does break? I'm assuming I can't replace parts myself if the thing breaks because of it's form factor technology
Dell doesnt do service centers like gateway. You call them, they send you the part and they send out someone to fix it onsite at your house.


Any help would be appreciated

Hopw this helps!

 

[DurocShark]

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.

Not necessarily, particularly if you put anything more than a mobo with onboard everything.

But you will get control over the parts, and the knowledge gained from building it yourself.

 

[RossMAN]

Frugal Guy - What's your budget?

 

[beer]

Ross -

FrugalGuy is the one ordering hte computer, not SaigonK

 

[FrugalGuy]

around 1K

Originally posted by: RossMAN
Frugal Guy - What's your budget?

 

[RossMAN]

$1k with or without monitor?

 

[TheAudit]

I'm not a big fan of Dell.

I recommend - ABS.
They make quality PCs at reasonable prices. I've bought three PCs from them and have had absolutely no problems. Would buy from them again without reservations.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: FrugalGuy
I'm helping my nephew get a new desktop computer from Dell. My budget is around $1K I just have a few questions


Does Dell charge tax in nyc?


How easy can i upgrade parts in Dell desktops? (eg.,are their parts proprietary or form factor where i can't easily upgrade a new cpu)


What are some good deals on their desktops?


Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?


How do you get Dell email coupons? I've gotten them from snail mail but not via email.


Are there service centers in nyc where I can bring it if it does break? I'm assuming I can't replace parts myself if the thing breaks because of it's form factor technology


Any help would be appreciated

Answers

1)Not sure if they tax in NY but they do in my home state of Wisconsin

2)I recently Bought a Dell Dimension 4600 and it is easily upgradeable- In Fact I bought it with a 9800 NON Pro radeon which had Samsung chips. I flashed the video cards Bios and now it is a pro.

3)You have to do your homework...they constantly are running specials I.E free memory upgrade,Free Shipping, Free CD Burner

4)Alienware is waaaay overpriced but have cool looking cases

5)Dell Coupons can be found at Chubbywallet(If you don't know what I am talking about PM me) and also I score ALOT of them off of Ebay. They sell both Home and SB Coupons on Eaby

6)Not sure about newYork but you can purchase a Miriad of protection plans through Dell but they are pricey.


Good Luck

Ausm

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: FrugalGuy
I'm helping my nephew get a new desktop computer from Dell. My budget is around $1K I just have a few questions


Does Dell charge tax in nyc?
Not in the home/home office Dell division but you still must legally pay it on your yearly tax form, of course most people ignore that fact

How easy can i upgrade parts in Dell desktops? (eg.,are their parts proprietary or form factor where i can't easily upgrade a new cpu)
The only proprietary part in a current Dell is the motherboard (and I guess their fancy cooling system if you consider that). Replacing anything except the motherboard is a snap - I've done processors, video cards, memory, and hard drives all just as simple as plugging in the part and you are done.

What are some good deals on their desktops?
The Dell deals change weekly. They generally go from Wednesday to Wednesday of the next week. If you don't like what is offered now, wait a week and things will change drastically. About every 3 months or so the deals start overlapping (so on a Tuesday you might get deals from both weeks). If you watch the Hot Deals forum here or on other boards, you will spot these and if you buy on that one day you will get a computer for far less than the price of the individual parts (meaning no company, not even building it yourself will come anywhere near as cheap). But many people don't have the luxury of waiting that long - just wait one week if you don't like the current deal. To see all of the deals do a google search for "Dell coupon codes" - sorry but it is against Anandtech rules for me to post the actual websites listing them.

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
Any of the major companies are ok. Often if you want an LCD with the computer, Gateway will be cheaper than Dell (except on that Dell overlapping deal days). All of the nationwide polls that I have seen show ALL companies customer service quality dropping drastically, but Dell is still maintaining the #2 position (behind Apple). I've got good service from Dell, Compaq, and Gateway - HP was more of a nightmare but they did come thorough.

How do you get Dell email coupons? I've gotten them from snail mail but not via email.
There is a place on the Dell website. Go to the Anandtech Hot Deals forum and do a search.

Are there service centers in nyc where I can bring it if it does break? I'm assuming I can't replace parts myself if the thing breaks because of it's form factor technology
I cannot answer the first part, but everything in a Dell is very easy to replace (except the motherboard, which you need to get a replacement from Dell).

Any help would be appreciated

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.

Not necessarily, particularly if you put anything more than a mobo with onboard everything.

But you will get control over the parts, and the knowledge gained from building it yourself.

actually yeah, a lot of the time it's hard to beat dell on price... sometimes you can't even build a system cheaper than they offer... dell offers good prices.

 

[Alistar7]

Before you plop a grand down to dell I would suggest taking a look in AT's own fs/ft section, that would go alot farther and get you much higher quality stuff.

For that kind of money you can build an AMD XP nforce2 based system with (lifetime warranty) good ram, a 10,000 rpm serial drive, and add a top of the line video card, even the 9800XT......

 

[Broohaha]

how come people arent this helpful when i ask nooby questions???

 

[Budmantom]

Dell rulz!

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.

Not necessarily, particularly if you put anything more than a mobo with onboard everything.

But you will get control over the parts, and the knowledge gained from building it yourself.

actually yeah, a lot of the time it's hard to beat dell on price... sometimes you can't even build a system cheaper than they offer... dell offers good prices.

especially when they have free upgrades to flat screens deals.

also, they include a copy of win xp which in and of itself is a couple hundred bucks.

my sis-in-law was shopping for a machine for her kid and asked me what to get or if i could build a machine for her. after doing some research i couldn't beat dell's prices on a good p4 machine with decent specs by buying the parts myself. i tried looking at a cheaper athlon machine with an nforce board just to get a decent comparison but with the free monitor and free winxp i still couldn't beat dell. and now you can add a radeon 9800 pro for about $140. and i couldn't guarantee that i'd be around to help fix the machine if stuff started breaking.

in the end i told her to buy a dell and she's been very happy ever since. btw, her budget was about $600.

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.

Not necessarily, particularly if you put anything more than a mobo with onboard everything.

But you will get control over the parts, and the knowledge gained from building it yourself.

actually yeah, a lot of the time it's hard to beat dell on price... sometimes you can't even build a system cheaper than they offer... dell offers good prices.

especially when they have free upgrades to flat screens deals.

also, they include a copy of win xp which in and of itself is a couple hundred bucks.

my sis-in-law was shopping for a machine for her kid and asked me what to get or if i could build a machine for her. after doing some research i couldn't beat dell's prices on a good p4 machine with decent specs by buying the parts myself. i tried looking at a cheaper athlon machine with an nforce board just to get a decent comparison but with the free monitor and free winxp i still couldn't beat dell. and now you can add a radeon 9800 pro for about $140. and i couldn't guarantee that i'd be around to help fix the machine if stuff started breaking.

in the end i told her to buy a dell and she's been very happy ever since. btw, her budget was about $600.

She didnt get an nfroce board for less than $600, guranteed. As far as a legit copy of XP, dbwillis sells them all the time in fs/ft for @$50 shipped. I know some of you cant beat Dell's prices, but it can done. I have two decked out rigs right here I have spent basically NOTHING to build, mostly thanks to the deals I turn on AT.....

 

[Ornery]

"I know some of you cant beat Dell's prices, but it can done."

FrugalGuy's nephew probably wants this done by Christmas. So, the wonderful insight of your post helps, how?

Go ahead and list all the hoops you have to jump through to beat Dell...

 

[Murphyrulez]

I have 3 Dell desktops at home, I bought one for my neighbor, I had a Dell 8000 laptop, now I have a Dell 8600 laptop....

Trust me, you can't beat Dell.... Sure you can spend 10 hours searching for deals, 5 hours building the computer and making it work, and you might save $50.... Is it worth it?

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"I know some of you cant beat Dell's prices, but it can done."

FrugalGuy's nephew probably wants this done by Christmas. So, the wonderful insight of your post helps, how?

Go ahead and list all the hoops you have to jump through to beat Dell...

Jump through hoops? LMAO, I can order all the stuff in one day and have it together and programmed the day I have all the pieces....

Checked your link for the "awesome" Dell deal..... Notice you have to use rebates to get the price down to $500, so you are actually putting more upfront than that. You also get 512mb of "ram" (cheap) and an ata100 HDD, top of the line there no doubt. 64mg vid with tv out, anything else so AMAZING there in your opinion? What about the overall quality of those parts?

XP Home $50 shipped. (dbwillis in fs/ft)
Asus A7N8X DELUXE mobo $70 shipped (many on fs/ft)
Barton 2500+ $90 shipped from newegg
Corsair XMS twinx 2x256 pc3200 $110 shipped (in fs/ft)
SLK-800A w/vantec fan $40 shipped new
80gb 7200 rpm hdd $50 shipped (cypriot on fs/ft) myself would go with a better HDD, but this at least matches Dells
(I got my WD 80gb SE HDD for $55 shipped on our very own fs/ft forum)
Lite-On 48x cdrw ($30 shipped)
Lite-On 16x DVDrom ($20 shipped)
Optical drives
ATI 8500 64mb vid ($50 shipped on fs/ft)
Basic case/psu $25 shipped

Roughly $535 there, and I am sure you could save that extra $35 if you spent more than the FIVE MINUTES I SPENT LOOKING. And that's out of pocket, not $700 (plus tax in some cases) like Dell and then wait for a rebate. You can find the optical drives cheaper, same with video, ram, mobo, CPU. I saw that mobo go for $50 the other night, theres an extra $20 right there. So there ya go, I beat Dell, less money out of your pocket and FAR SUPERIOR quality. If you are not in a major rush and can take advantage of rebates (like you have to with these dell deals anway), it can be done far cheaper, even more so if you can take the time to wait and then pounce on the really great deals like that Asus for $50. Have a little patience and you can build rigs like that FOR FREE like I have many times in the past.......

I suppose Ornery thinks you will get the same quality level of hardware though right? What was the insight from your post anyway Ornery? I would say it is worth it, not only for the extra money you can save but for the QUALITY. Would you rather spend $500 on fools gold, or $500 and get the real thing........

Now, he did mention spending almost $1000, take the HDD and vid out of my list, you have roughly $550 left to cover those two, you can go with a 9800XT ($380 in fs/ft) and a Raptor 10,000 rpm Serial ATA HDD new and still be UNDER $1,000.... You think you can get that quality of a system for less than a grand from Dell? I can even find the $$ room to add a NEW 4x dual format DVDR.... lmao


As far as speed goes Ornery, read the thread you linked, notice the amount of time these people are WAITING to get their Dell's? Bottom line is this, if you know where to look and how to do it yourself, you can beat Dells price, with far superior quality and do it just as fast if not faster....

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Any other companies you recommend on getting computers?
I recommend you buy the parts and build your own. You will save cash that way.

Not necessarily, particularly if you put anything more than a mobo with onboard everything.

But you will get control over the parts, and the knowledge gained from building it yourself.

And you'll be 24/7 support for the rest of your life.

 

[Ornery]

That would be FAR too much trouble for me. Ordering unknown condition parts, from all over creation, from God knows who, and God knows when they'll get around to shipping...

...and to assemble it for someone other than myself, and fielding calls when a fan is noisy, or God knows what else... no thanks!

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: Ornery
That would be FAR too much trouble for me. Ordering unknown condition parts, from all over creation, from God knows who, and God knows when they'll get around to shipping...

...and to assemble it for someone other than myself, and fielding calls when a fan is noisy, or God knows what else... no thanks!

I trust the members who sell here, trust them to accurately describe condition and ship on time, havent had a problem yet in either area. You act as if the people on fs/ft are not reputable.

I don't mind the little phone calls and visits that go along with building a rig for someone else. I do this for my friends/family and dont mind seeing or talking to them anyways, also like to help people, I guess you just dont get that part either. Anyway, there you see how you can get far more quality for far less money than buying a dell, all depends on how lazy you are I guess.......

 

[Ornery]

I trust the members who sell here...

Of the eight PCs owned by family, and several more owned by friends, not one of those owners knows a damn thing about the hardware, and very little about the software. I suspect I'm not the only one around here in this boat. I've been switching them over to Dell, one by one, and don't feel the slightest twinge of guilt!

 

[Alistar7]

I would always prefer to see my family and friends money go towards the best they could get. They know the "Customer Service" isnt going to cost them a thing, and I will take far more care assembling and programming their machine than dell, the parts I will use will have lifetime or longer than OEM warranty, be of a finer quality and less likely to fail from the start, and command a better market price when they want to sell them to create money and save on upgrades.

I can understand your postition though, and I am not saying that for the money if you are going to purchase a new prebuilt system you CANT beat Dell. But if you don't mind doing it yourself, you can get alot more for your money.

Go with a 9700 Pro instead of the 9800xT, you saved enough to get a 17"LCD........

I didn't see any commnets of yours in that thread you linked about grasshopper, what was that about?


The guy whose thread I linked for the optical drives
Well god knows who he is now, or at least what kind of trader, think you could trust his description of the level of quality and condition?

Would you trust johnnie?

or boonesmi

New Yorks own newkilla????????

What about me?

How many negatives there? Not one in @ 2,000 transactions (didnt add them, could add one more trader easily if need be, but you get the point) Dell wishes they had that %. You will get far better goods and service right here than through Dell, and the people you deal with KNOW computers.