DO Dell Computers have higher quality components?

[kyrax12]

I selected and ordered parts for my soon to become PC and they were about $900 including a SSD and a gaming mouse.

The computer that dell has that remotely match my build cost around $1300.

Do they put a lot of money into their components like the Motherboard and the Power supply?

 

[nickbits]

Short answer, no.

 

[GMasonDragonDad]

I looked at Dell models too. (XPS 8700) None of them list the Power supply efficiency. Even the corporate Optiplex series which at one time, there was a high efficiency option. Dell is in a race to the bottom for price. I assume most folks don't ask questions about rating for capacitors and chokes. Years ago, they dragged their feet when many models had faulty capacitors in their motherboards. Never sure they ever admitted it.

I worked desktop support and would call in a laptop with a bad screen. they asked me what bios level the system had and then fussed at me to update before they would send a tech. calling in a ticket would take 30 minutes on the phone. (that was ten years ago for their corporate support).

I miss the days when Dell and Gateway 2000 systems were the standard!

 

[kyrax12]

Short answer, no.

Do custom built PC usually have higher quality components?

 

[GMasonDragonDad]

My current home built machine has a Gigabyte "Ultra Durable" system board and Antec Sonata III case. Been running 24/7 for five years and always been stable. except for when I undervolted the processor too much and got random blue screens. (it was fine in XP, but Windows 7 64 did not like it) took me a bunch of time to figure it out.

Corporate lines are high quality. I see HP business desktops in ER rooms at hospitals. My large office building has thousands. all solid machines. Dell Optiplexs (of old) ran forever too.

I am waiting for a delivery of a HP Z220 workstation for my home. I hate the fact all parts are proprietary, but gotta love the odds it is going to run a very long time.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I selected and ordered parts for my soon to become PC and they were about $900 including a SSD and a gaming mouse.

The computer that dell has that remotely match my build cost around $1300.

Do they put a lot of money into their components like the Motherboard and the Power supply?

The XPS models have a 460 watt power supply, compared to the 300 watt ones in most off the shelf systems. Other than that I an not aware that they are of higher quality, although I have had several enterprise models and never had one fail.

I actually bought a close out XPS for a very good price and added an HD7770 and am quite happy with it. Now though, they seem grossly overpriced. The low end models are very strangely configured a lot of times with a low end gpu that is barely more powerful than the HD4600 igp, and to get a decent graphics card like the GT660, you have to pay well over 1000.00.

 

[kyrax12]

The XPS models have a 460 watt power supply, compared to the 300 watt ones in most off the shelf systems. Other than that I an not aware that they are of higher quality, although I have had several enterprise models and never had one fail.

I actually bought a close out XPS for a very good price and added an HD7770 and am quite happy with it. Now though, they seem grossly overpriced. The low end models are very strangely configured a lot of times with a low end gpu that is barely more powerful than the HD4600 igp, and to get a decent graphics card like the GT660, you have to pay well over 1000.00.

Well I was under the assumption that Dell use higher quality components since they charge a lot more if I were to build a similar spec PC.

 

[mnewsham]

Well I was under the assumption that Dell use higher quality components since they charge a lot more if I were to build a similar spec PC.

Why would they do that? They are a business, are they just using better components to make you happy? No they are in a race to the bottom just like everyone else, how cheap can we build it and how much can we mark it up.

Dell probably only pays $700-800 for that $1300 computer, hell could be less than that.

 

[kyrax12]

Why would they do that? They are a business, are they just using better components to make you happy? No they are in a race to the bottom just like everyone else, how cheap can we build it and how much can we mark it up.

Dell probably only pays $700-800 for that $1300 computer, hell could be less than that.

Well in that cased i don't see how their alienware and top performance PC lines are still surviving.

Considering I can build on with better specs for significantly less.

 

[mnewsham]

Well in that cased i don't see how their alienware and top performance PC lines are still surviving.

Considering I can build on with better specs for significantly less.

people are lazy and don't want to put in the effort themselves, if you can build a computer for $1,500 but you need to spend 5+ hours putting it together and installing everything not to mention all the time needed to make sure all your components will work together and are good quality. So you end up investing a LOT of time into it.

Many people simply don't want to or don't have the time to invest, they'd much rather spend $2,500-$3,000 on that same computer and not have to deal with anything and know it will work just fine and play all the latest games out of the box.

To each their own right?

 

[kyrax12]

people are lazy and don't want to put in the effort themselves, if you can build a computer for $1,500 but you need to spend 5+ hours putting it together and installing everything not to mention all the time needed to make sure all your components will work together and are good quality. So you end up investing a LOT of time into it.

Many people simply don't want to or don't have the time to invest, they'd much rather spend $2,500-$3,000 on that same computer and not have to deal with anything and know it will work just fine and play all the latest games out of the box.

To each their own right?

Wait five hours?

I /heard noobies do it in under an hour though. Compatibility wise, PCpartpicker does somewhat a good job with making sure parts are compatible with each other right? Couple that with forums and reviews, things should be peachy. Should only take one day at most with all the sources on the net.

Not to mentioned I won't have to spend time to remove bloatwares and such.

I guess to each their own. Can't fathom how spending $500 more is better than spending a couple hours building and installing some parts.

 

[lakedude]

While I agree that hand builts can be better I must also confess that 3 out of 4 of my Dells have been rock solid for years. One is a bit sketchy. I have always liked the custom cooling solution they used on my P4/ME system which would not be possible on a hand built. That thing is really old and still works like new.

 

[Bateluer]

Do custom built PC usually have higher quality components?

Did you put higher quality components into your custom built machine?

 

[kyrax12]

Did you put higher quality components into your custom built machine?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.47 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.31 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ Best Buy)
Total: $812.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-10 22:12 EST-0500)

Are these component higher than Dell's.

It was a budget build. I am planning to use my old optical drive from another pre-built PC.

 

[mnewsham]

Are these component higher than Dell's.

for the most part yes

 

[Lanyap]

It depends. Their higher end consumer models like XPS and their business models like Optiplex tend to have higher end components like MBs and PSUs but their lower end Inspiron tend to use lower end components.

 

[kyrax12]

for the most part yes

Ok good.

Considering how one of the poster in this thread have stated that his Dell's have lasted for many years.

I hope this rig's lifespan can go for more than five years or more.

 

[Bateluer]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Are these component higher than Dell's.

I don't see any glaring problems at first glance, and generally those brands are better than the generic no-name brands used in Dell's lower end models.

 

[mnewsham]

Ok good.

Considering how one of the poster in this thread have stated that his Dell's have lasted for many years.

I hope this rig's lifespan can go for more than five years or more.

All computer components are prone to failure even if you went out and bought a $400 premium motherboard today there is a 2-5% chance (depending on their quality control) of it being a dead board, shit happens. You can also buy a $50 budget board today that will last 8 years.

 

[Torn Mind]

Quality with regards to factors that affect reliability is never easy to analyze on a computer. The PSU, for example, needs to be subjected to load tests, visual inspection, and other diagnostics to see whether it is quality or not. Even $45-$50 OEM-intended PSUs from Seasonic do not use Japanese caps like their retail units do, but their voltage regulation and ripple control should remain superb. Likewise for Dell units, their units, on average, should perform those tasks adequately, even though there is a greater risk of capacitor failure.

For mobos, the quality of the board itself, or more accurately, the proneness of the manufacturing process to produce a bad board, is beyond the means to most end users to accurately determine. Although, capacitors can be visually inspected to get some sense of the level of caps used.

Then of course, the issue could be with the software acting up or damage during shipment.

For Dell, there are two conflicting incentives. One is the incentive to maximize profits, which means cutting down the cost of building and servicing the computer so that they can rake in the most money. The other is to make sure that problems do not affect too many end users, so they probably employ some verification that the computer works before shipping it out to stores or directly to the buyer.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Short answer -- No!! Long answer they also do not use the cheapest either!

Dell XPS 27 Touch
Specifications & Features
CPU:
Chipset:
GPU:
Memory:
Storage:

Display:
Optical:
Networking:

Interface:


Media Card Reader:

Webcam:
Audio:
Operating System:
Peripherals:

PSU:
Dimensions:
Weight:
Price: Intel Core i7-4770S processor (8M Cache, up to 3.9 GHz)
Intel H87 Express Chipset
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB DDR5
16GB DDR3 SO-DIMM AT 1600MHZ
2TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s HDD
32GB mSATA SSD
27" panel WQHD 2560”x1440” (Adobe RGB), 10-point multitouch
Slot loading Blu-ray Combo/DVD+/-RW
Killer Wireless-N, 1202 for Video & Voice + Bluetooth 4.0
10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN
Rear: (4) USB 3.0, (1) RJ-45 10/100/1000, HDMI out, HDMI In, Thunderbolt mini-DP port
Side/Front Ports: Power button, Brightness adjust, HDD LED, 8:1 MCR, Microphone,
headphone jack, (2) USB3.0, ODD eject, Input select
8:1 (supports SDXC (SD3.0), Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS),
Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card, Hi Speed-SD, Hi Capacity-SD )
FHD (2.07MP), Integrated dual digital microphone array for Skype
Waves MaxxAudio Pro
Windows 8 Pro, 64 bit
Dell Tangerine wireless mouse
Dell Tangerine wireless KB (KM714)
Internal (260W), 80 PLUS Gold certified, 90% efficient
Height Z: 492.2mm, Width X: 664mm Depth Y: 35.3mm(edge) 78.2mm(chassis)
28.2lbs/12.8kg (without stand); 35.3lbs/16.0kg (with stand)

 

[VirtualLarry]

One is the incentive to maximize profits, which means cutting down the cost of building and servicing the computer so that they can rake in the most money.

E-machines!!!!

 

[bononos]

Wait five hours?

I /heard noobies do it in under an hour though. Compatibility wise, PCpartpicker does somewhat a good job with making sure parts are compatible with each other right? Couple that with forums and reviews, things should be peachy. Should only take one day at most with all the sources on the net.

Not to mentioned I won't have to spend time to remove bloatwares and such.

I guess to each their own. Can't fathom how spending $500 more is better than spending a couple hours building and installing some parts.

You have to factor in noobie mistakes like not using motherboard standoffs or incompatible parts and the waiting and calling for replacing possible doa components.

 

[mnewsham]

I /heard noobies do it in under an hour though.

I highly doubt that, it will take me 2-3 hours and I have built upwards of 15 desktops in the past 2 years. I am including installing the OS, drivers and getting everything set up to use as well, not just plugging the components onto the motherboard.

 

[Gunbuster]

Dell is more expensive because you can buy a warranty and they will get you that exact same part next day (or in 4 hours for servers) It's not cheap to manage a supply chain and have 5 years worth of spare parts sitting all over the country.