for the first time in 10 years i am purchasing a prebuilt PC

[Shadowknight]

The one time I considered buying a Dell server was when the cost of the computer was less than the cost of the processor alone; I think it was an extremely expensive Prescott at the time. Otherwise, I prefer homebrew. If nothing else, I have more options as to how I want it, more compatibility with aftermarket parts, such as heatsink and chipset coolers, and most importantly, I don't have to deal with Dell support. I've done it for my father before, and it was some of the most frustrating two hours of my whole life, and guess what! The script-monkey STILL couldn't help me. I had to spend another hour on my own before I could find the solution to the problem.

I'd rather have to deal with ANY OTHER COMPANY when it comes to warranty issues for different individual parts than Dell for an entire system.

 

[Molondo]

my excuse is its just too expensive to maintain a high end gaming rig. needing new GPU's every year along with new components such as the physx and dual core cpu's i just cant afford it. so a dell laptop and 360 it is!

If you only could settle for medium settings on games, money wouldn't be a problem!

Im pretty sure you could handle any game with your rig for couple more years.

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: idea
my first computer (1996) was a Packard Bell but after i performed surgery on that box for the 50th time i felt confident enough that my next system was going to be hand built by me, and it was. i haven't stopped since. until now.

there were a few reasons why i decided to build it myself back then. lets see the pros/cons list.

Pros of building yourself back then

A) its fun!
--> after spending countless hours tinkering with PC parts this one has lost all its sparkle

B) higher quality parts (overclocking, extra features, etc)
--> who cares, overclocking is for nerds and every PC comes with all the bells and whistles now

C) cheaper cost
--> yeah, whatever! go check out the Hot Deals forums. Core Duo systems for $500 or less.

with that said, the parts from my workstation are being donated to upgrade my aging linux fileserver, and i'm cruising over to the Hot Deals forum to pick me up a full Dell for ~$500 with a 19" LCD and a 1 year warranty. Newegg shopping carts can't beat that!

pretty much. you can't beat a dell with a coupon these days, esp after OS. not to mention, it's pretty darn hard and not cheap to build a near-silent computer... large HS with a 120mm fan, 120mm case fans, and a good case like a sonata ain't cheap.

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: Baked
I might get one if it comes w/ a 2407FPW for under $1K.

and it has happened before. i think with a P-D 2.8ghz or something too. damn i should have bought one and sell the LCD back then.

 

[randomlinh]

heh, i'm going to do something i never thought i would... when my computer dies, i'll probably replace it w/ an iMac

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Molondo

my excuse is its just too expensive to maintain a high end gaming rig. needing new GPU's every year along with new components such as the physx and dual core cpu's i just cant afford it. so a dell laptop and 360 it is!

If you only could settle for medium settings on games, money wouldn't be a problem!

Im pretty sure you could handle any game with your rig for couple more years.

carrying the ah heck around is annoying me too lol, dell XPS M1710 might solve that problem mind

 

[MichaelD]

Not a single poster has caught this, and I'm disappointed:

Dell prebuilits...include a legal copy of Windows XP

Oh please! Yeah, that legal copy is preloaded on the HD along with 1,402,234 pieces of spyware!

Wipe and reload is the answer....oh wait...said PC does not come with a FULL COPY of Windows XP!!! Only a "recovery CD" if you're lucky. :roll:

IOW, you get to restore the same, corrupted, spyware-infected load that you had before. Value added = 0.


That said, hardware has become almost bullet-proof these days. For Joe Average Non Computer Guy user, a new Dell is a steal.

I wonder if you can even download ALL the drivers for a "new Dell average PC?"

If I bought a new Dell for my 73-year old Mom, the first thing I'd do is wipe it and reload it with my legally purchased copy of WinXP Pro (I bought it...I can load it as many times as I please...EULA can kiss my @ss). But what about the drivers? I dunno about that.

Bah. New Dells are good for one thing: EBay to Joe Unsuspecting Consumer.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Not a single poster has caught this, and I'm disappointed:

Dell prebuilits...include a legal copy of Windows XP

Oh please! Yeah, that legal copy is preloaded on the HD along with 1,402,234 pieces of spyware!

Wipe and reload is the answer....oh wait...said PC does not come with a FULL COPY of Windows XP!!! Only a "recovery CD" if you're lucky. :roll:

It costs all of $10 to add an XP CD, your argument is completely without merit. You just have to put a check in the box when you order, it's that simple.

Yes, it's kind of annoying they don't come with them by default but virtually no major OEM does these days. The $10 is actually less than a typical Microsoft Volume Licensing media kit costs, so even that isn't too bad.

My last PC (now nearing two years old) was a Dell, my next one will be as well. I have absolutely no desire to toy with desktop hardware anymore.

Viper GTS

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: sniperruff

Originally posted by: Baked
I might get one if it comes w/ a 2407FPW for under $1K.

and it has happened before. i think with a P-D 2.8ghz or something too. damn i should have bought one and sell the computer back then.

Fixed. For that price, it was better to sell the computer for 500$ and make nicely with your 2407 monitor.

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Not a single poster has caught this, and I'm disappointed:

Dell prebuilits...include a legal copy of Windows XP

Oh please! Yeah, that legal copy is preloaded on the HD along with 1,402,234 pieces of spyware!

Wipe and reload is the answer....oh wait...said PC does not come with a FULL COPY of Windows XP!!! Only a "recovery CD" if you're lucky. :roll:

IOW, you get to restore the same, corrupted, spyware-infected load that you had before. Value added = 0.


That said, hardware has become almost bullet-proof these days. For Joe Average Non Computer Guy user, a new Dell is a steal.

I wonder if you can even download ALL the drivers for a "new Dell average PC?"

If I bought a new Dell for my 73-year old Mom, the first thing I'd do is wipe it and reload it with my legally purchased copy of WinXP Pro (I bought it...I can load it as many times as I please...EULA can kiss my @ss). But what about the drivers? I dunno about that.

Bah. New Dells are good for one thing: EBay to Joe Unsuspecting Consumer.

i think they give you the option to order a copy of the OS itselft for a few more bucks.

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: Linux23

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Not a single poster has caught this, and I'm disappointed:

Dell prebuilits...include a legal copy of Windows XP

Oh please! Yeah, that legal copy is preloaded on the HD along with 1,402,234 pieces of spyware!

Wipe and reload is the answer....oh wait...said PC does not come with a FULL COPY of Windows XP!!! Only a "recovery CD" if you're lucky. :roll:

IOW, you get to restore the same, corrupted, spyware-infected load that you had before. Value added = 0.


That said, hardware has become almost bullet-proof these days. For Joe Average Non Computer Guy user, a new Dell is a steal.

I wonder if you can even download ALL the drivers for a "new Dell average PC?"

If I bought a new Dell for my 73-year old Mom, the first thing I'd do is wipe it and reload it with my legally purchased copy of WinXP Pro (I bought it...I can load it as many times as I please...EULA can kiss my @ss). But what about the drivers? I dunno about that.

Bah. New Dells are good for one thing: EBay to Joe Unsuspecting Consumer.

i think they give you the option to order a copy of the OS itselft for a few more bucks.

EDIT: beat by ViperGTS.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
I wonder if you can even download ALL the drivers for a "new Dell average PC?"

you can. I have not run into a service tag that did not provide the drivers for the OS that was originally installed.

however, w/ that said, there's usually about 3 network cards, video cards, and what not to sift through, so it's a pain in the arse.

 

[Randum]

i would have to say, it is much easier for me to diagnose my mobo as going out or somethig myself and fixing it in a day or two. Also, I know from benchmarking, most of the mobos you can buy, tend to perform better for gaming regardless of OCing.

Plus nothing compares to having someone over, and seeing a case with lights a custom etched window!!! yes, i am a nerd

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
Not to mention most Dell desktops are near silent, include a legal copy of Windows XP and full 1 year warranty.

silence is good, but i can build quieter.

of course, it costs 2x as much or so.

P180 + seasonic S12 + 120mm sycthe FDB fans ftw!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Molondo

my excuse is its just too expensive to maintain a high end gaming rig. needing new GPU's every year along with new components such as the physx and dual core cpu's i just cant afford it. so a dell laptop and 360 it is!

If you only could settle for medium settings on games, money wouldn't be a problem!

Im pretty sure you could handle any game with your rig for couple more years.

if he'd game on the PC at the same res he would on the 360 (1280x720 or lower, with no AA), he'd find lots of PCs that work just fine.

 

[nageov3t]

the one thing that will always appeal to me about building my own computer is customization and upgradability.

I can order exactly what I need, no more, no less, and I've got virtually limitless potential to upgrade. need a higher capacity powersupply? no problem. new motherboard? easy.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Not a single poster has caught this, and I'm disappointed:

Dell prebuilits...include a legal copy of Windows XP

Oh please! Yeah, that legal copy is preloaded on the HD along with 1,402,234 pieces of spyware!

Wipe and reload is the answer....oh wait...said PC does not come with a FULL COPY of Windows XP!!! Only a "recovery CD" if you're lucky. :roll:

IOW, you get to restore the same, corrupted, spyware-infected load that you had before. Value added = 0.


That said, hardware has become almost bullet-proof these days. For Joe Average Non Computer Guy user, a new Dell is a steal.

I wonder if you can even download ALL the drivers for a "new Dell average PC?"

If I bought a new Dell for my 73-year old Mom, the first thing I'd do is wipe it and reload it with my legally purchased copy of WinXP Pro (I bought it...I can load it as many times as I please...EULA can kiss my @ss). But what about the drivers? I dunno about that.

Bah. New Dells are good for one thing: EBay to Joe Unsuspecting Consumer.

I got a Windows CD for my Dell for a nominal fee
Never had any issues with downloading drivers
Loading WinXP Pro on multiple computers is legal?

 

[Babbles]

I am in the market for a new computer, leaning toward a desktop replacement notebook, and I just can no longer justify building my own systems. I hardly do any gaming and as such I don't need a high end rig so for a middle of the road system I simply could never beat Dell prices.

Now that they are selling AMD PCs, I'm totally sold!

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: loki8481
the one thing that will always appeal to me about building my own computer is customization and upgradability.

I can order exactly what I need, no more, no less, and I've got virtually limitless potential to upgrade. need a higher capacity powersupply? no problem. new motherboard? easy.

same can be said for a lot of dells. not all of them require proprietary stuff/BTX.

that's what im planning on doing after something breaks in my 4-year old AXP 1700+: buy a dell, get a reasonable video card, put in another stick of ram, then it's done. silent, fast, and cheap.

 

[MichaelD]

OK, I stand corrected. If it's only $10 to buy a FULL, original copy of the OS (without the crap Dell spyware load) then it's a raging good deal.

I've not bought an OEM PC in more than 10 years and the last guy I told "Just buy a Dell" it was the best thing for him...really. Guy thought the HD was in the keyboard for some reason, and his hormone-spewing teenage kids only want to chat on AOL with their KeWL fr3iendz! :roll:

Anyway...seems that Dell's come a long way.

 

[duke]

My last and only Dell (classic Pentium 75MHz) had a proprietary PSU. Is this still the case today?

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: duke
My last and only Dell (classic Pentium 75MHz) had a proprietary PSU. Is this still the case today?

No. Although you will have to use a smaller PSU if you want to replace it.

 

[intogamer]

You can always call/ chat with them on getting free OS/ Driver CDs

I had a inspiron 8200 from 2001 or 2003... they sent the package via DHL... free

But I don't know why... it doesn't let me enter my key... it has a key preloaded and when I change it during activation it doesn't work... I always have to call in =/

 

[duke]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: duke
My last and only Dell (classic Pentium 75MHz) had a proprietary PSU. Is this still the case today?

No. Although you will have to use a smaller PSU if you want to replace it.

Smaller because "regular" PSUs will nott fit?

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: duke

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: duke
My last and only Dell (classic Pentium 75MHz) had a proprietary PSU. Is this still the case today?

No. Although you will have to use a smaller PSU if you want to replace it.

Smaller because "regular" PSUs will nott fit?

Some PSUs will not fit. You can go to the Dell support forums and see what aftermarket PSUs will fit the model you're looking to buy.