Stress and stability testing

[slicksilver]

Our business is in talks with a software developer regarding a particular program and along with it we need to purchase a desktop and he recommends dell optiplex. I suggested an assembled system and he was dead against it saying they are cheap and unreliable. I personally disagree but would like to run some kind of stress and stability testing program to show him that assembled computers are the same or even better.

He was saying his company burn tests dell optiplex systems for 24 hours and only then gives it out to the customer.

 

[Zap]

Well, on the one hand it will be you guys using the system, right? On the other hand, no guarantee that if something goes wrong with the software, they won't refuse to fix it and instead blame the hardware.

 

[Cerb]

If he had suggested a Vostro, you could roll your eyes. Optiplexes might be a bit more expensive than building one, but you could do a lot worse. You can build a good PC, but on average, white boxes are probably nearly as reliable.

You will not find a way to show your system is as good or better. Even the low quality desktops that guy is maligning are going to pass their burn-in 95% of the time. Most problems with a low quality PC will show themselves as the components age, not in a short-term stress test. Burn-ins are good for finding faulty RAM and drives early on, these days, and not much else.

Maybe the guy is being a jerk, but this is the time to smile and nod, because you do not have the means to prove him wrong.

 

[betasub]

He wants to sell you the software & Optiplex as a bundle? Or you buy the Optiplex from Dell, and only the software from him?

 

[bryanl]

Will the software developer blame the hardware if his hardware recommendation isn't followed?