I would not hesitate to buy a Dell system. The price deals they often offer are cheaper than I could build my own. I would stay away from the economy line unless you are looking for a low end system. A 4700 with options added can make a very nice, reliable system. If you are into OCing, build your own.
Despite what many people say about Dell, I have had no problems with them. We purchase many of their systems at work and they have all been rock solid machines, especially their laptops, workstations, and servers. I wouldn't buy one for personal use as I love to build them myself, but would not hesitate to recommend their systems to the person who wishes to have a prebuilt box.
Oh, and they make some really nice LCDs as well
.
Oh, and they make some really nice LCDs as well
.
shortylickens
No Lifer
- Jul 15, 2003
- 80,287
- 17,081
- 136
Dell - Used to have good computers and good service. Both have gone downhill.
HP - Never liked them. Mediocre Quality and overpriced.
Compaq - They are actually that bad. Worst computers I have ever seen. Bought one for myself in a fit of psychosis. Learned to never do it again. I dont think they have improved since merging with HP.
IBM - Decent quality, but very overpriced.
eMachines - Despite all the crap people talk about them, I have never had difficulties. Owned several towers and worked with many laptops. Always good for me. And they are normally a great deal for the money. They were the first I knew to have an A64 laptop. Every once in a while they make a decent high-end rig too.
Alienware - Never had the money, but the few people I know who got them said quality was great. Too bad they are so overpriced.
ABS - Knew one person with a laptop from them. Said it was of excellent quality and reasonably priced.
Falchon Nortwest - No Experience
VooDoo PC - No Experience
HP - Never liked them. Mediocre Quality and overpriced.
Compaq - They are actually that bad. Worst computers I have ever seen. Bought one for myself in a fit of psychosis. Learned to never do it again. I dont think they have improved since merging with HP.
IBM - Decent quality, but very overpriced.
eMachines - Despite all the crap people talk about them, I have never had difficulties. Owned several towers and worked with many laptops. Always good for me. And they are normally a great deal for the money. They were the first I knew to have an A64 laptop. Every once in a while they make a decent high-end rig too.
Alienware - Never had the money, but the few people I know who got them said quality was great. Too bad they are so overpriced.
ABS - Knew one person with a laptop from them. Said it was of excellent quality and reasonably priced.
Falchon Nortwest - No Experience
VooDoo PC - No Experience
n7
Elite Member
- Jan 4, 2004
- 21,281
- 4
- 81
A friend of mine just bought an eMachines H6212 since he didn't want to wait for me to build something for him. It has this mobo, which isn't bad at all.
We ripped out the crappy PSU & put in a OCZ 450W ModStream PSU & an ATI X800XL, & he's got a kickass system now
IOW, IMO, eMachines = not too bad.
HP/Compaq are notorious for having "high end" systems w/o AGP or PCI-e slots, & tend to have even worse PSUs than eMachines.
Sony = overpriced
Gateway = some okay ones, but usually crap.
For the most part, i think brand-name PCs are crap, but there are a few decent ones out there.
We ripped out the crappy PSU & put in a OCZ 450W ModStream PSU & an ATI X800XL, & he's got a kickass system now
IOW, IMO, eMachines = not too bad.
HP/Compaq are notorious for having "high end" systems w/o AGP or PCI-e slots, & tend to have even worse PSUs than eMachines.
Sony = overpriced
Gateway = some okay ones, but usually crap.
For the most part, i think brand-name PCs are crap, but there are a few decent ones out there.
1. alienware is going downhill.
2. Dell has gone downhill a LOT
look at this Reseller Ratings: 4.48 lifetime 3.48 6 month
3. Emachines are pretty good now. quality and customer service has gone way uphill.
4. ABS is decent but has shifted to el-cheapo indian tech support. uses the same company for tech support as Ibuypower and Cyberpower
Reseller Rating: 8.50 Lifetime 6.30 6 Month
5. I have 3 HPs. 1 pc is my parents daily internet pc running windows 98. had 0 problems with it even though it is 4-5 years old. I also have 1 that is new. no problems. uses high quality components like asus mbs(both uses asus) and superquiet fans/hdds.
the hp notebook is another matter altogether, though ti may partially be my fault. It is a desktop P4 system, and when i left in on top of the carpet restricting airflow somewhat, it overheated and actually melted part of the charger tip. I dont blame hp since i had placed such a heat generating machine in a position with restricted airflow, but i would definitely be weary of buying another space heater P4 notebook again.
6. Falcon Northwest, systems carry a dell-before-deals-and-cupons like premium but systems are rock solid and faster than the sum of their components.
Reseller Rating: 8.80 lifetime 10 6month(very few 6 month ratings)
7. Voodoo Pc. Best there is VERY hefty premium(over 23k for a pc??) but due to some propreitary care and tweaks with your pc, it is much faster than the sum of it's parts may suggest. BEST OF THE BEST
Reseller Rating: 9.77 Lifetime 9.81 6 Month
id prefer to build my own, but honestly some times its hard to beat the big boys, you can get some killer computers...or at least a wickedly solid base for a price you just simply couldnt achieve using newegg and the likes.
this is especially true for dell, they have some nice offers, and if your only looking for a daily driver of a computer theyre great. HP, compaq, sony, advent, packard bell etc i wouldnt really touch even if i had to buy a pre made unit ,but theyre not bad if u get a good deal
im liking MESH computers recently (maybe Uk only?) i mean c'mon for £899(inc Vat) can u make a better rig than this?
A64 3800+ (939)
1 gig o ram (pc3200)
200gig hard disk
Asus Micro Atx skt 939 Nforce 4 board
geforce 6600
19inch TFT
5.1 creative surround system
logitech wireless desktop
16x sony dual layer dvd writer
XP home
all built to order, and 3 yrs warrenty! pretty good in my book, and you can change the onboard sound to a Adigy 2 ZS for £30, and change the 6600 to the "bang for the buck special" 6600GT for £50! then add about £40 for the deilvery and there u have what i call a pretty awesome set up for just over a grand!
companies like Falcon NW, Alien Ware, Voodoo, SavRow....these are all premium systems, way more than id like to spend on a computer thats gonna be out of date a few months later. though ive heard nothing but good about Falcon Northwest, nice touches like the guy who built your rig leaves a nice sticker with his name on it in your rig, and a binder with all the bench marks for your rig...very nice touch. and the paint jobs obviously have to be seen to be believed.
this is especially true for dell, they have some nice offers, and if your only looking for a daily driver of a computer theyre great. HP, compaq, sony, advent, packard bell etc i wouldnt really touch even if i had to buy a pre made unit ,but theyre not bad if u get a good deal
im liking MESH computers recently (maybe Uk only?) i mean c'mon for £899(inc Vat) can u make a better rig than this?
A64 3800+ (939)
1 gig o ram (pc3200)
200gig hard disk
Asus Micro Atx skt 939 Nforce 4 board
geforce 6600
19inch TFT
5.1 creative surround system
logitech wireless desktop
16x sony dual layer dvd writer
XP home
all built to order, and 3 yrs warrenty! pretty good in my book, and you can change the onboard sound to a Adigy 2 ZS for £30, and change the 6600 to the "bang for the buck special" 6600GT for £50! then add about £40 for the deilvery and there u have what i call a pretty awesome set up for just over a grand!
companies like Falcon NW, Alien Ware, Voodoo, SavRow....these are all premium systems, way more than id like to spend on a computer thats gonna be out of date a few months later. though ive heard nothing but good about Falcon Northwest, nice touches like the guy who built your rig leaves a nice sticker with his name on it in your rig, and a binder with all the bench marks for your rig...very nice touch. and the paint jobs obviously have to be seen to be believed.
Muse
Lifer
- Jul 11, 2001
- 40,465
- 9,967
- 136
Can't remember the brand, but it was one of the big ones like Dell, Compaq, etc. I had in my office at my next to last full time job. It was light on RAM so I got my boss to approve my ordering a stick of RAM at a computer show I was going to. It used a proprietary stick, so it was relatively costly. The best thing about that rig, though, was that it really was super quiet. I never noticed it. In contrast, my home-built systems have always been noise makers. I've thought of buying a ready made system and even been advised to do it but so far I've always built my own from parts. All except for my first system, that is, which I bought used from an EE who built it from parts, and took the time and trouble to explain to me what those parts were about! What an experience! Well, I've taken the trouble to quiet down my latest systems, putting fanless heatsinks on my video cards, quiet fans and PSU's. Really, once you do it a couple of times it's not so intimidating. However, you do have to do some homework to make sure the things you get will be compatible. It's cool with me. I'm DIY by philosophy.
It's quite possible - not difficult at all really - to build for quietness. It just takes a little foresight. Keep in mind a large reason most prebuilts can be so quiet is that they're used for web surfing and e-mail - no number crunching or 3d gaming to require more (and often more noisy) cooling.
AGP is a very simple thing... I have never seen a computer that didn't have one... i NEVER KNEW OF SUCH A THING... my P.O.S. dell runs my 9800pro (tried it for troubleshooting)... I know it's not supposed to be a gaming machine... BUT it should at least be able to run Day of Defeat... my laptop runs it better than his Hp which is sad in my book
ASSUME: makes an ASS out of U and ME! (more u tho)
-devilfish
Those companies make computers pre-built for those who do not or cannot build their own computer and do not want to.
Otherwise the ill-advised buy them also.
It is just a matter of marketing to a certain variety of people.
Just like food, you can cook at home if you can do it good and know how to or go out to eat for a premium.
Ive had my good old Celery 2.6ghz for awhile before I put it to rest (good ol pal) it was one of the greatest.
Otherwise the ill-advised buy them also.
It is just a matter of marketing to a certain variety of people.
Just like food, you can cook at home if you can do it good and know how to or go out to eat for a premium.
Ive had my good old Celery 2.6ghz for awhile before I put it to rest (good ol pal) it was one of the greatest.
Yes, I forgot to mention this, but Dell seems to have engineered their PCs very well. Even many high end machines that we have at work (those that have 3Ghz+ processors w/QuadroFX 1100s/1300s) are virtually silent, and boot up in about 20 seconds or so.
Wouldn't want one at home, but the HPaq desktops we buy at work are good, and they make great servers.
build ur own its worth it if u dont know how to build ur own learn here and if you dont have the time than have someone build for u or get a company to build one for u. company named computers suck offer no oc u will want it soon or later they are expensive put crappy parts in unless u want to spend tons of money.
and if you dont have the time than have someone build for u or get a company to build one for u. company named computers suck offer no oc u will want it soon or later they are expensive put crappy parts in unless u want to spend tons of money. all i know:
emachines, for the price, have served me well. not as a gaming machine (altho in the very beginning it worked fine until hardware t&l started to take over) but for simple tasks my machine still works on stock components from '00 (had to add a 10/100 ethernet card but thats like $10 and i installed win2k to replace ME but otherwise it still runs fine)
my friend bought a compaq beginning of last school year and to my knowledge, even after being sent back multiple times, the thing is about as stable as a 10 year olds tree fort made out of popsicle sticks. basically never going recommend anyone to buy one of those in my lifetime after that.
my mom uses a dell at home. works great for her, she only uses word, email, internet and a few bland games (hoyle games mostly, nothign demanding) and it runs nice and smooth to this day. ill agree with the previous post that it does start up quick too.
personaly i plan on building my own from here on out but sometimes with rebates you can find a good deal on a PC from some manufacturers if all you need is basic functionality out of the machine.
emachines, for the price, have served me well. not as a gaming machine (altho in the very beginning it worked fine until hardware t&l started to take over) but for simple tasks my machine still works on stock components from '00 (had to add a 10/100 ethernet card but thats like $10 and i installed win2k to replace ME but otherwise it still runs fine)
my friend bought a compaq beginning of last school year and to my knowledge, even after being sent back multiple times, the thing is about as stable as a 10 year olds tree fort made out of popsicle sticks. basically never going recommend anyone to buy one of those in my lifetime after that.
my mom uses a dell at home. works great for her, she only uses word, email, internet and a few bland games (hoyle games mostly, nothign demanding) and it runs nice and smooth to this day. ill agree with the previous post that it does start up quick too.
personaly i plan on building my own from here on out but sometimes with rebates you can find a good deal on a PC from some manufacturers if all you need is basic functionality out of the machine.
I only buy IBM for myself as far as notebooks go, and build my home pc's. Other than that I avoid namebrand computers. I have been guilty of buying a few HP laptops for the wife and a Dell tower for her, but only due to cost reasons and they are only for word processing/internet (and I don't have to use them).
probably the only big name manufacturers that i would deal with is someone like ibuypower or cyberpower. Everyone else is teh suck!
i have no problem with Dell here at work. When i need a part for one of the systems its a one day turn around time from when i place the call to when the part is in my hand. Cant beat that.
And to the guy talking about the Dell not having an AGP slot. Alot of the dells in the recent past had on-board AGP and didnt have an additional AGP slot. The new models we get now have PCI Express slots.
And to the guy talking about the Dell not having an AGP slot. Alot of the dells in the recent past had on-board AGP and didnt have an additional AGP slot. The new models we get now have PCI Express slots.
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