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whats wrong with dell?

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The only thing i have against dell is that they make badly balanced PCs and then gouge you for extra cash to get a DVDRW or a decent amount of RAM. Then again they are far from the only company around to do this so what the heck.
 
My Dell Inspiron 9300's hard drive died after exactly 1 year, 7 days after warranty expired.

Other than that, all my other Dell equipment has been working great. Still miffed about the hard drive though, espeically since you can't RMA it because it's considered a "Dell part, thus not covered under normal warranty"
 
Originally posted by: Operandi
As an OEM the desktops are at the very least above average in quality, but their designs are overall very un-inspired (boring), and sometimes plain stupid.

Dell's great if all you need is a cheap, boring, non-upgradeable machine, but for a hardware enthusiast building the machine is half the fun so buying a Dell would defeat the point.
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Non-upgradeable? Bullshit. I upgraded the hell out of my Dimension 9100.

It's obvious that an enthusiast would probably not want a Dell, but that is besides the point of the OP.

I went with a Dell because I simply could never have built a system for the price I paid, and the quality is excellent considering the price.
 
Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
Most people prefer to make custom PCs. At least, those who are not computer-illiterate. Like I was before I bought this system.
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If that was the case then Dell, HP, Gateway, etc. would not be in business. Hardly any people at all like to make custom built systems.
 
Originally posted by: bamacre
Originally posted by: Operandi
As an OEM the desktops are at the very least above average in quality, but their designs are overall very un-inspired (boring), and sometimes plain stupid.

Dell's great if all you need is a cheap, boring, non-upgradeable machine, but for a hardware enthusiast building the machine is half the fun so buying a Dell would defeat the point.
Click to expand...

Non-upgradeable? Bullshit. I upgraded the hell out of my Dimension 9100.

It's obvious that an enthusiast would probably not want a Dell, but that is besides the point of the OP.

I went with a Dell because I simply could never have built a system for the price I paid, and the quality is excellent considering the price.
Click to expand...

Well not completely non-upgradeable and some are better then others, generally the options are pretty poor though probably no worse then their competition. Generally all OEM machines are designed without upgrades in mind, I'm assuming the 9100 is higher-end Dell.

Example, friend of mine bought an entry level Dell and forgot to opt for the floppy drive on purchasing. Looking at the machine one would assume it was be simply as easy as sliding the drive in and connecting the cables, since there was clearly a spot reserved in the case for an external 3.5' drive. However Dell must have decided they wanted to save $0.03 by excluding the 3.5' drive cage, lame.
 
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: bamacre
Originally posted by: Operandi
As an OEM the desktops are at the very least above average in quality, but their designs are overall very un-inspired (boring), and sometimes plain stupid.

Dell's great if all you need is a cheap, boring, non-upgradeable machine, but for a hardware enthusiast building the machine is half the fun so buying a Dell would defeat the point.
Click to expand...

Non-upgradeable? Bullshit. I upgraded the hell out of my Dimension 9100.

It's obvious that an enthusiast would probably not want a Dell, but that is besides the point of the OP.

I went with a Dell because I simply could never have built a system for the price I paid, and the quality is excellent considering the price.
Click to expand...

Well not completely non-upgradeable and some are better then others, generally the options are pretty poor though probably no worse then their competition. Generally all OEM machines are designed without upgrades in mind, I'm assuming the 9100 is higher-end Dell.

Example, friend of mine bought an entry level Dell and forgot to opt for the floppy drive on purchasing. Looking at the machine one would assume it was be simply as easy as sliding the drive in and connecting the cables, since there was clearly a spot reserved in the case for an external 3.5' drive. However Dell must have decided they wanted to save $0.03 by excluding the 3.5' drive cage, lame.
Click to expand...

That is true for all systems, you get what you pay for. IIRC, there are a couple of ATX cases that don't have a slot for floppy drives. There are certainly ATX motherboards that don't have an AGP nor PCIe x16 slot.

Yes, the 9100 was a high-end desktop, at it's time, the system just below the XPS Gen series. The case is very well designed, from screwless hard and optical drive bays, to physical support for heavier video cards.

I have built a number of systems, two in the past two days actually, but again, at the time I went with this Dell because it was so incredibly inexpenive. I agree, their low-end Dimensions are horrid, IMO, but I do more than office and web browsing. Some people just want a desktop for internet access, period, and that is a viable market, and that's why Dell offers them. And for the price, they can't be beat. It's quite easy to find towers with Windows, keyboard and mouse, and a basic config for $200 in their Outlet inventory.

You would be surprised to see how many AT'ers own not just a Dell, but a Dell refurb. 😀
 
Originally posted by: adammthompson
ironbran, what model of Dell are you thinking of buying? I pretty much agree with Harvey. But if you know what you're doing, and you buy one of Dell's higher end models, and you don't mind the price they charge, you'll probably get a fine computer.
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Thanks for your responses everyone. It sounds like the very first post after mine was correct, they are just easy to hate.

As for what model, im thinking about getting a decked out XPS 700, one of the new machines i saw on their website today. It looks pretty good.

but... i heard that a new config of mobo is coming out soon that supports.... er... something or other. i dont remember, but i was told to wait until 2007. have you guys heard this too?

btw, any good links to making a new computer as opposed to buying a dell? im not totally against that, its just dell is so much easier.
 
Nothing, in my opinion. I have a 6000d laptop, and my sister has a B130 and they're both pretty flawless performers for their price/catagory. I'd buy more Dells.


Originally posted by: Trey22
Dell makes some solid lower end products, they also make utter crap... for example, their laptop line, specifically their 600 series might as well be duct taped together. I HATE my 600m with a passion. Don't ask what's broken on it, it's more of a question as to what hasn't.

Keyboard
LCD
CD drive
PC card slot
Cracked hinge
VGA out
System fan
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Since you hate it so much, can I have it? 😀
 
Originally posted by: ironbran
Originally posted by: adammthompson
ironbran, what model of Dell are you thinking of buying? I pretty much agree with Harvey. But if you know what you're doing, and you buy one of Dell's higher end models, and you don't mind the price they charge, you'll probably get a fine computer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your responses everyone. It sounds like the very first post after mine was correct, they are just easy to hate.

As for what model, im thinking about getting a decked out XPS 700, one of the new machines i saw on their website today. It looks pretty good.

but... i heard that a new config of mobo is coming out soon that supports.... er... something or other. i dont remember, but i was told to wait until 2007. have you guys heard this too?

btw, any good links to making a new computer as opposed to buying a dell? im not totally against that, its just dell is so much easier.
Click to expand...


When you get to higher-end systems, at retail prices, the bank-for-buck gets very low. A decked out XPS 700 is going to be extremely expensive, and if you have an interest in building your own, I would certainly do just that. However, Intel will be releasing a brand new series of processors, Core 2 Duo, on July 23rd, and I would highly suggest waiting until after that date, and building around C2D. It is definitely worth waiting for.

Building a computer is not difficult, in fact, if you will take your time and read through a couple of guides and the motherboard manual, it will be quite easy to do. If you have any questions, this is a good place to ask, and if you have a budget in mind, this is a great place to get recommendations for the parts going into your system. I would imagine you would save roughly $500 over a Dell, depending on exactly what you are looking for.
 
Try to replace the power supply in one when it goes bad. It wont fit. I hate how they advertise their computers to be SO POWERFUL when they are advertising a 2.4ghz p4 and a mx-4000 gpu. of course ther are talking about the most expensive pc they have available, not the price they just flashed across the screen.
 
what's wrong with Dell?
1. the power transformer in my NEW Inspiron B120 burned out after 1 month.
2. the laptop itself burned out after 5 months.
3. Dell laptop explodes in Japan.
4. Dell recalls batteries due to overheating and burnout.
5. Dell is not warning customers their laptops may burst into flames.
 
I am on my 3rd motherboard, and my 2nd fan om by 3rd motherboard in a year on my D270 at work. At home, none of my Custom AMD systems have a problem, or my HP AMD laptop, or my Sons AMD Compaq laptop.
 
I bought a 1905FP.... It developed a line through the screen, I looked online for info for warranty and found that Dell didn't ship my TFT with a service tag.... So no online access to supoprt without a service tag, and no 800# posted anywhere to call...

A company that won't publish it's 800 Sevice # on it's website doesn't get anymore of my business. They wouldn't even answer my cry for help in their own forums. Screw them.
 
Originally posted by: ironbran
Originally posted by: adammthompson
ironbran, what model of Dell are you thinking of buying? I pretty much agree with Harvey. But if you know what you're doing, and you buy one of Dell's higher end models, and you don't mind the price they charge, you'll probably get a fine computer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your responses everyone. It sounds like the very first post after mine was correct, they are just easy to hate.

As for what model, im thinking about getting a decked out XPS 700, one of the new machines i saw on their website today. It looks pretty good.

but... i heard that a new config of mobo is coming out soon that supports.... er... something or other. i dont remember, but i was told to wait until 2007. have you guys heard this too?

btw, any good links to making a new computer as opposed to buying a dell? im not totally against that, its just dell is so much easier.
Click to expand...

Be careful getting a gaming rig from Dell. My father purchased one several years ago with what was their top-of-the-line card at the time GF4. The card was some Dell branded CRAP that only got 2/3 the performance of similar cards.

This was one of the most expensive machines you could order from Dell at the time, and spec wise should have been one of the fastest set-ups available anywhere, but thanks to Dell cutting corners, it turned out to be a big waste of money.
 
Unless things have changed recently, I think upgradeability is the main problem.

My friend throws away a Dell every few years and buys a new one. With a decent case and power supply he could be upgrading components as needed and would always have a much better system for the same money or less.

Yes, they are cheap, but from what I've seen there is always a good reason for that, e.g. d-sub video, Celeron processor, etc.

Dells are great for someone who knows nothing about computer hardware and doesn't want to spend any time learning. With a couple of hours of reading, though, you can get much better values. And if you know about your system you won't waste weeks of your life shipping it back and forth to the dealer just to reformat the hard drive or replace a fan.

Even if someone would never build his own computer, I'd bet that a more expensive but upgradeable box from ABS would be cheaper in the long run.

On the positive side, the Dell cases look pretty nice now, and they are making them quiet these days. That wasn't always true.
 
Floppies CAN be added. You need to buy their floppy with drive bracket for about $26, or buy it elsewhere for about 17.

The major problem is customer service, also known as "Dell Hell".
 
Originally posted by: lenjack
Floppies CAN be added. You need to buy their floppy with drive bracket for about $26, or buy it elsewhere for about 17.

The major problem is customer service, also known as "Dell Hell".
Click to expand...

you will be outsourced to India or the Phillippines
 
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