How bad are Dell computers? Really.
Dells are generally fine, reliable PCs and an excellent value for the dollar.
Many PC problems, including some of mine, are due to IO issues, and I don’t mean “input-output”.
You might want to ask a mod to put this in IMHO or the Pit.
The problem companies like Dell face is that they sell mostly to people who:
A: don’t know much about computers or
B: those that don’t care and need a cheap “email machine”.
The thread you mentioned is a more of an “A” issue.
Dell is perfectly fine and I recommend it to people I know but don’t want to bother supporting (I’m a computer guy and I hate taking calls about computers unless it’s an interesting call about a hardware glitch). I like some Dell parts and I have my eye on the 2005FP 20" LCD monitor. If the pricing drops (for Dell Canada) I’ll probably buy 2).
If you know enough about computers, you’ll usually build one unless you’re buying a Dell for reason B.
Bump
I’ve had one for about 3 weeks and it works ok so far. It was extremely easy to set up (suitable for a computer moron like me). It was cheap, and you get what you pay for. The video card is, I’m told a budget model, the keyboard wouldn’t suit a touch typist as its “sticky” It uses some Dell branded equipment which might not be the best. It also comes with a lot of pre-loaded software on it which in retrospect I could do without, eg Dell Media Experience. Also special trial packages of virus protection, Aol, Tiscani or BT Broadband. I just went and uninstalled everything I didn’t fancy, including Real Player ( I hope successfully!)
Oh yes, Dell very kindly doubled the memory from 512 to 1024 as part of the deal for no extra cost.
I own two Dells.
The next computer I buy will very probably be a Dell.
The computers I use at work are Dells.
The next computer I purchase at work will be a Dell.
I am not a hardware professional (IANAHP), but as IT professional I know a good computer when I encounter it. There may be manufacturers that are better, but Dells are a reasonable price and consistantly good quality.
I tell all my non-gaming friends to buy a Dell. They’re cheap reliable machines, if you’re into Hardcore Gaming, Modding, Overclocking or just want a cutting edge machine build it yourself IMHO.
I have a Dimension 4100 that is 3 + years old; it runs pretty much 24/7 and I haven’t had any problems EXCEPT those of my own making.
I’ve never had a problem with Dell either. My computer history includes two self-built machines that failed in less than a year (probably something I did/misconfigured) and a computer bought from a small online company that failed once, was repaired, and failed again, nearly taking my hard drive (and a bunch of un-backed-up stuff) with it.
After the second failure, I got myself a Dell and its been working without fail since 2002. My office uses Dells as well, and the two that I’ve had have never given my problems.
I’ve also had a Dell 4100 Series which is about 4 years old now. I’ve really never had any problems with it, other than what I’ve probably done to it myself.
The sound card did go out recently, but I’m a music freak and probably burned the damn thing right up after tens of thousands of hours.
So, after installing a new soundcard, I was given Sim City 4 Deluxe as a gift, and gave it a shot. After a few minutes, the dang thing would freeze up. I upgraded memory to 512 (crucial.com – it came in like 2 days!), spent countless hours toggling different things, making adjustments. I thought I tried everything, and nothing worked. Thought the Dell just couldn’t handle it.
So out of curiosity I put in Sim City 3000, which I’d played alot of a few years ago. The same thing happened. It froze up - almost immediately (light bulb comes on – was it the soundcard?).
I read the README file for Sim City 4 (duh). Sure enough, it says right in there that certain sound cards conflict w/ the game and gave me the steps to fix. Now the game works just fine. So after all that, my advice: view the README file for the game if you haven’t, and did you make any hardware adjustments recently? Probably not, but there could be an answer out there, before you decide to dump.
I’ve had my Dimension 8300 for about 7 months and have had zero problems. If you’re going to buy one, keep a close eye on the specials. I ordered mine when they were offering no charge upgrades of the HD (80Gb -> 120Gb) and a flat screen upgrade (saved $300).
I did not opt for the floppy drive ($20), but ended up adding one ($9 from Newegg). I replaced the stock DVD/CD-RW drive with the two DVD burners from my last computer.
I had a problem with my $150 rebate. It got eaten by the postal system and they allowed me to fax the info to them despite being past the 30 day filing limit. I got my check about 7 days later.
The only beef I have is that I don’t particularly like the hinged case design. Otherwise, I would recommend Dell to anyone looking for a new system.
I own 2 Dells. A GX260 (2.5GHz, Pentium IV) and a GX240 (2.0GHz, P4) which I got from an employer that was going out of business… I love them, and the price was right.
If I was getting a new machine, for full prices, I’d build my own, and select the parts and pieces.
At work, as an IT guy, I recommend Dell to family, friends, co-workers, and order them for my work location whenever possible.
For servers, I go with HP/Compaq, but for desktops, Dell has my business… the support is pretty good, the quality of the PCs is pretty good.
The above posters have it right. They are not gaming machines, or for the “fiddler” right out of the box. But on my stronger PC, I put in a Radeon 9600XT, and it work just fine for the games I play (Quake 3, Urban Terror Mod; BF1942, Desert Combat Extended mod, and Tiger Woods 2005)
My $.03 (inflation adjusted)
-Butler
You can read some of my experience with Dells here. But as a summary:
I bought a refurbished Dell in 1993. No problems. In 1997 I bought a new one, a top-of-the-line version (well, it was top-of-the-line at the time). Eight years later I’ve still got it, and it’s running perfectly well except for balking a bit with some newer applications. Indeed, I’m only upgrading now because my home office requires up-to-date software, and my poor solid workhorse just can’t run with the thoroughbreds. Time to put 'im out to stud.
I’ve made only two tech support calls in eleven years. Not too shabby.
Two summers ago I came to acquire 4 “empty” Dell Optiplex G1’s (case, mobo, PII proc, CDROM) and I built them up into 4 respectable machines. Only one of them got anything other than a NIC and a new HDD.
The one that I use every day just recently got a new PCI vid card because the onboard finally died. I still use onboard sound and USB. I upgraded the processor with one of those “Slot-to-socket” doo-hickeys and it now runs a Celeron 1.1GHz.
One of the others is now my friend’s wife’s machine (running at a snappy 500mHz) and the other 2 are various work boxes for my company.
These machines are like a zillion years old in computer years, and they still run like champs. The thing I liked MOST about them is actually the fact that they have Dell branded mobos. I found so much info and help on the Dell forums, and I didn’t have to go scrounging through Korean language sites for chipset and mobo manuals.
I also recommend Dells to all my family and friends. I tell them that yes maybe I can built you a shithook box for a few bucks cheaper, but with a Dell you’re paying for the support. And you will need it. Dumbass.
Or maybe I just say that last part in my mind…
Dangit, I forgot to mention that the Optiplex I use on a daily basis has been running virtually 24/7 for the past 2 years and gets a thorough workout (visual studio, photoshop, Eudora, HomeSite, VS.NET, WMP, P2P, 7 IE windows, etc) every single day.