At the risk of having my virtual head bitten off, I’ve had exceedingly good luck with Gateway Computers, including some of the best customer service I’ve gotten anywhere (computer or non-). But maybe I’ve just been lucky.
I’ve also been told that Athlon processors are just as good as Pentiums and significantly cheaper (by about 200 pounds from Gateway, at least). Any views on the Athlon vs. Pentium thing?
In a recent (maybe the most recent still) issue of PC Magazine they review all the big PC makers, and Dell came out way on top. I’m not currently looking for a PC, so I didn’t read the article in any depth, but it might be worth looking into.
Dell. No question about it. Do not accept the opinion of someone comparing a single computer of one brand with a single computer of another. Anyone who has supported them in a business environament will tell you that Compaq sucks, for all the reasons given above. Let me chime in and say that I have dealt with customer support for both companies, and Dell outshines Compaq both in attitude and ability.