Questions About Dell Computers

[erpowers]

Do members of DU think Dell computers are actually as good as they are billed to be?

[billbuckhead]

1. For most people Macs are better

Dell is only as good as Microsofts lousy software

[Hissyspit]

4. I would second that. But I'm stuck with Microsoft for the near future.

[Llewlladdwr]

28. That must be why so many people own one!

This is soooo funny. You do know that if Microsoft stopped pumping money into Apple they'd go under, right?

[MadHound]

49. Umm, what money that MS is pumping into Apple?

The only money that MS has paid to Apple, as far as I know, was a settlement in the late ninties. Gates and Jobs did a deal, and Apple dropped its lawsuit dealing with how MS ripped off Apple's GUI.

If you know of any other monies being paid to Apple, please share.

[WLKjr]

57. Macs are better

I made the switch, and don't regret it. You don't have to 'think' about how to use a mac.


I love my mini mac! :hug:

[Hissyspit]

2. Have had Inspiron laptop for about 1 1/2 yrs and haven't had any problems.

Wish the sales person would have told me I could have gotten a built-in DVD recorder for $50.

[icehenge]

3. no

spend a few extra if you can for something else

[arcos]

5. Yes...

some people report problems, I'm on my third Dell computer and use Dell at work too. No problems ever.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. My dad has a dell at work

and he said he's never had any problems. I've had some with mine.

[Selatius]

6. I've had a second-hand latitude for about 2 years, no major problems

The only major problems were my fault for fooling around with things I didn't yet understand. Common sense when it comes to firewalls, anti-virus, and unknown emails will take you a long way. Then again, fooling around with computers was my hobby, so I'm fairly well off when it comes to what needs to be done and such.

[FreedomAngel82]

7. It's okay

I like them okay. I've had mine four/five years now and I've had a few problems. Crashes and one time with my mother board. They sent someone out here to fix it and they didn't even do it right. They got the sound in the wrong place and my dad had to fix it (thank goodness he's an engineer).

[Tux]

9. As a Dell owner and former Dell tech support temp

I regret buying my Dell notebook PC. The hard drive hums and chirps (may go for broke soon), warms up too fast and too hot (system fan is dying), and the only tech support I get is some guy in India.

When I did tech support, I got info I can't put here but I will never recommend one.

I'd recommend people to either buy a Mac notebook or build your own PC. One I built myself is going on 2 years and only the mouse has problems.

[Nite Owl]

10. I had a little Dell laptop for about 5 yrs

No problems, even spilled juice on it and it kept going. Got too slow and needed to update so got a Dell desktop and 2 1/2 yrs and all is ok. Service is good. Even though they are a 'red' company it would be hard to get anything else. I do have another little laptop, and Averatec and it's pretty good. Only reason I didn't get a Dell though was price.

[Nomad559]

11. I've had about

14 Dell PC's and one notebook In the past 6 years, the only problem I ever had was a cooling fan went bad on the Dimension 4550.

[oscar111]

14. dell rankings not valid

dell rankings..

the cpr magazines that do the rankings take ads from dell

lots of ads

that taking of ads is widely recognized as a reason to discard opinions of any such magazine

[kimpossible]

12. Good experiences here

Dell rates relatively highly in most rankings of hardware reliability, AFAIK. And a friend who works as a system admin and has to set up and maintain lots of machines always says that Dells are the least troublesome of the systems that come through his office.

[kcass1954]

13. I use a 4+ year old Dell at work. It would be okay except...

all the utilities require an administrator password, and just try to get IT in to do something.

My son has has his Dell for 2-1/2 years. The only thing that's happened is the CD burner went out about a year ago.

My Dell desktop is 5 years old. I replaced the hard drive in late 2003, and added more RAM last year. It's doing everything I need it to do with a minimum of problems.

Lots of good computers out there - the best bet is to make sure the manufacturer has top-notch customer service.

[unblock]

15. get the 3-year, on-site service plan, and you'll have no worries

most likely, it's still cheap than an ibm or compaq, etc.
if anything DOES go wrong, they'll fix it, no problem.

i've had dell laptops for at least 5 years. i've had 2 problems, and both were fixed easily.

one, a hard drive started squealing and started to develop bad sectors before finally collapsing (i had plenty of warning, so i was taking frequent backups.) i waited far longer than i needed to. a few minutes on the phone with dell and they shipped out a new drive as a replacement.

two, i had a keyboard/touchpad go sour. some keys were became nearly impossible to tap once without getting mmmmmmmmmmmmultiple characters. also the touch pad mysteriously thought i tapped it even when i was nowhere near it.

again, one call to dell and they sent someone right out. they not only brought the replacement part, but they actually did the replacement and the testing right before my very eyes, and they didn't leave until i was satisfied.

[BattyDem]

16. Yes. I'm very happy with mine ...

I've had it for three years and I only had one problem with it (RAM module failed) a couple of months ago. They replaced it free of charge (I'm still under warranty).

I always recommend Dell to friends and family. :-)

[Proud2BAmurkin]

17. Michael Dell gave $2000 to George W. Bush in 2004

.

[theHandpuppet]

37. Oh, it's a LOT more than that!!!

There are tons of articles about the Bush-Michael Dell connection; Dell is considered not only a major Bush contributor/backer but a close persoal friend of the chimp! Here is just a sampling of links:

http://www.corporateswine.net/dell.html
http://www.usnewsclassroom.com/issue/000515/texas.htm
http://www.cio.com/archive/101500/men_sidebar2.html

Michael Dell gave 250,00 towards the Bush inaugural: http://www.forward.com/campaignconfidential/archives/001393.php

Dell Computers executive Michael Dell has also played a big part in the Bush campaign. He’s personally donated $250,000 to the RNC, and his company’s given has swung heavily to Republican organizations--$353,000 vs $145,549 for Democratic groups. Dell has also been a very public supporter of Bush, lending his name to the campaign in several published letters and editorials. See http://www.knowthecandidates.org/ktc/bushcontributors.htm

[theHandpuppet]

39. A breakdown of some of Dell's contributions:

From: http://www.corporateswine.net/dell.html

Michael Dell's contributions to members of right-wing individuals and organizations include the following (this list does not include the contributions to GWB re-election campaign or the 250,000 for the Bush inaugural):


9/21/2000 $200,000 Republican National Committee


11/6/2000 $1000 John Ashcroft


7/23/2001 $27,500 National Republican Senatorial Committee


9/27/2002 $250,000 Republican National Committee


10/21/2002 $1,000 Americans for a Republican Majority


11/26/2002 $1,000 Young America's Foundation

[eaglenetsupport]

18. Your best computer is

a PC that you build or have built by someone that is competent. Motherboard processor and mem chip can be better/best matched if you build it yourself. Also the independent builder can take the extra time that many times is needed. This is out of reach by the majority of users. So the next best choice is a Dell.

Virtually all of the PC companies have gone downhill over the last three years or so. Cheaper and less matched components being the primary problem. Tech support has moved off shore in almost all cases.

Dell has gone downhill less then the rest. If your wanting a laptop then Dell is your only good choice because you can't build one of those.

Back to standard desktop/PC, the components used in Dells are better than any of the other companies. Tech support is OK but Indian. Hardware support I find very good, not quite as good as the old original Gateway company (current Gateway is trash) but almost. To me this is the most important issue is how the company deals with failed hardware, and I've never had Dell let any of my clients down, while many other companies do let them down. Most are more concerned with finding an excuse to get out of getting you that replacement modem or whatever part you need. Dell goes out of their way to make their clients happy, even sometimes I've experienced Dell not technically responsible and the user was, and they still backed the machine up.

But if you got the time, there are always small independent local PC builders that back their product in their shop without shipping it off someplace. Local independent best, Dell if you got to go company.

This is hard-knocks info as I am an ISP, have my own shop, and have built hundreds of PC's in the last ten years.

[genieroze]

19. I won't buy anything that I didn't have to, if they give only to the

republican party.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Fuck Dell ... buy what you need from Sam

Sam's the guy that runs the computer store down the street from me. He has one store. Two young guys. They fix 'em and they build 'em. I need to keep my hardware and software up to date (We run two business and computers are integral to both even though neither business is related to computers per se. We just need reliable tools), so I tend to replace computers every year or three. And we have six of them here.

Sam has built the last three we bought (except for the laptop ... that's a Toshiba). Each has been custom built for a specific job and made use of Sam's reccomended name brand components. Sam's offers a one year warranty on new builds and a 3 month warranty on any replacement parts or repairs to shit he didn't build.

Sam's sold us these computers with better specs than Dell ... or Gateway .... or HP .... or Sony ..... or anybody. And for less actual out of pocket, real, green bux.

I'm sure there's a Sam in your neighborhood. Buy from Sam. Better deal. Less hassle. A real person. Quality. Value. And you're supporting a true 'small business' and your community.

What's not to like?

[Pepperbelly]

29. I bought mine from "Sam's" ...

and it is very fast, reliable and only cost $500 for the whole damned thing.

[theHandpuppet]

44. Well, if you're going to buy a Dell...

... might as well go whole hog for the GOP War Machine and buy it from Sam's and the Walton family. (That is, assuming it's the "Sam's" to which you were referring. If not, I apologize.)

[Pepperbelly]

53. did you not even read the post to which I responded?

:eyes:

Take a pill or something.

[Lone Pawn]

21. No. I hated my Dell.

Go Mac if at all possible.

[mvd]

22. Mine was a solid computer, but I recently changed

to a new Sony Vaio. So far, it's just as good as the Dell, and I can feel better since I'm not using a computer from a deeply RW company.

[Melynn]

23. I've had the same Dell computer for over six years

no major problems.

[mvd]

25. Only had one real problem

A faulty CD/R-RW drive, which they replaced since I was under the warranty.

[Liberal In Texas]

24. We have like, 3 Dell's up and running in the household.

They're fine.

(I'm not sure I'm fine with their recent off-shore BS.)

But I do agree, with the poster that said, "Go to Sam" or the equivalent. In Dallas it's called "Tran".

Brilliant. They can fix you right up.

[bdot]

26. If you want your pc to completely fall apart after 1 year,

then Dell is the way to go. Plus they put so much software on there that the pc's crawl.
That and the minimum wage jobs they create while forcing cities to pay millions upon millions to make them new streets and move people elsewhere is pretty sad.

[B3Nut]

30. A co-worker got a new Dell

and she had me set it up (I'm in IT). Not too much fluff, but I did uninstall a few things, and replace the stock McAfee antivirus with Norton. For a company-built PC they're OK, they source the motherboards from Intel, but they use an intentionally miswired power connector so you have to buy a replacement power supply from them (though PC Power and Cooling had a replacement PS for Dells last I looked). Ditto for the motherboard. I wouldn't buy a machine that didn't use industry-standard components, which is why we build all our corporate PC's in house. Better control over what's in them and on them.

I do own an old Dell Inspiron somethingorother...P2/366, 384MB RAM. Someone was going to toss it out, so I grabbed it. BOught a charger, wi-fi card, and put Windows 2000 Pro on it. Works like a champ, plenty fast for Firefox, mIRC, and Word. :)

TP

[lectrobyte]

35. A proprietary power supply? What assholery! I rescind my

earlier comments about Dell, build it yourself, or if you can't get it from a local independent store.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TryingToWarnYou]

31. In my extensive experience, yes. However, stay away from the GX260 line.

[lectrobyte]

32. if it's a desktop unit, I usually just build my own from parts

that I buy locally, or off the internets. Less stuff ends up in a landfill, and you know exactly what you have and how to fix it. If it's a laptop, then I'd suggest Dell or IBM. FWIW, I am a Linux/Windows person, no real experience with Macs, but the folks that have them seem to love them. Anyway, I'd expect for the average person, Dell seems like a good compromise between price and quality.

[NewJeffCT]

33. Our 3 year old Dell is dying

Just about every day it crashes where I have to turn it off & then on again. It's gotten consistently worse over time, despite my consistently running disk cleanups & the like.

I'm looking into getting a Mac, but if we can get a loaded Dell for $800 with a digital flat screen monitor, it may be too cheap to pass up... then, just get another Dell in 3-4 years.

[QC]

34. I'm posting with a Precision 470 workstation and love it.

Fast, powerful machine, no problems, and believe it or not, their support for the Precision line is very good.

[sendero]

36. IMHO....

... virtually all PC computers sold in the US are commodities, like flour or sugar.

All the parts are made in Asia. It doesn't matter whether you buy a Dell, an HP, an eMachine, or let a shop put together a custom system, there's not a dime's worth of difference between them.

If you are trying to decide, decide based on service/customer support - although I don't have a lot of good info on who does the best at that.

I do know that Dell has outsourced most support for non-business customers to India. And that Dell is a huge Bush** supporter. That's enough to keep me away.

[sugapablo]

38. Dells are great...with Linux!

Dell computers are great, once you cleanse them of their Microsoft corruption and install a fresh Linux OS. :)

[Deja Q]

55. SUSE 9.3 is out and it's the best ever.

And I fawned over 9.2!

[theHandpuppet]

40. For you latecomers...

Please see posts 17, 37 and 39.

[BornLeft]

41. I generally feel that

90% of the people in the US shouldn't be allowed near PC's period.< I have got to get out of IT!> But Dells have been ok for me.

[SmokingJacket]

42. I've had nothing but Dells since 1993.

But I've probably bought my last.

No problems at all until recently. My husband and a friend both had Dell laptops whose keyboards pooped out. My fairly new monitor had a problem in which it refused to show the color RED. Pain in the ass since I like to browse knitting sites. I replaced that with a nice new thin one from samsung. In order to have the lowest prices I think they're cutting some serious corners.

And I'm not going to support a red company. Probably will switch to Apple next time.

[Walt Starr]

43. Michael Dell is a HUGE Bush supporter

I use 'em in business (no real choice), but never for personal.

[newyawker99]

45. I've had mine for almost 3 years with no problems.

:-)

[Toots]

46. Dell is one the Right's largest financial supporters. If you wish to help

the Right buy a Dell. There are other machines just as good and just as cheap. Do some research.

[bklyncowgirl]

47. My library has 24+ computers online--mostly Dell

Most were part of a grant and were chosen and paid for by the company who was donating the money.

For the most part they've held up well. We've had problems with their small form computers (bought four at once and the hard drives went on all of them--must have been a bad batch) but the towers have been real reliable--they're now five years old and still being pounded away on by neophyte web searchers. Customer service has been good when needed (very seldom). Main complaint: alot of parts are custom-you have to buy replacements from Dell.

I'm not crazy about Michael Dell's politics but he makes a decent computer at a competitive price.

[The Revolution]

48. Dell is good

My first computer was a Dell, and I never ever ever had a problem with any components. In fact, when I started building my own computers, I took a lot of the parts out of the Dell. Right now I have two fully functioning computers, and the older one still uses the original hard drive, dvd drive, and a few other parts from the Dell. I've had about 4 other hard drives fail in the last couple years, but that original Dell one is still going (even though its the same brand as a couple of the failed ones).

Tech support was okay, but it was generally most useful when you knew what the problem was, just not how exactly to fix it. For example, I was messing around one day and changed the AGP architecture CMOS setting, which made the computer unable to boot. So I called tech support and had them tell me which jumper on the motherboard I had to move to reset things back to default. But when my sound wasn't working, they wanted me to back up things, call them back, and format the hard drive. So I instead went to Experts Exchange and was able to get it working again without formatting.

Dell's aren't real great for upgrading, unless you do it through Dell, because they do some things that make it impossible to use other parts (such as reversed agp slots or non standard pin configurations for things like the case power & reset buttons).

So Dell is good, but I would build your own machine if you think you can. You can get a better price, and you can customize more. Building your own system isn't that hard. You just have to make sure you read things carefully and pay attention to what you are doing. Its also really helpful if you can get someone to assist you who's done it before (at least the first time you build a system, although it can also be a good idea to run your planned specs by someone else anyway, since they might see a problem you didn't, and you don't end up ordering the wrong parts).

[TrogL]

50. 100 % failure rate

We won't let them in the office.

[minerva50]

51. I built my own desktop,

I bought my laptop from IBM. We have Dell's at work (Government office: I think that's why Dell is so close to the Repugs, they seem to have an exclusive contract). I think their quality has declined in recent years; we had several laptops burn out (fried hard drive) in our office. My desktop model had to have the power supply replaced. The tech claimed there had been a power surge, but why my computer and not the three others on the same circuit? And what is the surge protector there for? Oh well, not my problem.

I concur with the posters who say build your own or buy from someone who builds to your spec, you can be sure of quality components. The first computer system I bought was a PC clone from a company who's name I don't even remember. I decided I wanted to upgrade the memory. When I took the cover off and started checking it out, I discovered it was impossible. They put in all the cheapest possible components, a cheap motherboard with integrated sound and graphics, and other such crap. There are plenty of sites that will walk you through assembling your own; it isn't difficult. I must admit I was petrified the first time I switched it on, but all went well.

[TexasSissy]

52. I don't know how good you've heard they are. With that caveat, I'd

say that yeah, they are one of the best brands of computers. I've had a Packard Bell at home, now a Dell, and I've had HP and Dell at the office. So those are my bases of comparison.

[Deja Q]

54. No. IBM is crap but Dell cuts corners too. In other areas.

Cheap-ass power supplies for desktops; ones that overheat on laptops... poor ergonomics (heating) on Dells; I wouldn't have one on my lap and fry my goolies, no thank you...

[LiberallyInclined]

56. we've got a Dell, and a Mac-

we used to have to Dells, then my wife bought a powerbook G4 from a co-worker, and i combined the two Dells into one(extra hard drive, more RAM) and got an adapter so that my wife can use the other dell monitor(they're both 19 inchers) with her powerbook.

we've had no major problems with the Dell(s) whatsoever-

BUT... I would recommend going to a local shop with a good rep, and have someone build you one from scratch- it's generally cheaper, esp. if you know a good IT-type guy who you trust to do a good job.

[DemBeans]

58. well...

I have a Dell laptop and a Gateway desktop, both about the same age.

The Gateway desktop began malfunctioning and falling apart almost from the day I got it. The CD burner went out first, about five months into my Gateway adventure. Then the video card went bad...it goes on and on.

The Dell still works fine. I'm looking to replace both and I'll never buy Gateway again, and despite the durability of the Dell I don't want to support a GOP company. I may end up using the Sam option as outlined above - I'd rather support a small neighborhood merchant anyway.