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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → if not dell, then what?
12
if not dell, then what?
2008-03-05, 2:09 PM #1
so many people seem to dislike dell and it's products. so if not dell, then what?
i personally have had dozens more problems with HP and Compaq. i have only ever had information from one defective dell product from a personal contact, and for most of my career all the companies i have worked for use dell products.
that one dell that i did see as defective (a broken shift key) had a new shift key and the tools to replace it shipped quite quickly with an offer to have someone come the the person's home to do the repair if they wanted.

so, what would you buy if you don't buy dell?
and to add to that, what would you buy priced comparably that doesn't suffer from the same problems of mass production?
2008-03-05, 2:10 PM #2
I'm out of the PC market at the moment, so I'd say (1) Macbook, but (2) knowing you don't like them I'd always recommend Toshibas. My friend's had one since 2001 and it's still chugging away. It's on its last legs you understand, but still functional :awesome:
2008-03-05, 2:25 PM #3
Asus makes good laptops.
2008-03-05, 2:28 PM #4
A Macbook with XP on it. I'm so happy with it. I'll diss OSX as much as the next guy, but it's pretty hard to deny that Apple's hardware design nowadays is pretty top-notch.

Next I would say a ThinkPad from Lenovo. I've heard good things about both HP and Toshiba.
2008-03-05, 2:45 PM #5
Toshiba and Lenovo off the top of my head. My HP works great, and my Dad's has been quitely chugging along for 7 years or so now. Asus I've heard makes them pretty good as well.
Life is beautiful.
2008-03-05, 2:50 PM #6
I've personally had good experiences with Vaio, and HP. A Macbook would probably be a good investment as well.
2008-03-05, 2:52 PM #7
I didn't know Sony made a fur covered laptop.
2008-03-05, 2:53 PM #8
HP? Over a Dell?

o.O
2008-03-05, 3:05 PM #9
Lenovo is also excellent.
2008-03-05, 3:10 PM #10
HP < Dell < Sony < *

gogogogo
A dream is beautiful because it remains a dream.
2008-03-05, 3:11 PM #11
I've got a sony.

It's spiffy.
nope.
2008-03-05, 3:19 PM #12
I'll take an HP over a Dell any day.
Life is beautiful.
2008-03-05, 3:32 PM #13
I'll take a Dell over an HP any day.
Sam: "Sir we can't call it 'The Enterprise'"
Jack: "Why not!"
2008-03-05, 3:37 PM #14
if you're talking about desktops I will never purchase a pre-built machine.. not dell, hp or even alienware
"Nulla tenaci invia est via"
2008-03-05, 4:41 PM #15
Quote:
not dell, hp or even alienware

Alienware has the worst cost-to-capability ratio on the market. They are ridiculously overpriced.
2008-03-05, 5:11 PM #16
Originally posted by Z@NARDI:
if you're talking about desktops I will never purchase a pre-built machine.. not dell, hp or even alienware


Just laptops. I'd never buy a pre-built desktop either.
Life is beautiful.
2008-03-05, 8:08 PM #17
Do you guys buy sandwiches that are already made?
2008-03-05, 8:18 PM #18
That's a stupid comparison, not everybody can assemble a computer.

And I've never been to a cafe that would let me make my own sandwich.
2008-03-05, 8:33 PM #19
Considering your gripe about "Compaq" I'd say your knowledge is 6 years out of date.

New HP laptops are excellent for the price. If you are spending $1000 or less you'd have to be daft to go with anything else. HP's prices and quality simply cannot be beaten at that price point, which is a big part of the reason why HP computer sales are now exceeding Dell's.

Thinkpads are an excellent and extremely durable, although expensive, option.

Apple laptops cover the middle ground, overlap Thinkpads and shoot off into the horizon.

I guess Dell's a good choice if you want a gaming laptop though. Hahahaha.
2008-03-05, 8:43 PM #20
I can vouch for HP in that regard. I buy a new laptop about every two years, and $1000 is my target price. The last three have been HP/Compaq, and I don't shop by brand, I shop by specs vs price.

But I don't need a laptop that can run crysis. It just need to run a webbrowser, a word processor, and photoshop.
2008-03-05, 8:46 PM #21
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Thinkpads are an excellent and extremely durable, although expensive, option.

I don't think they are that expensive. My sister got an excellent Thinkpad for around $1300 last August. I'd consider Toughbooks to be the expensive ones when it comes to sheer build quality.

Also, Thinkpads have the lowest failure rates of all laptops, with Apple's notebooks having the highest. However it's only a 3% discrepancy.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-05, 8:47 PM #22
Originally posted by Jin:
And I've never been to a cafe that would let me make my own sandwich.


Yet you can still go to the store to buy the material for less.


Putting together a computer isn't much more complex than a sandwich. When you go to the subway, you're paying the same crazy markup you would when you buy a prefab.


Some people just enjoy convenience, regardless of the mark up.

I personally do not have the patience to put a computer together, much less a sandwich.
2008-03-05, 8:52 PM #23
Originally posted by Rob:
Putting together a computer isn't much more complex than a sandwich.

Er, yes it is? Especially when things don't got exactly as planned and you have to figure out what went wrong. Not everyone can do that. Even those who can don't feel comfortable enough around expensive hardware.

Putting cards into slots is easy. Screwing the board into the tray is easy. It's not as easy to configure the BIOS and install Windows, or setting jumpers for the correct FSB. Some people don't even know what that stuff is, let alone how to work with it.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-05, 8:54 PM #24
Not everyone is smart enough to put together a sandwich either.

Can we just assume that the person in question isn't retarded and can read?
2008-03-05, 9:06 PM #25
It's less about intelligence as it is familiarity and comfort level working with expensive hardware.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-06, 1:22 AM #26
Another vote for Lenovo here.
Sorry for the lousy German
2008-03-06, 2:42 AM #27
http://www.meshcomputers.com/
Sneaky sneaks. I'm actually a werewolf. Woof.
2008-03-06, 6:17 AM #28
Originally posted by Emon:
Putting cards into slots is easy. Screwing the board into the tray is easy. It's not as easy to configure the BIOS and install Windows, or setting jumpers for the correct FSB. Some people don't even know what that stuff is, let alone how to work with it.


Typically, parts come with instruction manuals. These manuals outline how to set jumpers (which is easy). Installing windows is pretty damned easy.

Basically, what I have to say to these people is RTFM
TAKES HINTS JUST FINE, STILL DOESN'T CARE
2008-03-06, 6:18 AM #29
It's all easy for us. My mother could never manage it, though. She doesn't even have the dexterity to insert a CPU and heatsink properly.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-06, 6:29 AM #30
A jumper is a small piece of plastic that slides over 2 prongs. It doesn't take much dexterity.
TAKES HINTS JUST FINE, STILL DOESN'T CARE
2008-03-06, 6:31 AM #31
Since when is a CPU the same as a jumper?

The main issue is that people are either not comfortable or confident enough to build a computer, and would rather have the ease of buying one, especially when it comes to support. What happens a few months down the road when a component fails? Joe Six Pack doesn't know how to diagnose his hardware and software. It's easier just to send it into the manufacturer.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-06, 7:08 AM #32
lenovo, toshiba, and then hp for pc notebooks. in that order.

better than any of that would be a macbook.
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2008-03-06, 7:22 AM #33
I think most of the railing against Dell was the 'Custom Built vs Computer Retailer' arguement. I have upgraded a few older Dell computers and I never had any problem hardware-wise. I have heard of people having problems with Dell Tech Support.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2008-03-06, 7:32 AM #34
old dell was actually pretty good. the latitude cp* laptops were buletproof
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2008-03-06, 8:10 AM #35
MacBook pro w/ vista.
"If you watch television news, you will know less about the world than if you just drink gin straight out of the bottle."
--Garrison Keillor
2008-03-06, 3:11 PM #36
Lenovo could stand to work on the aesthetics of their laptops a little bit.
"Flowers and a landscape were the only attractions here. And so, as there was no good reason for coming, nobody came."
2008-03-06, 3:36 PM #37
Meet the IdeaPad.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-03-06, 7:17 PM #38
i've always built my own desktops. this is my first laptop. and for $799 it was the best deal going.

i also looked at keyboard layout. i needed certain things to be in certain places and sizes. enter key, backspace key, home, delete, end, etc.
2008-03-06, 7:58 PM #39
Originally posted by Emon:
Meet the IdeaPad.


that is remarkably reasonably priced. i am actually suprised.

i want one now.

i hate you.
My girlfriend paid a lot of money for that tv; I want to watch ALL OF IT. - JM
2008-03-07, 12:26 AM #40
Hmmm, are Lenovo's own notebooks as good as their IBM-ones, though?
The IdeaPad is already lacking the nipple-mouse I've come to love.
Sorry for the lousy German
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