Can you recommend a PC brand to me? [Archive]

Prevost

10-20-2004, 05:57 PM

I'm thinking of upgrading my desktop, but since I live in Panama I think it'd be easier to buy something configurated by manufacturer.

I guess I may only choose between Alienware, Dell, Gateway (already have kept one for three years), or HP. Or perhaps, a VAIO, or a Micron. Size-wise, Alienware and Dell are my top choices.

Do Alienware PCs live up to their claims of "extreme performance"?

Would you better recommend something else?

Darius Wey

10-20-2004, 06:06 PM

I rarely purchase PCs built by manufacturers and tend to custom build them myself. However, I have had exposure to Dell before as I recently purchased a laptop through them. As I have not had any experience with Alienware thus far, I am unable to give any positive or negative feedback on the company. However, these are the general points I have gathered from Dell:

(1) Dell support is fantastic. From my experiences, they have delivered a very personalised support experience and while my order was in transit, I was able to contact the sales team to discuss questions I had pertaining to my order.

(2) I found that I payed for what I got. My laptop is in short...powerful. And the price I paid for it is a true measure of value. Comparatively, I have compared the price I paid with other similar priced notebooks from other leading companies and found the one offered by Dell to be most value for money. I have had no problems thus far, and Dell's personalised File Watch Service helps keep me updated on new drivers and bug fixes.

(3) You can effectively bargain the price down with Dell if you order over the phone. This is always a bonus.

While I have only had one stint with Dell, it has been a positive one thus far, and I can't find any reason to deter you from choosing Dell. These are my thoughts anyway. 8)

ChunkyMonkey

10-20-2004, 08:36 PM

I generally build myself. But Dells are the PC's that I would recommend buying for the same reasons as listed above.

OSUKid7

10-20-2004, 08:41 PM

I generally build myself. But Dells are the PC's that I would recommend buying for the same reasons as listed above.Bingo, same with me. Haven't personally owned a Dell desktop, but they were great with support on my sister's laptop - shipped me a new battery to replace a defective one, and they shipped it before asking for the old one back - even more, they paid for shipping both ways!

Also, the briefcase-style Dell towers are nice if you ever decide to upgrade the inside yourself. :)

Prevost

10-20-2004, 09:49 PM

the briefcase-style Dell towers are nice if you ever decide to upgrade the inside yourself. :)
Which are those?

OSUKid7

10-20-2004, 10:20 PM

SteveHoward999

10-20-2004, 10:34 PM

I have owned several Dell PCs and Laptops.

I have worked with numerous Dell and other machines.

Of all the machines I have been familiar with, Dells are the ones that have suffered least from being "old and slow" after a couple of years.

My current Dall 8100 laptop is nearly 3 years old. I have added 256Mb RAM and a second HDD (now have 2x 60 Gb HDD!!). I bought it with DVD/CDRW drive. It has firewire built in. ... it does not appear to be significantly slower in performance to any 'modern' machine I have had my hands on. I see no reason to update or upgrade it any further for at least another year ... maybe 2. Service is great, rapid, no quibble parts replacement. I bought with 3 years international next day support ... cheap peace of mind for my travelling days!!

Whilst I paid more for this than many would pay for their machines, the long life of the laptop makes it cheaper than any other IMHO. My desktop experiences have been similar.

ctmagnus

10-20-2004, 10:58 PM

the briefcase-style Dell towers are nice if you ever decide to upgrade the inside yourself. :)
Which are those?I've serviced a few computers that are like that. I'm thinking the model number was the 4000 series maybe? like 4100, 4200? Really don't remember though. I thought most Dell desktops had those types of cases now.

That's the Optiplex line. (Does anyone else think the plural of Optiplex should be Optipli?) However, I find the Dimension line easier to work in.

And for the original poster: yeah, get a Dell.

OSUKid7

10-20-2004, 11:45 PM

That's the Optiplex line. However, I find the Dimension line easier to work in.
Interesting...I was pretty sure my neighbor had a Dimension 4100 series, and it's definitely the briefcase-style. Hmm...maybe I'm not remembering correctly though.

(Does anyone else think the plural of Optiplex should be Optipli?)heh...had to think about that, but no, I think the plural is Optiplexes. Like the word ciniplex - the plural of that is ciniplexes, not cinipli...or ciniplexi? :lol:

ctmagnus

10-21-2004, 01:00 AM

Prevost

10-21-2004, 01:06 AM

Whoops! Do you mean the 4700c series?
Those are exactly the ones I'm interested in. Their dimensions are compact, ideal for my space.
the Optipli are generally low-form-factor desktops.
Hmmm, so you're ASSUMING "optiplex" IS also a VERB...? :mrgreen: [/quote]

OSUKid7

10-21-2004, 01:06 AM

Whoops! Do you mean the 4700C (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_4700c?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs) series? I've been seeing those for a while and thinking Optiplex, the difference being these are towers but the Optipli are generally low-form-factor desktops.Don't think so...they were full-tower (well, mid-towers, but not those mini-ITX cases). It had a button you pressed on the top back of the case that let you open it like a briefcase. Wish I could find a picture, but I'm getting off topic.

Yeah, if you're not gonna build it yourself, go with Dell. :)

ctmagnus

10-21-2004, 01:46 AM

Don't think so...they were full-tower (well, mid-towers, but not those mini-ITX cases). It had a button you pressed on the top back of the case that let you open it like a briefcase. Wish I could find a picture, but I'm getting off topic.

Wide enough to accommodate a 5.25" drive horizontally? Are there actually two buttons, one at the bottom as well? If so have a look-see here (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs). The Dimension 2400/3000/4600 series towers are all like that, and Dell has had models like that for years.

And dude, get a Dell. ;)

OSUKid7

10-21-2004, 01:55 AM

Wide enough to accommodate a 5.25" drive horizontally? Are there actually two buttons, one at the bottom as well? If so have a look-see here (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs). The Dimension 2400/3000/4600 series towers are all like that, and Dell has had models like that for years.Yes, something like that. It's wide enough for a 5.25" drive horizontally - standard mid-tower ATX case. These computers I've serviced are quite old (2-3 years :lol:)...I was thinking it was a 4100/4200 series, but maybe it was 2400. Who know! The point was the briefcase-style case is sweet. I suppose it's hard to do major (mobo) upgrades with one, but installing another HD looks extremely simple.

Darius Wey

10-21-2004, 03:02 AM

And another thing, I'm not sure whether Alienware does deliver that "extra" bit of performance but in my opinion, if you get a system that has top-notch features, you will be getting extra performance regardless. Alienware seems like a company that specialises in nicely modded eye-candy than anything else.

Remember that performance is based on what you have under the case, not on the outside.

A lot of us think Dell's the way to go. I think it may be the right choice for you. ;)

ctmagnus

10-21-2004, 05:16 AM

I suppose it's hard to do major (mobo) upgrades with one, but installing another HD looks extremely simple.

It is. I haven't installed a HD in one in a couple of years, but it was a total breeze. I get to do a video card swap on one tomorrow and it should be extremely easy.

Mandatory on-topic comment:

Get a Dell! Get a Dell!

Prevost

10-21-2004, 01:09 PM

Mandatory on-topic comment:

Get a Dell! Get a Dell!
:lol:

jbachandouris

10-29-2004, 01:05 PM

Another point to reconsider about Dell is tech support. Sure, if you are a big business account you will always get great service, but if you are a home user, you are faced with long hold times and friendly, but frustrating, foreign tech support people. How do I know? I work on Dells for a living EVERY day and I am always saddened to hear the experiences of my customers. One service call I had was cancelled as the woman had decided to ship back her PC to Dell since they had forgotten to ship her a hard drive with her desktop purchase!?!

If you do go with a Dell, please make sure you purchase the Gold Tech Support Plan. It may cost more, but you will always get a good tech with an average 2 minute hold time (which, even as a service provider, I do not have).

On a side, Alienware tech support has not yet been outsourced as both Dell and HP have.

Kati Compton

10-29-2004, 03:49 PM

Or, if you order Dell, you can also order through the Small Business side. Sometimes those have better deals. And keep in mind the discount/shipping/tax tradeoff. Don't forget to check for coupon codes before you order!

I've been going with Dell for a while for pre-built machines. They've been more reliable than other brands for me. I've found with building my own that the machine is generally flakier than if I order a complete Dell system. However, I'm taking the plunge again soon to build an SFF machine...

Dells are also on the quiet end of pre-built machines, which is quite nice.

SteveHoward999

10-29-2004, 03:54 PM

If you do go with a Dell, please make sure you purchase the Gold Tech Support Plan. It may cost more, but you will always get a good tech with an average 2 minute hold time (which, even as a service provider, I do not have).

On a side, Alienware tech support has not yet been outsourced as both Dell and HP have.

I agree on the gold support - but mostly because you will still be using the machine in three or four years and you will want the piece of mind of free repairs for that long.

I recently dealt with Dell tech support in South America. I got a South American dealing with me, not an Indian. I suspect calls from Panama would similarly not be dealt with in India.

Prevost

10-29-2004, 10:10 PM

I also hope so. Right now Dell is supposedly putting together a support center in Panama, but I guess right now that is still in the future, not know if soon or not. The adds for online buy have phone numbers in the USA.

However, right now I'm also considering not buying a desktop but a mid-sized laptop; sometimes (like right now) my job requires me to raise looong lists of details to be corrected and, although I could buy a keyboard for my PDA, surely a laptop is easier on my eyes (but harder to my pocket...) I like VAIOs a lot for the XBrite screens...

If I buy a new desktop, anyway I'd buy an XBrite flat panel for it.

PetiteFlower

11-01-2004, 05:32 PM

The full size dimension towers (current models are 3000, 4600, 8300) are a joy to work on/upgrade, they are so roomy inside! Plus they are designed to be completely tool-free for upgrades, worked pretty well for me too. When I added a hard drive, I had to screw the tracks on to the outside of the drive, but once that was done all I had to do was slide the drive into the slot and plug it in. Way easy.

Don't know what the 4700C case might be like to work on.

Optiplex is the business line, used to just be compact towers now comes in full size and compact versions. But it's not geared towards consumers.

Generally though I think Dell is a great company.

ctmagnus

11-01-2004, 05:53 PM

The full size dimension towers (current models are 3000, 4600, 8300) are a joy to work on/upgrade, they are so roomy inside! Plus they are designed to be completely tool-free for upgrades, worked pretty well for me too. When I added a hard drive, I had to screw the tracks on to the outside of the drive, but once that was done all I had to do was slide the drive into the slot and plug it in. Way easy.

fwiw, I find their notebooks (Inspiron, at least - haven't tried a Latitude yet) a pleasure to work inside as well.

rocky_raher

11-01-2004, 10:23 PM

Congratulations, ctmagnus, on making PC Swami!!

ctmagnus

11-01-2004, 11:28 PM

8) I'm a swami! Now I need to PhotoChop a turban to go on my avatar. :lol:

maximus

11-02-2004, 02:01 AM

I guess I may only choose between Alienware, Dell, Gateway (already have kept one for three years), or HP. Or perhaps, a VAIO, or a Micron. Size-wise, Alienware and Dell are my top choices.

Another vote for Dell. Personally, I find their PCs to be very resilient. Still have a Dell desktop with pentium 133 back in singapore, running 24x7 as email server. Purchased back in 1995, and still running solidly :)

I'm a swami! Now I need to PhotoChop a turban to go on my avatar.

and wear nothing but an underwear from dried leaf ? :mrgreen: