Dell Computer Comments Please?

tvr

Any good any comments , or if I can do better for the money spend . Keep messing around with Dell and keep getting different prices etc.


PROCESSOR Intel® Viiv™ Core™ 2 Duo E6600 Processor (2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 4MB)
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>OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Incl
>Operating System Re-installation CD) edit
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>VISTA UPGRADE MCE to Vista Premium Upgrade on:
>www.dellvistaupgrade.productorder.com before 03/31/07 edit
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>SUPPORT SERVICES Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only edit
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>MONITOR Dell™ 19" UltraSharp™ Digital/Analogue Flat Panel (1907FP)
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>MEMORY 2048MB Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024] Memory edit
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>HARD DRIVE 500GB Dual Hard Drive Non RAID (2x250GB - 7200rpm) edit
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>OPTICAL DRIVE(S) 16x DVD +/- RW & 16x IDE DVD ROM Drive edit
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>GRAPHICS CARD 256MB ATI® Radeon® X1300 Pro graphics card
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>http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=
><http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=ie&cs=ieepp1
>&l=en &oc=D11E07&rbc=D11E07&s=dhs&sbc=iedhsftdhpdesktop1>
>&c=ie&cs=ieepp1&l=en&oc=D11E07&rbc=D11E07&s=dhs&sbc=iedhsftdhpdesktop1
>
>
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>1432 EURO

challengemaster

case - 76.00
mobo - 138.00
e6600 - 330.02
2gb ram - 309.00
500gb hdd's(2x250gb) - 163.02
dvd+rw - 36.00
x1300pro - 77.00
600W psu - 160.00
monitor - 214.00
keyboard - 24.45
mouse - 47.95
windows xp pro cd - 142.01
vista estimate price (ultimate ed) - 300.00

total cost - 1717.45

so to be honest, the *cough* dell aint that bad price..

Hobbes

Is it XPS or Dimension.

XPS support is in Scotland.
Dimension support is in India.

So far the support for Dimension has been absolutly sh!t. Now have a non-working machine for 2 weeks now and Dell still haven't fixed it.

I have 2 Dimensions and 1 XPS. The XPS has been grand.

As long as the Dimension doesn't break down your grand as well.

tvr

cheers lads , its a dimension thats the thing , thought the xps were abit overpriced seem to be paying for the fancy case so put the same specs into dimension and came out much cheaper.

do you not get a monitor or something with the xps??

Anti

You have to select the monitor.

The XPS is a gaming pc. It will have better ram, and a better graphics card.

tvr

Sorry again , another dump question

Is the Intel PROCESSOR Intel® Viiv™ Core™ 2 Duo E6600 Processor (2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 4MB)

faster than a

AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+

I am getting the Vista free on Dec 5 so thought I might save a few quid , heres another one I found. Smaller hard drive do but might get the 500gb external hard drive in harvey norman for 200 euro.

€1166

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=ieepp1&kc=NPIIE5&oc=D11C17&x=5&y=8

Components
PROCESSOR AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+ edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Incl Operating System Re-installation CD) edit
VISTA UPGRADE No Vista Upgrade edit
SUPPORT SERVICES Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only edit
MONITOR Dell™ 19" UltraSharp™ Digital/Analogue Flat Panel (1907FP) edit
MEMORY 2048MB Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024] Memory edit
HARD DRIVE 320GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst™ cache edit
OPTICAL DRIVE(S) 16x DVD +/- RW Drive edit
GRAPHICS CARD 256MB ATI® Radeon® X1300 Pro PCI Express graphics card

sioda

AVOID Dell like the plague. Recently purchased a fairly high spec machine and have had nothing but problems poor configuration hidden partitions and all this DELL help make it easier software which isn't worth a Damn. Go to a smaller firm and get them to spec a machine from scratch at least it mite be assembled by competent people not under trained idiots.

Dont even go there with the support first thing to do there is reduce the warranty to 1 year collect and return save the money.

Rant over

WizZard

sioda, just because you couldn't manage to do a clean XP install on your Dell machine doesn't mean the actual machines themselves are bad... :rolleyes:

tvr, if the Vista upgrade is free with Dell then take it. It means you don't have to lock the MS free edition to this one PC.
Checkout the Dell Outlet for some decent deals too.

sioda

This is not my first experience with Rubbish Dell hardware and config.
The one I currently have is my own. I cant count how many times I have had to call around to mates to try and fix brand new machines that are just badly built. I have nothing against large scale PC manafacturers adding their own software once it works. Never had any of this sort of trouble with compaq or gateway machines previously.



I mean if I hadn't opened my case day one I wouldn't have noticed my DVD drive wasn't connected.

And my 2 main gripes is the use of OEM cut down parts. If you are going to fork out the cash for the parts you should get what you pay for. Hidden partitions on your drive using space that could be better utilised.

I think that you should get what you pay for and with DELL you aren't

WizZard

sioda wrote:

I think that you should get what you pay for and with DELL you aren't

You do. It's only €5 (IIRC) for an OS disk when you buy the machine.

If you don't purchase that then Dell will create the hidden partition so that if you mess up you can factory restore.

Dell also have a utility partition which is ~75MB as the first partition on the disk which you can boot into to do hardware diagnostics, useful if a component dies/is failing.
So basically you lose only ~75MB of diskspace if you spend the fiver, and around 4-5GB if you don't.

By no means am I a huge fan of Dell, I would definitely choose to build over buy myself, but I don't agree with bashing them for no good reason either.

Dell are a business and the sole aim of a business is to make money. They are big enough to get specific OEM versions of major hardware, graphics cards a case in point, but that doesn't matter to the vast majority of people.
If you are buying a gaming machine I wouldn't recommend a Dimension anyway.

OP: IMO it's better here to specify what your requirements are then wait for the inevitable suggested shopping carts etc to follow.

sioda

I personally think my reasons were valid. Reason for not buying the disk owned a full version of XP. Dont like hidden partitions as I own it I should be able to see everything on it.

I just dont like OEM parts that said it is the main reason people do purchase DELL machines as it lessens the cost. Only reason I bought mine was for the 19" flat panel.

End of the day we both seem to agree on one if you want a specific machine custom build and its fun.

Also due to my age I miss the old 400 page manuals with all the layout the printed off version just doesn't do it for me

hobie

Dell shipped 9.8 million units in 3rd qtr 2006 (call it 40,000,000 a year) so there must be someone out there that likes them ..... :rolleyes:

Hobbes

sioda wrote:

Dont like hidden partitions as I own it I should be able to see everything on it.

There are no hidden partitions on XP. You just go to Disk Manager and you can delete the partitions your complaining about.

But those partitions are actually used. One is for a full system diagnostics system and the other allows you return the machine back to clean machine in 3 minutes (and if you use Norton Ghost or SaveNRestore then back to normal in 5 mins).

Your reason isn't that valid at all.

As WizZard says as well if your going for a gaming machine the XPS outperforms a lot of stuff. I have the XPS laptop and get 150fps steady in CS:S (300fps max).

The only place where Dell seriously falls down on is Support.

DaSilva

Im not sure if it would make a huge difirence, but is it possible for you to select ram thats 1066mhz?

11.3 SECONDS

Apologies if this is slightly off topic.

Do DELL negotiate with potential customers or is it simply straightjacket tick-box options and you take it or leave it ?

I am considering a new DELL desktop and getting a laptop. If dealing with a shop I would expect some discount for buying both.

However, what is the story with DELL ?

If there is no budge with DELL the suggested option above sounds good of going to a decent IT company and getting a system purpose built.

I got jobs done over the years by DAWN MICROSYSTEMS and AARDVARK up in Mount Merrion and found them fine to deal with. If you had any problems at least you could build a working relationship with the retailer and get an answer if you had a problem. I found DELL's technical support fairly good most of the time but it could also be very frustrating trying to get to the right place and person !

Sponge Bob

As long as the computer has everything you want as standard dell do some very good deals, particularly on laptops. The golden rule with dell is do not buy any extras. eg If you need 2gb ram and a dell is a good system at a good price but comes with 1gb buy the ram elsewhere.

you may not overclock a dell.

MT

Like a pauper reading Fortune 500 my post is going to seem decidely out of place on this thread. Anyway, I'm thinking of buying a crappy old Dell desktop on ebay and have only just heard of these hidden partitions. It comes with Windows XP Pro, has this any partitions and if so how are they removed? Bear in mind I'm virtually computer illiterate.

Cuddlesworth

MT wrote:

Like a pauper reading Fortune 500 my post is going to seem decidedly out of place on this thread. Anyway, I'm thinking of buying a crappy old Dell desktop on ebay and have only just heard of these hidden partitions. It comes with Windows XP Pro, has this any partitions and if so how are they removed? Bear in mind I'm virtually computer illiterate.

To try to explain. The hard-drive has had a small chunk taken out and put to one side. It is hidden from plain view, but not entirely hard to find or to get rid of. On this hidden part is a complete windows setup, so when the time comes Dell support can get you to wipe your entire pc and start again like the day it had arrived at your door in a few short minutes. A Xp re-install takes considerably longer. Most pc manufacturers do this to save on tech support and to make a pc re-install easy for non computer literate people.

TempestSabre

sioda wrote:

This is not my first experience with Rubbish Dell hardware and config. The one I currently have is my own. I cant count how many times I have had to call around to mates to try and fix brand new machines that are just badly built. I have nothing against large scale PC manafacturers adding their own software once it works. Never had any of this sort of trouble with compaq or gateway machines previously. I mean if I hadn't opened my case day one I wouldn't have noticed my DVD drive wasn't connected. And my 2 main gripes is the use of OEM cut down parts. If you are going to fork out the cash for the parts you should get what you pay for. Hidden partitions on your drive using space that could be better utilised. I think that you should get what you pay for and with DELL you aren't

Dells, Compaqs, are all just mass produced machines like all the others, they buy all their components from the same places. Dell or the other big makers don't make gfx cards, ram, hds, optical drives, sound cards, even the motherboards are basically Intel boards. The only thing thats different is the case, modified intel board, and bios. All the big makers do that. You'll find if you are dealing with large numbers of Computers of different brands that they all tend to use the same components if they are built around the same time. One month its WD drives, the next its Seagate etc.

You buy a Dell because its cheap, not because its hand built, or its the latest and greatest. If you buy off the Outlet you can get them even cheaper, (if you shop smart). You DO get what you pay for in a Dell. Its not hand built but it good enough for 99% of people.

A PC isn't a toaster, how many buy PC's with no knowledge of them, or any training in how to use them? Then expect some poor mug to bail them out when they come unstuck.

Black Swan

I'm not a Dell fan. My last Dell desktop had to have its harddrive replaced twice. I would shop other brands.

cozmik

I've bought two computers from Dell this year the first purchase was fine,PC arrived in 3 days and I've had no problems with it since. It was my first time shoppping with Dell and initially I was very pleased.
I went back to Dell a little while after that to buy one for a family member and it was a complete nightmare which took almost a month to rectify all the problems I encountered with the order.
I complained to Dell about the service and it's about 3 weeks later now and I've had no reply.

My advice is if you decide to shop with Dell and something should unfortuantely go wrong with your order be prepared for a lot of hassle!

Good luck

cozmik

DublinEvents

Dude, that's a Core 2 Duo that you are buying. It's a sweet cpu with lots of overclocking headroom. If you go with Dell, you might not be able to overclock the thing to 3GHz because Dell may use some crappy mobo with no overclocking options. So I suggest you assemble your own PC or get it assembled at some shop. And be sure to get the ASUS P5B Deluxe mobo for extreme overclocking fun.

TempestSabre

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

I'm not a Dell fan. My last Dell desktop had to have its harddrive replaced twice. I would shop other brands.

Dell don't make Hard Drives, they buy the same makes as everyone else.

calex71

a similar spec pc on ankermann-pc.co.uk is 1,165
400gb hdd
2gb of 533mhz kingston ram
ati radion x1800 gto
msi p965 mobo
450w psu
nice looking case
and the same e6600 as dell

no os installed or monitor / kb or mouse
some people prefer to have no os etc installed
I know id prefer that and start off on a clean slate
but others like the bundled software etc.

the major minus on the site is no monitor inclueded
but you would get something very nice online for about 300-400
depending on how much you have to spend, that been said
i do have a soft spot for the dell ultrasharp monitors

SouperComputer

TempestSabre wrote:

Dell don't make Hard Drives, they buy the same makes as everyone else.

Same makes, yes but they are well known for using "bottom of the barrel" parts. The make doesnt always stand for a lot, each line/make/factory has testing tolerances and yields. Dell often take the cheaper components that are below the yield or standard. This is why they are cheap. They are not alone in this, but they are definately the biggest advocates.

Of late however, the Dimensions they have put out have been satisfactory IMO.

Personally id go self-build, but thats not the point!

TempestSabre

calex71 wrote:

a similar spec pc on ankermann-pc.co.uk is 1,165
400gb hdd
2gb of 533mhz kingston ram
ati radion x1800 gto
msi p965 mobo
450w psu
nice looking case
and the same e6600 as dell

no os installed or monitor / kb or mouse
some people prefer to have no os etc installed
I know id prefer that and start off on a clean slate
but others like the bundled software etc.

the major minus on the site is no monitor inclueded
but you would get something very nice online for about 300-400
depending on how much you have to spend, that been said
i do have a soft spot for the dell ultrasharp monitors

So without a monitor and the cost of the OS (you can get a refund of the OS if you give it back) and support its not the same price is it? Besides you can get a much better deal on the outlet if you shop around.

TempestSabre

SouperComputer wrote:

Same makes, yes but they are well known for using "bottom of the barrel" parts. The make doesnt always stand for a lot, each line/make/factory has testing tolerances and yields. Dell often take the cheaper components that are below the yield or standard. This is why they are cheap. They are not alone in this, but they are definately the biggest advocates.

Of late however, the Dimensions they have put out have been satisfactory IMO.

Personally id go self-build, but thats not the point!

Thats why the Dell is cheaper and self build more expensive. You pay for what you get etc.

Hobbes

Dells main problem is the support of the machines. Which you will need if you buy from them.

For example my machine that is currently not working for three weeks. Rang them yesterday spoke to two seperate indians. First one told me he would arrange pickup for repairs and ring me back in 10 minutes. Never rang back.

After two hours wait I rang back only to have some guy get rude initially and hang up on me three times. Then never called back nor sent an email.

Start time 11am, finish time 3pm.

Rang again today and for some reason I got routed to an American call center. She tells me that the guy from yesterday never actually got the pick up approved so cancelled it. After about 20 mins on the phone she sorted the pickup all out.

I'll see how it goes from there.

SouperComputer

TempestSabre wrote:

Thats why the Dell is cheaper and self build more expensive. You pay for what you get etc.

isnt that more or less what I said

TempestSabre

SouperComputer wrote:

isnt that more or less what I said

Yes I just said it shorter.

TempestSabre

Hobbes wrote:

Dells main problem is the support of the machines. Which you will need if you buy from them. ...

I've never needed them for my own machines. Rung them a few times due to work, but never really had any hassle. I'm not in operations any more but I hear those that are complaining it takes too long to log a call. We have an engineer out every now and then. But with a few thousand machines you'd expect that.