you might want to read about DELL

[BILL WARD]

no judgementals----don't know enough about the suit BUT the good of the MANY MUST be outweighed by the good of the few(at least that's how I was brought up). It is not stated whether it was thruout their line or if isolated to either the desktop or the laptop lines...guess I'll need to google that one.

I read this and think the co should get what I think they may well deserve!!!!!!! Their actions were unconscionable/totally inexcusable (you don't actually think they have stopped doing this, do you?) Then again....YOU might have been one of the lucky ones who got one of the "goodun's" and don't really care?

about dell here

the obvius question to now ask is "and how many others are/have bee/will continue to do the same thing?????????

 

[Mike Labbe]

I remember that story, about one supplier they used and a bad capacitor that could fail for a run of a specific OPTIPLEX model. That was a long time ago (2003-2005) and those computers are probably no longer in service now.

There was a class action (lawyer buffet), etc.

I have been thrilled with Dell, personally. For business, you can't beat the price or the on site service. I can't build a comparable clone in the $400 range, including all the software. If it's just for accounting, these are fine. For gaming, you will want something with more power, IMO.

For home use, I prefer clones. You can truly customize them with a larger power supply, more hard drives, bigger video card, etc. But you get what you pay for, too. Your chance of getting defective components is probably larger with a clone (from personal experience), but it's easier to just replace that one piece instead of the whole system. I have had great results with Gigabyte brand (clone) motherboards. We had 2 others fail last year (Intel boards) with the same defective capacitor issue as the dells. The components are from China, just like Dell. But in many cases, there will be a local reseller to assemble and support it. (if not doing it yourself, getting the parts from newegg.com or similar)

Mike

 

[Larry Peterson]

I've always advocated building your own or if that isn't possible, going to your local mom and pop 'puter store. Almost every town has one. You can build one however you want, the prices are good or even better than Dell and you have a local expert to bug when things go wrong.

Dell and the others over engineers stuff to be as cheap as possible. You things crammed together like shared video memory and all the carp they put on the hard drive. When I managed a corporate PC support group in the early 80s, we got one of the very first Dell's, $795 for a basic XT clone. Wasn't impressive then, except for price, still isn't impressive.

There has been many threads about Dell here. For the life of me, I don't understand why people buy this crud.

Everyone is always up in arms about Michael's and the other big boxes yet most of you go to the computer big box store (Dell) for your computers instead of the local Framing Store, excuse me, Computer store. Do you guys see the irony in that.

 

[Bob Doyle]

Larry, why do I buy Dell?

easy, they are still running, have good service (outsourced to local experts typically) and have a price I can't touch when I try to build a comparable one.

The Dell I bought in 2001 is still running. It was my MIL's daily machine until last month. Last month we got cable internet and the old bird couldn't handle the speed (The Dell ) So I "replaced it" with our 2003 Dell. Only real difference was more ram and a larger hdd. The CPU was only marginally better. Oh, and the video card and flat screen

The machine the local guy built for me was a fine machine, but all built on an ok motherboard. It died after three years.

 

[Pat Murphey]

Do you really think the locally built machine has better components? Or that they aren't vulnerable to defective components in the supply stream?

I'll stick to Dell Small Business Precision Work Stations, customized to my specs, with three year on-site service. All of mine have been trouble free for years, except for a failed hard drive in a RAID machine, a bad DVD drive and a bad keyboard - all instantly replaced. I'm not using the older machines because they are obsolete, not because they stopped working.

 

[Framar]

Hey I just started using my new inherited ten year old Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop. It may not have a battery, and the DVD drive doesn't work anymore, but with its 10 GB hard drive - it is perfect for my needs (editing documents) and it is working like a charm, even though my step mom used it so much she wore the letters off of the keys.

I am a Dell fan with a local tech wizard who helps me out for tweaking and such.

 

[Larry Peterson]

Do you really think the locally built machine has better components? Or that they aren't vulnerable to defective components in the supply stream?

Everything is a component. There are good and there are bad. With a little help from your friends you can know what components are good and what are bad. When I buy a Dell, I know that it has the cheapest components possible. Guess what, you local guy can build it exactly the way you want. If you want decorative, excuse me, cheap; that he can. Or if you want archival, excuse me quality; he can do that too.

When you have your local framing shop, excuse me, computer store, build your computer, you can know, or specify, what components are to be used.

I am far more comfortable knowing exactly what parts are in mine and will place it up against a Dell any day. Gigabyte motherboard, corsair memory, WD hard drive, Northgate Keyboard, XFX Video Card, etc.

You buy whatever you are comfortable with. It just surprises me that people who are so sensitive to big box competition ignore, or put down their local tech sources in favor of another big box.

I can just hear your framing customers. I buy from Michaels because the local guy can't have the quality components that the big box has.

 

[framah]

Personally, i don't trust our local geeks. They don't have the best of reputations. They're like used car salesmen. They WILL take advantage you if they see you aren't knowledgeable about computers.

I am currently running 2 Dells in my store and one is on all the time for a couple of years now (POS system) and the other gets shut down every couple of days or so (running the CMC).

Not a single problem with either one.

 

[Bob Doyle]

Larry, Dell buys boatloads of components at once. The local guy buys then in small lots. I don't see that the components that Dell sells are the cheapest around. They might very well be the exact same components the small guy is selling, just purchased at a bulk price. Box vs chop. Same moulding, better price point.

I don't see why you are knocking Dell. He started out in his parent's basement. So he was a hobby framer that went small shop then went big business, internet sales. He "custom" prices his computers based on the user and the user's needs. He has home user, small business sections on the site, small, medium and large corporation sections on the site. Each section has components and systems typically geared toward that customer.

Like an artist moulding selection, a young family section of moulding, and the TK line. Someone comes in with a kid's artwork and say, inexpensive you grab the Studio Poems, or they come in with their Monet and you grab the ABMunn. Or the town factory comes in and you grab the corporate "nice" line. How is that any different?

He's not Documounts. He didn't start out selling to the local guy then took over. He started out as a little guy, saw his niche and ran with it. Maybe we should find a way to emulate that business model not gripe about it. Maybe we should grow to the internet, or find a way to market to targeted groups. Maybe we are already doing that. Maybe we are sitting here watching wall space getting eaten up by bigger and bigger tvs and fewer and fewer frames and not fighting back for our niche, the family wall.

 

[Larry Peterson]

He's not Documounts.

You are correct. He is art.com, prints.com and fulcrumgallery.com.

I give up. You guys wonder why main street is dying and why all the stores around you are empty and whether you can stay afloat. Yet you go buy at the big boxes (Walmart, Dell, etc) and see nothing wrong with that.

I have nothing more to say.

 

[Bob Doyle]

You are correct. He is art.com, prints.com and fulcrumgallery.com.

I give up. You guys wonder why main street is dying and why all the stores around you are empty and whether you can stay afloat. Yet you go buy at the big boxes (Walmart, Dell, etc) and see nothing wrong with that.

I have nothing more to say.

I sell Fair Trade. I buy from small crafts people. But I drive a Chevy. I guess I could buy a car from the experimental guy down the road, but then I can't go to my local guy for support.

I have bought from the local guy. His system died. He HAD to skimp in order to compete with Dell and Gateway. And I suffered for it.

He was a wiz and could fix my Dell. He had no problem with that. When I called Dell he was the tech they sent to fix the system.

How many jobs from the BB do you get to fix? Do you tell the customer to go away, or do you take the job? Maybe the problem the local computer person has is not in fighting Dell but in not working with Dell. Software installs, hardware installs, system upgrades, power supplies etc can be a field they could promote. Kind of a "why buy new, extend the life of your system" promotion. In other words sell service, not hardware. People will always need service, and that inventory doesn't go obsolete... unless the tech doesn't keep up.

We are losing wall space to huge tvs. Our answer isn't "kill the TV" it's frame the TV, or ceiling mounted boxes to house the TV so that the walls we need to survive are available to us.

How is your local computer guys "framing the big screen TV" of his field? Is he fighting Dell or fixing them?

 

[rmehoves]

One thing not mentioned here is that Dell sells their computers loaded down with #### software, when you build your own (or have it built) you put what you want/need and don't bog the computer down with useless garbage.

 

[Mike Labbe]

One thing not mentioned here is that Dell sells their computers loaded down with #### software, when you build your own (or have it built) you put what you want/need and don't bog the computer down with useless garbage.

I think they did away with that a few years ago. When you configure it, you can opt out of the free 90 day antivirus trial and the free offsite backup trial.

The that slightly ignores me is that they don't ship manuals or windows disks any more. But it nags you to insert a blank DVD-R and it will burn the disk for you when you turn it on.

Mike

 

[Steve Collins]

I have mixed feelings about this subject. I have built close to a dozen PCs over the past 15 years or so. For bang for the buck, it's hard to beat. However, it takes time and more than a trivial amount of knowledge to do yourself.

On the other hand, I have a Dell Dimension 9100 (getting long in the tooth), a Dell XPS 630i (kick-### 2 years ago), 2 Optiplexes and 3 Dell Studio laptops, all for use at the gallery except the XPS, which I use for digital imaging at home.

The only troubles I've ever had with any Dell equipment has been the power supplies for the laptops. On all but 1, the laptop won't recognize it and won't charge the battery. I suspect a motherboard issue but have just learned to live with it. Yes, it galls me that Dell would ship with a glaring problem like this, but I have learned to live with it.

So, why Dell when I can roll my own? Bottom line is I don't have the time to do it myself anymore. Plus the price savings isn't as clear anymore and I don't have the time and energy to track the latest technology, which you really need to do to make good component choices.

BTW: I've had far more trouble with HP and Compaq than with any of the Dells we've owned. I wouldn't read much into it though.

I see the argument about big box vs. local & go with local whenever we can. It's not black & white, however. Sometimes local means poor quality, poor service, and/or crazy prices. When it does, I go elsewhere. I'm more a pragmatist than an idealist.