Why are Dell's so bad?

[Alex Henkel]

Hello all---
I am a newb, but I can't figure this out:

What is so bad about Dell... I'm not defending them, just wondering where they go wrong... And if it's just the anti-establishment movement, then just tell me that.

Here are the components I can get... and their prices on newegg/tiger direct

AMD 64 X2 4600+ AM2 socket - $266
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103751

2GB DDR2 memory 533 Mhz - $209
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2571828&CatId=2364

ATI Radeon X1300 Pro 256 MB - $119
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1892409&CatId=1560

250 GB SATA HD (7200 RPM) - $78
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701

Motherboard - $40 - because I know Dell uses cheap ones.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130050R

That totals $672

Add at least another $400 for a 19" LCD, Keyboard, Mouse, Windows Media Center, etc...

That is $1072.

If I add a TV tuner to that setup at Dell my cost is $1229.

I am semi-capable, and could probably struggle through a build, but why bother, when I can get it built and shipped with TAX for $1300?? I don't game, so maybe that is messing with my perception here...

So will someone explain to me why Dell = Devil?

Hope I don't get my account deleted for this....

 

[Nukem]

you won't get banned... Dell uses cheap parts at an over inflated price. Most of us who use systems on a daily basis want what we want... not what we are willing to settle for. I personally don't mine Dell laptops. decent systems for portability... desktops suck... again.. most of it boils down to what you want out of a system and how knowledgable you are about building and maintaining a system.

But for the most part... it's a matter of personal preferance as to what brand you choose if you buy. Some people swear by HP... some hate them... you choose...

 

[Elbatrop1]

I certainly don't think that Dell is all that bad. They have a purpose. A lot of companies use them as they are cheap and offer support and warranty.

Most people will get a computer from a retailer which turns out to be a Dell or Hp or whatever. Comparably few people actually get a custom built pc.

The nice thing about custom-building is that you know what parts go in. This means you can choose the quality of parts that go in. Also, custom-builts are MUCH cheaper and easier to do future upgrades. Because so much stuff in a Dell is proprietary, you have to purchase upgrade parts from Dell (which are pricey).

Dells are good for expendable computers that are never going to be upgraded. When their usefullness expires and they become out of date, they become trash.

PS: You won't get banned for asking this kind of question. If you are not sure what will get you in trouble, have a look at the rules.

PPS: Welcome to TF!

 

[Musicmkr]

we use Dells at work because they are so easily maintained. They give us a three year warranty on all of them, and if a part breaks, they overnight a new one. Also, the parts just snap in and out, like the motherboards... there's no screws, just a snap. It makes it much easier for us to quickly maintain 2000 computers.

On the flip side, I wouldn't recommend them for a personal machine, since they do have a tenancy to break quite a bit (and they don't have very reliable customer service, especially with the personal users). Since the parts are so easily interchangeable, it makes them very proprietary, thus difficult to upgrade.

Hope I've been some help, it's my first post here on tech-forums. Nice to meet you all!

 

[Alex Henkel]

All I use them for is basic work stuff I take home (eg. word, internet, etc. ) and I run a program called Chief architect (semi-powerful CAD program). Do you think if I bought the above system, it would last 3-4 years before being outdated?

 

[Nukem]

What model are you looking at from Dell? I would think at least a good 2 years before showing it's age... 3 before being "outdated" to the point that new software would need hardware updates...

 

[Alex Henkel]

Its an E521 spec'ed out to what is shown above. If I can get a good 3 years out of it, and with a little TLC maybe a few more for the kids, that would be a bargain in my book.

 

[KBlair]

I agree with Elbatrop1, there's nothing "bad" with them for users with little-to-no technology background, or even people familiar with technology. They may give you low quality parts, but at least they work reliably, and if they don't, they have a warranty. Also, they give you lots of stuff with a computer for very little price, like one of their fantastic monitors, an OS, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. (Dell's peripherals, other manufacturer's products tend to cost more if you get them through Dell.)

 

[ISMASHDELLPC'S]

ill tell you why they are so bad. Ive had mine for a year and a half and my dektop has had 38 blue stop screens occur, ive tried to install games and they stop right in the middle of the installation and i cant continue or exit it. This left me unable to ever install two games. Internet always screws up, i downloaded a nividia driver and it said 'a massive internal error has occured do not continue'. The computer then crashed. A week hasnt gone by without a problem since we bought it.

 

[Trotter]

OK. The E521's motherboard has a PCI-E slot, so you could add a graphics card. Many Dell PCs have had the graphics slot removed to save a buck or two (one main reason Dell is so despised around here).

However, the E521 only has a 305W power supply. this means that you'd have to go with either a low-end graphics card or replace the PSU when you put in the graphics card.

The E521's case will only hold two hard drives, but that shouldn't be a problem since the capacities on hard drives has gone up so much.