Hello
I have got a Tiny pc and as anyone who has bought a pc from Tiny, they would know that they are     ! So anyway I was looking at buying a Dell pc and I want to know if anyone has had one and if they are any good. Also what is there customer service like? Tiny's are a complete waste of time and money......£200 phone bill    And if Dell aren't any good, has anyone got any suggestions?

Dell are the worst piece of £$%^ you can but hardware-wise and as fo that tech support...do a search on this forum alone  

Your best bets :
1) HP / Compaq
2) Sony
3) Toshiba

UTA

Hey!!

A fellow Tiny buyer! Glad you have the same feelings towards them as I did. A month after getting my Tiny I had to pretty much take the bugger apart and re build it with Standard Quality parts (they obviously used some really f*%()ing cheap pieces of S%*T!)

I then decided to buy myself a Laptop, ended up getting Dell inspiron 8200. Was fairly expensive but I didn't want a repeat of what happened with Tiny. The delivery was quick even with the standard option, and the after sales care was pretty good, no complaints. My friend bought a Dell PC and was equally happy with the result!

Moheet   

Dell it is then!   

I bought a Dell PC last October and it was the best decision I made. Within 10 days I had it it my country and it was not expensive at all compared with the HPs I saw here.

Juan
SKBO

VS74741R,
I have bought probably 10 Dell computers over the years for my office, and have recommended Dells to everyone in my family, which they have subsequently purchased. I have had very good expirience with Dell. Despite UTA's comment, they do have a good product, reasonable pricing, and good service.
I would recommend them to anyone, and HAVE, and they are STILL my friends!

Good Luck!

Russ

When you buy a computer, the differences among brands are:
Quality of component parts
Quality of Service, especially phone tech help during the warranty period
Will they be in business to help you service your computer several years down the line.
Can you get an extended warranty for a reasonable price.
I bought a Dell almost 4 years ago. My previous computer bought in 1997, was a Quantex, a brand that went out of business sometime in 2000 (much like Tiny did - I think Tiny tried to do business in the USA for a few months, then collasped too). My Quantex had it's motherboard go bad not long after I bought it, but it was fixed at my house in a few days and never had a hardware problem after that. I gave that computer to my mom to use and was working until January of this year, about 7 1/2 years after the purchase. I replaced it with a $ 329 after rebate E-Machine including monitor and Canon printer, about 15% of the price I paid for my Quantex. The only reason I retired it was the battery on the mother board had died and the Window 95 OS was obsolete and couldn't be used with MSN dial up service. I had no real problems with the only situation I needed to get telephone Tech help.
My Dell had 2 CD-RW drive failures (was the boot drive), a HD failure, and for a while the sound card hasn't worked right, with no right channel sound. All of those failures were components not made by Dell, although they chose them. Same with the software, as they offer Microsoft OS's (yea, but is there any real choice?). Yet with my problems of dignosing, fixing and follow up reprograming (after the HD failure), I cannot really complain about the phone tech service but for some language difficulties.
I plan to replace my computer in about May, so what am I considering? A Dell. They do have the pricing, the service, fair pricing (especially with deals) for extended service contracts, and I expect them to be in business 4 years down the line. I also like to have it the way I want it without hassles, fast delivery when ready. Maybe my next Dell will never have to need major tech
help.  

I have a Dell desk top comp. In one simple word: GREAT!

Dell makes good PC's(for people that dont build their own) and MP3 players, but their printers are shit. I use 3 networked Optiplex G1's from 1998 and 2000 as a back up for my desktop, been running almost 24-7 for the past 2 years. They make good monitors too, im using a 19' Dell CRT on my desktop right now.


-Dan

Quoting Dan2002 (Reply 8): Dell makes good PC's(for people that dont build their own) and MP3 players, but their printers are shit.

That's cause the printers are Lexmarks that are rebranded.

There's been a fair bit of Dell bashing on here of late and I bet it's from the morons who don't even know how to switch a PC on.

My company uses Dell and I never have trouble with getting them to repair broken bits and pieces even if it's our fault. For a good price, good quality Windows PC, you can't go past them.

Quoting VS74741R (Thread starter): And if Dell aren't any good, has anyone got any suggestions?

Very very satisfied with Dell. I have a Dimension 8100 from 2001 (P4 1.5 ghz), truely overkill for my needs and will last me a long time. If I were buying another desktop, I'd go with the Dimensions 4XXX series... best bang for your buck on the market.

Quoting UTA_flyinghigh (Reply 1): Dell are the worst piece of £$%^ you can but hardware-wise and as fo that tech support...do a search on this forum alone

Are you kidding?

Here in US, I was able to get a used Dell laptop about 4 yrs from DellAuction...was a 2 yr old system off lease...still had some warranty on it so they came to my house twice to fix some pre-existing problems...not bad for a $500 system!

Just did same thing again recently...another Dell laptop for $520..yes, I'm VERY satisfied!

2 of the 4 new (Feb05) Dell's in this office packed up within a month. 1 with a failed hard drive and 1 with a memory related fault. Dell service/tech help was good, if a little slow.

My first PC (1997) came from Evesham, who still have a very good reputation in the UK. It lasted me for 4 years. Since then I have built my own.

Keep buying Dell laptops! They are made here in Nashville, Tn and if they weren't I would not get to see the Air China 747-400F that brings components here every day

It seems like I shall (...) have to explain my views as other Dell-bashing members are mysteriously AWOL on this one  

So here's little reading :

https://www.airliners.net/discussions/non_aviation/read.main/778511

https://www.airliners.net/discussions/non_aviation/read.main/655324

https://www.airliners.net/discussions/non_aviation/read.main/549008

Now for my personal experience(s)

Case 1 :
I once purchased a year-old Dell Inspiron notebook back in the early 00's.
The thingy creaked more than a Soviet-built car, the battery couldn't hold the charge and after a while it physically bri=oke inside the casing, meaning the battery could fall out at any moment when being carried.

Case 2 :
The school run by my mother-in-law is equipped with Dell's.
Small school, about 5/6 PC's.
There isn't ONE week where there isn't a problem with a PC, be it drives failing (HDD's/DVD/CDRW), blue screens, performance issues, you name it.
Their tech support, which I had over the phone, is a model of incompetency and non-ownership of issues (never got the same person twice, never left their name/case number, etc..)
Needless to say, they're switching to HP.

Case 3 :
The a.nutter we know as the Rhaat owns both a Dell desktop and an HP laptop.
The Dell desktop regularly has problems, the last one being a faulty graphics card on the under-warranty desktop.
After spending X amount of time trying to get to the right person, the 'technician' spent an hour diagnosing the problem (tech support my a$$) before shipping out a replacement part (a week to arrive).
The HP laptop had a faulty HDD, they sent out a transporter to his house to get the laptop, repaired it and brought it back again to his house.
His old Gateway desktop is apparently more reliable than the new Dell.

And I have many other similar accounts like these...no more Dell for me, IMHO they are the FR of IT, dubious sales practices (rock-bottom price but awful components, hidden CC/delivery fees), incompetent technicians, etc...
Get a real brand that does not outsource (too much) their resources.

UTA

I have a Dell Dimension (lap top). Just a couple of month after the warranty expired my motherboard went down, or as Dell said when I called their support; You have to replace the motherboard AND the processor and those are the most expensive parts in the computer. I went to a local computer store and they said I "only" had to replace the motherboard. Still expensive, but a lot cheaper than the price Dell offered me (of course since I didn't had to replace the processor).
My dad also has a Dell lap top and it's always fun to start it up and see what kind of hardware it won't be able to find. After you smash it and bend it and hit it a couple of times it usually comes alive though.

/Micke

Dell's are great, between their 24 hour Tech Support and their response time to problems, they are truly the best there is. I have a Sony and a Dell, the Dell is much more superior, my sister also has an HP and I personally think it sucks. Dell is the best!!

Everyone in my family, except for my oldest sister, has a Dell right now. My dad's on his second Dell, as the first one gave him problems for about six months, but afterwards, it was running fine (that was bought in '97). He got a new Dimension 2400 and loves it.

I started out with a Gateway in '98 and I must've gotten one of the last good Gateways since my other sister got a Gateway after I did and she has had lots of problems with it, all of which were all fixed and she had no problems with it until her monitor died. I got my Dimension 8300 in January '04 and I absolutely LOVE IT!

My brother recently got an 8300 and he loves it. He's got everything maxed out inside, has dual-monitor support, and had one major problem - the power supply died. He got a new one for like $30 and is back in business.

My other sister, the one who got the Gateway after I did, has a Dimension 2400 now. She got hers around the same time I did, and besides for it being really slow (the kids installed a bunch of games on it and its in the process of getting those games deleted as well as their computer profiles), she loves it.

I say, get a Dell. Spending the $2,000 on mine certainly paid off!

I`ve brought my last couple of computers from Mesh (uk only)

http://www.meshcomputers.com/updated/index.htm

Had no problems with them at all.

Stu

Had a Dell for three years without a single problem. It eventually fell victim to a collapsed operating system (mainly because of a lack of virus protection) but my big concern was the tech support - Dell seemed to move it from Ireland, where it was great, to India where it went downhill rapidly.

Would recommend the PC. Although now I have a Compaq. 

Hardware is Hardware is Hardware (For the most part)

I know someone with a Packard Bell computer, who NEVER had a problem with it! Personally, I made a lot of $$ off of PB's.

The thing to keep in mind is that you usually get what you pay for, and to be nice to the people who have to rectify the situation if things don't work out as planned.

I have had my current dell for about 3 yrs and have only ever had one significant hardware problem with it. It is a Dimension 4400 (I believe) It was under warranty and in-home service had it back up and running in a few days. Other than that, I have no complaints. Even the printer has given me no problems.

Hey guys, if you want a Dell and want to save some serious cash (really), check out Dell's eBay store @ http://stores.ebay.com/Dell-Home-Systems . I saved over 50% on a system that retails for over $3000. And they usually include 3-year at home service. That alone is quite expensive. Anyways, hope that helps, and yes I use Dell exclusively for home and business.

BaylorAirBear

www.slickdeals.net usually has some great Dell Deals too!!

There's no reason at all to buy a brand-name computer unless you're getting a laptop. The little brand loyalty I have is to Asus.

You won't have to build it yourself either, if that's what you're afraid of. Just pay a small shop a little extra to put it together after you buy the components from them.

This offers the following advantages:
-You get the exact components you want. If you get poorly designed hardware, it's because you selected it yourself, *not* because some accountant decided to save 2 cents per computer.
-No bullshit software preinstalled or stupidly customized motherboards
-If something breaks within the warranty period, you just take the part and your receipt to the (small!) store. No hassle with tech support.
-If something breaks later, you can buy a replacement from anywhere. No need to worry about proprietary interfaces.

Quoting Killjoy (Reply 24): You get the exact components you want. If you get poorly designed hardware, it's because you selected it yourself, *not* because some accountant decided to save 2 cents per computer

I think that most people aren't knowledgeable enough to choose their own system components, other than knowing they need a hard drive and cd-rom.
In this instance they will still buy what the (small!) store suggests, and they probably have an accountant too.

BaylorAirBear

I bought a Dell Dimension 2400 PC a year 15 months ago. No problems so far...

Quoting BaylorAirBear (Reply 25): In this instance they will still buy what the (small!) store suggests, and they probably have an accountant too.

True, but the small store isn't likely to have any standard setups, so the incentive to save money by changing a small part on millions of computers isn't there. More likely they'd end up wasting money (time) by doing so.

Even if someone doesn't know anything, it's always possible to ask the small store to consider quality instead of just price. As long as they manage to find a store they can trust...  

Got a new Dell desktop 1.5 years ago and it has been very unreliable. Had to replace the hard drive within the first month. Then, about a year later (just outside of warranty) the power supply failed. Got it fixed, but definitely a hassle. Tech support isn't as good as it used to be, but probably still better than a lot of other companies.

Got a Dell Latitude D600 laptop (also 1.5 years ago) and have had no problems what-so-ever. Great machine...sold as a rock!

Well, the problem in any case is that you´d be saddled with Windows either way.

If you´re in doubt, you should not proceed until you´ve at least taken a good look at a Macintosh as an alternative. Reliability and customer service are generally excellent, and OS X is definitely a significant step up from any breed of Windows.

Get a Dell if you absolutely must; But I doubt that´s really the case.