Is Dell Worth it?

G

German Muscle

Supreme [H]ardness
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My Mother is wanting to buy a new computer. she doesnt want to spend alot so the budget is around 800-900. I was going to build her one but i cant beat dells prices unless its a High Performance System. Im looking at the Dimension E510. I have it all customized with a few add-ons and it totals out to be $933 for the computer, 19 inch LCD, All In One Printer, Speakers, etc.
Its Pentium D 820(Going to a P4 6xx series costs extra WTF!)
512MB Dual Channel RAM
80GB HDD
48x CDRW/DVDROM
Dell E196FP LCD Monitor
ATI Radeon X300 graphics
Integrated 7.1 Channel Sound
Dell A215 Speakers
Dell USB Enhanced Mulimedia Keyboard
Dell Optical Mouse
Dell All In One 924 Printer w/ USB cable

This looks perfect. But my mom stressed to me she doesnt want a computer that is worthless in a few years. So this brings up Upgradability. Can you upgrade dells as in CPUs, RAM, and things like that like you can a built system? Ive seen that they are strict on stuff like this but i want to ask to make sure before she buys one. Also about this new On Drive Installation thing. where you dont have a restore disk, you hit a keystroke and its on the HDD and does it from there. It has say a 80GB drive does it take space away from that or do they give you a bit larger drive so compensate? If they just fill your HDD with 600MB then ill just pay 8 extra bucks for the restore CD thing so thats no big deal im just curious. This computer comes out to be $957.78 total with everything. Is it worth it in the long run? Thanks in Advance.
 
hey this will help you save alot of $$$

40% off $999 on select Dimension desktops except XPS, limit 5000 uses Z4$DJ$6HP83NDB
you might want to check out this page

http://www.xpbargains.com/dell_coupons/

Dell Home has the Dell Dimension E310 desktop w/ P4-2.8GHz HT, 19" E196FP LCD +$77, 512MB DDR2, 80GB SATA, DVD/CDRW, HD Audio, 10/100 Ethernet, Integrated Video, XP Media Center 2005 Edition, 1yr warranty for $899 - auto $324 off = $575 w/ free shipping.

WOW 575 for nearly the same setup!!!

dells are upgradeable just it be a hassle.
 
I think the 'worst' thing about Dell is the bloatware you get. I do not know about your mom, but many people could care less about this, but I cannot stand it. I really appreciate the [H]Consumer reviews and that the lads here look into what 'junk' is installed when you get a system.

Having said that, there are two Dell Latitude Notebooks in our family and we are happy with them. I also have a SC420 as my domain controller and very little complaints about it either.
 
drizzt81 said:
I think the 'worst' thing about Dell is the bloatware you get. I do not know about your mom, but many people could care less about this, but I cannot stand it. I really appreciate the [H]Consumer reviews and that the lads here look into what 'junk' is installed when you get a system.

Having said that, there are two Dell Latitude Notebooks in our family and we are happy with them. I also have a SC420 as my domain controller and very little complaints about it either.
Click to expand...

The first thing I have done when I get a Dell notebook is reformat the hard drive.
 
Well your mom is going to have to accept the fact that all computers lose value very quickly.
Regardless of what you buy the usefull lifetime of a computer is roughly 5 years maximum. I would suspect that many people on this forum upgrade their system at least once a year.

The dell sounds like a decent deal so unless someone posts a much better deal I suggest you go for it.
 
its not the losing value part, its the upgradability is what im worried about. i want it to be upgradeable in a few years, not hafting to buy a whole new system cause you cant upgrade anything.
 
What does she think she will be doing that even requires any upgrades?

People that only browse the internet, check email, listen to music, use word processing are still using Pentium IIIs and Socket A.

Get real.
 
I know you can upgrade the memory, hard drive, and obviously any peripheral cards (video, network, etc… ). I'm pretty sure you can upgrade the procs also.

With that all said, how much better to you think you will be able to upgrade it to in a ‘few years'? There will be a cap on how fast it will get, no matter what you do.
 
If you're looking for it to not be worthless anytime soon, then wait it out 'til the conroe, I've got a feeling intel is going to have a hard and long time trying to out do themselves
 
im not looking for a lot i just dont want to be tied down the the same exact CPU forever, like in a couple years upgrade it to a Pentium D if it has a P4 640 or something.
 
I've had horrible support from Dell. I would look at something else. If you do want to read my experiences, you can check it here. Their support is terrible and for that reason alone, I'd look at someone else.
 
Ok. Listen. First i have been with dell for years. This and Ibm are the only companies i purchase my business computers from. Why? simple. The service is top. And it doesn't matter if the mistake is on your end or theirs. Can you upgrade. Will yes and no. If you mean can you upgrade the processor than the answer is yes. if you mean can you upgrade the motherboard than no. Saying that, everything else is upgradeable. all the drives and peripherals.Also remember that they generally use btx architecture.
 
German Muscle said:
My Mother is wanting to buy a new computer. she doesnt want to spend alot so the budget is around 800-900. I was going to build her one but i cant beat dells prices unless its a High Performance System.
Click to expand...

The curse of all of us who are trying to convince our parents to move away from Dell. :p

German Muscle said:
It has say a 80GB drive does it take space away from that or do they give you a bit larger drive so compensate? If they just fill your HDD with 600MB then ill just pay 8 extra bucks for the restore CD thing so thats no big deal im just curious. This computer comes out to be $957.78 total with everything. Is it worth it in the long run? Thanks in Advance.
Click to expand...

Takes away space.

drizzt81 said:
I think the 'worst' thing about Dell is the bloatware you get. I do not know about your mom, but many people could care less about this, but I cannot stand it.
Click to expand...

Agreed; for a normal person they don't really care about the hardware, and honestly, I don't either if it's not my computer and I won't be maintaining it in the long run, Dells are fine that way. But the software...! It's not worth it for me to reformat, far easier to just install everything and then run CCleaner, Spybot, Ad-Aware.
 
noesis said:
Ok. Listen. First i have been with dell for years. This and Ibm are the only companies i purchase my business computers from. Why? simple. The service is top. And it doesn't matter if the mistake is on your end or theirs.
Click to expand...

Only problem is the business cusomters recieve much better support than home users from what I have read. (Business support is in the US instead of outsourced.)
 
Mr. Miyagi said:
Only problem is the business cusomters recieve much better support than home users from what I have read. (Business support is in the US instead of outsourced.)
Click to expand...

Ths is correct. All the tech people i ever dealt with were located in various parts of the country. Never had to deal with overseas people so cant comment on that..
 
The only problem I have had with Dell, was the fact that they sent me 6 of the wrong boxes when I ordered my Dimension 8400.

I actually recieved TWO Dimension 4700s, TWO Keyboard/Mouse, TWO 17" LCDs. Now, Dell could have just sent me the Dimension 8400 and paid for me to ship the 4700s back.. But they went out of their way.. I got a free 5GB Digital Jukebox, an all in one printer and $300 back.

Now, the only problem with that 8400 was the fact that my Maxtor Hard Drive died, but mistakes are made. Nice thing was I had one at my door the next day. Sure, I talked to India but they are not as bad as people hype them up to be.

Oh yeah, they also called me back on Sunday. The HDD blew on a Saturday Night, they asked me if I needed any other part/cd sent to my house.

They also called Tuesday the day it arrived wondering if my self installation went well. I was pretty happy that they called.
 
Tech Support isnt a big deal, i can provide that and would rather do it myself than talk to some person i cant understand over the phone. Ive heard Dell is bad about this and i know Microsoft is. I can also reformat the computer as well so thats no big deal. If upgradability is possible aside from motherboard replacement which i expected you cant do. then thats fine.
 
amd ati FO SHO said:
hey this will help you save alot of $$$

40% off $999 on select Dimension desktops except XPS, limit 5000 uses Z4$DJ$6HP83NDB
you might want to check out this page

http://www.xpbargains.com/dell_coupons/

Dell Home has the Dell Dimension E310 desktop w/ P4-2.8GHz HT, 19" E196FP LCD +$77, 512MB DDR2, 80GB SATA, DVD/CDRW, HD Audio, 10/100 Ethernet, Integrated Video, XP Media Center 2005 Edition, 1yr warranty for $899 - auto $324 off = $575 w/ free shipping.

WOW 575 for nearly the same setup!!!

dells are upgradeable just it be a hassle.
Click to expand...
Thats a pretty good deal but the E310 is missing a few things i would like her computer to have. That is an Excellent deal tho. To bad the deal is no longer valid. I Tried using that Coupon Code yesterday and it says it has been voided.
 
heres this weeks deal
Dell Home $400 off $1199 on select Dimension E310 or E510 desktops, limit 4000 uses V?91N4QPFM?J1C

not good as last, but the deals are always up and down, just gotta wait for a good time to buy.

enjoy
 
i could throw the Dell 2405FPW in with the E510 and take the dell monitor and give her my Sony 17inch Trinitron CRT and then use that new Coupon :D
 
1) The bloatware installed on the XPS 400 caused major performance degredation and stability problems in our evaluation machine.

Reformatting -will- get rid of those problems, but you must make sure to order the Windows disc and drivers with the computer (there is an extra charge.) We missed it, and Dell doesn't go out of the way to mention that unlike most other OEMs, they don't provide a Windows disc.

2) The Dell technical support was unresponsive on the phone. When we did have someone in to do a CD-Rom replacement, they came to our on-site, and it took 5 minutes - very professional. On the other hand, we got misleading and contradictory information, was not informed of charges and didn't recieve callbacks from the Call Center.

The Dell outsourced technical support is, in my opinion, and as we chronicled in our evaluation of the Dell XPS 400, unacceptable. You'll find that the hardware is good, however.

3) Upgradability in an XPS 400 case is tight but you could do it. It's a Dell proprietary BTX motherboard... PCI cards, optical drives, and RAM chips should be no problem - the processor might be a bit harder to get to.
 
yeah dell is horrible to customers and basic things needed - not to mention horrible hardware as expected

and what brian is saying is pretty much true, customer support in India
 
Brian Boyko said:
Reformatting -will- get rid of those problems, but you must make sure to order the Windows disc and drivers with the computer (there is an extra charge.) We missed it, and Dell doesn't go out of the way to mention that unlike most other OEMs, they don't provide a Windows disc.
Click to expand...
you mean getting the Windows CD instead of having that BS on hard drive stuff? i had planned to do that. its 8 bucks extra.
 
Duster said:
its only 8 bucks and it is well worth it

Click to expand...

Indeed.

If you mentioned what she's going to be doing with it, I missed it. But as far as doing what most Moms do with a computer, a halfway decent Dell is as good an option as you can find. Like Brian said, your cpu and mobo (and the PS, depending on model) are the only components that can't be swapped out. But, if this is going to be a email/light media machine, I wouldn't even bother in a couple years given the price you can order a new one for. You can remove the bloatware before you give it to her, easily. As far as something that isn't going to lose value, I'm sure you understand how pitiful computers are at holding value. The depreciation is like owning a car, only at about 10x the curve.
 
Well, I'd really consider upgrading the memory to a gig. It will be well worth it in the end.

Other than that, looks good. Although be sure to uninstall the aol crap ect that they install.
 
Baredor said:
Indeed.

If you mentioned what she's going to be doing with it, I missed it. But as far as doing what most Moms do with a computer, a halfway decent Dell is as good an option as you can find. Like Brian said, your cpu and mobo (and the PS, depending on model) are the only components that can't be swapped out. But, if this is going to be a email/light media machine, I wouldn't even bother in a couple years given the price you can order a new one for. You can remove the bloatware before you give it to her, easily. As far as something that isn't going to lose value, I'm sure you understand how pitiful computers are at holding value. The depreciation is like owning a car, only at about 10x the curve.
Click to expand...
shes gonna use it for email, ebay and internet surfing. Its knd of overkill for that but i beefed it up a little so i could play some mild games on it like the Sims and stuff.
 
Upgrade in a few years?

If it has PCI-E you'll be able to do alot, but as far as Processor goes, you can't do jack, w00t w00t intel and their constant chipset changing.
 
Brian Boyko said:
1

2) The Dell technical support was unresponsive on the phone. When we did have someone in to do a CD-Rom replacement, they came to our on-site, and it took 5 minutes - very professional. On the other hand, we got misleading and contradictory information, was not informed of charges and didn't recieve callbacks from the Call Center.

The Dell outsourced technical support is, in my opinion, and as we chronicled in our evaluation of the Dell XPS 400, unacceptable.
.
Click to expand...

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=11585597&src=eDialog/GetContent

If you think Dell tech. support is bad, wait till you read the above. They are doubling their India staff to 20,000. I don't think they even need an office in US any more, maybe just a sales office. So they want your business, but don't care about the support
 
Ok, here we go again.
I have three Dell comps at work. They are baseline Dimensions with Celerons. They have performed without a hitch since day one. The price was unbeatable.
Dell unfortunately has their boxes chocked full of proprietary components. I dont think I could replace much except upgrade the RAM and stick in another HD.
You need to look into the future when you order.
For low cost you might look at ACER or EMachine.
We just bought an Acer for our office and it was very inexpensive and had AMD processing power. Overall Ive been very impressed so far. Not only did I get limited bloat but also got original XP discs and a mirror program installed to make a HD backup.
When I cracked open the door it looked alot more like something I would do, less proprietary stuff.
I have an Emachine at home. Talk about a rock. It runs all my net,word processing, photo storage, itunes, you name it. I got it sooooo cheap at CC I had to look twice at the receipt. I added a HD, no problems. Yeah its a Celeron, but it runs well for what I need. Ive used Emachs support. They were spot on.
Just stuff to consider.
I think Dell makes excellent monitors. Their Customer Service is chaotic at best. Sometimes you get a guy who you can understand.....sometimes you dont. Its a crap shoot and not what I think the customer deserves for the largest manufacturer in the world.
 
wow...i must be really...really...REALLY lucky then...

Cos over the past 3 years of so, ive customised and maintained about 30 DELL PC's for family and friends etc...and everytime i called tech support, they were perfect..either solved my problem or adhered to their warranty and sent someone over the next business day...and then he either fixed it or came with a replacement unit.

They even used to call me after i ordered a unit if they had special promotions i might have missed like only $XXX to upgrade to 3 year warranty etc.

Performance wise, i think they are great bang for buck...perhaps you guys are talking about the high high end systems :D but for all the mid to high end range system that ive customised...cant complain :)
 
Rishy said:
wow...i must be really...really...REALLY lucky then...

Cos over the past 3 years of so, ive customised and maintained about 30 DELL PC's for family and friends etc...and everytime i called tech support, they were perfect..either solved my problem or adhered to their warranty and sent someone over the next business day...and then he either fixed it or came with a replacement unit.

They even used to call me after i ordered a unit if they had special promotions i might have missed like only $XXX to upgrade to 3 year warranty etc.

Performance wise, i think they are great bang for buck...perhaps you guys are talking about the high high end systems :D but for all the mid to high end range system that ive customised...cant complain :)
Click to expand...

That's why ours have been so terrible! You stole it all! :p
 
Rishy said:
wow...i must be really...really...REALLY lucky then...

Cos over the past 3 years of so, ive customised and maintained about 30 DELL PC's for family and friends etc...and everytime i called tech support, they were perfect..either solved my problem or adhered to their warranty and sent someone over the next business day...and then he either fixed it or came with a replacement unit.

They even used to call me after i ordered a unit if they had special promotions i might have missed like only $XXX to upgrade to 3 year warranty etc.

Performance wise, i think they are great bang for buck...perhaps you guys are talking about the high high end systems :D but for all the mid to high end range system that ive customised...cant complain :)
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the Dell computer company in the United States?????
As I said Ive got a bunch of Dell stuff.....it all works......but nobody and I mean nobody....ever called me to see how things were or not.......and Ive spoken to support people that their own mother probably couldnt understand.
BUT.....like I said.....they have run without a hitch from day 1, and that IS really all that matters. (and you cant beat the price and all the stuff they throw in) :eek:
 
Happy Hopping said:
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=11585597&src=eDialog/GetContent

If you think Dell tech. support is bad, wait till you read the above. They are doubling their India staff to 20,000. I don't think they even need an office in US any more, maybe just a sales office. So they want your business, but don't care about the support
Click to expand...

Truthfully, I think it is possible to provide good an adaquate tech-support experience even with outsourcing. I don't -like- outsourcing, in fact, part of that is the reason why it's so hard to get a job in Austin these days. But let's not confuse the country of origin with the quality of service.
 
Exactly, there are smart people in India. They produce excellent engineers. However, the reason companies like Dell are outsourcing there is to save money. If Dell wanted to, I am convinced that you could pay for quality service in India. However, the point is to pay as little as possible, and you can get it in India. The onus is on Dell, not Indians.
 
Chris_Morley said:
Exactly, there are smart people in India. They produce excellent engineers. However, the reason companies like Dell are outsourcing there is to save money. If Dell wanted to, I am convinced that you could pay for quality service in India. However, the point is to pay as little as possible, and you can get it in India. The onus is on Dell, not Indians.
Click to expand...

There's an interesting (fiction) book called "One Night @ the Call Centre" by Chetan Bhagat - I haven't read it, but it's supposedly interesting reading for anyone seriously wanting to take a look at what it's like to work in an Indian call centre.
 
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