Is Dell worth it? - Honda Forum / Acura Forum

esp4p3 · 08-30-2004, 02:02 PM

I am in the market for a new pc. I was thinking about getting a cheapo dell. But I will probably upgrade it over time. I can't afford much right now so I want something about 400-500 bucks. My question is: is it worth it to get a dell and upgrade or am I wasting my time?

JaeL · 08-30-2004, 02:17 PM

i would build one if i were you, save money on products. But dell has some good deals to pass out on..

dmb · 08-30-2004, 02:31 PM

you can get one with 80 GB, DVD-R, 2.8ghz or so for about 800 bucks or so...

however why not get an Apple Loan

esp4p3 · 08-30-2004, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaeL

i would build one if i were you, save money on products. But dell has some good deals to pass out on..

Yeah if I build it I can get a bit more...but then I have to build it and no warranty so its a trade off I guess.

Rev ATARI · 08-30-2004, 02:55 PM

Build it yourself, it’s the best in the long run. But if you have to go with a pre-built system then skip the Dell. Go to Wall-Mart and get one of there $500 Compaq systems. Now before anyone says no way that’s a bad idea, take this into account, the Compaq is more upgradeable then a basic Dell. The basic Dell only has 1 IDE out on the MB and the case only has 1 slot for a hard drive, so on the Dell there is no adding more hard drives. Also the Compaq has more RAM slots then the basic Dell, the Compaq also has an AGP slot and the basic Dell does not have one and the Compaq come with a 17” monitor and the basic Dell only comes with a 15” monitor.

In the long run the Compaq is the better deal and offers more upgrade options in the end

Hondaguy1980 · 08-30-2004, 03:06 PM

The dells to have limits on upgrades

esp4p3 · 08-30-2004, 03:11 PM

Well thats good to know cause I would like to have the option of upgrading later on. Thanks

esp4p3 · 08-30-2004, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M3ssican

you can get one with 80 GB, DVD-R, 2.8ghz or so for about 800 bucks or so...

however why not get an Apple Loan

I wish I could afford a new G5...believe me... but I am starting to think about getting a ring for my lady....oh man....its a pc for me.

IntegraTypeRS · 08-30-2004, 04:11 PM

dude $400-500 can build u a good moderate system. you got any frys around u? they have combos for cheap. or u can get it online for a lil bit more. sometimes the mobo isn't that great but it works. u can get an amd athlon xp 2800+/mobo, 80gb hd, 512mb PC2100, ati 9600 radeon for approximately $350

www.fatwallet.com forum section>hot deals
www.slickdeals.net
www.spoofee.com

sites to keep an eye on.

91Integracer · 08-30-2004, 04:12 PM

got 4 dells in my house.. don't have anything bad to say about em..

5gencivic · 08-30-2004, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 91Integracer

got 4 dells in my house.. don't have anything bad to say about em..

wait until you have to call their tech support... then you will.
i have to work with dells all day long in a buisness setting so this has less impact on your buying decision. every single dell i've worked on is just as good in hardware performance as any other system built by an oem.
however when it comes to working on them they are the biggest pain in the ass. dell builds proprietary equipment into their systems and that makes them expensive to fix out of warranty.
skip the oem's, screw the warranty and just build your own. if you do it right the only thing you should worry about is your ide/sata hard drives.

91Integracer · 08-30-2004, 05:26 PM

had the oldest for over 4 years now.. havent had to call once.

IntegraTypeRS · 08-31-2004, 08:56 PM

i called dell tech once when my video card died on my laptop. they don't really know shit. they just have a database of shit that they'll go through and hope it fixes your shit. they did replace my vid card fast though. the process took 3 days. shipped laptop to them, fixed and returned in 3 days. this is just a consumer point of view. they might actually know something with businesses.

Ix dOc xI · 08-31-2004, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev ATARI

Build it yourself, it’s the best in the long run. But if you have to go with a pre-built system then skip the Dell. Go to Wall-Mart and get one of there $500 Compaq systems. Now before anyone says no way that’s a bad idea, take this into account, the Compaq is more upgradeable then a basic Dell. The basic Dell only has 1 IDE out on the MB and the case only has 1 slot for a hard drive, so on the Dell there is no adding more hard drives. Also the Compaq has more RAM slots then the basic Dell, the Compaq also has an AGP slot and the basic Dell does not have one and the Compaq come with a 17” monitor and the basic Dell only comes with a 15” monitor.

In the long run the Compaq is the better deal and offers more upgrade options in the end

Let me be the first to say thats a horrible idea. There are so many variables for what you posted. There are numerous models of Dells and Compaqs so unless you specific your not really helping out much. Maybe its just me, but when I think of upgraded a systems performance, it doesnt start at the Hard Drive. Most newer dells come with 4 slots (2 for each type of memory). Although it may not be much, they can definetly support more than your Compaq. I have no idea where your getting this AGP from, 99.9% of new computers have an AGP slot, hell my Gateway I bought in 2000 has an AGP slot. PCI Video Cards are a thing of the past.

Compaqs are known to be shit, they can seem real nice from a buyers point of view but reliability wise there shit. Dell owns them in that aspect. As far as working with computers, all big name manufactures build systems that are hard to get into/wierd designs merely because as mentioned its a pain in the ass and alot more expensive, which means Dell/Compaq whoever makes more profit.

Building a computer would be your best bet, find a local shop or build one yourself. Upgrading will be so much easier.

Heres a nice Dell, starts at $499.00, p4 2.8ghz, 40gb h/d, 128mb ram, 17" monitor, etc, etc..

only thing I would do is up the memory to 256 (add $20) or 512(add $100)

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...oc=D24SO&s=dhs

edit - just went on compaqs site, pretty much the same system (a bit slower actually) amd athloth xp 2500 (1.8ghz), 256mb ram, 40gb h/d, etc etc, 17" monitor total comes out to $733.98 --- $50 instant rebate, $100 MIR -- total comes out to $583.98

only advantage the compaq has is it comes with a free DVDRW upgrade, i didnt look to see if they had it on the dell or not, but i'd still take the dell over the compaq.

5gencivic · 08-31-2004, 10:02 PM

1) pci video cards are a thing of the past.

wrong, pci express is currently the fastest transport bus for graphics.

2) most newer dells come with 4 slots (2 for each type of memory)

mother of God i hope you aren't saying that they come with slots for sdram and ddr sdram because you'd be dead wrong. dell has never done this... retail manufacturors do it on motherboards that they design when there's a major memory standard change about to take place... that's about it.

3) here's a nice dell, starts at 499.99...

with shared memory and, while we're on the subject of things of the past, it only has a single channel memory controller (Intel 845i)... which is slow. shared memory means that the graphics subsystem on that dell for 499 is built in intel extreme graphics. trust me they're anything but extreme. and i didn't look too hard but i didn't notice any kind of graphics upgrade on that page at all. why you ask? because that model dell doesn't come equipped with an agp slot at all. oh and suprise suprise that processor doesn't have hyperthreading either, which is just about the only thing that system could have had going for it...

i realize that this came off a bit harsh and that you'll probably disect my arguments just like i did yours, but i dislike dell desktop and laptop systems with a passion.

did i mention that the dell comes with a plastic case?