Dell

dragon wench · #1 (**permalink**) 09-13-2003, 12:36 PM

If my present employment contract becomes permanent in the New Year, I may celebrate by purchasing a new computer.

After browsing through various threads on the subject here, I am sensing that Dell is the way to go if I choose a supplier rather than building my own. As I think is apparent from my posts on the subject (

), I do not have the technological ability for the latter.

So my question is, for those people who have bought Dell recently, are you happy? I went with Dell when I bought my present machine three years ago; it has worked great and I have generally been impressed by their customer support.

Just out of curiosity I was messing about with the Dell configurations and I created a system that looks pretty decent, though I don't know what a lot of those letters and numbers actually mean

:

Dimension 4600
Pentium 4 at 2.80 GHz w/533 MHz FSB
Monitor: 17 in 1703 FP Ultrasharp flat panel display
Memory: 512 MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 333 MHZ
Video Card: 64 MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce4 MX
Hard Drive: 80 MB
Sound: Integrated 5.1 Channel Capable Audio
Speakers: Harman Kardon HK-395 with subwoofer
4 Yr warrenty
Obviously there is other stuff here, but I don't think there is much point in including keyboard, OS etc.

The whole thing totals (tax included) to: $ 2,076 Cdn.

Thoughts ?

Mr Flibble · #2 (**permalink**) 09-13-2003, 11:03 PM

In general my experiences with Dell have been fairly good, but unfortuantely their technical support here isn't very good.

Looks like a good system, but if you can go for a better video card. Geforce 4 MX cards are definnitely bottom of the pile these days.

HighLordDave · #3 (**permalink**) 09-14-2003, 06:27 AM

Their technical support used to be good (until they, like many companies, outsourced their tech agents to a call center in India and the language barrier causes a lot of trouble with their customers), but Dell is still better than anyone else (with the exception of maybe Gateway).

Like Mr Flibble says, I'd see about upgrading the video card to either a GeForce4 Ti or a GeForce FX card. I'd also buy some more memory from a third party vendor and install it yourself (you can never have too much); just find out from Dell how much that machine will support.

Another thing I'd consider is not buying your monitor from Dell; they tend to overcharge for accessories. You can get a good 19" CRT flat-screen monitor at Best Buy, Circuit City or Sam's Club for about $150-200 (USD), which is about $50-100 (USD) less than what Dell will charge you for the same thing.

humanflyz · #4 (**permalink**) 09-14-2003, 10:36 AM

Yes, definitely upgrade your video card. I'd recommend an ATI Raedon 9700 Pro, since I've had great experiences with it. It'll probably run anything smoothly. Plus, Radeon cards are more geared toward DirectX 9 games, as shown in the recent Half Life 2 benchmarks. Plus, a Radeon 9700 Pro is very cheap now, especially if you shop around a bit. Or, if your gaming demands are not that high, go with a Radeon 9600 Pro, which, IMO, offers the most value for the least amount of money. I wouldn't recommend a Nvidia card right now simply because Nvidia cards are not truly DirectX 9 cards, which could be a huge loss when more game developers start to catch on to DirectX 9.

dragon wench · #5 (**permalink**) 09-14-2003, 01:58 PM

Thanks! I really appreciate the info!

I had wondered about the quality of the video card, so you have all confirmed my doubts. Another query I have concerns the monitor. While I would love an LCD flat panel (really easy on the eyes, space efficient, and hey, they just look cool

), I am wondering if they are any good for gaming. I recall hearing that, at least, the initial versions were not that great. Is this still the case, or has the technology come up to speed?

As an update, I just ran into a friend (that works in the software industry) who is probably going to get a computer assembled locally. He figures he'll be able to get the equivalent of a $2500 gaming machine for around $800 (Cdn funds). I am thinking this is also worth looking into. As he observes, if it is local they are likely to ensure it is well made since it is easy for you to show back up with the thing in the event of a problem.

Mr Flibble · #6 (**permalink**) 09-14-2003, 03:20 PM

I bought a 17" LCD screen a few months back and so far it's easily up to scratch for gaming. After exhaustive 'tests' with Nevewinter Nights, AVP2, MOO3 and Age of Mythology I can tell you there's not much of a difference.

One point to be aware of is that LCD screens are designed to be run at a specific resolution (1024x768 for 15", 1280x1024 for 17"), but not many games run at these resolutions by default. This results in the image quality being slightly blurrier than on a normal monitor, but for the most part I don't notice it anymore. As for speed and screen updates, no problems there.

For comparison I was using a 17" Viewsonic (sadly it died).

humanflyz · #7 (**permalink**) 09-14-2003, 09:42 PM

Regarding the LCD Monitors:

LCD monitors are indeed a little bit more blurry than traditional CRT monitors, but they are really space-savers. However, you are not likely to notice the slight blurring if you do not work with graphic design where image quality, color, and crispness are crucial. I'd say that in terms of values, a flat CRT monitor is better than LCD. But it all depends on your budget and preferences.

oki101 · #8 (**permalink**) 09-15-2003, 04:16 PM

While we are opn the subject of Dell computers I might throw in a warning and see if I can get some answers in the same time.

Both me and a friend of mine have bought Dell computers the last year. We also decided to change the original mouse to something we hoped would be better, (don`t like the original one) so we both purchased Logitech MX-500.

This is causing us a lot of problems. The mouse suddenly "takes off" ;eek: in random directions making it impossible to use in any fast-paced games, as long as being annoying as hell when in Explorer and applications like that.

This seems to be a problem only on Dell machines. We have tried 4 mice on both mine and his and the same happens every time. On another friends machine they all work perfectly

So if nobody has any good advice on how to fix this stay away from Logitech mice while using Dell`s.

BTW I`m using driver ver. 9,73 and Control centre ver. 9,73,243

HighLordDave · #9 (**permalink**) 09-17-2003, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dragon wench
As an update, I just ran into a friend (that works in the software industry) who is probably going to get a computer assembled locally. . . . I am thinking this is also worth looking into. As he observes, if it is local they are likely to ensure it is well made since it is easy for you to show back up with the thing in the event of a problem.

I would seriously consider having a local shop you trust build the machine for you since they will probably beat Dell's price by a considerable margin. Name brands are great because they generally have better warranties and better support, but if you can get a three year warranty from a local shop on a machine for $500 (CAD) less than Dell, you're coming out ahead.

The biggest problem with many local shops is that they often warrant only the installation, and subject you to the manufacturer's warranty on hardware, which is often a year (sometimes less depending on the component). With Dell, if you get a three year service contract, everything in the case is covered for those three years against everything except accidental damage (which can be covered by their Complete Care) and acts of God (which are often covered by your homeowner's insurance). If you buy a machine from a local shop, go over their warranty and support policy and ask lots of questions. Know what is covered, and for how long, plus you need to know how much they'll charge to help you reinstall the OS (which Dell will help you do, but since 99% of all OS reinstalls are the fault of the user, a local shop may charge you to reformat/reinstall a drive).

As for your monitor question, I would get a flat-screen CRT monitor because I like a larger display even though it will take up more space on your desktop than an LCD monitor. If cost is a major factor, you can find a 19" CRT monitor for under $200 (USD), while it's hard to find even 15" LCD monitors for that price.

dragon wench · #10 (**permalink**) 09-19-2003, 01:58 PM

@HLD,
thanks so much for all the detailed advice, I will certainly bear it all in mind if I go the local route. These are considerations that really need to be weighed up against one another.

Ned Flanders · #11 (**permalink**) 09-19-2003, 04:17 PM

If you go with Dell, definitely up the video card.

Buying a monitor from Dell isn't a bad idea, because again, you get the three year warranty. don't think you'll get that with a retail monitor. I also agree with a CRT over an LCD, concurrent with HLD.

My opinion of Dell is pretty high. At home, I build all my own machines but in the workplace, all servers are Dells, and all clients use Dell dimensions (desktop) or Inspirons (laptops).

for a while the tech support was great, then they did outsource to India. The language barrier difficulties caused many Dell tech support folks to suffer my impatient wrath. It seems these days though, at least for the small business world, they've again opened tech shops in the US. Not sure what they have available for home users. All in all, my experiences with them when things go wrong, have yielded new parts within 48 hours.

If gaming is your gig, you might look alienware systems. It's what they're built for, and if they game on a high performance level, odds are they'll meet any other needs you have.

@oki,

sounds like driver issues. I doubt it is an incompatability although it could be. My recommend would be to remove logitech software, then hardware. Power down, insert old mouse. Reboot. Then, when the machine is running with the old mouse, install logitech software, power down, and reboot with the logitech mouse. double check to make sure drivers are most current.

Also, if the mouse if a USB mouse, you might want to visit the computer manufacturers website and update usb drivers.

HighLordDave · #12 (**permalink**) 09-20-2003, 05:50 AM

@oki101:
You might also try the latest BIOS flash from Dell; that seems to solve a lot of device issues on their machines.

oki101 · #13 (**permalink**) 09-20-2003, 08:07 AM

@ Ned & HLD. Thanks for your advice. I`ll try Ned`s first since I have never flashed a BIOS before. If it does not work I`ll try to flash it.

Will post the results later.

VoodooDali · #14 (**permalink**) 09-22-2003, 04:27 PM

I've had all my PC's custom-built, and I think that's the better way to go. With manufactured PC's, they are not obligated to give you exactly the parts that they say they are. They may also legally use a percentage of refurbished parts. I prefer to know exactly what I'm getting. If you look at the websites of some of the custom-builders (they advertise a lot in gaming magazines) - be sure to check them out for complaints on www.planetfeedback.com.
I ordered my PC a year ago from www.mgepc.com. So far, no problems whatsoever. They give a 3-year warranty and lifetime tech support. Don't know how "for real" that is, since I've never had to try to use any of it.
My other PC was ordered from cyberpowerinc - who are now building alienware clones and advertising a lot in PC Gamer. There prices are almost as good a mgepc, and the computer I had was a real work-horse. However, they promise tech support and warranties, which they have no intention of honoring. If you try to call their tech support #, you will only get a busy signal. I looked them up on planetfeedback, and there were loads of similar complaints, plus their quality control seems to have decreased as well. So, I recommend staying away from them. Another company I've been looking into is www.buy-atlas.com.

I keep wishing I had the time to build a PC myself from scratch.