3 reasons why you shouldn't buy Dell.

[Kwisatz]

I know everyone is going to flame me, but I just felt that after what just transpired, I need to make this particular post about why you SHOULD NOT BUY DELL for your own sake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever since Dells became the PC of choice for the average American, I've loathed them for being so popular and mainstream, and I'm just stupid like that and think that mainstream = bad. However, ever since starting my job as a helpdesk technician and working on side jobs for people with Dell PCs, I've really come to the conclusion that my loathing of Dell is justifiable. After just having a little chat with Dell, I am motivated to make this post, to warn users before they buy their next computer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Dell uses inferior setups and nonstandards in building their PCs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to work with and support hundreds of Dell Optiplexes, many of which were built within the last two years. These are all business-class machines that cost at least $1000 at the time of purchase. Now, one would expect that for a large business spending so much money on each machine, you would get quality, right? WRONG! Dell actually uses many proprietary components, mounting mechanisms and connectors in their computers, as well as substandard cooling solutions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For instance, Dell computers do not actually have processor fans, they have a case fan and a duct. Look at the picture below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See that green thing below the power supply (metal thing) on the left? That's the duct. That fan is what is expected to cool the hot P4 Prescott chips. One would think that it wouldn't be too much trouble to put the fan directly on the processor and have a separate case fan for better cooling, but no, Dell is too cheap to spend the extra $2 to do so. Additionally, when I received a new heatsink from Dell that had heatpipes, when I tried to remove the existing heatsink, I took the processor too, because of the massive amounts of SILICONE thermal paste on the processor that stuck it to the heatsink, consequently bending 6 of the pinks on the processor in the process. Then, when I could not find the return label for the bad part, I called Dell and they told me that it cost more to ship it back than to manufacture the heatsink in the first place. Guess that says a lot about "quality."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additionally, rather than using a real power supply, they use cheap power supplies that aren't 300W, not 200W, but 180W SUSTAINED!!!. And as of yet, in 1 and a half months, twelve (12) Dell power supplies have gone bad, giving the blinky orange power light of doom. Guess that says a lot too, just like how they use a proprietary front panel connector, have only two hard disk bays despite having room for more, have green brackets instead of regular screws for disks (annoying when you have to swap the bracket every time you change drives when testing hardware), and how they block the activity LED and release hole for the optical drives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've said enough. On to the next point...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Dell has terrible support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dell Support is some of the worst I've ever seen in my life, bested (or should I say worsted?0 only by CyberPower (whom you should NOT buy from under any circumstances, no matter the price). The first time I called in a part to Dell, I got the home and home office help, then transferred to the Gold Support (which I should have had in the first place, seeing as how I entered my service code when prompted), then given the extension, then disconnected. And when I tried to call back the extension was invalid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, Dell has twice sent us boxes that were supposed to have the aforementioned power supplies in them, but were in fact empty. When I called them in, I fully expected them to ask if the packaging was compromised or in any way looked as if something was stolen, but they didn't hesitate at all in sending me a new power supply and return label (I could've used the one I'd gotten in the empty box and thrown the empty box away), and not even apologizing. Downright atrocious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also have, depending upon what line you get randomly transferred to, a voice-recognition system that lets you speak your service code, since pressing buttons is such a chore. What is already a crap idea turns out to be even worse when you say "9484733124" in a monotonous voice and get back "Did you say 9...3...2..4...7...3...3...1...3...7?" Why can't I just enter the darn thing, or at least just bypass it since I still have to tell the support person my code anyways?!?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, numero three...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Dell does not raise a finger to help you, the perspective buyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am looking for a laptop, and since the company I work for gets a discount since they buy volume, I was going to order through our Employee Purchase program. I have an XP Pro license from when I ordered two by accident from Newegg, and I want to purchase a laptop without the OS. I thought you'd be able to, but apparently not:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6:17:08 PM System Welcome Alex ***** ...

 

 

 

6:17:08 PM System Connecting to server. Please wait...

 

 

 

6:17:08 PM System Thank you for using Dell Chat, a representative will be with you soon.

 

 

 

6:17:40 PM System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat

 

 

 

6:17:40 PM System Connected with XPS_Rep_Brad

 

 

 

6:17:44 PM XPS_Rep_Brad Thank you for choosing Dell's Digital Home XPS Experience, my name is XPS_Rep_Brad, I will be your personal assistant today. Give me a moment to review your concern. Please don't go away.

 

 

 

6:18:14 PM You i have a question

 

 

 

6:18:25 PM You is it posible to purchase an XPS without an OS?

 

 

 

6:18:58 PM XPS_Rep_Brad no,sure isnt

 

 

 

6:19:28 PM You so even with a copy of windows

 

 

 

6:19:33 PM You i own one myself

 

 

 

6:19:40 PM You that's not in use on another computer

 

 

 

6:19:49 PM You and i can't buy a computer without windows?

 

 

 

6:19:51 PM XPS_Rep_Brad what OS are you wanting to put on it?

 

 

 

6:20:04 PM You winxp pro

 

 

 

6:20:14 PM You i have a license key for it

 

 

 

6:20:24 PM You bought one too many when i made a bulk order from newegg

 

 

 

6:20:42 PM XPS_Rep_Brad when you get your computer just put xp pro on it

 

 

 

6:21:02 PM You but i'm paying for windows right?

 

 

 

6:21:20 PM You when i buy the computer from your company i pay for a copy of windows right?

 

 

 

6:21:43 PM XPS_Rep_Brad no,it comes with the system

 

 

 

6:22:11 PM You meaning

 

 

 

6:22:22 PM You included in the price of the computer is windows, correct?

 

 

 

6:22:36 PM You and if you didn't install windows on it the cost of goods would go down, correct?

 

 

 

6:22:44 PM XPS_Rep_Brad yes,all the software that comes on the computer is included in the price

 

 

 

6:23:00 PM XPS_Rep_Brad no,we have to ship OS on it

 

 

 

6:23:28 PM You ok.

 

 

 

6:23:54 PM You so you're telling me that even if i was some large company and had a volume license of winxp i would still have to buy an os with each system i buy?

 

 

 

6:24:48 PM XPS_Rep_Brad your not buying any OS with the system,microsoft puts it in for free,b/c you have to have an OS to run a pc

 

 

 

6:24:56 PM XPS_Rep_Brad most people dont have a copy already

 

 

 

6:25:42 PM You despite what they may tell you a Microsoft OEM copy of WinXP Pro is $150, but whatever.

 

 

 

6:25:49 PM You Thanks for answering my question. Have a nice day.

 

 

 

6:26:06 PM System The session has ended!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only did he have the audacity to tell me "sure can't," but he also had the laziness to type "b/c." He also had the nerve to lie to me about the OS being "free" with the computer, but also told me to buy a computer with an OS and then install XP Pro on it, which makes no sense whatsoever, and to tell me, who has already demonstrated my knowledge of computers by saying I have a "license" rather than a copy, that you need an OS to run a computer. Pitiful. Frickin' pitiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also know why my company has a volume license of Windows XP Pro, and yet all the machines have XP license keys on them - Dell does not offer machines without OSes, even for businesses with upwards of 5000 employees that Ghost the machines as soon as they arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope that this motivates you to make a wise choice - almost any choice besides Dell. All of this is factual information and comes from personal experience, so I REALLY would not enjoy it if someone replies and says "omgf u r teh specilatin [sic]!!111."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments?

[Chris]

I can't be bothered arguing the point. Dell make good machines. Only thing is, they're only good when under warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't had experience with their customer support as the only Dell machines I've ever fixed were out of said warranty. Sometimes waiting up to 3 months for us to get another computer in for something as simple as taking the power supply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also you said something about saving $2. When you're manufacturing 100,000 PCs that turns into $200,000. I also bet any money they only make something like 3 or 4% profit on every one of those "cheap" machines. If that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's in their interest to keep costs down as much as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also if you're going to try and remove a heatsink that's been applied with "Bubblegum" heat pads, heat up the heatsink and it'll come off very easily. Before replacing you'd need to clean the chip with an alcohol based solution too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently done the above on my old xbox, I know they can be a pain. In fact it took me about 40 mins to do both the GPU and CPU. :?

[Peter]

Well, I'll comment that when I first bought my computer five years ago, service was great. That was before they started going to India for service, and it's gone all the way down from there. Good thing it's been out of warranty for a while now, so I don't need to deal with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also wanted to do something sort of custom through them online, and no they don't do anything like what you were requesting, and the service was totally unprofessional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't care about the parts and stuff though, it's all the same to me. It's easier for someone with no computer knowledge to just go to Dell rather than build their own.

[Kwisatz]

I can't be bothered arguing the point. Dell make good machines. Only thing is, they're only good when under warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also you said something about saving $2. When you're manufacturing 100,000 PCs that turns into $200,000. I also bet any money they only make something like 3 or 4% profit on every one of those "cheap" machines. If that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That may be true, but I guess the thing is that when you're paying upwards of $1000 and you're buying for a large business (and have a business account with a sales rep) that you expect to have little downtime and use better components. If it were $400 that was paid for them I don't think I'd mind as much, but for a grand, that's just unacceptable. I'd gladly pay a paltry $2 more if they just used a halfway decent cooling solution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, @Peter: I partially agree with that, but seeing as how Compaq actually uses case fans and processor fans, as well as ATX-compliant parts in their Presarios (and include an open AGP slot by default), I'd go with them instead.

[Peter]

The biggest reason I'd go with Dell is the prices advertised, they have complete systems that are reasonably good numbers for under $500. Sometimes the monitor they come with costs half of that if bought seperately.

[fullmetaboy]

quote="Chris"]I can't be bothered arguing the point. Dell make good machines. Only thing is, they're only good when under warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also you said something about saving $2. When you're manufacturing 100,000 PCs that turns into $200,000. I also bet any money they only make something like 3 or 4% profit on every one of those "cheap" machines. If that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you know the sad part... Dell gets away with it, and they don't even put FEDORA CORE 4, OR SUSE 10.1 on them for an optionial os, ONLT MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP

[weezcake]

I have a Dell Inspiron 700m, and I'm completely happy with it. I personally would not buy Dell PCs (they have them at school, and they're horrible). They look cheap and aren't exactly super computers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With laptops, however, I will go with Dell. :)

[____]

IMO the only decent thing Dell can make are laptops. And I mean decent, not good, supurb or the like. Average.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't touch a Dell desktop pc if I could avoid it - but I can't (my uni has them) and yes, they do ghost them. All 1000 or so of them.

[Greatsilverwyrm]

IMO the only decent thing Dell can make are laptops. And I mean decent, not good, supurb or the like. Average.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't touch a Dell desktop pc if I could avoid it - but I can't (my uni has them) and yes, they do ghost them. All 1000 or so of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From all the people I know, Dell laptops aren't even close to decent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone I know with a Dell laptop have had the screen, the optical drive, or the harddrive, or a combination of more of them go out within 6 months of buying the laptop.

[____]

Maybe Australia just gets lucky? All my friends with Dell laptops have had no problems with them at all :-?

[Kwisatz]

Maybe Australia just gets lucky? All my friends with Dell laptops have had no problems with them at all :-?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dell laptops are alright. The thing thats gets me, however, is how they only warrant the battery for one year, even if you buy the extended Gold Tech Support. However all of the Dell Latitudes I've dealt with are pretty good. Laptops are going to break, no matter what. The Inspirons, on the other hand, are a different story. They use "bleeding-edge" technology and Dell always recomments Latitudes for businesses, because they themselves say they are more reliable :? . So just click Small Business on the front page and buy a Latitude if you want a laptop.

[Mercifull]

We use Dell computers at work and with the exception of my current PC we have always had a Dell at home. Can't fault them in any area of service. Must just be you.

[Hulk12]

Our school computers are Dells and they run fine. Actually they have the same CPU that I use. Celeron Prescott 2.9ghz. And we have Dell Dual Xeon servers. I personally don't buy from them I would much rather I have a say in each and every part and put them together my self.

[Pyro]

Amusing post, especially the part about how mean Dell were when they wouldn't sell you a whitebox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, to present my experiences of Dell when I ordered a box for a member of my family:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great support, they even called to make sure we got the parts we really wanted and needed. Then, a few months later, lightning struck, PSU died. Since we had an insurance-like guarantee from them, they offered to come the next day and fix it free of charge. While they were there, they even put in an old harddrive that the guy who owned the box had when he asked them too (Yeah, obviously I could have installed it myself, the guarantee was what prevented me from opening the box). I've used the computer a few times, works like a charm. Does this mean everyone will have good luck dealing with Dell-techs? Heck no, but what it does mean is that horrible support is most certainly not guaranteed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lame case and cooling? Yeah, it's pretty ghetto. Doesn't matter, it does what it's supposed to. If you're looking for cooling that will support overclocking you're out of luck, but for the end user, it couldn't be better. I don't suppose you thought of the benefits of the cooling system used in modern Dell cases? First of all, one fan produces less noise than two. Second, this setup ensure less dust on components. So yes, it could be argued that the setup is not ideal. However, you won't earn any points by complaining about it. For the average user, it's pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low-end PSU? Yup. But then again, Dell sell pre-made computers. They don't sell loose parts in neat packages. If you want the modular approach and want to be able to make the upgrades that suit you, you shouldn't be buying pre-assembled computers. Once again, this part does what it needs. It may break occasionally, but all PSU's have a chance of doing this. I for one have not seen any kind of statistics that conclude that the PSU's Dell use break more often than others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conlusion: I find your post unjustified, and I think you're crying for attention. Have a nice day.

[Hulk12]

About the cooling.... Dell uses the advanced BTX form factor on some newer systems which is suppose to provide better cooling and reduced noise in a small case.

[Kwisatz]

 

 

 

Conlusion: I find your post unjustified, and I think you're crying for attention. Have a nice day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find your post rather unjustified as well. If I am crying for attention, then why would it be that I've made two new topics in the past four months? I dunno, I just thought that since I am "crying for attention" and all that I would try to have more of an impact on the boards rather than replying to threads that die within a matter of days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also find it rather funny how you say I say Dell is "mean" becuase Dell will not sell me a whitebox. They should sell me a "whitebox," seeing as how I'm prospectively purchasing a computer through a company that does hundreds of thousands of dollars with them a year, and that it would save them supplies and labor (thereby increasing revenue) if they sold me a computer without Windows. Nobody would have to load it on the machine, they would have one more license on their hands, and they'd make the same amount of money. The way they have it now, they have none of my money, none of my future business, and less profit than if they just sold me the frickin' laptop without Windows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, the other thing is that if they just put the fan they already have on there on the processor and put a 120mm in the back, they'd have a system just as quiet. My system has relatively high-end components in it and SIX case fans, and is inaudible unless you stop clicking and typing and listen for it (or turn up the fan speed). Or I may just be hearing-impaired, but I don't think that's it, because I can hear everyone when they talk to me perfectly fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, concerning the PSU: http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply ... ?cmd=INTEL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you select a Prescott, low-end video card, CD-RW, DVD, one HD and two sticks of PC100, you get 229 watts. Although this is certainly an overshot, it would have to be a 35% [guesstimated] or more overshot, which to me seems somewhat unlikely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just some thoughts.

[runesmithie]

 

 

 

I also find it rather funny how you say I say Dell is "mean" becuase Dell will not sell me a whitebox. They should sell me a "whitebox," seeing as how I'm prospectively purchasing a computer through a company that does hundreds of thousands of dollars with them a year, and that it would save them supplies and labor (thereby increasing revenue) if they sold me a computer without Windows. Nobody would have to load it on the machine, they would have one more license on their hands, and they'd make the same amount of money. The way they have it now, they have none of my money, none of my future business, and less profit than if they just sold me the frickin' laptop without Windows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you ever think that it was because your kind are such a smallll percentage? It could possibly cost them more to change their operations for .1% of the people out there (not an exact statistic, so don't quote it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, the other thing is that if they just put the fan they already have on there on the processor and put a 120mm in the back, they'd have a system just as quiet. My system has relatively high-end components in it and SIX case fans, and is inaudible unless you stop clicking and typing and listen for it (or turn up the fan speed). Or I may just be hearing-impaired, but I don't think that's it, because I can hear everyone when they talk to me perfectly fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just wondering, but do you really need six case fans if as you say they are inaudible, which is probably due to them barely running at all ;)

[Kwisatz]

 

 

 

 

I also find it rather funny how you say I say Dell is "mean" becuase Dell will not sell me a whitebox. They should sell me a "whitebox," seeing as how I'm prospectively purchasing a computer through a company that does hundreds of thousands of dollars with them a year, and that it would save them supplies and labor (thereby increasing revenue) if they sold me a computer without Windows. Nobody would have to load it on the machine, they would have one more license on their hands, and they'd make the same amount of money. The way they have it now, they have none of my money, none of my future business, and less profit than if they just sold me the frickin' laptop without Windows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you ever think that it was because your kind are such a smallll percentage? It could possibly cost them more to change their operations for .1% of the people out there (not an exact statistic, so don't quote it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, the other thing is that if they just put the fan they already have on there on the processor and put a 120mm in the back, they'd have a system just as quiet. My system has relatively high-end components in it and SIX case fans, and is inaudible unless you stop clicking and typing and listen for it (or turn up the fan speed). Or I may just be hearing-impaired, but I don't think that's it, because I can hear everyone when they talk to me perfectly fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just wondering, but do you really need six case fans if as you say they are inaudible, which is probably due to them barely running at all ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better safe than sorry :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I keep them low and then turn them up if my case temp gets into the 90s F, which isn't often.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If they just typed in the little comments box "No OS," then they wouldn't install it, saving the technician time, them a license. I'm not sure, but I'd think it safe to say that they probably have a "comments" box on their order system, and even if they didn't it would cost them next to nothing to implement it; just tack on a field in the SQL database.

[Vagorhoc]

We use Dell computers at work and with the exception of my current PC we have always had a Dell at home. Can't fault them in any area of service. Must just be you.

 

 

 

I own too a Dell at home and have recommended them to at least 10 friends and family all without problems. At work I support around 80 Dell desktop's and notebooks. They are great machines and we have never had any major problems with them. The Dell support isn't as bad as many would say, we always have good experiences when contacting them by phone and have a technical around the next day.

[Augsback]

I can't be bothered arguing the point. Dell make good machines. Only thing is, they're only good when under warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me either but I totally agree with everything you have to say. They obviously do everything like that to make money.

[Ne0z]

I have no problems with dell pcs. 8)

[singblade]

I've got a Dell 2400 that I use for almost everything. Family got it in either 2002,2003, or very early 2004, not sure. Only had to format once(summer 2005). I've upgraded it from 256MB of RAM to 768MB, and upgraded from Intel integrated crap to a PCI Geforce FX 5500 w/ 256MB RAM with the stuff I got for Christmas(didn't mess with the processor, a 2.4GHZ Pentium 4). When I went to put the RAM and graphics card in, I was pissed off because I saw a spot where I believe an AGP slot could've been put(See a pic of the mobo on a Dell 2400 here and decide for yourself). It wouldn't matter much though, as Dell's online documentation says that the 2400 only has a 200 or 250 watt power supply(see here for more info) which is well below many decent AGP card power supply minimums. I don't recall ever calling Dell for support, so I couldn't tell you about that(bet it's outsourced too, just so they could save some cash and screw their customers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if my post doesn't seem organized, it's just little rantings and descriptions of a Dell product I've got.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those who hate Dell, try http://www.ihatedell.net/

[rocketman089]

I don't recall ever calling Dell for support, so I couldn't tell you about that(bet it's outsourced too, just so they could save some cash and screw their customers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You bet your boots they outsource their customer service.