Dell

**dj_stick** · Feb 18, 2006, 02:13 PM

Discussion and recommendation thread on Dell products

Sandok · Feb 18, 2006, 03:40 PM

Must say, I had bought a Dell Dimension a long time ago and for somebody who won't be tinkering at all, tis great. They solved my 3D card overheating problem before I even knew what artifacts were and on the whole, I love dell

Kaldar · Feb 18, 2006, 03:44 PM

if you dont plan on upgrading then theyre fine i guess, but their cases and motherboards are really hard to work with, so basically if you dont plan on messing with them theyre fine, i had a dimension 8300 for a while and it worked great but i really couldnt upgrade anything except ram (no videocard because the psu was insuffiecient, they use very low powered psu's, ones thatll just barely meet the requirements)

Chaos · Feb 18, 2006, 03:53 PM

they make great LCD screens but as for systems I have to agree that they are good if you have no plans to do any upgrading, so in corperate enviroment they would be great but as an enthusiest I woulnd not choose one personally

Kaldar · Feb 18, 2006, 07:48 PM

ive been using their lcd screen and sound system for as long as i can remember and its great, no need to upgrade it other then that i think we can conclude dell sucks when it comes to upgrading, its just for everday people use who have no interest in ever opening the case.

Sandok · Feb 18, 2006, 08:52 PM

Thus 95% of the world's population...

SFOSOK · Feb 18, 2006, 09:17 PM

Best bang for buck for a custom built PC hands down. If you want to build a pc but don't actually want to "build" it and have a budget Dell is the way to go. I've also heard very good things about their moniters.

calidan · Feb 19, 2006, 05:53 AM

I do like their systems, LCDs, and TVs. But I think their customer support needs a kick in the pants. Calling in and trying to talk to a real person is a pain in the ass. I don't like that you have to speak to an automated machine that sometimes doesn't recognize when I say 'Yes' to answer questions. What happened to just pushing a button? I think they should at least left the old system in place too. It's not like we are using rotary phones. I've emailed their support before and that was a little better. It can be slow to get a response though. But then again you could spend an hour or two on hold through phone support. I do think they have good products but they need better customer support. I'll vote 'Yes' for now.

On side note, I own a Inspiron 9100, PowerEdge 1800, 37" LCD TV, and a 2005FPW.

pr0digal jenius · Feb 20, 2006, 03:40 AM

Dell LCD panels come out fo the same factory as the Apple Cinema screens

As fort dell.....laptops are great, if you get one that isn't DOA. They have a HUGE issue with their onboard WiFi being DOA with the 6000 series, as near as i can tell [I work as a PC tech, and it's a common issue for new ones].

Desktops, not so hot. Proprietary form factor on cases [for workstations, desktops are ok] makes upgrading impossible without going the route of riser cards. Power supplies are horrifically underpowered, usually only having an overhead of 25-50 watts. Component wise, their innards are pretty cheap, but very stable [low end intel mainboards with cheapo RAM at the bottom end of supported specs]

Support is a complete joke, however. Printers, you have to get ink mailed to you, and their techno weenies don't know jack. They are good, or were as of a year ago, about coming to your house tho, which si a definate bonus, and their parts warehouse is much better organized then HP, who has about a 5 day processing time on expidited orders for replacements parts, even if you are a certified retail/repair center, like I'm at. [ordered a hard drive wednesday...ain't shipped yet]

Chanur · Apr 17, 2006, 05:07 AM

Love my Dell laptop, loved the 40% off e-code coupon I got on it even more even if they raised a couple prices first to use it

As for upgrade ability...being able to buy a GO 7800GTX off ebay for $250 and plug it right in isn't bad, but waiting for a cheaper one to appear... needed for the 1920by1200 resolution!

However... while the products are good, support service is a joke! Gave them a code off a BSOD and the tech guy went to his manager, both agreed it was the hard drive at fault and told me to cancel the built in hardware diagnostic suite they have outside of windows.

Nothing I could find online supported their conclusion and I was able to resolve the BSOD problem on my own. I just sent back the refurbed replacement drive, as who'd want a refurb hard drive in your notebook when the original unit is only 3 months old? (They'd charge ya if you keep both drives). I ran their entire HDD diagnostic suite anyway and also translated the SMART info... drive got a clean bill of health on everything.

Salty85 · Jul 30, 2006, 03:06 PM

I had a ton of problems with my 8250, dell fixed them all, giving me 2 brand new top of the line video cards to help me out (a 9700 AIW Pro, and a X800 AIW Pro) full retail. You can not beat their 50% off coupons that happen once every few months, and honestly, I do like their tech support, as frustrating as they can be, I can get more crap out of them then anyone else, and on site service. Get the warranty and you will be fine. For my desktop they fixed and upgraded the mobo, monitor, Vid card (2 times), keyboard (gave me 3 free for my trouble), Power supply (due to the 9700 taking too much power) and a few more I can not think of. My notebook they sent me (a new LCD, and 2 replacement hard drives (i got to keep them both). I am very satisfied.

Zardon · Jul 30, 2006, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

Dell LCD panels come out fo the same factory as the Apple Cinema screens

]

really? I know a guy in the industry and the panels dell source come from makers like samsung etc. As far as im aware Apple source the panels the same way and both Dell and Apple slap the bezels on the units. I dont know of any modern Apple screen with identical specs to the dell equivalent, such as the 24 or 30 inch variants released to the consumer in the last 1-2 years. refresh rates, ports .... are all different.

Even if they were identical, it just goes to show what a total rip off Apple screens are as they cost like 1/3 more.

swimtech · Jul 30, 2006, 11:39 PM

...well, in a way, considering that most of Apples' and Dells' panels have been LG Phillips or Samsung panels of late - but customized for each later...

**dj_stick** · Jul 31, 2006, 02:50 AM

with TFT monitors, it's more than just the panel that matters, it's the circuitry aswell

mtsaint · Aug 27, 2006, 09:37 PM

Dells okay just okay. Im pretty sure i didnt get all my software in shipping. but what i lacked in software they made up for with hours of phone support .the clam shell case is awkward and seemingly designed to overheat you should see the crap they put in the cases. oh and what really bugs me theres no way to overclock on the successor to my xps system(xps500) there is.installing custom cooling, thats a big negatory, its possible but i'd have to dismantle the components entirely put it back together in a custom case thus voiding my warrenty potentially whats really got me is the heatsink is detatchable.Now you know if i did somthin with that and dell customer support had to come to my house they'd probably tell me whatever's wrong is my fault. Overall it performs i got a 13126 in 3d mark03. theres a slew of other annoyances. my next pc im build myself. more bang for my buck.

bananaman · Sep 8, 2006, 01:08 AM

I find that dell are quite good for laptops and do good LCDs - i love my 24" widescreen from Dell, got it on an offer that was buy one, get one half price, so a friend and i got one each and split it 75% cost each.

make sure when you order you phone, and if you are in the UK at least, it seems the Indian call centre provides better deals :O

Judas · Sep 8, 2006, 09:01 PM

i hate dells machines, excellent usually out of the box, but that's the limit,

as for dells lcd's... they are excellent....

The only major gripe atm is they drive one hell of a hard bargain....

pr0digal jenius · Sep 8, 2006, 09:14 PM

hard bargain? dell's LCDs are cheap

Sandok · Sep 8, 2006, 09:34 PM

Their LCD TVs are great and I'm soon most prob getting a XPS which I heard is the crème de la crème of Dell

Judas · Sep 9, 2006, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

hard bargain? dell's LCDs are cheap

there cheap lcds are cheap...

there good lcds are decent..

there 30inch 3007fpw is still frigen expensive.

imo, 1500 bucks for it would be reasonable....

at cost to dell, it's about 1300 bucks, they were raking in the money when they were asking 2500 bucks after taxes.

best deal thus far i've managed to get for one is 1699

pr0digal jenius · Sep 9, 2006, 06:10 AM

gotta make profit bud...the world doesn't revolve aroudn wholesale.

Example...at work, we sell our Triple Prime burger [patty is tenderloin, sirloin, and ribeye] for $9.49....the cost of the patty is $1.25 to us, and all inclusive it runs us maybe $2.50 including bun, condiments, toppings, and fries

niceguyrichy · Sep 9, 2006, 01:58 PM

isn't the whole point of a dell that you only ever expect to use it 'out of the the box'?

nobody in their right mind would buy one with the thought of actually upgrading the thing, would they?

pr0digal jenius · Sep 9, 2006, 09:22 PM

very true.

Only thing in a dell i'd upgrade would be the stuff you can buy upgrades or from dell anyways ][RAM, hard drives, etc]

Tinkerhell · Sep 15, 2006, 08:48 PM

I've been buying dell for a couple of years & I've thought they are great all around. You can't beat the price - I always buy with 30 - 40% off e-pons. My curent system is pretty good for a higher end gameing system (not highest by far!) except for the video card. I had to drop in a new power supply because the factor versions are dreadfully weak (as has been mentioned before) but I had no problem replacing it. The next thing I'm waiting on is a bit of extra cash to become available so I can drop in a BFG 7900GTX OC card. At that point I think I should be good as gold for a couple of years as far as games go.

Can't comment on their customer support because I've never needed it. Get the system in & put t together, immediately format the whole thing & reinstal without all the goofy Dell adware & AOL shitware and then I'm good to go. If they just had the option to ship without the crap on the machine it would be great.

I gave up building my own systems about 8 years ago. It was just too hard to piecemeal a system together between Dell & Gateway deals. Back in the early 90's putting it together yourself was the ONLY way to go. Saved tons. Can't do that now. And I don't need a water cooled or greatly OC'ed cpu system. Stock stuff prettymuch meets my needs so... I'll be sticking with Dell for a while.

TheBlackCat · Sep 16, 2006, 09:57 PM

I never tried to upgrade my dell tower. My Dell laptop is fairly easy to upgrade. I had a service guy here yesterday replacing the flaps that protect the docking station connector. It took him about 15 minutes to totally dissasemble the unit (removed the video card, onitor, keyboard, front and back covers, heat sync, fan, moden, wirelss card, hard drive, and dvd burner). Apparently he had to do this to get to the flaps on the back, which had gotten stuck inside the unit and couldn't be removed any other way. During the process he found 2 of the dozen or so screw holes had broken as well, so they are coming back monday to replace half the case. The hard-drive and RAM can just be popped out (the service guy obviously could tell I wasn't used the original RAM when he opened the RAM panel but didn't give me any trouble about it), as can the wireless card and bluetooth. Processor requires you taking the keyboard and fan off, but that is like 4 screws. Replacing the video card also requires taking the monitor off, which doesn't require any additional screws to be removed. It is all fairly modular.

As far as service, there is kind of a wierd duality. For software service they are not great. Not awful, but not great. I know more than most of their tech people, and I don't know all that much. However, for damaged hardware they are incredible. Next-day or 2-day on both replacement parts (they replace stuff at the drop of a hat) and on-site service (if you have that). And often replacement hardware is better than what you started with. They replaced my 2x DVD+RW with an 8x DVD+/-RW DL, for instance.

Feb 18, 2006, 03:44 PM	#3
Kaldar DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 213 Rep Power: 0	if you dont plan on upgrading then theyre fine i guess, but their cases and motherboards are really hard to work with, so basically if you dont plan on messing with them theyre fine, i had a dimension 8300 for a while and it worked great but i really couldnt upgrade anything except ram (no videocard because the psu was insuffiecient, they use very low powered psu's, ones thatll just barely meet the requirements) __________________ Operton 185 w/ Zalman CNPS9500 , Sapphire HD 4850, ABIT AT8, OC Z 700W PSU, Asus 16x DVD writer, 2GB Crucial pc3200 RAM, Xoxide X-Ventilator, WD800JDx2, MX500. 05 Mustang GT 5 Spd

Feb 18, 2006, 03:53 PM	#4
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,269 Rep Power: 165 System Specs	they make great LCD screens but as for systems I have to agree that they are good if you have no plans to do any upgrading, so in corperate enviroment they would be great but as an enthusiest I woulnd not choose one personally __________________

Feb 18, 2006, 07:48 PM	#5
Kaldar DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 213 Rep Power: 0	ive been using their lcd screen and sound system for as long as i can remember and its great, no need to upgrade it other then that i think we can conclude dell sucks when it comes to upgrading, its just for everday people use who have no interest in ever opening the case. __________________ Operton 185 w/ Zalman CNPS9500 , Sapphire HD 4850, ABIT AT8, OC Z 700W PSU, Asus 16x DVD writer, 2GB Crucial pc3200 RAM, Xoxide X-Ventilator, WD800JDx2, MX500. 05 Mustang GT 5 Spd

Feb 18, 2006, 09:17 PM	#7
SFOSOK 939 Goin Strong Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ontario Posts: 7,033 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	Best bang for buck for a custom built PC hands down. If you want to build a pc but don't actually want to "build" it and have a budget Dell is the way to go. I've also heard very good things about their moniters. __________________ Warning - Explicit Content Preceeding METAL!!

Feb 19, 2006, 05:53 AM	#8
calidan Frozen in Carbonite Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 1,409 Rep Power: 57 System Specs	I do like their systems, LCDs, and TVs. But I think their customer support needs a kick in the pants. Calling in and trying to talk to a real person is a pain in the ass. I don't like that you have to speak to an automated machine that sometimes doesn't recognize when I say 'Yes' to answer questions. What happened to just pushing a button? I think they should at least left the old system in place too. It's not like we are using rotary phones. I've emailed their support before and that was a little better. It can be slow to get a response though. But then again you could spend an hour or two on hold through phone support. I do think they have good products but they need better customer support. I'll vote 'Yes' for now. On side note, I own a Inspiron 9100, PowerEdge 1800, 37" LCD TV, and a 2005FPW. __________________ Steam Community :: ID :: calidan "Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead." - Jackie Chan

Feb 18, 2006, 03:40 PM	#2
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 66	Must say, I had bought a Dell Dimension a long time ago and for somebody who won't be tinkering at all, tis great. They solved my 3D card overheating problem before I even knew what artifacts were and on the whole, I love dell

Feb 18, 2006, 08:52 PM	#6
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 66	Thus 95% of the world's population...

Feb 20, 2006, 03:40 AM	#9
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	Dell LCD panels come out fo the same factory as the Apple Cinema screens As fort dell.....laptops are great, if you get one that isn't DOA. They have a HUGE issue with their onboard WiFi being DOA with the 6000 series, as near as i can tell [I work as a PC tech, and it's a common issue for new ones]. Desktops, not so hot. Proprietary form factor on cases [for workstations, desktops are ok] makes upgrading impossible without going the route of riser cards. Power supplies are horrifically underpowered, usually only having an overhead of 25-50 watts. Component wise, their innards are pretty cheap, but very stable [low end intel mainboards with cheapo RAM at the bottom end of supported specs] Support is a complete joke, however. Printers, you have to get ink mailed to you, and their techno weenies don't know jack. They are good, or were as of a year ago, about coming to your house tho, which si a definate bonus, and their parts warehouse is much better organized then HP, who has about a 5 day processing time on expidited orders for replacements parts, even if you are a certified retail/repair center, like I'm at. [ordered a hard drive wednesday...ain't shipped yet]

Apr 17, 2006, 05:07 AM	#10
Chanur DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 66 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Love my Dell laptop, loved the 40% off e-code coupon I got on it even more even if they raised a couple prices first to use it As for upgrade ability...being able to buy a GO 7800GTX off ebay for $250 and plug it right in isn't bad, but waiting for a cheaper one to appear... needed for the 1920by1200 resolution! However... while the products are good, support service is a joke! Gave them a code off a BSOD and the tech guy went to his manager, both agreed it was the hard drive at fault and told me to cancel the built in hardware diagnostic suite they have outside of windows. Nothing I could find online supported their conclusion and I was able to resolve the BSOD problem on my own. I just sent back the refurbed replacement drive, as who'd want a refurb hard drive in your notebook when the original unit is only 3 months old? (They'd charge ya if you keep both drives). I ran their entire HDD diagnostic suite anyway and also translated the SMART info... drive got a clean bill of health on everything.

Jul 30, 2006, 03:06 PM	#11
Salty85 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 59 Rep Power: 0	I had a ton of problems with my 8250, dell fixed them all, giving me 2 brand new top of the line video cards to help me out (a 9700 AIW Pro, and a X800 AIW Pro) full retail. You can not beat their 50% off coupons that happen once every few months, and honestly, I do like their tech support, as frustrating as they can be, I can get more crap out of them then anyone else, and on site service. Get the warranty and you will be fine. For my desktop they fixed and upgraded the mobo, monitor, Vid card (2 times), keyboard (gave me 3 free for my trouble), Power supply (due to the 9700 taking too much power) and a few more I can not think of. My notebook they sent me (a new LCD, and 2 replacement hard drives (i got to keep them both). I am very satisfied.

Jul 30, 2006, 11:39 PM	#13
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	...well, in a way, considering that most of Apples' and Dells' panels have been LG Phillips or Samsung panels of late - but customized for each later... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Aug 27, 2006, 09:37 PM	#15
mtsaint DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 257 Rep Power: 0	Eh Dells okay just okay. Im pretty sure i didnt get all my software in shipping. but what i lacked in software they made up for with hours of phone support .the clam shell case is awkward and seemingly designed to overheat you should see the crap they put in the cases. oh and what really bugs me theres no way to overclock on the successor to my xps system(xps500) there is.installing custom cooling, thats a big negatory, its possible but i'd have to dismantle the components entirely put it back together in a custom case thus voiding my warrenty potentially whats really got me is the heatsink is detatchable.Now you know if i did somthin with that and dell customer support had to come to my house they'd probably tell me whatever's wrong is my fault. Overall it performs i got a 13126 in 3d mark03. theres a slew of other annoyances. my next pc im build myself. more bang for my buck.

Sep 8, 2006, 01:08 AM	#16
bananaman banana muncher Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London Posts: 1,254 Rep Power: 59	I find that dell are quite good for laptops and do good LCDs - i love my 24" widescreen from Dell, got it on an offer that was buy one, get one half price, so a friend and i got one each and split it 75% cost each. make sure when you order you phone, and if you are in the UK at least, it seems the Indian call centre provides better deals :O __________________

Sep 8, 2006, 09:14 PM	#18
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	hard bargain? dell's LCDs are cheap

Sep 8, 2006, 09:34 PM	#19
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 66	Their LCD TVs are great and I'm soon most prob getting a XPS which I heard is the crème de la crème of Dell

Sep 9, 2006, 06:10 AM	#21
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	gotta make profit bud...the world doesn't revolve aroudn wholesale. Example...at work, we sell our Triple Prime burger [patty is tenderloin, sirloin, and ribeye] for $9.49....the cost of the patty is $1.25 to us, and all inclusive it runs us maybe $2.50 including bun, condiments, toppings, and fries

Sep 9, 2006, 09:22 PM	#23
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	very true. Only thing in a dell i'd upgrade would be the stuff you can buy upgrades or from dell anyways ][RAM, hard drives, etc]

Sep 15, 2006, 08:48 PM	#24
Tinkerhell Not all fairies are nice. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 989 Rep Power: 42	I've been buying dell for a couple of years & I've thought they are great all around. You can't beat the price - I always buy with 30 - 40% off e-pons. My curent system is pretty good for a higher end gameing system (not highest by far!) except for the video card. I had to drop in a new power supply because the factor versions are dreadfully weak (as has been mentioned before) but I had no problem replacing it. The next thing I'm waiting on is a bit of extra cash to become available so I can drop in a BFG 7900GTX OC card. At that point I think I should be good as gold for a couple of years as far as games go. Can't comment on their customer support because I've never needed it. Get the system in & put t together, immediately format the whole thing & reinstal without all the goofy Dell adware & AOL shitware and then I'm good to go. If they just had the option to ship without the crap on the machine it would be great. I gave up building my own systems about 8 years ago. It was just too hard to piecemeal a system together between Dell & Gateway deals. Back in the early 90's putting it together yourself was the ONLY way to go. Saved tons. Can't do that now. And I don't need a water cooled or greatly OC'ed cpu system. Stock stuff prettymuch meets my needs so... I'll be sticking with Dell for a while.

Sep 16, 2006, 09:57 PM	#25
TheBlackCat DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Searching for the Candle in the Dark Posts: 567 Rep Power: 0	I never tried to upgrade my dell tower. My Dell laptop is fairly easy to upgrade. I had a service guy here yesterday replacing the flaps that protect the docking station connector. It took him about 15 minutes to totally dissasemble the unit (removed the video card, onitor, keyboard, front and back covers, heat sync, fan, moden, wirelss card, hard drive, and dvd burner). Apparently he had to do this to get to the flaps on the back, which had gotten stuck inside the unit and couldn't be removed any other way. During the process he found 2 of the dozen or so screw holes had broken as well, so they are coming back monday to replace half the case. The hard-drive and RAM can just be popped out (the service guy obviously could tell I wasn't used the original RAM when he opened the RAM panel but didn't give me any trouble about it), as can the wireless card and bluetooth. Processor requires you taking the keyboard and fan off, but that is like 4 screws. Replacing the video card also requires taking the monitor off, which doesn't require any additional screws to be removed. It is all fairly modular. As far as service, there is kind of a wierd duality. For software service they are not great. Not awful, but not great. I know more than most of their tech people, and I don't know all that much. However, for damaged hardware they are incredible. Next-day or 2-day on both replacement parts (they replace stuff at the drop of a hat) and on-site service (if you have that). And often replacement hardware is better than what you started with. They replaced my 2x DVD+RW with an 8x DVD+/-RW DL, for instance. __________________ [color=#000000]There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible and wrong.[/color] -H. L. Mencken