Dell Computers - What's the Catch?

[Moogie]

Hiya folks,

Both me and my dad own computers, and usually when mine gets old, it\'s passed on to him, while I get the next new one. That way we don\'t have to be buying two comps every time these ones get old, and my dad doesn\'t usually need grand-spanking performance anyway.

Today the discussion of Dell computers came up. They\'re always advertised with loads of RAM and big LCD monitors and great processor speeds... but at as little as ?399? A top-notch computer that is not a Dell costs anywhere from ?1500 to ?3000 from the shops here these days.

Dell are the only company, who I\'ve seen so far, that do these \'offers\'. There has got to be some sort of catch. You don\'t get exactly the same computer for up to ?1000 less than somewhere else- it just doesn\'t work that way.

Our budget isn\'t big, so please, I don\'t want to hear about \"Alienware are the best\" etc, because I know, they\'re also incredibly expensive. And in all honesty, building a computer myself would not go well either.

It\'s either a Dell, or another shop-sold brand. The only thing I\'m interested in really is knowing what this catch is.

Anybody know? Thanks for any replies

[Valbrandr]

Truthfully I dont know a whole lot about computers, not nearly as much as many of the people here, but I do know that I would not buy anything with a Celeron processor in it.  Many of the cheap new Dell have them in them and they do not perform nearly as well.  Dell usually has good deals though and okay payment plans.  But if you dont have a lot of money you should most likely stay away from the flat screens as well.  On mine it was $300 extra.  Well I hope that I helped you a little .

[ramlambmoo]

The catch is... they are pieces of crap.  Dell give the customers nice specs, but that dosnt mean the actual computers will run faster at all.  For example- they give you lots of RAM, but then instead of giving you a graphics card they just give you shared graphics.  (Which for someone like you, a graphic designer, i gather would be very bad).  Or the computer is really good, but it has bad Cooling, so it never runs at full capacity.  Or they\'re simply just not built to last.  Dell can give cheap prices because it makes everything itself, but it also cuts cornors in places to make it cheaper as well.  Also, if you run linux, from my experience nothing on a Dell will work with it.  ( the people in the Why i love Linux thread will attest to that..).  But, i mean, the big factor here is price.  They are very cheap.  But you get what you pay for.  For example i saw an article recently that bench-marked different workstations.  The Dell workstation had twice as much RAM as all the others, and a better processor, but still came out middle-lower in all the Benchmarks.  Why? Bad cooling, skimping on the parts that most people dont know about.
I mean, if you\'re on a budget, i\'d advise you to go for Dell.  I bought a laptop from them, and although it isnt great, it was cheap, and it works.  And a laptop has more things to consider- battery life, etc.  So I cant imagine a desktop with good specs would be that bad.  But just make sure you get one that doesnt use shared graphics.

[Khorus]

Heya..

It\'s hard to tell what the catch is when I don\'t know exactly what the \"package\" includes (yeah, I am too lazy to google/seek for them, sry) but usually these kind of cheap packages tend to have everything integrated in the cheap MoBos in them. The performance of these integrated componets aren\'t so good and they are the cheapest available..

So I suggest that check out what components/chips these Dell\'s have inside and maybe search some reviews etc. about them.  After all a computer is the only the sum of components

-Khorus

[Phinehas]

Actually, the little known catch is that they eat your soul. It happens slowly, over time. But it will happen. Muhahahahahaaaa!!!!
*ahem*
What Ram said.

[XpYtZ]

Without further adoo, a former Dell owner:
Prety much what ramlambmoo said is right but I\'ll be more specific.
Unless you purchase one of dells \'uber\' buisiness models you will get an all in one board. the all in one board is bad since your sound and grafics run through your CPU and not their own co-processor (or whatever the hell it is called).
Second they usually stick you with a bottom of the line cooling system. Now you could just do like me and build a case out of wire and put those nifty squirle cage fans over and next to it but it seems to be extra work for nothing if you are not into case customization in the first place.
Thirdly they load all kinds of background software that is supposed to keep you \"up to date\" but I can only say reminds me of Homers Illiad, if you get my drift. (the battle of Troy *hint *hint)
Lastly they are a computer with a planned life span. The company does not intend them to last more than two years and though my older ones have made it four or even five. I have yet to see a newer model that I trusted with that kind of time frame.
Basicly they are an office computer. Three years tops and most office complexes are replacing their equipment anyway so why make a computer that goes longer? Why include great cooling? Most office complexes are air conditioned. Why include top notch grafics and sound? Word, Excell and PowerPoint don\'t need them in the slightest.
I think I covered all my gripes.

[Nada]

Originally posted by Moogie
They\'re always advertised with loads of RAM and big LCD monitors and great processor speeds... but at as little as ?399?

Dell systems are \"customizable\". For example there is the Dimension 9100 series which is the \"Latest MultiMedia Technology for High End Performance\" and it\'s advertized as from ?549 for a Pentium D up to 3.2GHz, up to 4GB RAM, PCI Express Graphics up to 256MB ATI Radeon X850 XT PLatinum Editon, up to 1000GB SATA HD, etc.
Actually, a system with these top specs costs ?2500-3000+, depending on other options you select. For ?549 you get a good business system but not the \"Latest MultiMedia Technology for High End Performance\" and only 1 year warranty.
Dell prices may be cheaper at times because Dell is the number 1 PC maker so it\'s easier for them to get deals from suppliers and the like, so they might double your RAM for \"free\" or include a \"free\" printer (which you will end up paying for anyway when buying ink cartridges).
If you\'re not afraid of refurbished systems, checkout Dell Outlet. There are some good bargains.

The Computer Shopper magazine recommends the ?1099 Dell Dimension 5000 (Part code PPUK5-D04507R) (Intel Pentium 4 550 3.4GHz HT, 1GB RAM, 250GB hard disk, 256MB nVidia 6800 graphics, DVD+/-RW DL and DVD ROM drives, 19\" LCD.). It\'s got a BTX case (which has better airflow) so this ought to solve the heat problems the other posters mentionned. If you\'ve got a tight budget they recommend the ?599 MESH Matrix Vector Blast but with only a 1024*768 15\" LCD it probably won\'t suit you.

[Efflixi Aduro]

Well I\'ve noticed they never mention anything about a graphics card and they have tiny hard drives too.

Try going custom you can actually save money with it.
My comp cost me under 400 bucks like a year and 1/2 ago and it\'s pretty good.
120Gig HD
2.2 GHz
256Mb ATI Radeon 9200SE graphics card
512MB DDR Ram

Try reusing parts from your old comp that you may not nessicarily need a new one of. Like a case, floppy drive, etc.

[Drey]

there is a dell around here somewhere, its about 1/2 a year old maybe a bit more from what im used to it compares quite well. the catch as someone said earlier is the graphics card. and maybe you might want to make some other random changes.

[Drey]

also you needs more speakers then what you get with one.


Editation! 8o i\'ve been bad, stupid reply button looked so apealing.

[John_Thazer]

I find the cheapest option is custom build the PC by yourself..That\'s what I do all the time...

[provisionist1]

...they are crap, well at least the one\'s you get for ?399. Dell can make a good quality computer, but they cost as much as the others you will find. Of course, since you are a graphic designer Moogie, I suggest you switch to the good side (i.e. get a mac since they are so amazingly great at graphics design) but you probably don\'t like the way they work if you haven\'t switched already, which is ok, I respect that. If a PC you are after, I suggest an HP or build a custom one.

My thoughts, good luck in whatever you choose to do,

Xirius

[dragonfire999]

Personaly, i have a 512 mb ram ,  2.7 ghz , 80 g harddrive,  comp with an NVIDIA GeForce 440. Its an HP, and i average about 50-80 fps in the plaza, and 200+ in oja. i need more ram.
How much does 1 gig of ram cost?

[Kiirani]

Originally posted by dragonfire999
Personaly, i have a 512 mb ram ,  2.7 ghz , 80 g harddrive,  comp with an NVIDIA GeForce 440. Its an HP, and i average about 50-80 fps in the plaza, and 200+ in oja. i need more ram.
How much does 1 gig of ram cost?

You have LESS ghz than me and the same ram, less hard drive and better fps? *Blames her internet*

[dragonfire999]

*hugs 100mb/s connection*