I have bought half a dozen over the years...me, the wife, the kids, etc. Never had a problem and when I did, they had great support. If you buy one through their credit dept., though, get ready for a dozen calls on day 31 if you have a late payment...and if you have multiple buys, they open different accounts, so it’s easy to do...I bought the last few cash...watch out for the rebuilt stuff on their web, sometimes they get them back and don’t do a very good re-install and you can get a buggy one and spend a lot of time re-installing the whole thing or sending it back...considering how long they last (I end up giving them to schools or donating them) it’s a good deal pound for pound...I have an XPS sitting next to me, but I do a lot of very heavy graphics work that requires me to open every program I have and importing, exporting and managing 3 websites as well as some other stuff I won’t go into...it is a hog...but I live on it...the $500 desktops with upgraded RAM and a good size flat screen have been great for the kids and my oldest grandson, for everyday work...I give Dell a big thumbs up...if you get a new one, you can still pay a little extra for XPS Pro, which I installed on all of mine...I am waiting for at least two SP’s before changing to 7...
Thanks for the feedback, gives me much to ponder and research. Considering that Gateway no longer gives many options on their website, I think I will give Dell a shot.