[mlmr]

I could use freeper feedback...am I expecting too much??

[Psycho_Bunny]

I've had good experiance with Alienware.

[Wright is right!]

That's a highly unusual experience with Dell. There must be more to the story. Can you fill us in?

Michael

[jacquej]

Get a Mac! You will never regret it.

[MineralMan]

A few more details would be helpful. What was wrong with the PC? Did it not work? Was it not what you ordered? I've had very good experiences with Dell. If you could be more specific about what happened.....

[Petronski]

Hmm. I would probably recommend Dell, but, well...I have no help. I buy generic parts and assemble them myself, but that takes some experience/skill you might have.

Mostly I'm curious: what was wrong that you were shipped TWO and neither one worked?

[bcoffey]

I've had very good luck with Gateway and so-so luck with Dell.

Since you only want a straightforward system with nothing fancy, I'd look around locally to see if there's a "white box" dealer (no name or local brand) near you. That way if something goes wrong, you can show up on their doorstep.

[Spruce]

I've always "rolled my own". Try Pricewatch.com for parts. Otherwise Gateway is not a bad machine.

[js1138]

If you need service, have it built locally. Find a mom and pop store that's been in business for a few years and builds computers.

[vrwinger]

I don't know what to say... I bought a Gateway in 1998 (200 Mhz PII, Win 98 OS) and was super please, and then bought a Dell a year ago January (1.6 Ghz P4, Win XP OS) and have been super pleased... Sorry...

[saluki_in_ohio]

Go to a local "mom and pop" computer store and have them build you a computer. PC's like these are very upgradeable and you can save money down the road when your computer gets "long in the tooth". Computers such as IBM, Dell and Gateway have proprietory motherboards which are not easily upgradeable, and you have to end up buying another computer.

Better yet, learn to build your own computer. It is fun!

[Michael Barnes]

MPI

Been using them for seven years now.

[finnman69]

Sorry about your story. Dell user for life and I always have had good service calls with Dell.

I had asimilar experience to you with Gateway.

[i_dont_chat]

Here's my experience.

I make a spreadsheet of the specifications. I watch the newspaper and note the specs, who has it, the price.

After gathering data for about 2-3 weeks, I make a visit to the retailer who has the best computer for the money. I look over the computer, making sure it has what I want.

And I buy from a local retailer -- so if I have problems, I can take it back.

Works for me!

[nana4bush]

We recently bought 3 Dell's for our office. They are great. No problems. Excellent purchase experience.

[AgentEcho]

In the past 2 years I've purchased about $300,000 worth of equipment from Dell for work and about $3000 for home use. I've needed tech support for both home and work which is two different call centers. The only problem I've had was that for basic support I rarely get someone that speaks english very well. But for returns and such (Dell branded and other equipment) I've never had any problem. As a matter of fact they called me on a potential problem with some equipment and asked when I would like to have someone out to take care of it. I'm not trying to defend them, I'm just reporting my experience.

BTW, what kind of problem were you having? Using so much of their equipment I've found a few incompatabilities that they hadn't ever seen before.

Æ

[MikeD]

You aren't expecting too much. I'm pricing computers for my Mom and have come up with a decent solution for $1100 from HP. OK, so it's an Athlon instead of a P4, 512 MB RAM instead of 1 GB, and 80 GB of HD space, but it comes with a Geforce4 Ti4200, SoundBlaster, a CD burner, and a flat panel monitor.

As an alternative, Alienware makes good stuff. Their cases are certainly non-conformist. Just be forewarned that they cater to gamers more than, shall we say, the general public. Also, you pay a bit more for the "cool" cases and the gaming-rig parts.

If I had to actually buy a computer (instead of build my own from scratch), I'd probably go with Alienware. I upgrade too much to go HP and I don't trust Dell. Gateway is just way out.

MD

[HarryKnutszacke]

I've used to approaches to buying computers and accessories.
1) If I have to have the latest and greatest, I go to a store, and hold my nose. If I have a problem (and I have) I put it in back in the box, take it back, and say I want another one. If you belong to one of the warehouse clubs, Sams/Costco, etc., they have good deals. I know mail order is cheaper, but if you have a problem (and you will, if you buy enough computers) its much easier to put it back in the box and drive back to the store. I truly believe it is cheaper in the long run.
2) If I really want cheap, not latest and greatest, I troll ebay/half.com, look for a seller with lots of good feedback, and wait for a really smoking deal, something so cheap that even if there's a problem, I don't feel I got screwed.

From what you describe you want, I'd walk into a store, (Costco if you belong), pay up, pay the sales tax, and realize you're likely to save yourself hours of aggravation if its DOA.

Just one man's worthless opinion.

[browardchad]

Well, since you haven't answered any questions regarding the problems with the Dells, can we assume you work for Gateway? When you start a thread, it's customary to stick around and respond to questions.

I have a Dell now, after having built my previous PC. The Dell had a problem with a bad CD player. They replaced it (tech came to the house) within 3 days. I haven't had a problem since (2 years).

[KneelBeforeZod]

Costco has a NICE system, with an awesome video card, tons of memory and kicks butt even over the sony they have.

$1,800 built by Northgate

Burns DVD rom AND CDRs.


but it is sold with a monitor....

Processor & Memory:

AMD Athlon XP 2400+
1 GB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory

Drives:
120 GB Maxtor (7200 rpm) hard drive
2.4X DVD-RW Drive can burn both DVD's and Normal CD-R Discs.
56x CD-ROM
1.44 Floppy Disk Drive
6-in-1 Media Card Reader

Graphics & Video:
nVidia MX440SE-T 64MB DDR 4x AGP w/TV Out Video Card
17" LCD Monitor (silver)
Media Center TV Tuner
Media Center PC Remote Control

Communications:
56K Fax Modem
10/100 Integrated Ethernet

Audio:
AV512 C-MEDIA 6 Channel Dolby 5.1 Sound Card
Juster DHT-630 6 piece 5.1 Dolby Digital External Speaker set with Subwoofer and multi- directional satellite speakers (Home Theater)
Headset with Microphone

[Henrietta]

I too had a horrible experience with Dell. I'll never buy from them again.

Crappy 'puter and crappy "service" was what I got.