Why hate Dell?

[TechnoPro]

From my experience, they are adequate for general home and office use. I would not recommend them for more specialized, intensive applications (gaming, design work, video editing, etc.) or when performance and upgradeability is desired.

My biggest gripe is that they advertise sub-par systems as being good performing. Like others have mentioned, the bundling of XP with 128MB RAM. Even worse, their aggressive marketing of these low-end systems have given the general public the idea thar a "good" computer can be had for $400 - $500. So when a client buys such a system and it is performs slowly, they are surprised.

Some of their systems do seem slow out of the box, but I tend to attribute this to all the startup junk that comes preloaded.

 

[LtPage1]

theyre good for people who cant fix their own computers, and need a good warranty.

if you game, or care about performance in any way, or would ever muck around inside the case or the bios, you should not get a dell.
i think that about covers it.

 

[Avalon]

I dislike dell because...well, two reasons.
The reasons have to do with their non budget systems ($1000+) and their budget systems ($400).

First and foremost, the more simpler of the two: The non budget sector. I don't like Dell in this area because you can build a great system for less than they can.

Now, for their budget sector...I dislike Dell because of HOW they make their budget systems cost less than what you could build on a budget. Most people think they are getting a steal when they get a $400 Dell system with a 15" monitor. Right. The system will advertize awesome specs in bold, such as a pentium 4 with hyperthreading, or a 7200 RPM HD. Even better still is when they say something like a free memory upgrade. Hyperthreading, 7200RPM, free upgrades. Sounds like you're getting some quality stuff, right? Not always. What a lot of people don't know is that your 7200RPM HD has 2mb of cache and is ATA100. Well, that kind of hinders it. Alright, well, we're still getting a powerful processor. Naturally, this powerful processor is coupled with 128mb of PC2700 memory. Power! Oh, my mistake. We get a free upgrade to 256mb of PC2700 memory. How about the PSU? Typically quite weak. Hey, they do include a monitor though...a monitor that is worth probably $50 at the most. Some of these budget systems won't even come with an AGP slot should you want to start some gaming. I could buy a quality budget system for the same price as a Dell's budget system. The only thing I would be missing is a cheap monitor and the lack of poor quality hardware. I suppose this is fine for most people though.

 

[yELLOthar]

Didn't read anything but first page, but...

1. I'm Using a Dell right now.
2. Very Upgradeable, I just added 256 RAM and I put in a new DVD drive and CD/RW drive, and I am trying to get a new Vid card from my friend.
3. The case is EXTREMELY easy to open, and plenty of room to work inside.
4. Have room for another HD and nothing screws in. It uses special clips that make it incredibly easy to take out the drives.
5. 1.7GHz P4, runs jus fine for me, though I wouldn't mind upgrading...
6. I have had it for, I'd say close to 2 years now, maybe 3.

CONCLUSION:
Very upgradeable, easy to work inside, very well though out design, I have NEVER needed to call tech support. Also, it has NEVER crashed, or showed any signs of, "breaking".

Maybe I got lucky and got a good system, who knows. The only real problem which isn't that bad is the PSU is only 200W, but I could change it if I wanted to/felt like it/actually bought a new one...

EDIT:
It was relatively cheap at time of purchase, under $1k, and I have a LCD with it, so at that time was like $350! That's pretty cheap if ya ask me (considering age). It also came w/ a GeForce MX 2, which is better than Intel Extreme crap...

Also, 5 PCI slots. Some may be AGP, it would help if I knew what an AGP slot was...

 

[peacemaker1ps]

Dell is the best pre built computer system out there imo.

 

[Demonicon]

Originally posted by: peacemaker1ps
Dell is the best pre built computer system out there imo.

That's not saying much.

I have no reason to hate Dell though, I just choose not to buy their products.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I don't like them because they are pre-built. Among the large scale mainstream PC suppliers, they are among the best, however, I generally dont like and don't trust PC OEMs.

 

[bigj3347]

My brother bought a dell high end desktop 4 years ago, besides the fact that it cost $2500 and that the bios didn't have anything, the computer worked well, stable. I think they have great support, but for $2500, it better be pretty good.

I also had a friend who wanted to buy a high end system and asked me if he should ask me to build it or buy a dell. I didn't want to brush him off and say buy a dell RIGHT AWAY. so I did some research and found out that I can build the same desktop, minus the crappy speakers and monitor, he already had a lcd, for about $1200 less than i would have cost to buy from dell. I still managed to convince him that if I buildt it for him and somethign went wrong, he'd be off to college by then and helpless, so he shelled out the extra $1200 for Dell, I know I sound like a prick in doing it but i know i saved myself countless hours of tech support, without getting anything back.

 

[Abhi]

Why hate dell..

One CSR says one thing, and another one JUST the opposite.

Most of them have no fukin idea what they are talking about.

Btw, since i am indian, there are no language problems for me, but the CSR's are just plain stupid.

 

[nowayout99]

abhi, you described almost EVERY large company's customer service support.


As for the topic, hatred for any OEM manufacturer simply because they're an OEM manufacturer is pretty weak. Should they all shut down so that there's nothing left but hobbyists or something?

Dell is probably the best of the prefab makers. They are a viable option if you can't build your own. Despite the anecdotal stories, they do have the highest customer satisfaction of the OEMs.

Anybody here knows building your own is the best way to go if you can do it... but it's ridiculous to look down on companies that provide a service or look down on people with an elitist asshole attitude that aren't on our level.

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: nowayout99
abhi, you described almost EVERY large company's customer service support.


As for the topic, hatred for any OEM manufacturer simply because they're an OEM manufacturer is pretty weak. Should they all shut down so that there's nothing left but hobbyists or something?

Dell is probably the best of the prefab makers. They are a viable option if you can't build your own. Despite the anecdotal stories, they do have the highest customer satisfaction of the OEMs.

Anybody here knows building your own is the best way to go if you can do it... but it's ridiculous to look down on companies that provide a service or look down on people with an elitist asshole attitude that aren't on our level.

IBM being an exception..

 

[Whitecloak]

dell rocks

 

[zodder]

While I wouldn't purchase a home system from them, Dell makes excellent servers. I run 3 at my agency and they've been bulletproof so far.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: yELLOthar
Didn't read anything but first page, but...

1. I'm Using a Dell right now.
2. Very Upgradeable, I just added 256 RAM and I put in a new DVD drive and CD/RW drive, and I am trying to get a new Vid card from my friend.
3. The case is EXTREMELY easy to open, and plenty of room to work inside.
4. Have room for another HD and nothing screws in. It uses special clips that make it incredibly easy to take out the drives.
5. 1.7GHz P4, runs jus fine for me, though I wouldn't mind upgrading...
6. I have had it for, I'd say close to 2 years now, maybe 3.

CONCLUSION:
Very upgradeable, easy to work inside, very well though out design, I have NEVER needed to call tech support. Also, it has NEVER crashed, or showed any signs of, "breaking".

Maybe I got lucky and got a good system, who knows. The only real problem which isn't that bad is the PSU is only 200W, but I could change it if I wanted to/felt like it/actually bought a new one...

EDIT:
It was relatively cheap at time of purchase, under $1k, and I have a LCD with it, so at that time was like $350! That's pretty cheap if ya ask me (considering age). It also came w/ a GeForce MX 2, which is better than Intel Extreme crap...

Also, 5 PCI slots. Some may be AGP, it would help if I knew what an AGP slot was...

You don't even know what an agp slot is and you're talking about how great and upgradeable they are? Never seen such an intricate rationalization of the lack of knowledge. Dells, like all prebuilts, suck. What they used to have going for them was tech support, but that has changed for the worse. That yours hasn't crashed means simply that it has no faulty hardware and you haven't fubared the system with malware. DIYs are far more upgradeable, easier to work with, and less expensive. This is assuming you DIY with some basic knowledge, attainable easily from tech sites & forums, such as anandtech.

As I've already stated, they do have their place; namely as a recommendation for unknowledgeable friends / family you don't want to do tech support for (though Dell's support has taken a nosedive lately; might be better off with a smaller prebuilt company such as ABS or Monarch) and for businesses which get deals on bulk, a good upgrade policy, and which benefit from having a standard (ie. every pc has the same brand/model parts).

 

[AluminumStudios]

-They wanted me to run diagnostic software for a failing DVD+R drive in a laptop they sold me without a floppy drive ... the download the guy directed me to was a 5 floppy disks ... I support a lot of Dells and work and they constantly tell me inane things like this.

-Their laptops are bigger and heavier than my home-built tower at home.

-I spent a LOT of time generating equotes for Dells my department was going to purchase. They were supposed to be good for 60 days. When our purchaser went to buy them a week after I made them they had all been invalidated since Dell decided to change their offerings and not honor any e-quotes that had been saved ... they've done this to me 3 times over the last year.

-I searched their site, found a SCSI hard drive listed as being for the model of server we have and bought it, it came with the wrong rails. I called and got transferred 5 times and NO ONE could help me or give me the part number for the railes I needed to mount the SCSI disk in our PowerEdge server. Eventually they made me send back the hard drive and rails and order another set ...

-No AMD

-Flimsy plastic parts and proprietary construction

-Craptacular website that makes finding parts and info. horribly tough

-I love different ethnicities and Indians, but dang it I want to speak to an AMERICAN when I call for support, and one that is allowed to think not just read canned solutions from a troubleshooting manual in front of them.

- the list goes on and on ... I DESPISE Dell. I liked them up until about 2 years ago when good support and sales experiences started being replaced with bad ones and it just keeps going downhill.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: Avalon
I dislike dell because...well, two reasons.
The reasons have to do with their non budget systems ($1000+) and their budget systems ($400).

First and foremost, the more simpler of the two: The non budget sector. I don't like Dell in this area because you can build a great system for less than they can.

Now, for their budget sector...I dislike Dell because of HOW they make their budget systems cost less than what you could build on a budget. Most people think they are getting a steal when they get a $400 Dell system with a 15" monitor. Right. The system will advertize awesome specs in bold, such as a pentium 4 with hyperthreading, or a 7200 RPM HD. Even better still is when they say something like a free memory upgrade. Hyperthreading, 7200RPM, free upgrades. Sounds like you're getting some quality stuff, right? Not always. What a lot of people don't know is that your 7200RPM HD has 2mb of cache and is ATA100.

Lol is that wrong!!! ATA100 means nothing and ATA133 is marketing at best! On top of that, there isn't much of a preformance difference. Go to Anadtech's review on the Raptors and you'll see in the end its only the matter of seconds that can be counted on a single hand that seperate "old" 7200rpm drives and 10k raptors. You have no arguement right here

Well, that kind of hinders it. Alright, well, we're still getting a powerful processor. Naturally, this powerful processor is coupled with 128mb of PC2700 memory. Power! Oh, my mistake. We get a free upgrade to 256mb of PC2700 memory.

This is probably your only real valid complaint- they toss much slow ram thatn the P4 typically wants

How about the PSU? Typically quite weak.

LOL these are some of the most efficient PSUs out there! My friend has a SSF with a 240 watt psu and it has an A64 and a 9800pro! They have more efficient PSUs so they don't need to toss some 500 watt generic B.S. You are just playing the numbers game and are assuming a bigger psu is always better

Hey, they do include a monitor though...a monitor that is worth probably $50 at the most. Some of these budget systems won't even come with an AGP slot should you want to start some gaming. I could buy a quality budget system for the same price as a Dell's budget system. The only thing I would be missing is a cheap monitor and the lack of poor quality hardware. I suppose this is fine for most people though.

If you don't game what is the piont of an AGP slot? I kow a lot of people who buy Dells that do do a single ounce of gaming.


In the end I don't like Dell too much, but a lot of your reasons are PITA

 

[jpeyton]

Dell is awesome, they just shipped my order of five PowerEdge 400SC's, each with a 2.8GHz P4 w/ HT, 512MB ECC PC3200, etc. for $1490 AR. Even if you're building it yourself, you can't beat that for fast, stable, and QUIET systems.

BTW, each 400SC has a 875 motherboard, very ample PSU, and AGP slots.

 

[John]

Although my spare parts orders thru Dell have been pleasant, the customer service I just received has been a little less that stellar. I just called Dell customer service a few minutes ago to get a return authorization my 700m notebook, and "Victor" (Indian) refused to issue the return. Instead he kept suggesting that I speak with technical support first and they could troubleshoot. I tried to explain that I am a former Dell senior tech, and that I am very aware of the hardware issues that this notebook has, that I do not want an exchange, I simply want a return number. After he kept saying "uh huh....uh huh....." I hung up since he was too much of a dipshit to deal with and would probably screw up my return. I suppose I will use their online form instead:

http://support.dell.com/suppor...=04&l=en&s=bsd

 

[DAPUNISHER]

After he kept saying "uh huh....uh huh....." I hung up since he was too much of a dipshit to deal with and would probably screw up my return. I suppose I will use their online form instead

:laugh:

 

[Muse]

'Cause they try to hook you into a total solution, buying a box. I guess it's less apt to be proprietary than a Gateway (aren't they kaput?) or HP, but it's still got to be less adaptable/expandable/upgradeable than a PC you put together yourself.

I bought a monitor from them and did an RMA and waited for my pickup but they never came. I decided, WTF, I'll keep it.

Dealing with Dell can be a real PITA if you need customer service. The labyrinthine phone system, it can be pretty comical and/or aggravating depending on how adept you are at dealing with things like that and how lucky you are. Yeah, luck is a big factor. Score the right person and you may make out very well. Get the wrong CSR and, well, good luck!

OTOH, I have scored some great (unbeatable) deals through Dell, though I haven't for over a year. I just get specific parts or components, etc., not a machine. I got both my monitors through Dell at prices that were absolutely unbeatable after free shipping and % discounts.

 

[yELLOthar]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: yELLOthar
Didn't read anything but first page, but...

1. I'm Using a Dell right now.
2. Very Upgradeable, I just added 256 RAM and I put in a new DVD drive and CD/RW drive, and I am trying to get a new Vid card from my friend.
3. The case is EXTREMELY easy to open, and plenty of room to work inside.
4. Have room for another HD and nothing screws in. It uses special clips that make it incredibly easy to take out the drives.
5. 1.7GHz P4, runs jus fine for me, though I wouldn't mind upgrading...
6. I have had it for, I'd say close to 2 years now, maybe 3.

CONCLUSION:
Very upgradeable, easy to work inside, very well though out design, I have NEVER needed to call tech support. Also, it has NEVER crashed, or showed any signs of, "breaking".

Maybe I got lucky and got a good system, who knows. The only real problem which isn't that bad is the PSU is only 200W, but I could change it if I wanted to/felt like it/actually bought a new one...

EDIT:
It was relatively cheap at time of purchase, under $1k, and I have a LCD with it, so at that time was like $350! That's pretty cheap if ya ask me (considering age). It also came w/ a GeForce MX 2, which is better than Intel Extreme crap...

Also, 5 PCI slots. Some may be AGP, it would help if I knew what an AGP slot was...

You don't even know what an agp slot is and you're talking about how great and upgradeable they are? Never seen such an intricate irationalization of the lack of knowledge. Dells, like all prebuilts, suck. What they used to have going for them was tech support, but that has changed for the worse. That yours hasn't crashed means simply that it has no faulty hardware and you haven't fubared the system with malware. DIYs are far more upgradeable, easier to work with, and less expensive. This is assuming you DIY with some basic knowledge, attainable easily from tech sites & forums, such as anandtech.

As I've already stated, they do have their place; namely as a recommendation for unknowledgeable friends / family you don't want to do tech support for (though Dell's support has taken a nosedive lately; might be better off with a smaller prebuilt company such as ABS or Monarch) and for businesses which get deals on bulk, a good upgrade policy, and which benefit from having a standard (ie. every pc has the same brand/model parts).

After a quick Google search, the AGP slot is for a graphics card. Dell equipped me with a GeForceMX2, which I am upgrading soon. Just because I didn't know EXACTLY what an AGP slot was, though I figured it was graphics card, doesn' mean what I said shouldn't matter though. You say it was "intricate irationalization of the lack of knowledge", I'll assume because I didn't know what one things name was I am stupid and completely computer illiterate. As far as I'm concerned, you can bite me and get off Dell, because they don't suck, they provide decent systems for average people. I'd say 85% of people who use computers, a Dell is fine for them. Most people don't need a AMD98 5GHz monster or super computer. They need a decent system for light, if any gaming and simple internet surfing.

While I wouldn't mind building my own computer, and I probably am soon, I am not a Dell fanboy or anything, but you people make me sick. It's like saying that PS2 >> XBOX or XBOX >> PS2, ot's stupid. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that they suck.

 

[Regs]

No AMD options is a huge factor for me. Since im a giant AMD fan boi and all . And with good reason too, they make great CPU's.

 

[piasabird]

Sounds like my IBM Net Vista at work. The stupid P4 has SDRAM! How oxy-moronic is that? The guy that sits next to me had his comptuer go out and it was the proprietary $200.00 Power supply. What a joke. The Power supply almost cost $1.00 a Watt and had to be special Ordered!

 

[Vegito]

I work with high end dell servers.. ie the quad 6650 and the quad 6850s.. its not bad but its not the worse.. very reliable.. and i wouldn't buy those system if we dont get 50% discount..

in term of performance.. you guys would not believe this.. on any p4 xeons, 533 fsb or 800 fsb.. they use pc2100.. they dont use the higher end memory and the system is cripple because of it..

it is what it is.. i dont hate it ..

 

[gpgofast]

My only experience with Dell has been with the recent purchase of a 400SC. $300 for a Pentium 2.8GHz, Intel 875 Chipset motherboard, AGP slot, a REALLY quiet case, a 250 watt powersupply that seems to be handling 2 7200 HD's, 2 Optical drives, an Audigy2 ZS soundcard, ATI 9700(flashed to PRO) with an Artic Cooler VGA silencer and a Hauupauge USB TV tuner fine. After about a month of use and right after I started using the TV tuner card, my USB ports "died". I ended up having to call DELL CS and got one of the "dreaded" Indian CSR. About 2 minutes on the phone and he agreed that the USB ports had died, another 15 minutes to finish the paperwork and schedule a tech and he had a tech scheduled to my home the next business day. Other than the 15 minute wait to schedule the replacement motherboard there was no problems.

I like the 400SC so much that I just bought another one to use as a media server. $327 for a 2.8GHz, 512MB ram machine DELIVERED can't be touched. I think Dell does itself wrong by selling POS boxes to uninformed customers, 128 MB is NOT enough RAM to run XP and they know it, but on the other hand, I LIKE the option of NOT buying expensive Dell RAM and the 1st 400SC I bought came with 128 MB-I quickly added 2 512MB sticks and sold the other over on the Aaltonen's forum. If you have any clue they have some deals that can NOT be beat for run of the mill day to day PC's. I don't think I have heard one VALID argument AGAINST Dell in this thread other than selling poorly configured PC's to the uninformed. Most of the remarks are completely second and third hand information or TOTAL BS. GP