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I need 4 computers!
cbmeeks:
--- Quote --- Be aware that Dell don't always feel the need to use industry standard components.
Buying one that wouldn't work properly with your arcadeVGA would stink, but buying FOUR of them all all once?
So yeah, make sure you check em out first. they are cheap for a reason.
--- End quote ---
Go got that right. I work for a small insurance adjusting company and we have done $150,000 in sales with Dell. On average, they are good computers but I would NEVER buy one for myself. Here is why:
1) Don't be fooled by their claims. Sure, they will say that you get next-business day replacement. WRONG. That "next-day" is when your local technician might receive the part. He/she then has 24 hours to contact you for an appointment! So, in theory, it could be 2-3 days before your replacement is installed.
2) Their motherboards sometimes WILL NOT WORK WITH TRADITIONAL PSUs!!! They are propriatery. In fact, I had a fiend to give me a Dell P4-1.6 GHz mobo and cpu. I was so excited. Until I looked and noticed it won't take the standard molex connector for the PSU. So, it was useless to me.
3) We had a harddrive go out in one of our machines. That "next business day" service we paid for actually took almost two WEEKS. They said they shipped it out. It never got here the next day so I called them. Then they said "Sorry, I will ship it out now"...never showed up....I called them again...etc for about 10 business days. FINALLY, we received it. So, our employee was without a computer (had to loan her my laptop) for almost two weeks. THEN, when I got the HD, it came blank!! So, total reload. Normally, I would have gone out and bought a HD just to get her going but she had one of those low-profile computers that used the 2.5" drives you can't get here in town.
4) 9 times out of 10, when I call their tech support, it takes an hour or more on the phone. period.
5) We had a keyboard in a laptop go out. It took over a MONTH, yes, a MONTH to get it replaced.
Now, I'm not saying Gateway, Compaq, etc are any better, that is just the kind of things you get when you buy lots of computers from any big company.
If I were you, I would build all four of them.
cb
krick:
--- Quote from: cbmeeks on June 21, 2004, 01:43:22 pm ---
2) Their motherboards sometimes WILL NOT WORK WITH TRADITIONAL PSUs!!! They are propriatery. In fact, I had a fiend to give me a Dell P4-1.6 GHz mobo and cpu. I was so excited. Until I looked and noticed it won't take the standard molex connector for the PSU. So, it was useless to me.
--- End quote ---
I'm not happy with their use of proprietary connectors either but if necessary, you CAN purchase an atx to dell adapter cable for less than $15...
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html
Lance:
--- Quote from: krick on June 21, 2004, 01:48:31 pm ---
--- Quote from: cbmeeks on June 21, 2004, 01:43:22 pm ---
2) Their motherboards sometimes WILL NOT WORK WITH TRADITIONAL PSUs!!! They are propriatery. In fact, I had a fiend to give me a Dell P4-1.6 GHz mobo and cpu. I was so excited. Until I looked and noticed it won't take the standard molex connector for the PSU. So, it was useless to me.
--- End quote ---
I'm not happy with their use of proprietary connectors either but if necessary, you CAN purchase an atx to dell adapter cable for less than $15...
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html
--- End quote ---
I don't think newer dell's use that type of connector anymore, I just looked at the machine on my office desk and it has a standard ATX connector as far as I can tell.
krick:
--- Quote from: Lance on June 21, 2004, 01:53:01 pm ---
--- Quote from: krick on June 21, 2004, 01:48:31 pm ---
--- Quote from: cbmeeks on June 21, 2004, 01:43:22 pm ---
2) Their motherboards sometimes WILL NOT WORK WITH TRADITIONAL PSUs!!! They are propriatery. In fact, I had a fiend to give me a Dell P4-1.6 GHz mobo and cpu. I was so excited. Until I looked and noticed it won't take the standard molex connector for the PSU. So, it was useless to me.
--- End quote ---
I'm not happy with their use of proprietary connectors either but if necessary, you CAN purchase an atx to dell adapter cable for less than $15...
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html
--- End quote ---
I don't think newer dell's use that type of connector anymore, I just looked at the machine on my office desk and it has a standard ATX connector as far as I can tell.
--- End quote ---
I'm not positive about dell machines that you'd buy today but on my older Dell Dimension P3 800 at work, the connector is the same, the pinout is different.
darkcape:
Overstock.com seems to have some cheapo pc's out there fequently. I've been fishing around there for a while.
for bottom of the line they have a few IBM's PIII's
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=483330
if anyone has bought PC's from overstock how did they work out?