Computers????

[huff317]

My computer at the house is fried.

I am thinking of a Dell or Gateway system.

Something less than 1K, preferably cheaper.

What do y'all use/recommend???

Thanks

[shooter1201]

I bought my daughter a Compaq Presario last summer....$2400, worth. I'm glad I bought the extended, no questions asked warranty, because it WILL NOT load her Start Up page. It goes back to Circuit City tomorrow.

My mom is on her THIRD Gateway. She loves 'em. Me? I'm still banging away on a '97-vintage NEC. I just got around to upgrading it to WIN98 and adding a whole bunch more memory last September. A new HD is next on the 'to do' list. I really HATE COMPUTERS....

[huff317]

I know how you feel, shooter, I personally think they are the scourge of the earth.....How was it that I made it without one before, tho?

Out

[Lictalon]

DO NOT BUY DELL!

Hmm. Perhaps that isn't clear enough. How about...

DELL=HELL.

Let's face it, a computer is only as good as the people backing it up. The customer service section is what you're really buying. That's the reason I went with Dell in the first place.

Well, long story short, my lap-top hard-drive went after one year. Very long story, but the laptop ended up going back to Dell two times for repairs. Both times the computer was still having problems. Both times it went back under warrenty.

Dell has a policy that on the third time back, they replace the system. Guess what? Not one week after it was sent back to the factory as a repair under warrenty, Dell refuses to send it back a third time...despite the fact they still haven't fixed the problem.

Suddenly it was no longer under warrenty. Coincidence?

Looooong letter in progress to Dell.

Go Gateway. My school has gone Gateway, my parents have one, and I've never seen either with problems.

[Sig220Man]

Unlike Lictalon, I have had an almost flawless experience with Dell. My first Dell computer was a Dimension L1000R desktop. I bought it from their refurbished website for nearly half of what it cost brand new, and that computer ran flawlessly.

My department has been a customer of Dell's for years, and I figured if they can take the abuse of my work environment, they can certainly stand up to me. Around the station the CPU's are often used as footrests (remember, these are cops wearing patrol boots, tall motor boots for the traffic guys) and sometimes even stepping stools, and haven't broken. The only problems that occur are specific to the Windows operating system, and only when people accidentally delete, or carelessly install, stuff.

I say almost flawless because of my second Dell, an Inspiron 4100 laptop. I purchased it also from the refurbished site, where they say that each computer is thoroughly tested before being put on sale. Apparently the tech who was assigned to check my laptop took a shortcut, because as soon as I unpacked it there was a nice green line running down the middle of the screen I call up Dell, and express my unhappiness with them. But they made it up to me: they sent a courier that afternoon to my home to pick it up, sent it overnight express to their repair center, and within a few days I had it back, and it's performed flawlessly ever since. To further ensure my future business, they upped my warranty from two years to a whopping FIVE years, at no extra charge

While the first Dell ran flawlessly, I want to get into video editing and DVD burning, so I just took delivery of my THIRD Dell, a Dimension 4550, 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 (with the new 533 MHz FSB), and a 60 GB hard drive. It's a refurbished like the others, and came with 128 MB of RAM and a CD-R/W drive. Because I want to get into video editing, I upped the memory by an additional 256 MB (384 total) and added a DVD burner (factory Dell part, but made by Philips). Total was about $1100, not including monitor as I have a perfectly functioning Samsung.

One area where Dell has slipped from their glory days is in the area of customer service. However Dell is not alone in this: having owned computers from HP, IBM, and no less than FOUR different types of Apple Macintosh, I can tell you it's an industry-wide problem

[Piper]

I have an HP Pavilion and HP Photosmart Printer. I love em both.

[Watchman]

Same as PIPER...

whadya think about that Piper ?

[Jules]

My Gateway is going on six years old and the only thing I've done to it was to add memory and replace the modem just last year. It's been a good one.

[156]

I have a Dell and I'm happy with it. I've heard many good things about Gateway as well.

[JKT]

I have a Dell Dimension 8250 (with most of the bells and whistles ) and I'm very happy with it.

I also have a Gateway Solo 1500 Laptop (refurb) that hasn't even hiccupped in the last two years.

I would recommend either one....

[RachelR]

I didn't buy name brand. I customized and had my brother/friends build me one. It's the best way to go.. much, much cheaper and you get exactly what you want.

[Piper]

quote:

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Originally posted by Watchman:
Same as PIPER...

whadya think about that Piper ?

---

I think chaos will consume the universe!

[CinaC]

Same as Watchman and Piper.

[Bob A]

quote:

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Originally posted by Yenta:
I have a Dell and I'm happy with it. I've heard many good things about Gateway as well.

---

Me too. I got it when I paid off my truck this summer. I usually buy the kind of PC that if it was clothes would be on the clearance rack.

I started off looking at a Dell for about $600, and customized a Dimension 4500 with CDRW, DVD-ROM, 512 MB RAM, 17" monitor, Harmon Kardon Surround Sound speakers, a 64 MB video card (w/TV out), and a ZIP-250. And it was $1440, shipped to my door in 4 days.

I looked at Best Buy, Circuit City and Hell Mart, and nothing close in performance could come within $500 of that price.

I can't say what Dell would do if something went wrong. Unless it's a hardware problem (something broke) I can fix it myself and wouldn't call them.

[PC Instructor]

I recommend signing up for an Adult school or community college class on building a computer.

You can pick your own parts, and the instructor will help you choose what you want and/or dont want in your computer. You can save HUNDREDS this way.

Then you'll put it all together under the supervision of the instructor, and then learn how to load the operating system of your choice.

These classes are usually 2-3 weeks, 1-2 days per week. Truly a rewarding experience.

I estimate you'll spend $500-$700 total going this route.
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If you buy a Gateway or Dell or HP know this:
These companies tack on from $200-$1000 dollars for hardware and software you will never use.

Just think, for a small time investment you can build a computer that compares to these for a fraction of the expense.