Which is the best PC brand??

[Blues]

It is also a very good opportunity to setup a maintenance and support plan since you probably speak the buyers native language

If you are talkin about being a reseller yeah Dell is a good way to go its also worth lookin at what it takes to build and sell your own and what type of warrenty you can and will be able to provide on yours. I dislike what I have seen out of alot of Dells but I do like them thier business machines seem to work fairly well.

 

[breadtrk]

Someone please tell me exactly what they see on a Dell or Gateway that they don't like. As best as I can tell after 20+ years is that they silkscreen their name on the MB but it is still a MB just like any other with AGP or PCI Express and PCI slots, all the drives, RAM, CPU's, power supplies, etc are exactly the same you can buy from any supplier. The only thing I have ever seen that you could not buy are the cases, (very good serviceable cases I might add).

Can someone please enlighten me? Something empirical other than "I just don't like it". I'm a geek, I like to see numbers or facts. I think there are some misconceptions here that need busting up. Or is this just a Ford vs Chevy thing where hearts prevail over facts and common sense?

 

[Blues]

All I have is my experience with them to go on nothing more. In my experience in terms of hardware failure they are as bad as most the others I have seen named for being faulty and worse then others that were named. That was my experience with them up until I got to work with thier servers and worked with thier business models. I would say that perhaps if I look at it it may be that consumers just abuse thiers more then business employee as Im sure they don't want to be responisble for breaking it as well the company Im sure doesn't want to have to get it repaired. I still get the sense that the parts may be cheaper and more prone to failure in the often cheaper consumer model Dells. I like to build my own Desktops but for laptops I found brands I like. Bottom line my expeirence with them has left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Noodle2732]

For Laptops i always use toshiba, why? because i've used my current toshiba laptop and my previous one as laptop test rigs really i've used them for all kinds of things, to name a few: testing wifi mini-pci cards, Optical Drives, even a screen at one point (okay it was a toshiba screen). But still it still works perfectly, i use it web designing, using fireworks dreamweaver etc. with only 512mb RAM, and a single core 1.9GHz CPU and it still runs faster than most customers machines, providing its kept in check by moi.....

 

[gunslinger]

In response to breadtrk: I like gateway, had one for over 5 years now and never had a problem with it. Had a gateway laptop and all was good (maybe a little overpriced). I don't like dell because they outsource tech support to india among other places thanks to NAFTA. This takes jobs away from the USA. Also, in the past 10 years or so I would say 95% of every computer I have worked on was a dell or an HP. I have worked on 4 gateway systems in that time , only two due to hardware failure. #'s you wanted above

 

[gadz00ks1]

I am gonna have to give some input on Dell. We standardize on Lenovo and Dell at my company and unfortunately at the startup of our location lower end consumer model Dell Dimensions were purchased. Many of them experienced some type of hardware issues, but as I replace those with the business class Optiplex systems I have far fewer issues occur. So Im piggy backing off whats been said about Dell as far as the good case design and their buisness class computers. Oh yeah, the customer has a really high SUCK factor! Lol

 

[gunslinger]

As with most things, I f you buy top of the line you will most likely have fewer issues than if you by the cheapest one they have.

 

[iladelf]

Sure they have had a few bumps in the road, namely the 270 caps and laptop batteries but they were very quick in resolving the problems.

Say, breadtrk, the 270 you're mentioning, is that the Dell GX270? I just got an Independent Contractor gig to replace both the mobo and PSUs in about 25 GX270s for next week. Bad caps, eh? First I've heard of Dell having issues with these, now I'll know what to look for if I see a 270.

 

[SandTech]

You see problem with dell, but are those problems more because more peope buy them.

You might see more problems with Honda in numbers a year, than Benz, because more people buy honda.

I wish there was a real comparison in number.

From what i seen HP had more Issue's than DELL>

 

[gunslinger]

You see problem with dell, but are those problems more because more peope buy them.

You might see more problems with Honda in numbers a year, than Benz, because more people buy honda.

I wish there was a real comparison in number.

From what i seen HP had more Issue's than DELL>

Could be that. Or it could be that the low end Dells are mass produced with parts got from low bid. This means on a lower end system say $399-699 you are getting very cheap parts. On the other hand if you buy top of the line Dell and look at the parts inside you will likely find some name brand high end hardware. Again, most times you get what you pay for be it from Dell, HP or anyone else. To use another car analogy think of the the high end dell as a ford mustang and the low end as an escort. They are made to sell not last.

 

[CDavis]

For desktops we resell a white box brand called Nobilis. We've been selling them for quite a long time now and for the most part they have been exceptional for our customers. They are all custom built, and they use all standard name brand components. Very easy to swap a part in a hurry.

For laptops we've moved to Lenovo's away from Toshiba's.

For Servers, we almost always use Dell Poweredges, but we're starting look at HP's.

 

[Checkmate]

I've been using Cybertron and Systemax systems for a couple years, have had very little issue of service calls on these machines. My wifes PC is a Cybertron AMD that has been going strong for 7 years and have never had to crack the case on it. All tech support is based here in USA out of OH.

 

[hawks5999]

For Servers, we almost always use Dell Poweredges, but we're starting look at HP's.

Let me pitch in with a recommendation on HP for servers. The support tools for HP servers (ilo, sim, smartstart) are so much better than anything you get on a dell. And HP is leading the technology on the blade front... especially the blades targeted at the smb space.

If you haven't seen the "shorty" blade enclosure... check here:
http://hp.feedroom.com/?fr_story=90c9590a7d7a692244031224e21551f18655e683&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

 

[kaspiahn]

I can't say that I dislike Dells. My experience with them has been mixed. Some models are better designed than others. The Mobos are made by Foxconn in alot of them. I've worked on Dells in the military and now in the banking industry. Most Dells fail because of poor maintainence (dirt sucked into them because they sit on the floor). I have been fighting to get our PCs moved off the floors forever.

Someone please tell me exactly what they see on a Dell or Gateway that they don't like. As best as I can tell after 20+ years is that they silkscreen their name on the MB but it is still a MB just like any other with AGP or PCI Express and PCI slots, all the drives, RAM, CPU's, power supplies, etc are exactly the same you can buy from any supplier. The only thing I have ever seen that you could not buy are the cases, (very good serviceable cases I might add).

Can someone please enlighten me? Something empirical other than "I just don't like it". I'm a geek, I like to see numbers or facts. I think there are some misconceptions here that need busting up. Or is this just a Ford vs Chevy thing where hearts prevail over facts and common sense?

 

[ServingOnlineSeniors]

Which is the best brand PC?

Seeing the volume of computers coming into our shop (average 60-80 a week) this time of year, my suggestions are based on what we see the most of! I speak to 100's of seniors every week and I am constantly asked what the best buy is. Remember my customer base. They need the most reliable, easiest to use and most responsive respectful service available.

Let me start by telling you what I would never recommend. Again, I am not out to hurt anyone’s feelings and this is based on what I see come in everyday with catastrophic problems i.e.; motherboards, processors, port/USB failures, etc..

First would be Compaq....stay away! I cannot tell you how many are dead out of the box! We see many failures shortly after warranty. I do not like Compaq.

Next would be E-Machine, especially the T-Series. If you Google Class-Action and E-Machine you will see the thousands suing for motherboard failure. Funny thing is they started frying a month after Gateway bought them out. We have taken in over 200 emachines in the past 2 years. Guess what we've seen two of so far this season? That's right! Two Gateways with fried Motherboard (same chip as emachines!) this year. Do you think we will see more Gateways this year? And guess who bought Gateway this year? That's right! Acer!! Do you see a pattern here? We have sent seniors back to Best Buy or where ever they bought them to get their money back to buy something else.

New Vista Gateway setups have been a nightmare! I personally have spent hours on the phone with Gateway trying to get RMA's to return defective systems. Their techs treat me like an idiot and blame CD/DVD drive loss and USB loss as normal, easy fix with the registry, and it's all Vista’s fault.....it's easy for the average computer user to edit the registry every week....minor inconvenience!

Acer's are cheaply built and we see many dead or major problems that are less then 2 years old.

Next would be those wonderful home-made systems the grandkids or hometown geek built for them. We see $2000 systems that won't last 6 months. People that think they can build a reliable great system find these seniors to finance their whimsical endeavors and end up with half the system and reliability they could have purchased out of a box for a quarter the price.

What would I buy?

Laptop would be Toshiba, Dell, HP in that order. We see lots of these for minor problems; viruses, spyware, upgrades and cleanup, but not a lot of dead ones. Toshiba and Dell has great warranty and service despite the old wives tales. Even though HP and Compaq are the same company, HP seems much more reliable.

(Side note here: If you’re making recommendations to your customers, purchase the extended warranty through the manufacturer not the retailer! Saves money and aggravation!)

Levono (IBM) was purchased last year by a foreign company and we have not seen enough to make an educated decision.

Sony, you are paying for the name....not much else. We see them as often as the rest but they cost 50% more.

Desktop would be Dell or HP for reliability and value. Again this is based on what I see. Those that fall back on those old Dell wives tales....grow-up. I have much easier time with Dell support then any of the other manufacturers out there and parts are parts and we do not have a hard time repairing 95% of them.