Are Dell Computers A Rip-Off

depends on what you mean, I built an 8300 last night and with the discounts it totaled 800, a pretty darn good deal I think.  If there were no discounts, it wouldn't have been that great with out the 300 discount through.  I think their great to learn about computers on but once you know enough you are better off building your own.

I wouldnt' have gotten the 2400 though as I game and they dont' have an AGP slot.

If you go the computer a month ago, what are you doing on the forums, I would send it back and get another. they have a war. you know. 

depends on what you mean, I built an 8300 last night and with the discounts it totaled 800, a pretty darn good deal I think.  If there were no discounts, it wouldn't have been that great with out the 300 discount through.  I think their great to learn about computers on but once you know enough you are better off building your own.

I wouldnt' have gotten the 2400 though as I game and they dont' have an AGP slot.

If you got the computer a month ago, what are you doing on the forums, I would send it back and get another. they have a warr. you know, ep if you can't boot.

Message Edited by rchxenson on 12-11-2003 12:17 PM

All cheap PCs are kinda "JUNKY".  You will have the same problem with HP/Compaq.  Dell's return policy is from invoice date.  Therefore, you really don't have the full 30 days to return the PC.

WXP's default installation is HORRIBLE.  The customer satisfaction index tends to be higher with locally-built PCs.  The only down side is higher cost.  But you do get your $ worth.  Words of mouth is the best reference.

You should have returned the PC if it doesn't work properly right out of the BOX.  That's another reason why I DO NOT buy PCs over the internet.

People think DELL and Wal-Mart offer the best price in town (cult following).  Do your homework before purchase.

F.

Dell sells their products for less for a few reasons.

1. their parts are customized and downgraded from the original version of a retail product.

2. their technical support is very large, yet it is low grade (for those of you who have had good experiences with Dell tech support, Congrats. I'm not exactly pleased with what I have experienced though so far.

3.They ship so many computers that they can sell them for less.

4. They don't include full software bundles in their computers (the recovery disc for windows is just that: a recovery disc. No full versions of windows are included in systems.

5. Customized products= customized drivers. Thus, some components can't use drivers from their maker's website. They can only use the ones at the dell website.

6. Cooling isn't fully adequete for any model of dell except for the Dimension XPS Gaming system (that one system that is blue and costs an arm and a leg)

7. If you decided to put better components on your system, you may experience problems with power resources being adequete because the 8300 only comes with a 260 watt PSU (hardly adequete for anyone who wants to game)

8. If you do decided to add-in a video card such as a Geforce 4 Ti without replacing the PSU, it will run fine, but the noise level from the fan cooling the PSU becomes incredibly loud for just one fan.

9. Ever seen Heatsinkzilla?

10. Those 2 little holes infront of your Dimension case (not XPS), yep. That's the only real "breathing" that the system gets for cooling.

I could probably ramble on for hours. oh well. I think I've made my point.

4. They don't include full software bundles in their computers (the recovery disc for windows is just that: a recovery disc. No full versions of windows are included in systems.  Absolutely False - the reinstallation CD is a full version of Windows!

5. Customized products= customized drivers. Thus, some components can't use drivers from their maker's website. They can only use the ones at the dell website.  Mostly False - except for Creative Soundblaster products, I have not found a device that cannot use the manufactures drivers.

6. Cooling isn't fully adequete for any model of dell except for the Dimension XPS Gaming system (that one system that is blue and costs an arm and a leg) False - I have had experience with about 50 Dell computers of various models over the last 8 years and have never had a cooling problem!  Even in intense gaming situations.

7. If you decided to put better components on your system, you may experience problems with power resources being adequete because the 8300 only comes with a 260 watt PSU (hardly adequete for anyone who wants to game)  If this were the case, you would think that there would be more problems with the PSU reported on these forums.  Sure there are lots of questions asked about the 250 watt PSU, as to whether or not it is adequate, but where are the questions concerning problems - this is pure speculation on the part of Mad Pistol.  If the PSU is inadequate, why are there not more posts concerning system failures due to low wattage PSUs?

Steve

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@Mad Pistol wrote:

Dell sells their products for less for a few reasons.

6. Cooling isn't fully adequate for any model of dell except for the Dimension XPS Gaming system (that one system that is blue and costs an arm and a leg)

My Dimension 8200 was top of the line (most power consumption) at time of purchase, and ran 24/7 at 100% CPU for over a year without any problems. Still runs 24/7 but not at 100% CPU. The systems are designed to run without overheating.

10. Those 2 little holes infront of your Dimension case (not XPS), yep. That's the only real "breathing" that the system gets for cooling.

Fresh air is let in mainly from the large amount of grillwork on the back of the case. The case fan pulls the interior air over the processor and out the back. Typical processor fans recirculate the air within the case, heating up the other components with the processor. The larger case fan runs quieter than the small processor fans. The power supply fan pulls the interior air over the power suppy components and out the back. Thus the two most heat producing components exit air directly out of the case. On the compact designs (Dimension 4600C and the small Optiplex cases) additional baffling is used to route the air over the drives and the fans are deep inside the case to reduce noise. The processor fan is off a very quiet squirrel cage design.

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Ditto with Volcano and Talmy!

My D8200 has been strong, stable and easily upgradable too.

Regards,

Jane

Folks are missing the point.  The original post is about the bottom-of-the-line 2400.  Those who are happy with their PCs own the top-of-the-line 8000 series.  Also, older PCs have better components...modem, case, etc.

F.

I ordered an 8300 just two days ago:

Dell Dimension 8300
Quiet, midnight gray chassis with storm gray accents features:
8 USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 6 back) and front headphone jack
Convenient front flip cover conceals front I/O ports and provides cable management when flip door is closed
Clam-shell design provides easy access
Color coded ports and internal cables simplify service and set up
Dimensions (H x W x D): 16.7" x 7.13" x 17.6"

Dell Dimension 8300 Series:
Pentium® 4 Processor at 3GHz w/800MHz front side bus/ HT Technology
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional - SP1
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz (2x512M)
Keyboard: Dell® Enhanced Multimedia
Mouse: Dell® 2-button scroll mouse SM [310-1871] 12
Microsoft® Office Professional 2003
Hard Drive: 120GB Serial ATA Hard Drive, 7200RPM 8-meg cache
2nd Hard Drive: 120GB Serial ATA Hard 7200RPM 8-meg cache
3.5 in Floppy Drive
16 Max DVD-ROM Drive
8x DVD+R/+RW Drive with CDRW DVD-ROM Drive
Video Card: 128MB DDR ATI RADEON™ 9800 Pro Graphics Card with TV-Out and DVI
Sound Blaster Audigy™2 (D) Card w/DVD Audio and Dolby 5.1 capability
Digital Music: Dell Jukebox PLUS
Dell Picture Studio Combo
Digital Photography: Paint Shop Pro, Photo Album Premium
Digital Media Readers: 10-in-1 USB Digital Media
Dell Media Experience™: Dell Media Experience™
Video Editing: Dell Movie Studio Essentials including IEEE 1394 card
Multi-Media Software: Microsoft® Plus! Digital Media
Modem: 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem DFAX [313-1313] 14
Network Interface: Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet
Buy 3Yrs onsite service get Gold Tech Support

And after getting sloppy answers to "WTH am I really getting" (name brands, etc), they were clue-less. I cancelled my order just 20 minutes ago via the web.

I've been doing this long enough to know what ineptitude is. And here I am, after only 2 hours of being a Board member here.

Ciao!

>>especially the Manila techs<<

Yeah, Dell At Home has out-sourced their Tech Support to the the Philippine Islands.  

That has been in the news quite a bit. :)  Not many happy campers, from the User side of things. HUGE mistake. Dell should have known better. What a miscalculation!

Anyways, good luck with your new 'technical support"' team.

Francis Nguyen,

I disagree with you.  A person can be happy with a bottom line machine as long as they don't expect it to do more than it can, and don't screw it up......R.S.

Lynette734,

I'm a self taught home user of 3.5 years.  During this time I have had 5 Gateways & 1 Dell, all desktops and all mid to upper end machines at the time.

My answer to your question is NO.  #1 It all depends on what you expect your machine to do and #2 did you buy the correct type machine to do it.

Considering I have a bad taste in my mouth in regards to my experience with Dell a few years back what I say may have some meaning here.  My opinion is that Dell offers a very good value machine up to a point.  $499.00 with monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse and free shipping is an example of value and not a rip off.  If your budget allows say $3000. for a machine you may want to consider other alternatives.  The old saying you get what you pay for doesn't always hold true with high end computers, in depth research would be a good idea BEFORE one buys and not after like many do.

When I was learning to use the computer, I was the problem not the machines.  Being a new user at the time plus having to deal with tech support via the telephone was one horrible experience or me.  Not everyone you may speak with will give you the correct answer, been there.  Everyone has different issues and needs.  The thing to remember is to get the machine to do the job you want it to do, but be prepared to spend some bucks.  Don't expect an 80 year old person to run a 4 minute mile.

Not knowing your issues, automatically I would fdisk the new machine and reload the O.S. and only install the things you want assuming that there are no mechanical defects with the machine or it's hardware and then go from there. 

I would say 90% of the time the problems people have with their machines are caused by the user.  Also being that you have a new machine you have to deal with Dell via the telephone for warranty reasons (good luck) but other than that these Dell forums are a great source of information and help.  There are some here who are quite knowledgeable that are dedicated and will help those that need it.  ...............R.S.

John Cool,

I dealt with a few from Bangladesh, boy oh boy what a trip.  Best thing to do is learn how to fix it your self or better yet how not to screw it up in the first place like I did a few years back.

Have you seen Dells last stock quotes?  As long as the consumer is willing to continue putting up with the nonsence and keeps on buying the product you can't blame the supplier for meeting these peoples demands, hey! there is money in it and a smart business man would meet the demand.  There seems to be quite a few dumb people around these days.  Does "An educated consumer is our best customer" sound familiar........

Message Edited by Rim Shot on 12-13-2003 06:48 AM