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Desktops: Who makes the best desktops?
I've heard...
by culture_of_one - 4/23/05 12:01 PM In reply to: Agreed - Yes (and no) to Dell by DH1that Dell is bringing its "business tech support" back to the States. (They make no bones about the fact that they consider their business clients to be their most important market.) However, simply from a cost point of view (and the accountants are definitely in charge at Dell), I don't believe the company will repatriate its "consumer" support operations anytime soon.
Personally, I hope that they at least decide to switch to a slightly "higher caliber" of offshore support. They may think they're being "cost conscious" in choosing the "cheapest" providers...but I think it's costing them a lot more than they realize.
JDM
(*BTW, if your company buys a lot of stuff from Dell...and you can order through them...you are almost certain to get a much better quality of hardware than you would from the "regular consumer" channels. You'd also get "business" support--so it's worth considering!)
Apple makes the best desktops hands-down.
by psuser - 4/22/05 4:43 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneNo doubt about it, Apple clearly outclasses all others in terms of design, performance, quality of build and customer support. Sure, it costs more to own and operate a Mac, but the overall experience is so much more seamless and straight-forward that you soon realize just how archaic all those PCs are anyway. Apple computers truly make you see how strange it is that we live in a world dominated by Windows when there is something so obviously better available.
Best Desktops
by rpowers - 4/22/05 4:44 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneDell is the one that makes the best overall desktop with a combnation of performance, price reliability and great support that is not needed very often. I support about 125 pcs and the Dells give me less trouble than any of the others.
Dell, for about 5 years
by lwillard - 4/22/05 5:32 AM In reply to: Best Desktops by rpowersI support 174 computers and two networks for two schools with about 400 users. I have a Mac OS X network with imac, emac, HP and Dell workstations. I also have a Windows 2003 Server network with Dell, HP, Gateway and emachine clients. Hands down, (based on my tech support request history for 5 years) I can say the Dell GX series desktops give me the least amount of problems. HP comes next, then Apple, emachines, and Gateway. In addition, I bought 30 REFURBISHED Dell GX110s and have had excellent luck with them. They do everything we need and have very few issues (With Windows XP PRO, that is... win 98 was a different matter) As a side, if anyone cares, the Windows 2003 network has had ONE issue in 1 1/2 years (due to power failure, rebooting solved problem) while the Mac OS X Server has had nothing BUT issues. Working for a school, I have free tech support from Apple, and I can say they are as stumped over the frequent issues I've experienced as I am.
Dell
by BillDL - 4/22/05 6:24 AM In reply to: Dell, for about 5 years by lwillardI have built six computers for myself in the past and I must admit that I would not build another one. I can buy a Dell with the same good components for much less money due to their constant sale prices and discounts. When I build the computer myself and a hard drive, or a powersupply, a software issue, or a memory problem arrises I have to trouble shoot the system myself and have to deal with the manufacturer for warrantee support. I got really tired of doing this and also living with the down time for my computer. From now on I am buying from Dell who handles all these problems for me with just a phone call. Sure it is "fun" to build a computer but it just is not worth the hastle when parts fail (especially Western Digital hard drives) and compatibility problems arrise. I used to laugh at my friends who bought from Dell but they were the smart ones in the final analysis.
Dell
by BillDL - 4/22/05 11:58 AM In reply to: Dell by BillDLI noticed that one of the posts here in this forum mentions the fact that Dell is a good cholce because when there are problems with the opperating system Dell will help solve this kind of problem too. I have to agree with this statement. This is so true. So many average computer users have problems with having to reinstall the operating system when it get corrupted that it is great to be able to call Dell and have them walk you through this process. For the average user, problems with their computers, even simple problems, can be a time for panic. If you build a computer yourself there is NO ONE to turn to. You are on your own. It is sure nice to be able to call your computer vendor and ask them to help bail you out. The geek people who know a lot about computers mock companies like Dell, but for the average Joe, Dell is the only way to go.
Dell hasn't done this consistently...
by culture_of_one - 4/23/05 12:08 PM In reply to: Dell by BillDLfor the average consumer. Please state all the facts!
(Otherwise, people might think you work for Dell.) JDM
(*If you have any doubts about this, please check other postings on CNET and the web.)
As for Dell...
by culture_of_one - 4/22/05 7:12 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneMany of us no longer believe that it's a good company. Part of the problem is that, while Dell is still interested in going after (and taking good care of) "large customers", it is not really interested in "the unprofitable consumer market"...which means "us". They are even starting to take liberties with their "smaller" business clients.
http://chipchick.blogs.com/chip_chick/2005/03/dells_lawsuit_a.html
Caveat Emptor!
-JDM
Apple...
by culture_of_one - 4/22/05 7:29 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_onedefinitely has the best hardware...except for what has been called "the world's worst mouse".
-JDM
Best desktop comptuer
by cjpalmer - 4/22/05 8:08 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneDell no question!
??? DELL...You Must Be Kidding???
by sistaT - 4/29/05 7:08 PM In reply to: Best desktop comptuer by cjpalmerActually there are a few worse. But I must say, I'd have to disagree. Have you ever tried to upgrade a base model? Most times you don't even get what you pay for.
Apple
by macmax77 - 4/22/05 10:39 AM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneAccording to consumer report
Emachines
by culture_of_one - 4/22/05 12:56 PM In reply to: Who makes the best desktops? by culture_of_oneSo, Emachines still comes out on top with the most votes for "best overall"...quality, price, service, etc.
Furthermore, there's no one in here who's been able to say anything really bad about them...which, for CNET at least, is "Most unusual". (Grabbing ears, and looking like a Vulcan...) 
-JDM
Dell Probably Most Consistent
by Reframmellator - 4/22/05 2:35 PM In reply to: Emachines by culture_of_oneI agree with everything said so far about the pros and cons of Dell, especially the bad news about proprietary parts. What stands out with them - and it shows in their market share - is their consistency and service. Of the name brand machines that have been out there for a decade or more, Dell's lows have been higher than anyone else's and their customer service, although difficult to understand these days from "Mike" in Bangalore, is excellent once the problem is identified. In general, if you buy a PC as an appliance and you just want it to run and be fixed quickly when it doesn't, Dell is an excellent choice - and I've never owned one, but I've purchased about fifteen for our workplace and they've been pretty dependable.
With other brands, variation in build quality and reliability is astounding. My first computer was a Micron when they were getting rave reviews for performance and reliability. I had a Pentium 66 that baked itself to death in 18 months, but three coworkers who bought Microns on my advice loved them. Then my wife, who couldn't tell a CD tray from a cupholder, said, "CompUSA has IBM's on sale. They're supposed to be good. Why not get one of them?" I did and it ran extremely well through two heavy teenage users. The IBM was replaced by a Compaq returned to Sears after Christmas. At that time Compaq had dreadful ratings, but it's had 4.5 bulletproof, easily- and often-upgraded years. So has a second Compaq my son bought at a Compaq auction - and great support. My latest, an HP MCE, has run great after I ditched the OEM mouse and went with a USB optical.
My son and I built a PC from leftover parts from the Micron and IT ran well. Yet he has had nothing but trouble with a supposedly gold standard IBM ThinkPad he bought for college (pre-Lenovo).
I would strongly consider eMachines for the reasons discussed in this forum plus one more - service and support. Especially as a second machine, when downtime is slightly less critical. I bought three eMachine refurbs for our business from the reseller that everyone loves to bust on. One has been flawless and the other two needed to have some parts replaced. There were three incidents and I called three times during normal business hours. My hold times were 15, 28, and 15 SECONDS, each rep spoke American, and they listened to my diagnosis instead of working from The Universal Diagnostic Checklist.
In general, the more customized the machine, the more easily it can be modified. The more store bought it is, the better the service, but the less room for expansion and tinkering you'll have.
After all of this, my daughter is going off to college in September. Based on all of our experiences, she'll be toting an Apple iBook.
Thank you for your comments!
by culture_of_one - 4/22/05 3:11 PM In reply to: Dell Probably Most Consistent by ReframmellatorDell definitely takes better care of it's "larger" business customers (i.e. those who purchase several units in one shot) than it does of individual consumers. According to company officials, we are just part of "the unprofitable consumer market"...so I guess that's only to be expected. In my experience, large customers also seem to get much better hardware from Dell. (I have never seen a DOA unit or any kind of hardware failure at the computer lab of my university...and they buy Dell.)
Your comments on the other makers are interesting and helpful--and they confirm that both Emachines and Apple deserve their "number one" ratings for "best desktop" and "best laptop".
Sincerely,
JD MacDonald
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