What's the info about these computers. I've heard they are pretty good bang for the buck. Looking to purchase a new computer and all, just didnt know what to buy. Only have about $700 or so to spend so im trying to buy a decent computer. Don't know how much gaming i will do on it but that is also an issue. Some of the E's are pretty good looking to me. 160gig HD's with 512DDR and some radeon 128mb card, also comes with a 2.0ghz processor which i would probably upgrade along with RAM and V-Card. I talked to some friends and they told me an E Machine is something to shoot for. Any info would be great.

I have also thought about building my own but then again i don't know if i should or not. Thanks in advance and any info would be appreciated.

ok just tallied up a somewhat basic total to build a semi-decent computer and it came out to be $545 without a monitor or shipping.

Basics would be:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146546
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116141
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813137042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131292
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835114011
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131251
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823107119

not too sure about the cd burner/dvd/disc drive combo as i have not really researched 2 much about them. Don't know about any monitors at this point either. I have a optical mouse which doesnt really matter. Speakers i still have to look into as well. Any info about these components would be a big help and i would appreciate the information.

One thing about E-Machines is that if you take out any of their hardware to upgrade it, the warranty is voided. In case you were worried about a warranty.

another question.

when buying motherboards and Processors, do they have to be the same socket type for them to be combatible.

exe:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116141
with a:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813137042

or do they have to simply be a socket 754 MB with a socket 754 Processor.

That CPU/mobo combo is not compatible. For that particular P4 you need an Intel-based Socket 478 mobo. Basically the pin numbers must be the same. The board you linked to is for an AMD Athlon 64 754-pin CPU (which I would suggest over P4 Northwood).

If you go the route of building (I'm assuming you're thinking about it due to the above links), look into AMD over Intel; generally more power per buck there (that P4 you're looking at is pretty dated for an Intel chip).

For a good 2.1 speaker set up look into the Logitech Z3s or some Creative stuff if you need cheaper.

ok so pretty much this is what i'm looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813137042
with:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103425

also cados since you seem like a pretty well knowledged Comp. guy, (i've seen previous computer threads in the past and seen you answer many a question) from your personal advice, would this set-up be compatible with all the other parts? Problem i have heard with building your own system is making sure all the parts work. With the CPU change making sure its a 754 socket, does this mean now that everything else would be compatible?

I am far from purchasing all this equipment, maybe another month or 2 before i actually do this. But for the most part am i doing the right thing here?

Check out pricewatch.com for a great list of retailers dealing in PC parts (just pay attention to retailer ratings). You can find some unbeatable prices there. Sometimes Newegg and TigerDirect tend to be on the more expensive side.

newegg is a great site.

I bought a case Amd 64 motherboard and processor, 120 gig hard drive, 17 inc LCD monitor, DVD burner, plus all the extra parts youneed for little under 500 bucks... monitor only cost me 150.

i havent been able to find a monitor yet for under 160, LCD that is.

how long ago did you buy it?

also about how much extra in shipping charges do you think all that would run me?

If you're a gamer or care about quality at all, I'm not sure you'd want an LCD monitor @ $160 or less.

yea i've heard LCD arn't that great to play with. Basically at this point i'm looking for just a simple monitor. I do game a lot but more or less on the xbox. I mean hell i played EQ for 4 years of course but i don't know how much more ill do. For the time being im gonna buy some simple 17" CRT.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1189894&CatId=166
something like that just to have until i can buy a better monitor. I'm hoping
all this stuff will work out and i can buy it. Sick of using this PoS comp im on.
Best thing about it is my optical mouse i just bought. Sad but true.

ifyou dont wanna spend money on a monitor check your local classifieds you'll find a cheap ass 17 inc easily.

He's not saying you wouldn't want an LCD, just not one that's $160 cheap. A decent LCD is so much better than a CRT, you can't begin to understand it until you've used both. Games, movies, whatever.

Yea im pretty much gonna buy something that i can use until i can buy an LCD for like 250+

Yea im pretty much gonna buy something that i can use until i can buy an LCD for like 250+

hehe mine ran me $699 good luck on that.

damn....

thats 200$ more then the compenents im trying buy to make a computer lol...

like i've said before if anyone has any knowledge or imput( i won take it the wrong way ) i'll listen to what u have to say about the current set-up i have going. To me it sounds pretty good, only thing im worried about is what happens when i order it all and it turns out to not be compatible. I changed the case though to a one from geeks.net
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SIL-CP702-2&cat=CAS
if that helps any.

i also just wan't to make sure i'm not forgetting anything i should have thats really important. Only thing i can think of is an OS and i can easily get one for free so...only thing i can think of.

i think i also messed up with the case and the motherboard. It seems that the sound card and ethernet/dial-up card need to be aligned in a different way. Seems like i would have to buy another case right?

Your mobo (as long as it's not bare OEM) will come with a new I/O panel so the board will fit correctly into the case. All ATX case I/O panels are removeable/replaceable.

Since you've never built before I'd look into a decent guide on the net and also read the motherboard manual thoroughly, especially when installing the CPU and fan/heatsink onto the board.

ok so the link above:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?in...CP702-2&cat=CAS (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SIL-CP702-2&cat=CAS)
should fit with my MoBo snuggly correct?

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/479264/

It's an Athlon 64 3200+
512MB (doesn't say what type)
80G hard drive (should be bigger!)
16x DVDRW+/- w/Light Scribe!!
Win XP Media Center Edition 2005
128MB DDR nVidia GeoForceFX video card
9-in-1 media card reader
Slot for removable hard-drive
Remote Control
TV tuner w/DVR technology!!

Total is $499.00 ($450 off!!!)

$949.00 Sale price
-$150 MIR -HP
-$200 MIR -OD Media Center
-$100 MIR -OD M7050e Rebate

cool...

was also wondering i if i need a floppy drive?

heard they are kinda useless these days but i can still think of papers i'd have to type and may need to put on file somewhere. Guess thats what zip drives or thumbnail drives are for but who knows? FD is onyl like 10bucks anyway i think.

cool...

was also wondering i if i need a floppy drive?

heard they are kinda useless these days but i can still think of papers i'd have to type and may need to put on file somewhere. Guess thats what zip drives or thumbnail drives are for but who knows? FD is onyl like 10bucks anyway i think.

Spend 10 more bucks and get a jump drive with 1000%+ space...well worth the extra funds.

a jump drive...never heard of it

a jump drive...never heard of it

Jump Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820191119)

Whatever poor sob/friend comes out to help work on your computer is probably going to cuss your ass out if you don't have a floppy drive. Jumpdrives are great, but they are unlikely to work in dos if someone has to load drivers or do something outside of Windows because your windows install is hosed. Argue all you want, but I'd pay the $10 on the off chance I'd need the floppy drive.

In any case...jump drives (or any USB flash drive) are great to have in a pinch...they hold a hell of a lot more data than a floppy disk and some computers can even boot to them. I plan on getting a 2gig usb flash drive when the price starts to dip under $100. Should be able to install a base Windows XP installation and boot to it.

haha ill make sure to add a floppy then. Just read up on jump drives. They seem pretty cool but yea the price is kinda high.

Ahh yes the jump drives, people around my neck of the woods refer to em as thumb drives. I know what you're talking about now.

LOL I can't remember the last time I used a floppy drive or even needed to.

here's a quick question, say i have the ability to use S-video cables to hook up my (when built new computer) to my T.V. Would this eliminate the use of a Monitor having to be purchased. That way i can just run the images onto my T.V screen?

LOL I can't remember the last time I used a floppy drive or even needed to.Install a RAID or SATA driver recently? Slipstreaming it into your boot CD/DVD isn't exactly fun :) [Trust me on this one...]

Install a RAID or SATA driver recently? Slipstreaming it into your boot CD/DVD isn't exactly fun :) [Trust me on this one...]

nope

*knock on wood*

here's a quick question, say i have the ability to use S-video cables to hook up my (when built new computer) to my T.V. Would this eliminate the use of a Monitor having to be purchased. That way i can just run the images onto my T.V screen?

Not a good idea. It won't look good at all and on certain TVs the computer's images can burn into the screen. Stick with a dedicated PC monitor.

Hehe, check out where I work, you never know.

Keep in mind, it's Canadian Dollar prices, but even just looking at the system configurations on the main page (click Customize) might help you out.

www.avalonsoftware.com (http://www.avalonsoftware.com)

Cheers

As far as floppy drives go, you don't really have a good excuse not to get one if you're going to be building a computer anyways. If you can, just rip one out of an older computer and use that instead. I think mine is nearly as old as I am. :(

Also, if you're not going to be doing anything special with your machine, you won't save all that much money by building it yourself (at least, not compared to 4-5 years ago). I'd just buy it from a company that has a number of models available, such as Dell. That way, you also get free support for your entire machine, as opposed to its individual components.

Actually we include a full 1 year limited depot warranty (parts and labor) with all our systems. We also sell extended warranties that are good for anywhere in North America. The depot warranty isn't much good to our American friends, but the other warranties ( you can have it start immediately if ye like ) is good anywhere from Labrador to California and everywhere inbetween.

As far as our systems go, we piece together everything. If it's on the market, chances are we can get it in and give you a good price on it. You'd be amazed at the systems we've put together. If it's not on the site, if you get us a model number and manufacturer, we'll get you your system. (shipping and handling handled on your dept). Best part? Shipping outside of Canada, we don't put our taxes on it (you take care of it with your customs guys), so the final figure you see on our quotes is as if you bought it in our store locally. Look at the figure before taxes to look at the actual price (in Canadian dollars).

If I had a dollar for every person that came in with an E-Machine, a Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, etc, looked me in the eye like an apologetic son and said "I'm sorry, but I'm back", I wouldn't need to work for the rest of my life.

There's something to be said for getting what you want under the hood of your system.

Business is great hehe, life is good. :)

Bah, last post sounded like an advert, my apologies. Just defending my brand is all :p

well if i also build this myself i'll just feel good about it when it works.. sounds stupid but whatever.

Binu u want to hook me up with a deal?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141423

does that kind of RAM suck or something?

CAS3, which makes it...unremarkably average in every way. Fine for the price.

good b/c i think im gonna use it...im up to like $650 or so after shipping and taxes... Case and monitor alone were 30bucks for case and 25 shipping b/c it weighed 15lbs. Monitor will prob be the same. I took off the keyboard and speakers. I can get those at a local staples or something for no shipping except for my own gas. Hopefully in a couple months ill have this bad boy up and running if i decide to continue on with it. Another last question. With the system bios, how can i get that up and running? Like after i install all the parts correctly and it boots up...ill most def put in xp discs, but what after that?

I'd stick to the memory your motherboard manufacturer reccommends. Certain boards can be very picky about what stick you put in there - even when they have the same specifications on paper. A number of motherboards have a problem with Kingston's DDR400 unbuffered valueRAM (namely, a few ASUS boards).

As far as floppy drives go, you don't really have a good excuse not to get one if you're going to be building a computer anyways. If you can, just rip one out of an older computer and use that instead. I think mine is nearly as old as I am. :(

Also, if you're not going to be doing anything special with your machine, you won't save all that much money by building it yourself (at least, not compared to 4-5 years ago). I'd just buy it from a company that has a number of models available, such as Dell. That way, you also get free support for your entire machine, as opposed to its individual components.


Dell *shudder* My gf's dad got a Dell about a year ago. He got a nice system and didn't have any problems until the week his warranty was to expire. It started flaking out. First it was the power supply then the mainboard. This started in April and we are still going back and forth with Dell trying to get it working. They have sent us a mb, cpu, and power supply 3x and each time we have asked for new parts for the power switch. The support people all are from India and don't understand a word he is saying. This last time they sent circuit boards that fit the case that you need special tools to get to. I wouldn't buy a Dell ever after his experience. In fact a few weeks ago I priced him a similar model and built it for him. It's just not worth the extra dough to buy from a PC maker unless you're going to buy that extended service and want to deal with people who probably aren't going to speak English as their first language.

so anyone want to recommend some pretty good RAM that isnt too expensive?

People talk about RAM failure a lot. It's more talk than reality.

Just to go newegg.com and find decent priced RAM that has lots of reviews. Then buy it.

I completely disagree with fildien on every point about Dells. They're, overall, reliable, and their support is top-notch. They're also available at great prices on a regular basis.

so anyone want to recommend some pretty good RAM that isnt too expensive?You already found it.

My back up comp is a Dell. Frankly it has been 100% reliable and powerful for what I paid for it. I personally have had no problems with em.

I completely disagree with fildien on every point about Dells. They're, overall, reliable, and their support is top-notch. They're also available at great prices on a regular basis.

And do you deal with them on a home use level or business level? I thought the same thing until this whole deal with my gf's dad. I was pro-Dell all the way b/c of the service I got at work with them.

This has been a horrid fiasco. The latest resulting in the wrong parts shipped. This makes shipment #4 from Dell of parts (all refurbed too). We have since sent them proper part serial numbers and the incorrect ones they sent. No way in hell would I ever buy a Dell again. So Pali until you encounter the situation I have I doubt you will change your view.

This is my favorite......here is the support ticket. Their first suggestion was to reinstall the OS when the PC wouldn't even boot! ahahah :eek:





Dear Mr. <name>,

Thank you for contacting Dell Technical Support.

I apologize for your inconvenience caused and I understand your concern regarding this issue.

As I understand the issue from your e-mail, the computer does not boot.

Mr. <name>, Please accept my apologies for the difficulties you encountered with your technical issues. I assure you that your situation is not indicative of the quality service Dell is capable of providing. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to share your experience with us. Your comments are very important to us and will assist in making improvements.

Once again, I thank you for sharing your experience with us. Whether the feedback we receive is positive or negative, it remains a crucial tool for determining how we can best improve our products and services. I truly regret any inconvenience or frustration this matter may have caused. We value you as our customer and your satisfaction is very important to us.

I would request you to please perform repair reinstall of the Operating System. Please refer to the following link to our Support Website to perform the repair reinstall.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn (http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn)

=1056993&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

Mr. <name>, incase the issue persists, I would place a request to replace the power supply, motherboard and the processor. I have checked our records and found that the contract has expired and the technician will not replace the parts. I will definitely help you installing the parts.

Please provide the information requested below so I can setup your

service:

1. Contact Name:

2. Address: (from your original order/ invoice) 3. Current Shipping Address: (Address, City, State, and Zip) No PO Boxes

please:

4. Daytime Phone Number:

5. Alternate Contact/ Phone:

6. Order Number:

7. Customer Number:

8. Service Tag Number:

9. Address you would like the system returned to, if different from the shipping address above.

You may have provided this information earlier, however, providing this information is a Legal and Procedural requirement. As soon as the information is verified I will arrange for the replacement.

Please write to me, I will be glad to assist you.

Respectfully,

Sandipan

DT D53203

Dell Technical Support



Dell Email Support operates 24/7, and if your reply is received while I am not in, to ensure a speedy resolution of your problem, your issue may be handled by one of my colleagues.

If you need to reply to us, please use the REPLY function of your email program. This will keep the SAME SUBJECT of the response, ensuring quicker service.

7 * * * * * * * * * *

Visit the Dell Community Forum where you can find answers to questions and exchange information with other Dell users:

http://DellCommunity.com (http://dellcommunity.com/)

7 * * * * * * * * * * *

Visit the Dell Knowledge Base to get answers:

http://support.dell.com/ (http://support.dell.com/)

7 * * * * * * * * * * *

To submit a different question, visit the Communications Center at:

http://support.dell.com/contactus/contactushome.aspx (http://support.dell.com/contactus/contactushome.aspx)

DISCLAIMER

The information in this document has been reviewed and is believed to be accurate. However, neither Dell nor its affiliates assume any responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions that may be contained herein. In no event will Dell or its affiliates be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this document, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Dell reserves the right to make improvements or changes to this document and the products and services described at any time, without notice or obligation. This information applies to the continental United States and Canada only, unless specifically stated otherwise.

*****************************************

Service Tag:<something>

*****************************************

Original Message Follows:

------------------------

* * * PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE SUBJECT WHEN REPLYING * * *

************************************************** ****************

Service Tag =<something>

System Type =Dimension 8300

System Product Family =Dimension 8300

System Ship Date =4/21/2004 12:00:00 AM

Operating System: Not Applicable

***********************************************

Name: <name>

Contact Address:

Phone:

Email:
***********************************************
Current Case ID :

Original Case ID:

Problem: Computer

***********************************************

Problem Description:

On April 21, 2004 you folks shipped me a Dell Dimension 8300. It has been a good year. On April 16, 2005, my computer went dead. The power supply smelled burnt. I called and you sent in a technician on April 19th who installed a new power supply and I was up and running again.

On May 3rd, I got up around 4:00 am and my screen was dark and the system was off and would not start again. I called and spoke to "Nor"

who stated that all that could be done was to ship me a new power supply, a motherboard (with ram) and a processing chip. This arrived on Friday, May 6th. On Saturday, effort was taken to replace these parts but the system still wouldn't boot. The fan works slightly. The parts were all marked refurbished. Is it possible I got bad parts?

After spending $2,300 for the system, I feel one year insufficient time for usage. Now I guess I have to go buy a new system. Please review the file and advise if there is any additional help that Dell can offer.

PS I tried to set up an account but the system would not take my State.





***********************************************

Referring URL: 24.104.32.18

Date Received(K): 5/9/05 08:42:32 AM

----------

Begin Customer Configuration

----------

System Profiler has gathered the information in this form.

If you did not run System Profiler the fields will be blank.

----------

sp_service_tag:{}

sp_system_model:{}

sp_bios_vendor:{}

sp_bios_ver:{}

sp_bios_date:{}

sp_os_name:{}

sp_os_version:{}

sp_os_installdate:{}

sp_os_servicepack:{}

sp_num_cpus:{}

sp_cpu_mfgr:{}

sp_cpu_cache:{}

sp_cpu_speed:{}

sp_num_disk_drives:{}

sp_disk_drive_model:{}

sp_disk_drive_size:{}

sp_num_ide_controllers:{}

sp_ide_controller_model:{}

sp_num_logical_disks:{}

sp_logical_disk_name:{}

sp_logical_disk_filesystem:{}

sp_logical_disk_free:{}

sp_logical_disk_size:{}

sp_logical_disk_used:{}

sp_scsi_controller_model:{}

sp_num_optical_drives:{}

sp_optical_drive_model:{}

sp_num_memory_slots:{}

sp_mem_info:{}

sp_total_memory:{}

sp_available_memory:{}

sp_mem_perc_free:{}

sp_virtmem_total:{}

sp_virtmem_perc_free:{}

sp_pagemem_total:{}

sp_pagemem_perc_free:{}

sp_num_network:{}

sp_network_model:{}

sp_network_mac:{}

sp_num_video:{}

sp_video_model:{}

sp_video_ram:{}

sp_video_driver:{}

sp_num_sound:{}

sp_sound_model:{}

sp_num_software:{}

sp_software:{}

----------

End Customer Configuration

----------






And thus begins the saga of shitty customer support from Dell. So uhhh yeah no way will I buy a Dell or advise anyone too. We are still dealing with this mess.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that the thing we have been trying to convey for the past 3 weeks is that it isn't a MB, power supply or CPU issue but the actual power switch on the case. Yes the power supply did fry in April but the power switch won't work. So the last round of parts were the small circuit boards controlling power, USB, etc in the front panel but ummm yep they were the wrong ones. We have asked for the past 3 weeks to send a case with these parts since it would be easier. Instead they keep sending us MBs, pwr supplies, and CPUs. GAH!

Install a RAID or SATA driver recently? Slipstreaming it into your boot CD/DVD isn't exactly fun :) [Trust me on this one...]

Yah i have a nice SATA drive sitting here cause i didnt get a floppy drive =/ so cant use it yet :mad:

Well, installing a SATA drive shouldn't be a problem...

As to the Dell issue, I support a lot of them at work, and I've been involved in the care and feeding of numerous home dells. God knows why anyone would pay 2,300 for one. Hell, I just bought more dual-proc Precision 470's with 15k SCSI drives for under 2,000... Anyway, I digress. A new Dell from Dell Home should be under $500 with a monitor included, or under $700 with a LOT of power included. You can only be SO upset with a company that advance RMA's their failed parts, sends technicians TO YOU, and still prices machines for under $500 delivered with monitors. Is the dude at Fry's gonna come replace the power supply on your $500 computer's fan when that piece of crap stops working? ...and while I'm ranting, Dells are the most quiet machines you will EVER buy without getting insane like me.

Desktops:
Dell 3000 P4-2.8Ghz Desktop 17in LCD $429 shipped free (http://www.techbargains.com/u.cfm?id=17978&u=1) Exp 6/1

Dell 4700 P4 2.8Ghz, DDR2 PCI Express Desktop, 17in LCD $459 shipped free (http://www.techbargains.com/u.cfm?id=17978&u=1) Exp 6/1

Dell 8400 P4 3Ghz 630 2MB Cache, DDR2 PCI Express Desktop, 19in LCD $699 shipped free (http://www.techbargains.com/u.cfm?id=17978&u=1) Exp 6/1

On the issue of slipstreaming drivers....

nlite (google it) makes it so damn easy it's scary.

basically feed it your XP install CD, slipstream a service pack (if needed), integrate drivers (both Windows and Textmode) and build a bootable cd iso that you burn with your favorite burning software.

It saved my ass the last time I had to reinstall XP MCE 2005 on my ATA100 RAID controller without a floppy.

My "big" MCE change will be a multi-raptor array, so I can finally watch a fourth program while I record three...without the hidef getting choppy.

Both of my Dell XPS gaming rigs are dead rock solid... WIfes has been for a year now. Mine still smells new....=)

I would probably never buy a Dell for myself for home, but....

The Dell Optiplex GX240 I have at work has been an amazing little trooper. The thing was deployed to me on August 14, 2002. The only time I've ever had anyone from support look at it was recently when the power supply fan started to make noise. That thing has been powered on virutally the entire time since then. I frequently have uptimes of 30 days running Windows 2000.

I'd still rather have a PowerMac on my desk at work instead of this Dell, though. ;)

no offense Jilohango, but with some of the questions you are asking, there is no way you should be building your own pc. You are better off buying one that is going to work out of the box. The best way to start learning is upgrading a piece at a time(after your computer you buy is out of warrenty or if it is one of the rare companies that will still warranty everything but what you replace). If you were to build a pc with alot of the questions you are asking, you would be without a computer for a while. First time computer builds can very frustrating, and with your knowledge level, I don't know if it's worth saving $50-100 on the style system you'd be building for the money. Really the only way you save all that much building your own is when you get into more expensive systems anyhow. That and if you build it yourself, and don't have that much knowledge, you have absolutely ZERO customer support when something goes wrong. You'll spend more money swapping out things trying to figure out what's broken then you would have saved in the first place. I'm not necessarily saying buy a Dell, but maybe investigate what Binuven is doing, sounds very interesting to me and sounds like a good deal for you.

Well all this bitching and here I just found out they are sending him a new machine :D They should have done that weeks ago but hey they are getting higher on the happy customer meter. I don't know why he paid that much but I'm guessing his huge monitor played a small part. It's what happens when older adults buy things and not listen to us young ones. He soon learned when he finally let me build him one for under $500.

Nonetheless I'm not too keen on buying PCs from companies anyway I'd just as soon build my own. There is one glimmer of hope you can actually get an English speaking person if you ask for one. My company is moving away from Dell we have some 7k desktop PCs seems our Desktop group didn't like dealing with them either. But chances are it has more to do with the huge ass support contract we have going with IBM. /shrug who knows. We all have opinions based on our own experiences. Prior to this I thought of Dell as a respectable seller, that changed drastically.


Oh and one more thing.
What you say about their RMAs and on site support is true until you are near the end of your warranty. His first failure occured 6 days prior to its' expiration.

http://www.aaltonen.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2376&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Details about bad capacitors in Dell SC400 servers, Optiplex GX270's, and I think Dell 8300's. Something to add to your troubleshooting toolbox as all it is is a visual check of the little cylinder looking capacitors mainly around the heatsink.

One thing I will add about the small form factor Optiplex GX270/GX280's...don't add a video card with a fan on the heat sink. We installed four cheap nVidia cards and they all burned up because the heatsink fan failed due to high heat inside these things.

Dude, you're getting a Dell.
http://images.usatoday.com/life/gallery/pinups/dell.jpg

Wasn't he fired for being a Dope head?

In short, no.





Claim: Benjamin Curtis' career as a pitchman for Dell computers ended because he was arrested for possession of marijuana.



[b]Status: False.

Origins: This has yet to evolve into the hot rumor of the moment, but thanks to the experience gleaned from years of backtracking how gossip begins, we can see it coming. The confluence of two related but distinctly different events is so often afterwards mistakenly remembered as a case of one event's having caused the other that it's a given we'll soon be hearing the claim that Dell Computer Corporation dropped its http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/graphics/delldude.jpg energetic teenage blonde pitchman because his arrest for marijuana possession made him an embarrassment to his employers.

Actor Benjamin Curtis, who played the wise-cracking "Steven" in the more than a dozen "Dude, you're getting a Dell" commercials, was arrested for marijuana possession on 9 February 2003. Because this was a first offense involving a small amount of marijuana, the actor won't be seeing the inside of a jail cell — the charges against him will be dismissed, and he'll avoid a criminal record if he stays out of trouble for the next year.

As far as Dell commercials go, we're going to see a lot less of "Steven" in the coming years, but not because the computer maker dropped him as a corporate embarrassment due to his drug bust. The "Dell Dude" character was already on the way out in favor of a new less "dude-centric" ad campaign at the time of the Curtis dust-up, and at least two of those newer ads had already been widely aired. The new series of Dell spots features interns oohing over how the company fills customer orders, with one of those spots aimed at smoothing the transition from "Dell Dude" to "Wide-Eyed Interns" themes by following the youngsters through the order completion process, then shifting to "Steven" and his presumed younger brother receiving the unit the interns had overseen on the shipping floor.

Although Dell had done well with its advertising centered on the "Steven" character, the campaign had been underway for three years and was getting stale. Moreover, there was a real chance the product was becoming overshadowed by the pitchman as the "Dell Dude" became more of a cultural icon as time went by. Dell deemed it time for a change, hence the shift to the interns. And the changes all took place before things went to pot, as it were. Barbara "the Dell Dude's arrest ends speculation that marijuana was a gateway drug" Mikkelson Last updated: 16 February 2003






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And now Dell is back to boring "Get the most l33t powerful ubah almighty Pentium/Celeron 4 for less!" style of ad. Those interns were annoying though.

If Snopes were a woman, I'd make sweet wolverine love with her.