Another reason not to buy a Dell.

[jarhead995]

ululullululu.

I guess I'll finally build my own computer, I've known how to for years, but I'm always scared of making mistakes and breaking a part that's worth hundreds of dollars.

[Milsurp Collector]

Dell used to use proprietary sockets and power supplies and RAM so buyers couldn't upgrade their computers and had to have it straight from the factory the way you wanted it meaning more money for them. That turned me off from them but not sure if they still do that.

Dell did use a proprietary ATX power supply-motherboard connector from 1996 to 2000. It looked like a regular ATX power connector but it was wired differently. If you didn't know that and replaced a Dell power supply with a standard power supply you fried the motherboard. Apparently Dell finally realized the error of their ways and went back to industry standards.

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=339053

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/dell_drop_kicks_proprietary_parts

[Chris M]

Dell was good to us at my work from 2001 to 2009. This year, we've had WAY too many DOA's. One of the machines that came DOA was RMA'd and replaced with another machine that was DOA...a tech had to come out and replace the motherboard on a brand new machine.

They're probably going to lose our business pretty soon. We may not be their biggest account, but all our Workstations, Laptops, Servers, Switches, Routers, PDA's, Projectors, and Printers (with a few exceptions, of course) are Dell branded.

[hkfooey]

Ouch!

[nick]

It's not just in the last couple of years. Techies have known to stay away from certain Optiplex (and two Precision) motherboards for years. The sure sign that the capacitor was going to blow was when the top of the capacitor gets bloated.

That being said, I've had a better experience with Dell laptops and desktops than with other brands, HP and Compaqs being my least favorite brands for those (I'm not even talking about brands like eMachines or Gateway, for they were never seriously considered to begin with). On the server side, I used to prefer Compaq/HP, but their quality has come down to the point that Dell servers have become their equals. And I can get Dells way cheaper than Proliants.

[whobob]

The reason not to buy a Dell would be to buy an Apple.

[blisster]

I don't remember that EVER being the case. Quite the opposite actually.
In fact, Dell got it's start by building tricked out/upgraded IBM Machines. They've never had anything even close to proprietary.

Apple on the other hand.....


In all seriousness though - The only computer mfg that's ever had proprietary hardware has been apple. There have been a few over the years (emachines, compaq) that built very budget-oriented machines in which components were hardwired so as not to allow upgrade. But your allegation is pretty much completely unfounded.
Even apple wasn't proprietary in the strictest sense. They just chose to use motorola chips instead of intel/amd/cyrix processors. As a result the entire system architechure was different, and thus hardware requirements were different. (but that's another story entirely - cause it's apple)

Not true. Dell used to use proprietary power harnesses on their mobo's and cases, as well as a proprietary connector to the front panel of the case. The first machine I ever tried to upgrade was an old dell and I couldn't mount an ASUS motherboard in the case, the power supply connections weren't compatible, nor were the front panel connectors.
They may not do this anymore, but they did at one time.

[blisster]

Oh, and my server room's are completely stocked with HP iron (and Netapp). HP/Compaq servers have always been superior (and pricier) than Dell in every aspect, from reliability, to support, to service, to manageability.
You get what you pay for.

[cdj337]

Consumer Dells are massed produced and the quality control through the years have gone down. As far as server goes, nothing beats HP. If you want quality engineering, and 2nd to non customer service, then get a IBM/Lenovo. Cost more, but it's build like a tank and will outlast a dell for years.

[Chris M]

Consumer Dells are massed produced and the quality control through the years have gone down. As far as server goes, nothing beats HP. If you want quality engineering, and 2nd to non customer service, then get a IBM/Lenovo. Cost more, but it's build like a tank and will outlast a dell for years.

Yes, IBM servers are very good. We just retired an old AS/400 at my work that had been in use since the mid-late 90's. The only reason it was retired was due to it's lack of speed. One of the things that I liked about it was that you could change out hardware (Memory, Hard Drives, and I think even processors) while the machine was still running. Almost zero downtime.

We purchased an I-Series to replace it...at a cost of around $60k. Our dell servers are usually $3k-10k depending on specs.

[NaughtyMonkey]

I say build the machine yourself. Want a good desktop. Build it exactly how you want it. I have had a couple Dell's and I don't like them, There customer support is horrible.

[skale240]

oh all the memories are coming back with this talk about bad capacitors. I remember at my previous job having to replace hundreds if not a thousand motherboards (just at my 2 sites) because of this. they were stinkin IBMs...we always had problems with IBM workstations and laptops but our dells always ran pretty good!

[FluorideInMyWater]

im a big fan of IBM. have used all brands. worst is sony vaio IME. but iBMs would just keep going for years, esp. the laptops.

servers are amazing. have worked w/ the blades as well as 8processor beasts to run VMs off of. great ****.

if i was going to buy a new laptop i would get one of the following
ibm
apple
fujitsu (very impressed with)

if i was going to get a new desktop i would buy the following
IBM only

[winnre]

for laptops I have a Dell XPS M1530 now, but I have always found Toshibas to be superior.

[FluorideInMyWater]

for laptops I have a Dell XPS M1530 now, but I have always found Toshibas to be superior.

i agree on the toshiba's, but fujitsu has surpassed the them the last few years on quality and performance IMO. price might be a little higher tho.

Fujitsu/Seimins server are amazing pieces of hardware.