How good is a Dell?

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › How good is a Dell?

ninjagirl

13 posts

Geek

Topic # 13625 21-May-2007 00:39

I have been thinking about getting a laptop for a while now...and I managed to find one I like by custom building it on the Dell website...but after reading on the net a bit I've seen a lot of bad feedback on Dells. What do you guys recommend? Is it really that bad? If so, what brand do you personally think is best or worst? And is there any other good brands out there that let you custom build like Dell does...I'm just really picky :P

freitasm

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Reply # 71459 21-May-2007 10:11

Dell is in general a good brand and I don't know of other brand that will let you customise a laptop like that. Of course there's the lead time, while you wait the machine being configured, but if it suits your needs, it's a great thing.

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zaptor

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Reply # 71496 21-May-2007 12:30

Dell after-sales service to non-corporate users is legendary (i.e. terrible).

However, their hardware is generally good, and it's hard to find a better deal for their products elsewhere - comparing apples to apples spec-wise (including a Windows license).

Out of curiousity what are your laptop specs and what are you going to use it for?

ninjagirl

13 posts

Geek

Reply # 71587 21-May-2007 23:18

Well, that's good to hear, just kind got a little put off with so many saying that it wasn't that good of a brand, I guess in the end it's all personal opinions and every brand has their downsides.

I've just wanted a small laptop, with good battery life. Going for a core 2 duo 2ghz, 2gb ram around 120 gb hd. I'll be using to to surf the net and do my work from which I run quite a few large programs and want something that I wont need to replace for a few years so I want pretty decent specs.

Thanks heaps, I'll probably definitely be getting it...if I can find some good dell coupons on the net

rwales

122 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 71601 22-May-2007 06:52

Hi there,

I can only speak from personal experience which in the case of Dell, is extensive. I've developed on them for years at work (both desktops & notebooks) and just bought a Dell XPS M1710 notebook for personal use (I build my own desktops, buying parts from whoever has what I need).

At work I have no contact with Dell (we have sysadmins for that) but the hardware has never let me down and seems to be of high standard. Recently, I just bought an XPS which is the ultimate endorsement. As usual, the hardware is superior. However, the customer services was terrible.

A long story short, I recently moved to NZ and bought the machine on a UK credit card. Apparently, this requires a phone call to verify my identity. TWO WEEKS of getting passed around to various departments, the damn transaction is eventually approved. At one point, I had three different guys calling me about the same problem. So, I agree with Zaptor. They have terrible customer service, but the hardware & level of customization (especially for notebooks) is probably worth it. :)

ninjagirl

13 posts

Geek

Reply # 71716 22-May-2007 16:31

Awesome, I've been looking into getting the XPS M1210, and if everything goes fine, I probably won't need to contact their customer service at all. :P

I'll probably just be sorting out exactly which specs I want and will be purchasing this within the next few days...thanks heaps. and If you still wish to comment on them I'd still like to read peoples opinions :)

rwales

122 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 71729 22-May-2007 18:26

Cool! Once the payment thing was sorted out, it was delivered really fast.

zaptor

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Reply # 71903 23-May-2007 14:48

XPS M1210 (E-Value Code: Q540526 = $1,800 base price) looks very nice.

I configured it to about $2,300 to your desired spec (with a nice-to-have option - see below), plus I stayed with Win XP - better the nasty O/S you know I figured.

One thing I noticed was the gfx can now be a Geforce Go 7400 (64MB discrete, with on-demand sharing of main memory up to 256MB). Not a big deal for some, but it sure beats an integrated Intel GMA 9xx for a little low-end gaming.

rwales

122 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 71941 23-May-2007 18:52

better the nasty O/S you know

Vista Ultimate was just an extra $15 over XP so I thought "why the hell not". Dell were offering a free disk upgrade to 160GB which is far more than adequate to dual boot XP if you like.

I have a bizarre Vista/Solaris dual boot on my XPS.

makaveli

15 posts

Geek

Reply # 71996 23-May-2007 21:02

great value for money....for laptops, i dont think you'll find too many places that can beat them in price for what they offer.
but yes...their after sales customer support is not very good.
i have a friend who used their 24/7 tech support number (she had a problem and was given that number on her invoice that dell sent to her when buying her laptop) and the number just said to call back during normal business hours (we called on a weekend).

anyways, she got hold of a number that was given out to a local business and got hold of them straight away.....so looks like corporate clients are taken care of.

short story....a technician came around the next day and sorted her problem out. she tolf him about the 24/7 number and he said "i know, many people complain but looks like they never addressed it"

but i've had a dell about 1 1/2 years and the machine is going strong, i never had a problem and i'm happy. although i dont know what awaits me if i ever run into problems and need their help....i have heard and experienced bad service from them as mentioned above.

bearing in mind, i only gave you the "short" version of the story.

zaptor

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Reply # 72043 24-May-2007 11:19

zaptor: XPS M1210 (E-Value Code: Q540526 = $1,800 base price)

Looks like Dell don't want people to order Q540526 online. The one I talked about above is actually Q540545 - not Q540526.

The difference? Looks like with Q540526 you get a 160GB HDD upgrade instead of a 120GB HDD upgrade - 40GB difference. However, the Q540526 base price is $1,900 ($100 extra). But, when I looked at the upgrade cost for going from 120GB -> 160GB for Q540545 it was $232.88, so the Q540526 deal doesn't look so bad from that light.

I have a flyer from the Dominion Post that says Q540526 gives you a free 160GB HDD upgrade.

The Q540526 deal finishes today.

You can still order via phone (0800 335 536). Plus you'd probably need to upgrade the unit to 2GHz, 2GB RAM, and the GeForce Go 7400.

ninjagirl

13 posts

Geek

Reply # 72051 24-May-2007 12:01

Ahh really?! Looks like I might not have time to double think anything, thanks for that bit of info Zaptor, the extra 40gb would but great. I could still get this offer via their site, no? I don't know what time I'd get home today and don't want to miss this offer. :S
edit: never mind...found it :D that's for the m1710...and it worked out to be around $4000...I think I'll pass on that this time

It's really too bad about their customer service though, I'd seriously think about never getting a Dell again if I experienced such bad service from them...unless their products really are golden, in which case I'd complain about it and continue to buy their stuff :P

pinkpod

20 posts

Geek

Reply # 72162 25-May-2007 09:13

quite honestly my family and i have never had good experience with dell (our first computer was a lemon, customers service is not that great in my opinion). i would however recommend gateway as i have had 2 and had great experiences both times...i would also consider sony (i havent had one personally but know of others who have and they loved theirs)

stevonz

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Reply # 72183 25-May-2007 11:06

A previuos employer gave me a Dell laptop as a work tool & I had absolutely no prob's at all. Most of my other colleagues had no prob's either. One guy did have a modem issue & they just swaaped the unit out rather than attempt repair. I personally own a Sony Vaio and love it. It's getting long in the tooth (4years old) but never misses a beat!

Cheers, Stevo

gerryjoson

25 posts

Geek

Reply # 73215 2-Jun-2007 11:45

Dell's are as good as anything else depending on which model's you look at,the business Precision and Latitude models
are built better than anything apart from possibly Thinkpads,but they are very close,the Inspirons are still as good as any Asus,acer or Sony[wobbly screens anyone?]IMO better.
I have exclusively bought Dell since january 2004 [1 Inspiron,2 Latitude,3 Precision's] and haven't had a problem with one of them,their warranty is the biggest appeal to me [who else will come to your residence the next day to repair your pc if you have a problem]sure you if you buy the cheap home inspiron line/cheap warranty you will have to deal with "Billy" in India/Malaysia,but if you stand fast,you will get your computer repaired a lot quicker than any Asus,Sony,Hp etc which from what I've seen with other people is a standard...loose your laptop for three weeks and it may not come back fixed.
Dell has a bad name from largely,the united states,where they are the biggest pc producer[or were]and people just hate them
because they view them as this large,uncaring public company,who has been very successful without having to show a public face in retail outlets.
Best place to go for real user opinions on notebooks and computers in general is forums like notebookforums or notebookreview forums where you can get pro's and cons of pretty much every pc made.
You will find bad things said on the internet with any brand,as unhappy people will generally blog and spout off about their problems,yet people who don't have problems stay silent and are the majority.