Opinion on Dell

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sidders80

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#185403 21-Nov-2015 13:09

So after looking around for a while I have narrowed my search down to this machine which seems to have decent specs for the price.

http://www.dell.com/nz/p/inspiron-15-7559-laptop/pd?oc=y510871nz&model_id=inspiron-15-7559-laptop#secondaryContent

It will be used for gaming and some other high end tasks. I have never owned a Dell before so want to know what are they like performance wise, warranty wise and reliability wise.

Any help, feedback, suggestions would be much appreciated.

Sid

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#1432172 21-Nov-2015 13:25

We have historically used Dell at work. Their business machines are pretty good and their support is good.

I've heard lots of negatives about their consumer machines but to be honest I've heard the same about HP and my consumer grade Lenovo died after 2 years. They are all pretty disposable and anything more that 2-3 years should be classed as a bonus for that cls of machine.

networkn

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#1432173 21-Nov-2015 13:28

Based on 20 years of IT Experience across all the major vendors, I'd buy almost anything else other than Dell esp in the consumer space. Their support is awful.

They do have two things over HP. 1) They generally bring more than a single part at a time when replacing faulty parts, 2) they use service tags which makes getting drivers easier. Other than that, I'd buy HP, or Lenovo first.

Dynamic

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#1432236 21-Nov-2015 15:24

+1 for networkn's opinion.

Also Dell deliberately disable SMART warning systems on hard drives so you don't get an alert if a drive knows it is deteriorating and needs replacing.

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kiwifidget

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#1432265 21-Nov-2015 15:57

If I had a DELL within arms reach but there was another non-DELL laptop 100m away and I would have to crawl over broken glass the whole way to get to it before I even knew what it was, I'd be stocking up on Band-Aids.

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sidders80

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#1432275 21-Nov-2015 16:16

Thanks guys seems like non-dell is the way to go then. Question then would be what brand? HP , Toshiba, Lenovo.

Sid

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#1432298 21-Nov-2015 16:23

I've had a Dell Zino HD (my HTPC between a Mac Mini running Windows 7 and GIGABYTE BRIX). Once installed the external HDMI wouldn't work so a tech came to my home and replaced the board on site. The machine went on to work as our HTPC in the lounge for another three years. After those three years the machine started freezing at some point during the day.

Even though it was way out of warranty Dell sent a tech (who was the same person and remembered me) who replaced the motherboard, on site, free of charge.

After a few months we moved onto the GIGABYTE.

My parents-in-law have two Dell Inspiron 15. One has developed a battery problem after five years, the other still going strong. Actually I am going to scrub the HDD and put the laptop here on Geekzone Offers/Wanted soon.

We also have a Dell 1320c colour laser printer here at home. Seven years old now and despite the fact cartridges are $120+ the print quality is so good there's no way I am getting a new printer - unless this one just dies. But seven years is a good run.

So nothing against Dell really.

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Batman

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#1432342 21-Nov-2015 17:30

I've always had Dell. From entry level to mid range to top of the range. I can always find something wrong with it. Something with the design usually. Specs are decent. I don't have any other brand to compare. So i suggest look at them, if there is a model that tickles your fancy, read the reviews to see what the problem with it is, and if acceptable get it if not get something else.

Hammerer

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#1432356 21-Nov-2015 18:21

I'd have no problem buying a Dell but I've got better price-performance buying from HP and Lenovo in recent years. In other words, Dell hasn't had the best deals.

They all make it easy to find the support documents and files that I need but entering the Dell Service Tag is by far the easiest portal to use. In my experience, HP has had the best long-term support with the others somewhere behind. The biggest issue with HP has been too many models and variants, Dell removed old support files too quickly, and Lenovo pre-installed software has caused more problems.

A much bigger difference than the brand is the class of computer you buy. Professional workstations have been the best but most expensive. Business/professional systems come next. Last are consumer systems which are by far the least reliable but then you don't have to pay much for them.

P.S. Forgot you mentioned Toshiba. Toshiba's online support has been noticeably worse but not enough to put me off their products.

In the last five years, at home we've used systems from HP x4, Lenovo x2, Toshiba x2 (work-related), Samsung x1, custom-built x1, plus some I can't remember. I retired the last Dell 2 years ago.

Handle9

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#1432357 21-Nov-2015 18:23

Hammerer:

A much bigger difference than the brand is the class of computer you buy. Professional workstations have been the best but most expensive. Business/professional systems come next. Last are consumer systems which are by far the least reliable but then you don't have to pay much for them.

Totally agree with this. Don't buy a consumer system (Inspiron/Envy/Thinkpad Edge) and expect it to last

Hammerer

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#1432362 21-Nov-2015 18:34

Handle9:
Hammerer:

A much bigger difference than the brand is the class of computer you buy. Professional workstations have been the best but most expensive. Business/professional systems come next. Last are consumer systems which are by far the least reliable but then you don't have to pay much for them.

Totally agree with this. Don't buy a consumer system (Inspiron/Envy/Thinkpad Edge) and expect it to last

Yes, don't expect high quality and buy cheap.

Having said that, I've bought a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge and I expect it to last at least 5 years as I don't abuse it by dropping it or overheating it or spilling drinks on the keyboard. Its quality is good for purpose. I got it cheap but if I regularly did any of those things then I'd buy a more expensive model that will handle adversity much better.

Handle9

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#1432365 21-Nov-2015 18:47

Hammerer:
Handle9:
Hammerer:

A much bigger difference than the brand is the class of computer you buy. Professional workstations have been the best but most expensive. Business/professional systems come next. Last are consumer systems which are by far the least reliable but then you don't have to pay much for them.

Totally agree with this. Don't buy a consumer system (Inspiron/Envy/Thinkpad Edge) and expect it to last

Yes, don't expect high quality and buy cheap.

Having said that, I've bought a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge and I expect it to last at least 5 years as I don't abuse it by dropping it or overheating it or spilling drinks on the keyboard. Its quality is good for purpose. I got it cheap but if I regularly did any of those things then I'd buy a more expensive model that will handle adversity much better.

MY experience of Thinkpad Edge was great until it died after 18 months of use at home with no drops and no travel. YMMV (I genuinely hope it does).

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#1432366 21-Nov-2015 18:56

Dell usually has 40% off something consumer around 2 weeks before christmas. THat's when I usually buy. Perhaps that explains why I buy Dell. Coz I wait for their 40% off. It may not be what you want, it's just one system usually.

Hammerer

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#1432380 21-Nov-2015 19:38

sidders80: So after looking around for a while I have narrowed my search down to this machine which seems to have decent specs for the price.

http://www.dell.com/nz/p/inspiron-15-7559-laptop/pd?oc=y510871nz&model_id=inspiron-15-7559-laptop#secondaryContent

That does seem to be a very good deal for that NZ price. I didn't see anything better for the price with similar GPU and CPU on PriceSpy

macuser

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#1432382 21-Nov-2015 19:48

I like Dell. II haven't used a Lenovo though. I mostly like dell because across the world all of their machines are the same, so you can quickly see reviews and issues around a type of model. Very hard to do with HP as they have so many different SKU names.

GeoffisPure

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#1432404 21-Nov-2015 20:30

I had a great experience where my computer died and Dell arranged an on-site service for free even though my warranty had expired.

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