Help me avoid buying a Dell

osakansosakans
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I have been a loyal Apple purchaser for over 20 years, having owned an Apple II+, an Apple IIe, an original Mac, a Mac SE, an SE/30, a Quadra 660AV, a PowerMac G3/266 and, currently, a Quicksilver Dual 800. I'm now in the market for a computer in a second room of our house. I'm trying very hard to avoid buying a Dell, but I'm not sure I can justify buying a Mac any time in the near future.



The Dual 800 is likely to remain our primary computer for at least another couple of years. It works just fine for video and photo editing, and Apple doesn't sell anything now that's a quantum leap ahead of it in performance, so the new computer would probably go in the second room.



If I go to the Dell site, I can configure a P4 2.4GHz system with 256MB Ram, GeForce 4MX video card, 60 GB hard drive, DVD-ROM drive, 1 year warranty with on site service and 802.11b wireless adapter for $857. I can upgrade to a 120GB hard drive and add a CDRW drive for a total of $996. The Dells don't seem to come with on board FireWire, but a 1394 card is only around $50.



The closest Apple (which I think would significantly underperform the Dell) is a 1GHz G4 with AirPort card for $1598, which doesn't come with on site support. The system that's probably closer in performance is a dual 1.25Ghz which runs $2048 configured similarly to the Dell with a smaller HD (80GB). The price different gets even worse if you start upgrading the machines (for example, I can swap in a base-level Radeon 9700 for $120 with Dell)



How do I justify buying a Mac right now? An iMac isn't an option since we need the external monitor (which I already own) and the flat panel would be a waste and get in the way.



I've used Windows XP at work for almost a year now, and it's very good. OS X might have a very slight edge, but XP is really very impressive (I recognize that Windows '95 and its descendents are entirely unacceptable). My wife doesn't see well, and the Windows software for people with low vision makes that on the Mac look like a joke. I'd like to stay loyal to Apple, but I'm having a hard time knowing why.



Any thoughts?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    My thought: buy the Dell.
  • Reply 2 of 58
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Dude, get the dell. Seriously. You've already got a good Mac, so you're not going to miss out on anything there and the Dell is dirt cheap. Apple's desktops are complete shit right now (even after the iMac bump). They're getting better, but no where near where they should be. Again, since you'e got a good mac, what's the loss? The dell will be outdated next year anyway, so you can get a PM with an IBM 970 then.



    And before you buy something from Dell, go to <a href="http://www.gotapex.com"; target="_blank">www.gotapex.com</a> and see what deals they've got going on. You'll come out cheaper than you thought.



    [ 02-14-2003: Message edited by: torifile ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 58
    jimdadjimdad Posts: 209member
    I've no intention of having two desktops around the house again. I went for a 12" iBook +airport card (£632 in UK educ.) and I love it. It depends what you're after. If you want raw power get the PC - although I quite happily play my kids at RTCW using the iBook - if you want to surf the web with your feet up in front of the TV the iBook's the one.
  • Reply 4 of 58
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    Ok, I'll keep you from buying a Dell.



    My work gave me a Dell C840 last year so that I could work at home and on weekends. At the time, this laptop cost $2500-3000. Since I was given this machine, the CD Rom drive has died. Yesterday, the LCD backlighting died. This laptop isn't even a year old and my work is having to replace its screen. With quality like this, I am amazed that Dell still has people buying.



    My work requires a PC (you can't run MS Visual Studio on a Mac), but my next personal computer will definitely be a Mac (probably an iBook).



    GET A COMPUTER THAT JUST WORKS!
  • Reply 5 of 58
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    if you need a pc...check out abs.com



    nice systems and you don't get a dell...g
  • Reply 6 of 58
    osakansosakans Posts: 45member
    [quote]Originally posted by Yevgeny:

    <strong>(snip) Since I was given this machine, the CD Rom drive has died. Yesterday, the LCD backlighting died. This laptop isn't even a year old and my work is having to replace its screen. With quality like this, I am amazed that Dell still has people buying.

    (snip)

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Unfortunately, I no longer think quality is a reason to choose the PowerMac. I don't have the sense that Apple's quality is any better than anyone else's these days. After my tough-as-a-rock SE and SE/30 and my reasonable G3/266, in one year my G4 had both the hard drive and the SuperDrive go bad. In addition, Apple technical support claimed I wasn't entitled to on-site technical support because they had discontinued the program after I bought my computer (of course, they can't take away warranty rights once you've bought the product).
  • Reply 7 of 58
    frostymmbfrostymmb Posts: 131member
    Dude, forget the Dell and build your own PC, throw in a KVM switcher, and you could come it at about a grand and have a much, much more powerfull system. I've worked out a system with a 2800+ Athlon XP, all the good drives and interfaces you need (sans FW 800), 512mb 333mhz DDR RAM, Ati Radeon 9700 Pro and it comes out to less than 900 clams. Add in a KVM switcher for another 270 to run them both on a 17" Studio Display using the same keyboard and mouse, and it's an excellent Mac and PC side by side setup.



    Build your own, seriously.
  • Reply 8 of 58
    dankdank Posts: 31member
    Don't get the dell.



    One friend of mine got a new Dell desktop for college a year ago. Within a few months, the CD burner was broken (and then sent in) and the hard drive had to be reformated twice (for whatever reason, the Dell tech support only knows....). He still has the computer but always complains about it, and how it used to work.



    My other friend with the same desktop complains night and day about strange error messages, blue screens of death and an overall shitty computing experience.



    I would never buy a Dell, their computers smell, but if you do, oh well. <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" />
  • Reply 9 of 58
    paispais Posts: 34member
    [quote]Originally posted by FrostyMMB:

    <strong>Build your own, seriously.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I agree. Unless this is a purchase for a business (where service and support can be more important than price/performance), roll your own PC, don't buy a Dell (ew). I have a PowerBook 12" as my personal machine -- it's a fantastic piece of hardware, by the way -- and x86 workstations at home and work.



    The cost of both 2.0 GHz Pentium IV at work and the dual 1.2 GHz Athlon I have at home is still substantially less than this PowerBook. I haven't had issues with any of these machines at all, but the PowerBook is by far the most fun computer to use. It actually fares reasonably well performance-wise, too, given its size.



    The PCs just provide the horsepower I need for graphics work (they are fast) at a price I can afford.
  • Reply 10 of 58
    mwmw Posts: 31member
    We have both Dells and Macs at work - and I have Macs at home. Certain Dell models worked without a hitch for years, a small percentage went into seemingly infinite loops of reformats and software reinstalls...



    If money is really an issue, and you just need a second machine that works, check the refurbished Dells at

    <a href="http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/dfsdirect/"; target="_blank">http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/dfsdirect/</a>;



    Money is a big issue for me right now as I have none... but I'm still thinking about getting the new 17" iMAc... the zero-APR-for-a-year program of certain credit card companies makes it possible ;-)
  • Reply 11 of 58
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Add another vote to the DIY tally. It's really not that hard. The hardest part is keeping track of all the components you need to buy. It's just like assemblling legos...



    In any case, if you do it right, your computer should be as cheap as the Dell, except configured exactly how you want. Pick the right fans and it'll be quieter too.
  • Reply 12 of 58
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Personally I'd buy the Dell, for a number of reasons.



    Firstly, it's not as though you're completely turning your back on the Mac world - you still have your Dual 800 which is a damn fine machine that will provide you with years of service.



    I've always had a Mac and a PC until recently. In the last year or so I've stopped using the PC so much because of the whole XP "reregister everytime you change a component" fiasco. I like to tinker with my PCs so XP is a non-starter.



    In the past I'd always recommend building your own PC - you get exactly what you want. But these days, guys like Dell have such buying power that I think you'll be struggling to match them in the value for money stakes. I haven't priced a complete homebuild machine in a long time - so I could be way off base here...



    You can build a really cheap PC by cutting corners and going for the really cheappo motherboard, heatsink, case, keyboard and mouse etc. But you're used to Macs and the build quality they boast. By the time you've figured in a decent keyboard, mouse, speakers and that all important legal copy of Windows XP - the price does jump up.



    Best of luck...



    [ 02-15-2003: Message edited by: Messiah ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 58
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    I'll keep you from getting a Dell (or any other computer for that matter).

    What is your credit card information?
  • Reply 14 of 58
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Dell are good products unless you want to upgrade them later : the mobo has a special format that will prevent you to change it easily.

    That's why i bought an another system, made by a company but customise the way i want.
  • Reply 15 of 58
    mightymomightymo Posts: 30member
    [quote]Originally posted by Osakans:

    <strong>If I go to the Dell site, I can configure a P4 2.4GHz system with 256MB Ram, GeForce 4MX video card, 60 GB hard drive, DVD-ROM drive, 1 year warranty with on site service and 802.11b wireless adapter for $857. I can upgrade to a 120GB hard drive and add a CDRW drive for a total of $996. The Dells don't seem to come with on board FireWire, but a 1394 card is only around $50.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Sure! If you're thinking of combining Mac/PC, why not go for a Sony VAIO? Have a look at some of the models on <a href="http://www.sonystyle.com"; target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle.com</a>; or <a href="http://www.sonystyle-europe.com"; target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle-europe.com</a>; You won't have to buy a FireWire card either because all the machine already have it onboard!
  • Reply 16 of 58
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    build one yourself. you still come in way under name brands, especially if you buy the majority of your components from 1 vendor. (shipping)



    check out <a href="http://www.newegg.com"; target="_blank">www.newegg.com</a> they tend to have decent prices on everything.



    i will say i have a home built PC and a PB. i never use the PC anymore, i think i've booted it up twice in the last 6 months.
  • Reply 17 of 58
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    [quote]Originally posted by MightyMo:

    <strong>



    Sure! If you're thinking of combining Mac/PC, why not go for a Sony VAIO? Have a look at some of the models on <a href="http://www.sonystyle.com"; target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle.com</a>; or <a href="http://www.sonystyle-europe.com"; target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle-europe.com</a>; You won't have to buy a FireWire card either because all the machine already have it onboard! </strong><hr></blockquote>

    Sony's are pretty overpriced for the specs.
  • Reply 18 of 58
    neurokidneurokid Posts: 108member
    [QUOTE]Originally posted by Osakans:

    [QB]I have been a loyal Apple purchaser for over 20 years, having owned an Apple II+, an Apple IIe, an original Mac, a Mac SE, an SE/30, a Quadra 660AV, a PowerMac G3/266 and, currently, a Quicksilver Dual 800. I'm now in the market for a computer in a second room of our house...



    Get the Dell, of course! X is great, and XP is great too! Might as well enjoy the best of both.
  • Reply 19 of 58
    switchfromdellswitchfromdell Posts: 101member
    [QUOTE]Originally posted by Osakans:

    [QB]I have been a loyal Apple purchaser for over 20 years, having owned an Apple II+, an Apple IIe, an original Mac, a Mac SE, an SE/30, a Quadra 660AV, a PowerMac G3/266 and, currently, a Quicksilver Dual 800. I'm now in the market for a computer in a second room of our house. I'm trying very hard to avoid buying a Dell, but I'm not sure I can justify buying a Mac any time in the near future.



    I have had Dells for over 6 yrs and the quality has gone done...my last Dell (less than 3 yrs old) was top of the line in which I had to replace hard drive, motherboard, video card, and 2 speaker systems within first 2 yrs. Sure, on site svc was great. But, now service has been transferred to India and service now very poor...language, phone connections, and technical knowledge. The standard answer to any problem is to reload OS. I will never buy Dell again but currently planning to switch from Dell to either HP or iMac
  • Reply 20 of 58
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,425member
    I Did Tech Support for an ISP one. Dells are trash.



    I disagree with your reliability comments. Apple doesn't manufacture the HD and Superdrives so you can't blame them for failing. Have you had a Motherboard fail? Or an Apple Monitor.



    Build your own PC. After owning a number of computers it just makes sense to know your components inside and out. I will NEVER buy a premade PC.
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