yes my custom build is the way to go i have like 1700 bucks in mine plus 700 bucks in the montior. and got the perfect PC for myself
I just recently built my own and only spent about $1000, not including monitor or speakers. Add about another $750 for those.
... My daughter wants to buy this system from Dell ... It does have an 80GB hard drive, 256MB DDR SDRAM, color printer and a 17" moniter ... $299 is pretty cheap and all she wants is a basic system for college ... http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=D24L1&s=dhs
looks pretty good for the most part catfreak, what's she going to college for? I know some of my classes in college required me to do some work and put it on a floppy and I noticed you aren't getting one. I'd actually get a USB Memory stick instead, but not from Dell. Wait for some deals at Best Buy or Circuit City, or check ebay. I just sold a 256MB USB Memory stick unopened brand new on ebay for like $16, so check there first. Also, I needed Excel and Word for college, so that may be an idea. The Works suite will work fine, but if she wants to email some of her homework or whatever to her teacher she'll have to put the word processing docs into an rtf format. Excel doesn't have a problem opening up the Works suite spreadsheets (if I remember correctly). Otherwise, looks like a pretty good deal.
i've only ever bought 2 'built' PC's - one was a Dell, and it's still going strong. apart from that i've always built them, but got fed up (and broke) with all that this last time round so bought a barebones like in my sig, fantastic & fast (and tiny) for £240.
I have dell computer and tech support=india. You don't know what they are saying, piss me off. I was so mad i was going to ask for someone that has no accent. They don't even know what they are talking about. I ask for help they say i don't know why it does that. I was worried about the refuribsh computer when i got it. Because the person i talked to was a bi%ch. If i were you i build my computer.
In my experience Dell has 3 call centers that I've reached. India, Asia (people sound like they are filipino .. so maybe the Philippines) and the U.S. I will only take to the call centers in the U.S. and Asia. I will actually call back several times to talk to those two call centers ... and let me tell you it's well worth it to call back.
Dell support does suck. I can get better help here if I need it. But to be honest I have only needed help a couple of times and E-Mail support works best (still marginal). This is my second Dell, It had one software problem (been taken care of) and the first one had a haredware issue (problem resolved) and it still works. Point is that these are good machines and if I need help, I get excellent advice HERE.
I build my own tower systems but bought my wife a new Dell laptop for Christmas. The price is great for what they give you. That $299. desktop is a good starter system for anyone. I don't deal with company tech support and can repair most problems in a PC so I can't say what Dell is like in that area. If you can't build a system or are worried about trying to do it, I would suggest the Dell computers. They are much better than some of the other companies out there. Just my opinion. Jerry
I have a Dell 8250 that's 2-1/2 years old. Its worked fine, though the hard drive crashed and I also had to replace the video card. I took advantage and upgraded each time. It was a good buy since I didn't know much about computer specs and stuff then. But I agree with flip218 about the proprietary stuff, some things can be difficult to upgrade. I've already decided that when I go for my next computer it'll either be an Alienware or i'll build one myself.
What are you talking about? Dell does sell refurbished systems. Just cause they are labeled refurbished doesn't mean something was wrong with them. If someone buys a new pc from Dell and doesn't like it. They can return it within 30 days. If they send it back, Dell marks them as refurbished ... cause it's not brand new. Check out Dell Outlet ... most of those are refurbished systems.
If your getting a refurbished one, you'll know. Cause there is a different way about buying those. If you configure a Dell or buy a Dell on special ... those are new.
i knew someone who said they loved refurb products because you know someone physically inspected the whole thing. I can see where he's coming from, but I'll bet not all refurbs are inspected. Flips right about the Dell refurbs. Most of them are from ppl who order a PC and decide they don't want it after they get it. Most likely nothing at all was ever wrong with it.
