DELL, GATEWAY Cheap but????

[Nick Iracleous]

Why wouldn't someone buy a cheap Dell or Gatway for $650 including a flat screen monitor? What are the disadvantages of purchasing these cheap computers? Can you upgrade them? Doesn't the warranty get voided as soon as you open the case up and make a change? These computers are pretty cheap so if I offer a friend the opportunity to build a computer for them or go to Dell....what would the reason be for NOT going to Dell?

[pentachris]

What are the disadvantages of purchasing these cheap computers?

The key word there is cheap. Not to be confused with inexpensive.

Sure, swapping out a hard drive or adding RAM shouldn't be a problem with these machines, but a power supply, cpu or motherboard replacement could turn out to be a nightmare. Which leads to another key word to describe these machines: proprietary.

I'm not saying that there isn't a group of people for whom these vendors are a good idea. But that group does not include enthusiasts - which is what most of the people around these forums are.

I'm sure more opinions will follow...

[HeadachesAbound]

Lifetime of the machine.

Most pre-built machines (eg Dell, Gateway, Compaq) contain proprietary parts that prevent future upgrades. This usally is in relation to the power supply and / or motherboard. This means that should you decide to upgrade, you may be limited on what you can upgrade to.

A Custom built machine costing around $1300 with the monitor (just built one) will usually last at least 5 yrs for your average user. For a gamer, it may require upgrades every 2 yrs or so for video cards or memory to support the latest games.

The 1st machine I actually bought on my own was a Dell, cost me $3,000 at the time and it was top of the line. 4 yrs later it was quickly becoming a relic. The power supply finally gave out and thus I proceeded to purchase a new case with a new power supply. To make a long story short, I also had to purchase a new motherboard and processor to get my system back up and running. Needless to say, I salvaged what I could from the old system and tossed the rest.

In the long-term, a custom built machine should save you money as your upgrades will be less expensive than replacing an entire machine every 2 yrs.

In most cases the warranty is void if the case is opened on a pre-built system. This ensures that you always go back to Dell or Gateway if you have a problem with the machine. It also means that they can charge whatever they want for replacement parts.

As far as an overall reason for not buying one of the cheap machines, take your pick. Most are limited in the upgrade department, have warranties that will eventually cost you more than just buying a new machine if you ever need to use the warranty, and need to be replaced in 2, maybe 3 yrs.

One other note on flatscreens. I think that the ones that come with most Dell or Gateway systems are only 15" and flatscreens can't compare to CRT when it comes to gaming. I can purchase a 19" Flat CRT (not flatscreen) for around $175, 2 yrs ago it would have cost around $500 if I remember right. Some good (17"+) flatscreens are currently selling for around $500. Buy a CRT Now (Especially for Gaming) and wait a while for the flatscreens to catch up and come down in price.

[Nick Iracleous]

Thanks guys...I really appreciate your input.....this web site is the coolest thing on earth!

[pentachris]

It is pretty nice here, isn't it? :) :) :)

[Nick Iracleous]

About a month ago...I knew very little about hardware, I decided I was going to go after the A+ certification just for fun so I can build my computers and do a consulting job on the side. I was put under pressure when my Mother-in-Law's computer fried....she asked if I could build one for her... I went to the library and ran accross the PC UPGRADE magazine (the latest one). I read that thing page by page and told myself :"I could do this", I bought all the parts, I followed the magazine's recommendations, it took me a while of course to understand the mobo but the first time I fired it up, it worked and you guys helped me solve some of the issues that I could not even imagine would happen...but today, I am more knowledgeable, I am proud of having built my first computer and things could not have gone smooth without this web site and I STILL HAVE NOT taken the A+ class (scheduled for August). PC Guide has saved me a tremendous amount of money and has totally got me hooked!

[classicsoftware]

I have some advice for anyone buliding or buying a PC it does not matter if you buy Dell or Gateway or whatever. What matters is WAHT you buy.

If you buy a crappy system from local builder or build one yourself with crappy parts or buy a $500.00 PC from Dell/Gateway or a $300.00 E-machine, you will get a crappy system.

Buy/build a top of the line system and you'll get a great system. Make sure if you buy from a major company or a local builder you are not getting anything proprietary.

If you want to build your own, investigate the best components.

The problem with these cheap pc's is they are under powered and have propritery motherboards and Dell even had proprietary power supplies for a while. So if they need repear, you are screwed right where you are with no chance to upgrade.....

My basic advice on these cheap PC's is:

DON'T DO IT! YOU WILL REGRET IT

[Budfred]

At the risk of being redundant: I would only recommend a Dell, Gateway, HP or whatever for someone who doesn't know about computers and doesn't want to know. This is, of course, a very large group of people and mostly who these companies market too (other than business).

About LCD's. I have a 17inch Envision LCD that I bought about 2 years ago for $400 and I love it. I don't do gaming to any great degree, so I can't speak to that, but everything else is far superior to the CRT screens I have used. I later went out and bought a 15inch Envision for about $300 and love it too. Prices are even lower now if you look for the deals and they are getting better even for gaming, so I wouldn't rule them out if I were you....

[Mark Miller]

Just a note,
Both Dell and Gateway have many different lcd's Dell up to 20.1 and Gateway up to 42. I am not saying to buy a dell or Gateway but their monitors are very good and in todays market a very very good value.
mark