getting a computer, Dell or GAteway?
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,094
Likes: 6
From: Vienna, VA
Seriously, neither.
The tech support for both are staffed by Indians, who hardly speak English and definitely lack problem-solving skills. Also, the "on site" warranty is almost worthless as they will not come to your house if the PC functions at all...it must be totally broke before they will come. So, you're on your own for software problems or even finicky hardware.
My dad has a Dell. He's had several problems. The tech support couldn't diagnise the problem...even the on site guy could not. I diagnosed it as a bad power supply, but Dell would not replace it because it "worked".
Dell used to be a Power User brand until the late 90s. Their support staff was very competent and their systems were always #1 in performance. Now, they are a mass market brand, hawking cheap Celeron based systems.
I would support a local PC shop who has been in business a while and has a good rep. They offer support and you can bring your PC in to have it checked out. Their pricing is generally good, and you can pick the components YOU want, not what Dell/Gateway gets cheap. The employees are generally technically competent as well. When I say local PC shop I do NOT MEAN BEST BUY. Their "techs" generally have minimal training...some are good, but that is rare.
One other thing...avoid Celerons like the plague. They are VERY VERY slow. Don't let the 2.8Ghz clock speed fool you, they get totally trounced by AthlonXPs even at 1.6Ghz. If you are strapped for cash, get a system with an AthlonXP...they are so much faster. AMD is coming out with the Sempron brand...they are identical to the AthlonXP. The Pentium4 is a little better than the AthlonXP. If you have to get intel, get a Pentium4. Even if you get a lower speed P4, it is better than ANY Celeron (and may cost less). HyperThreading technology is not a dual CPU as Intel will make you think. It helps multitasking, but that's it. The best chip out right now is the Athlon64. They are 64bit ready chips, but even in 32bit mode they are the fastest chips out in most tasks.
If you want to play games, make sure you get a good graphics chip. "Intel Extreme Graphics" is garbage. Get something from ATI or Nvidia, but not the $100 entry card. Celerons are garbage in games, too as they have mimimal Level 2 cache and a long instruction pipeline (the shorter the better). The Pentium 4 is identical to the Celeron, except it has more L2 cache which helps performance. For gaming, NOTHING touches the new Athlon64, by the way. I don't mean to trumpet AMD, but you do get more performance for the money, especially at the budget end, where you get more than 2x the speed usually (the celeron is just a sad product).
The tech support for both are staffed by Indians, who hardly speak English and definitely lack problem-solving skills. Also, the "on site" warranty is almost worthless as they will not come to your house if the PC functions at all...it must be totally broke before they will come. So, you're on your own for software problems or even finicky hardware.
My dad has a Dell. He's had several problems. The tech support couldn't diagnise the problem...even the on site guy could not. I diagnosed it as a bad power supply, but Dell would not replace it because it "worked".
Dell used to be a Power User brand until the late 90s. Their support staff was very competent and their systems were always #1 in performance. Now, they are a mass market brand, hawking cheap Celeron based systems.
I would support a local PC shop who has been in business a while and has a good rep. They offer support and you can bring your PC in to have it checked out. Their pricing is generally good, and you can pick the components YOU want, not what Dell/Gateway gets cheap. The employees are generally technically competent as well. When I say local PC shop I do NOT MEAN BEST BUY. Their "techs" generally have minimal training...some are good, but that is rare.
One other thing...avoid Celerons like the plague. They are VERY VERY slow. Don't let the 2.8Ghz clock speed fool you, they get totally trounced by AthlonXPs even at 1.6Ghz. If you are strapped for cash, get a system with an AthlonXP...they are so much faster. AMD is coming out with the Sempron brand...they are identical to the AthlonXP. The Pentium4 is a little better than the AthlonXP. If you have to get intel, get a Pentium4. Even if you get a lower speed P4, it is better than ANY Celeron (and may cost less). HyperThreading technology is not a dual CPU as Intel will make you think. It helps multitasking, but that's it. The best chip out right now is the Athlon64. They are 64bit ready chips, but even in 32bit mode they are the fastest chips out in most tasks.
If you want to play games, make sure you get a good graphics chip. "Intel Extreme Graphics" is garbage. Get something from ATI or Nvidia, but not the $100 entry card. Celerons are garbage in games, too as they have mimimal Level 2 cache and a long instruction pipeline (the shorter the better). The Pentium 4 is identical to the Celeron, except it has more L2 cache which helps performance. For gaming, NOTHING touches the new Athlon64, by the way. I don't mean to trumpet AMD, but you do get more performance for the money, especially at the budget end, where you get more than 2x the speed usually (the celeron is just a sad product).
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,395
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From: The Empire State
I would stay far, far away from Gateway.... and far from Dell as well. But I am guessing you are like the millions who buy from those companies every year (like my father, this computer I am on is a Dell).
I would say build your own, but most cant or dont want to. So the next best thing is to have someone build you one (which Dell and Gateway do..... poorly) Why are they so cheap, because they use lackluster parts. And dont get me started on the tech-support. All above statements are true about Celerons, Dell, Techsupport, and them coming to your house, which they most likely will not.
You really cant upgrade a Dell (I'll say Dell but mean both Gateway and Dell) like you can a computer you build on your own. I'm building one, and in 2 years it will be slow compared to the new PC's in 2 years, so I will just buy a new CPU and some ram and be as good as new, since my components will be great now, and really good then. (Total cost of upgrade in 2 years about $400, to make it as fast as anything out there, or close to it)
Here is a company that will build you one, to your specs, but these are all top-notch components. This is like going to an online vendor (www.newegg.com highly recommended) and choosing parts, but they will put it together for you.
Monarch Computers, go to the PC Systems tab and get choosing.
I just whipped up a pretty nice system for 1200, but thats a A64 which you may or may not want. Again if I were to do this myself, it would be about $900.
That above has A64 3000, 1gig Ram, 120gig HDD, Nice case, DVD burner, Floppy, Good Graphics (9800 Pro), Wireless Keyboard / mouse, Windows XP, 3 years parts and labor warranty (which means, if there is a problem with any of the hardware, they will fix it if you send it in), CD-rom / free FarCry / CPU Cooler / Good PSU....
There is alot that that site has for the "enthusiast" which you may or maynot want. You could also look at their pre-built systems which run a bit cheaper, but you can actually read what is in side, unlike Dell or Gateway.
I would say build your own, but most cant or dont want to. So the next best thing is to have someone build you one (which Dell and Gateway do..... poorly) Why are they so cheap, because they use lackluster parts. And dont get me started on the tech-support. All above statements are true about Celerons, Dell, Techsupport, and them coming to your house, which they most likely will not.
You really cant upgrade a Dell (I'll say Dell but mean both Gateway and Dell) like you can a computer you build on your own. I'm building one, and in 2 years it will be slow compared to the new PC's in 2 years, so I will just buy a new CPU and some ram and be as good as new, since my components will be great now, and really good then. (Total cost of upgrade in 2 years about $400, to make it as fast as anything out there, or close to it)
Here is a company that will build you one, to your specs, but these are all top-notch components. This is like going to an online vendor (www.newegg.com highly recommended) and choosing parts, but they will put it together for you.
Monarch Computers, go to the PC Systems tab and get choosing.
I just whipped up a pretty nice system for 1200, but thats a A64 which you may or may not want. Again if I were to do this myself, it would be about $900.
That above has A64 3000, 1gig Ram, 120gig HDD, Nice case, DVD burner, Floppy, Good Graphics (9800 Pro), Wireless Keyboard / mouse, Windows XP, 3 years parts and labor warranty (which means, if there is a problem with any of the hardware, they will fix it if you send it in), CD-rom / free FarCry / CPU Cooler / Good PSU....
There is alot that that site has for the "enthusiast" which you may or maynot want. You could also look at their pre-built systems which run a bit cheaper, but you can actually read what is in side, unlike Dell or Gateway.
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,094
Likes: 6
From: Vienna, VA
I also highly advise Newegg. If you have a technically competent friend, that is the best route.
If I were you, here's the mainstream system I'd put together:
Athlon64 3000+ with MSI K8T Neo Socket754 motherboard: $230 together shipped (newegg deal)
512MB PC3200 memory: $70 or so
160GB Hard drive...the bigger the better:$120 or so
Dual Layer DVD+/-RW drive: $90
ATI Radeon 9600pro: $150 or so
Antec TruePower 380W power supply: $70 or so
Lian-Li PC60 series case (BLING BLING brushed aluminum case!) $100 or so, but you can spend less.
WindowsXP Pro: $135 or so
This runs about $950 and it is a kickbutt system with an OH SO NICE case with room to grow. If you want more upgradability, get an A64 3500+ with a socket939 motherboard for another $200...that'll give you another year of life or so on the system.
Dells and Gateways are nonupgradable because they use nonstandard size/voltage components. Also, they void warranties for opening the case on some models
If I were you, here's the mainstream system I'd put together:
Athlon64 3000+ with MSI K8T Neo Socket754 motherboard: $230 together shipped (newegg deal)
512MB PC3200 memory: $70 or so
160GB Hard drive...the bigger the better:$120 or so
Dual Layer DVD+/-RW drive: $90
ATI Radeon 9600pro: $150 or so
Antec TruePower 380W power supply: $70 or so
Lian-Li PC60 series case (BLING BLING brushed aluminum case!) $100 or so, but you can spend less.
WindowsXP Pro: $135 or so
This runs about $950 and it is a kickbutt system with an OH SO NICE case with room to grow. If you want more upgradability, get an A64 3500+ with a socket939 motherboard for another $200...that'll give you another year of life or so on the system.
Dells and Gateways are nonupgradable because they use nonstandard size/voltage components. Also, they void warranties for opening the case on some models
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,637
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From: Denver
Damn, you guys have big geeky brains. Thank you so much for sharing. I have a couple of Gateways (I haven't had any trouble with them) at the house and need a couple more PCs for the business. I am going to bookmark this thread so I can come back when I am ready to buy.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 149
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From: Vancouver
I have a Dell laptop and my experience hasn't been bad at all.
Yes, the tech support does have overseas techs working so it makes communication a bit difficult. However, I didn't have any trouble getting my hard drive replaced. Just called them up and told them my error codes. The tech looked it up and said that a new hard drive will be sent to me in 2 days. That was pretty much the entire phone call. Took exactly 2 days to get the new hard drive to me and thngs have been running fine on my laptop since then.
Also have a friend that bought the Axim. Dell forgot to send him the memory card. He called them up and they sent him a replacement at no charge.
Yes, the tech support does have overseas techs working so it makes communication a bit difficult. However, I didn't have any trouble getting my hard drive replaced. Just called them up and told them my error codes. The tech looked it up and said that a new hard drive will be sent to me in 2 days. That was pretty much the entire phone call. Took exactly 2 days to get the new hard drive to me and thngs have been running fine on my laptop since then.
Also have a friend that bought the Axim. Dell forgot to send him the memory card. He called them up and they sent him a replacement at no charge.
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From: soopasoak dat hoe.
I would have to agree with the above posts as well... I've had 2 dell desktops and one laptop... all of them were fine for the first year or two... then it all goes to hell. not worth it.
It's like the three companies i stay away from... dell, compaq and the cow one. they all suck.
Someone above mentioned newegg.com.. they're definitely the best.. usually the best prices... always the best service... good product... no complaints... i jus built a new system in january with parts from there and it only came out to ~600 not counting the the vid card...
It's like the three companies i stay away from... dell, compaq and the cow one. they all suck.
Someone above mentioned newegg.com.. they're definitely the best.. usually the best prices... always the best service... good product... no complaints... i jus built a new system in january with parts from there and it only came out to ~600 not counting the the vid card...
Registered User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,094
Likes: 6
From: Vienna, VA
yep, my mom is on her 3rd compaq laptop. no, not because they are nice...she was smart enough to get an extended warranty. for some reason, they just can't build a good motherboard for their laptops.