Dell Computers

[stickyvicky]

Anyone had any experience with them? I so desperately need a new laptop.. thinking of ordering online, anyone have any great advice for me? The only bad things I can find about Dell is the 800# support, apparently they still outsource and the tech's first language is not english... other than that, I read a lot of good things and good prices too...

[h0rnytoad1]

We buy "used/refurb" Dell desktops at work (ie: older/cheaper gx270/520 models etc), but laptops we mostly go for new Sony or Acer depending on the user. And Fujitsu T4220 for on the road reps. (v/good portability)

However, for having tried a few Dell laptops before, i can assure you its good value/quality.
and its usually lower priced than Sony and HP.

Compaq is HP's cheaper brand but still good, and Acer is my 4th place in terms of quality imho.

1st Dell (good price/quality imho)
2nd Sony/HP (prices are higher than Dell, sometimes better quality components, but you pay for the name ;-)
3rd Compaq (support is good, even by chat, and drivers are fairly updated often)
4th Acer (cheap and website/drivers are not updated often enough)

One piece of advice would be that if you can hold off until September, Windows vista should be replaced by windows 7 around that time, i'm assuming September because of M$ track record of rolling out new versions for the public around the end of summer early fall, and since the Win7 Beta ends in july, its a good hint.

So if you can hold out until then, i think it would be a good thing to wait and not be stuck with Vista ;-)

[st1fler]

alienwareeeeeeeee!
http://www.alienware.com

[h0rnytoad1]

At 2000$ a machine ? no thanks man, money don't grow on (directory) trees, lol

Besides, who knows what she wants it for ,

encoding videos: use an i7 based mobo desktop (them new fangled intel machinez are even faster than my good youn' Quadcore, tho the amd X4 gives it a good run for its money)

video watching, chat, the internet thing ? a simple laptop is fine.

[st1fler]

mine was $3100 lol

[h0rnytoad1]

To be honest, since the quadcores came out, heck even the dual cores are pretty good, i don't need anything else, just a good vidcard, moderatly fast ram, and a fast hdd. That wont run you up 3000$

For gaming you just need fast ram and a good vidcard, anything right now in the ati 4800 series or the Geforce 9800GT or the new GTX series is pretty awesome for gaming. Granted the GTX280sli is a bit high priced for my tastes (600$ minimum). But it sure beats anything else on the market right now.

And the new i7's are pretty hot too. next puter maybe, i just got this one about a year ago. i'm set for a while.

Go with your needs, i'll never spend more than 1500$ for a puter, compare it to a piece of paper, sure u have the internet but the basic functionality of a puter is to write, then research, then gaming. u can do all that with a pen and a 5$ pad of paper and the local library.

i'm a gamer but even i have no need for a 5000$ puter that becomes a doorstop after a couple years, lol

Hey girls, are you turned on by our super sexy geekness yet?

[st1fler]

computer science major here!

[AussieSteve]

Vicky,

I have a Dell desktop PC that I've had for a few years now. It stills works pretty well for my needs. I recently did some window shopping and looked at some new laptops. Most people I talk to about computers in Australia say Dell is the best brand. Their customer service department here I've found to be very helpful also.

You should buy a laptop that fits your needs and that you can afford.

Good Luck!!

[LauraJebAndSue]

Vicky,

Laura here typing for Jeb. We have both Dell and Sony laptops. He asks what issue you have with your Sony? Jeb, who has done business consulting with Dell and other PC companies agrees with most all of above, but unless you are a heavy gamer you do not need Stiffys link or systems.

Jebby says if you get a Dell laptop go with the better built business Latitude models or better yet Dell Precision and not the Consumer models Inspiron that you see at BestBuy etc. See: http://www.dell.com/business/laptops?~ck=mn The XPS models are more for the Siffy gamers! The Dell Precision is even used by big time movies studios, expensive but may be a good investment for your growing needs. Jeb said lease it and it is a monthly business wright off! Ask your accountant? Sign up at site for business mailing and e-mail lists. Dell often has unannounced specials and these days he knows there will be lots. Watch how the prices change on the web site every minute move faster than the stock market. Configure what you want and watch the the prices go up and down. He said when you are ready to buy, configure and save on site and then call the Business 800 number and he bets the sales people give you a better deal.

No real need to wait for Windows 7 if you need laptop now get pre-loaded with Windows XP not Vista and upgrade to 7 in the fall when bugs are worked out. A sales rep may even throw the upgrade in for free when released. Know what you want, negotiate and ask for more! Do you outsource all of your servers or adding more at home? Tell the rep you May be adding bla bla bla during the next year. You and Dave are skilled at this and it is Fun!

Jeb also likes Acer. Said to call or visit several Laptop tech repair shops in HOtLandta and ask what the geeks like why and why not? Also, one of the best ranked Customer services in the world is Vision Computer located somewhere near you and they have a show room full of geeks. See http://www.visioncomputers.com/items.as ... -NOTEBOOKS

After all of that, if he were you and guessing some of your growing business and video needs, he would get the Dell Precision or one of the Dell business Latitude models. Lots of geeks CRAP on Dell and the service because they are envious! As a Dell Business Customer and NOT a consumer you get priority with the business models at the 800#s! He likes the 17 inch Dell Precision M6400, Great For: Business that need scalability and performance in design, analysis, animation, video editing! Although, with the business lease tax wright off go for the Dell Precision M6400 Covet, Great For:Those who need massive scalability and performance especially for CGI stills and animation, compositing and video editing including special effects!!! Look around have fun and you and Dave know best what you need, not the geeks! Jeb is a business man with lots of geek friends. You are business people so he says to listen to geeks but you decide. We care more about what it DOES not so much HOW as long as it keeps WORKING!

Hey, didn't we see you with a Mac Laptop in one of your blog photos? Puma has one and she like hers. But, he still says NO, get one of the Dell Precision or Latitude business models. You are a growing business and not a cartoon or game shop, yet?

He hopes that helps and Sue and I trust him, after all for sometime he helped sell over a Million $s worth of Laptops per Month!!! Any questions Post or PM us.
No More!!! All just Lots of special effects edited animated FUN

[stickyvicky]

All great advice! Thank you... we bought one so far, yesterday, and still need to buy another.... it's crazy.. my sony vaio which is just over a year old, started falling apart almost immediately. The firewire port (which I think sony invented) went kaput in the first couple of months, so we had to use firewire in a pcmcia slot instead for camshows, then the CD player went intermittent, the lcd screen has white blotches on it, particularly above where the hinges are, and the wireless card goes out intermittently so I have to be hard wired in to the modem for it to work properly. My superfast toshiba overheats when we try to encode video, or do anything intensive on it. So it sits in the kitchen and we use it to check the weather or look up a recipe. It was very expensive when we bought it. Dave's IBM thinkpad fell apart when he dropped it on the floor... lol.. We have terrible luck with computers!

Could not wait till september to get new ones... so yesterday we bought an HP Pavillion DV7, dual core, blah blah blah.. it's all here.. http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops ... n-dv7.aspx it's going to be Dave's computer, I'm still trying to decide, would have just bought 2 of these, cause it was a deal at $799 but figured one of us should test it out first, the real test for us will be camshows, and editing 900 meg one hour video files...

So that's where we're at so far....

[st1fler]

lol your warranty should have covered all those things going wrong.

[stickyvicky]

Yes I'm sure it did, but with all the porn on it, I wouldn't dare ship it in to a service center... and it's just too complicated to remove everything..

[st1fler]

My dad just got a new laptop 3 days ago or something, I can't wait till I get a new comp, I'd prefer a desktop over my laptop kind of, or one of each My alienware is completely fine right now after about 1year 3 months. The only time I had a problem was when they first sent it to me there was a defected graphics card (BSOD) and when I spilled my drink in my keyboard lol. I kinda want to reformat my comp which would speed it up quite a bit I assume but the thought of having to reinstall all this stuff for school is going to be a pain in the ass.

but the laptop does look awesome.

[John_fromNY]

Very insightful thread here.

Yes I'm sure it did, but with all the porn on it, I wouldn't dare ship it in to a service center... and it's just too complicated to remove everything..

Remove everything? That has been a concern of mine too since October 2007. Mainly pictures and videos, though also programs too. Though, my external HD is working well so far. Although yes I'm also considering purchasing a new desktop. Been pricing them out on the websites too. HPs, Dell and IBM/Lenovo so far. And yes, I'll probably need a new PC by next month when tax season starts. Oh joy, I can't wait for that.

[stickyvicky]

Dave is loving his new HP so far! He won't stop bragging on it! As soon as he edits and encodes a few vids on it and proves that it doesn't overheat, I may get one too! Another thing that is nice about it is the quiet keyboard. Mine makes a racket when I type...

[h0rnytoad1]

one thing to know about laptops is they aren't work beasts, its rather fragile compared to their desktop counter parts. its meant to be light and portable, hence not as strong or sturdy. A desktop is what you need for heavy lifting like video editing/encoding/gaming and transfering large files over long periods of time, like uploading over night or usb/firewire files from cam to puter. 1 lone port isn't gonna hold for long , what with all the goodies you send us its means for short bursts of transfers not long sustained ones, same as wifi.

if the ports start to fail this soon tho, it could be either u got a lemon, wich is pretty rare, even in the cheapest brands, or you used that 1 lone FW port way too much. (thats why they give out 8 usb ports on desktops, plenty to go around if your cam has usb too). Usb and FW ports are part of the mainboard, wich means if they fail, you need to replace the whole board, its not like ram or hard drive.

Thats why for you guys, i recommend using a desktop for your editing and file transfers, it'll be more powerfull and things are so much easier to change. and u can leave them online 24/7 no prob. tell dave if he uses an external usb drive, go with eSata, its Sata outside the box ;-)

But day to day routine stuff like chats and interneting , a laptop is fine. Photoshoping maybe. hint: use a good comfortable usb mouse not one of them tiny wireless "portable" ones, size does matter when it comes to mice, you'll get hand cramps and no one wants that

Logitech makes good ones, batteries last a long time.

But that said, just to eliviate your concerns about shipping your laptop, in computers there are these things called hard drivres , wich are what contains all your files and folders, and are removable. They're pretty easy to remove on recent laptops (less than 5y/o) to remove, its usually just a screw on the bottom with an icon that looks like a cylinder like this:



the hdd cover is usually were the microsoft windows sticker is (COA).

And you can ship the empty laptop back to the company. their techs dont need the hdd to fix anything, unless "it" is kaput. then just buy another 2.5" and put it in, then boot with your windows CD. it'll reinstall. Or use a driveimage software (plenty free around) to copy entire disks to another one.

Anyway, Dave's new toy seems pretty cool, but like i said, you guys doing the heavy editing and stuff, really need to do this on a desktop with preferably 2 hard drives (reduces wear and tear when you put your videditor's temp folder on a 2nd "internal" drive, not external), they are so much easier to maintain and upgrade if they break down too.

ah to be a tech guy in @lanta, i'd help you guys out, free of charge

[stickyvicky]

You sure taking the hard drive out wouldn't void the warranty if I had to ship it back to sony? (for future ref, cause the warranty is expired now anyway... ) and you are totally right about using a desktop, we just don't stay in one place as much as we should, even when we are home in GA, we spend a week at home, then a week at the cabin...

[h0rnytoad1]

Positive about the hdd and waranty. same goes for adding more ram also.

i think the only things that would void the warranty is if you change the motherboard or the cpu since its usually soldered right on the board itself wich would mean cutting it out with a special tool. But nowadays they're starting to make it more accessible and easier to upgrade.

anyway, i diverge, lol you could always ask the tech at Sony when you're making an RMA for shipping if that is really a concern for you. But i'm sure they dont mind.

[vickys bitch bigrobb]

have you gotten one yet Mistress V!! get an apple macbook, I have one and also an imac and you can run windows on it if you need windows.

[rokkerr]

the hunt is over... I picked up an hp .. and Vicky liked it so much, that she went and got one as well (just with a few more bells and whistles)... now, the hard part, dealing with vista and old programs..