Which deal to take

[dynamictiger]

After the debacle with my old computer

http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread.cfm/lev2/66/lev3/68/pid/602/qid/501750

I have decided to sell it and buy another one. Privelage of being older, you earn more money, generally.

Anyway I am stuck between a Dell and an IBM. They are configured identically, the only differences being:

Dell offer 3 years telephone support. IBM Do not.

Dell is $45.00 cheaper than the IBM.

All other aspects of the machines are identical. Any thoughts?

 

[Scotsdude]

hmm...3 years tech support AND cheaper..... I'm wondering why IBM are still being considered.....

Scotsdude
Help us help you - let us know when our insane scribblings help!!

 

[edfair]

Take the IBM. I'm a stockholder.

It doesn't sould like there is much of a question there. Scotsdude has it about right.

It now comes down to the luck of the draw. You can always get a lemon but I suspect either will serve your purposes well. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[BuckeyeComputers]

Agreed here, I custom build computer system and with the pricing as it is now with that kind of support i usually suggest Dell over the others everytime

 

[ceh4702]

Most telephone support is useless as far as I am concerned. Arey they going to guarantee you will not be on hold for more than 5 minutes? If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[edfair]

I can only tell you that Dell goes the extra mile. I used them for about 4 hours on a laptop about 3 months ago and their support attempts were genuine. Unfortunately the problem didn't get resolved like it should have, but considering the problem my customer was well served by having them available. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[dynamictiger]

Thanks for the replies. I tried building the Dell offering on the web and got a higher than phone quoted price. She who must be obeyed has okayed this. So I guess there is only the order to place.

 

[togi]

I would go with the telephone support.

 

[Comtech]

Take neither. Build your own, save a bunch, learn a ton of stuff, and do your own tech support. Cheers,
Jim

http://members.cnx.net/reboot/

 

[cdogg]

dynamictiger,
Go with Dell. I've supported both systems on a large scale in the past 4 years. IBM is more reliable on the notebook side, but Dell has the superior support.

Comtech,
I agree with the 'learn a ton of stuff' and 'do your own tech support'. But do you really think you'll save a bunch?

In my experience with custom building pc's, you save a little if any when building a similarly configured sub-$1000 Dell or Gateway pc. The reason is that vendors are now able to get ridiculously low prices on core components like the PSU, CDROM, RAM, etc., not to mention OEM software bundles.

In the old days (3 or 4 years ago), it used to be a huge difference. I still prefer to build it myself to ensure quality parts and to weed out all the unnecessary software. But today, there tends to be very little difference at all in terms of $$. ~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[edfair]

cdogg's evaluation is pretty close to the truth. At one time you could save $200 and up building your own, but with prices in the sub $500 range now building your own costs, rather than saves.

I prefer building my own, but it is more to guarantee industry standard parts for sparing reasons than any other reason.

But most people overlook other possibilities. With equipment so cheap lots of businesses upgrade and let their obsolete equipment go in the secondary market. I see lots of perfectly good equipment for sale in the $80 to $100 range for the box. Stuff is too slow for the gamers but is perfectly suitable for just about everything else. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.