Dell Versus Gateway

[suzeygal]

I'm personally a Dell person, however, I have a friend that swears by Gateway computers.

What about you all?

[JBN-Rob]

Dell or Gateway? Out of those 2, i'd probably go buy a paperweight, because you'd be getting the same thing for a lot cheaper

Dell would have to be the single worst brand of computer out there, and gateway aren't far off... Custom build all the way! If you have to have a brand, then Acer or HP are the way to go.

[kelp]

Mine's semi custom built, you could say. It's a barebones Shuttle with the case and motherboard included. I have an old Dell computer, and it's still pretty decent. If I had to get a pre-built, I'd get a Dell. They aren't that bad as many people think.

[brenda003]

I also go w/ Dells. I don't like the idea of pre-built systems, either, but it's easy and cheap.

[kelp]

Also, at my school, we are using Gateways, and they either gave us badly built computers or it reflects the construction of the rest of Gateway's line of computers. The case feels all cheap and plastic. You can pull this piece away from the case.

[Will.Spencer]

My company standardized on Gateway notebooks when we started, because Dell couldn't get us laptops quickly enough.

The notebooks just physically fell apart. For example. the batteries were held in with little plastic latches that just snapped off. Then, when you picked up your laptop, your battery would fall out. :x

Desktops, on the other hand, who cares how they are built?

[H Brando]

Never been a big fan of gateway. I have always viewed them as a company who will lean towards the side of my sub-standard components compared to a dell.

I remember my first dell was a 386/16 mhz. Cost me only a cool $3000.00

Anyways, I build all my own computers so I don't use Dells. Although I am probably going to get a dell for my next laptop.

[Bender]

Originally Posted by suzeygal

I'm personally a Dell person, however, I have a friend that swears by Gateway computers.

What about you all?

Neither.
I dont like any pre-made computer at all. I always build my own, I know exactly whats going in it that way.

Plus its just so much more fun building your own.

Dell, Gateway etc are ok for amateurs, but if you know what you're doing you're better off building your own.

[compnut]

I have had both a Gateway and a Dell. At first, the Gateway was fine, but after two years, it seemed everything went wrong. That was about four years ago. After that, I bought a new Dell, and I was very impressed with its features and durability. The only thing bad about Dell is their tech support, which, I think, is in India. Hard to work with. The Dell computer itself, although I don't use it anymore, as hubby does, is still in great shape, and we've had no problems with it. I built my own computer now, so I simply call it "the monster." As for a comparison, I would go with Dell over Gateway, but then I haven't worked on a new Gateway, so others might be helpful in that regard.

[bear]

Originally Posted by JBN-Rob

Dell or Gateway? Out of those 2, i'd probably go buy a paperweight, because you'd be getting the same thing for a lot cheaper

Dell would have to be the single worst brand of computer out there, and gateway aren't far off... Custom build all the way! If you have to have a brand, then Acer or HP are the way to go.

I agree!
Dell make good laptops (I think?).
But as for PC's - build it yourself, dont be lazy :P

[Will.Spencer]

It is often less expensive to by a pre-built clone than to build a PC yourself.

Not that I take my own advice, but still... 8)

[JBN-Rob]

Originally Posted by Will.Spencer

It is often less expensive to by a pre-built clone than to build a PC yourself.

Well not too sure where you're shopping... :P

Our custom build systems (we build all our systems in store) are substancially cheaper than any brand name PC.

[jess]

Originally Posted by Will.Spencer

It is often less expensive to by a pre-built clone than to build a PC yourself.

Not that I take my own advice, but still... 8)

Thats because its bad advice :P
You know why it might be sometimes cheaper?
Because they use cheap components, cheap RAM = bad!

There is no choice for me... build my own or miss out altogether

[deuce]

I'm running a 4 or 5 year old Dell and it has never given me any problems (besides being slow now). I've upgraded all that I can but it's been reliable.

My school uses Dell after switching from Gateway. The Dells can take a beating from the idiots who like to tear parts off of things. They're also reliable, so I'd have to go with Dell if you are going to buy pre-made.

[bear]

A friend of mine has a 7 year old dell and its still going strong.
I think they used to make them really tough, use good components etc.

I wonder if the newer ones would last as long?

[dave7]

Hmm, I haven't tried either of them, I would stick with HP computers.

[Will.Spencer]

HP makes awesome servers, but I'm not so keen on their laptops.

[dave7]

I'm not sure either with HP's laptop quality. I've only had a few problems (nothing major though) with HP's desktop computers.

[zemus]

I think Dell is good for those that are new to computers in general.

[darviria]

Don't buy from shops, they're full of stupid software, unbranded memory etc. You can build your own computer for much less money (usually half the price or more) with much higher quality components and you know exactly what you're getting, I don't go for the very latest stuff as I'm not a gamer or anything (well i'm a retro gamer :p) but the last two I built were quite high spec, for about £300 (without monitor), and can quite comfortably run something like Half Life 2 anyway (until I thought "boooooorrrrring, graphics? wow, who cares?" and uninstalled it). They use branded components and I have no problems upgrading them if I want to.

Ever tried to upgrade a shop bought computer? I have an old computer that I was given that I use for testing, I need to upgrade the bios to allow me to boot from dvd, I checked the motherboard and bios identity with Everest but as it's just cheap components I couldn't find info anywhere on the net, now if I'd built it myself I'd have a manual for the motherboard and know the model number, bios version etc and have a website available to download any drivers or updates that I need.

heh I've been asked to "setup" (ie plugin and install software) pre-built shop bought computers for people in the past, first thing I do is format the hard drive and install a proper version of the operating system.

Some people are put off by not having a warranty on custom built computers, that's wrong, in the uk at least it's better to build them yourself since each individual part comes with at least a 1 year warranty, if you buy a computer from the shop the warranty is usually void if you open the case, if you custom build each part is under warranty, you can add new components whenever you want and if you want to claim for something under warranty you only have to send that component back, not the whole system. Also with prices as cheap as places like ebuyer.co.uk you don't bother with warranties anyway if you've had it for more than a few months, you just replace/upgrade. If I remember correctly, when you buy the AMD processors they come with a 3 year warranty.

[BILZ]

Isnt gateway out of business now? I never hear about them anymore. Im looking to buy that new Dell m1210

[Fry]

I think they sold to someone else, was it Compaq?
Im not a fan of prebuilt computers myself.

[Will.Spencer]

Gateway is definitely still around

AlienWare was purchased by Dell.

Compaq was purchased by HP.

IBM sold off their PC division to Lenovo, whom you may remember as "Leading Edge."

[Fry]

Dell own Alienware now? wow, do you know how much they bought them for?
I remember when Alienware just started out.. those guys must be rich now.

[Will.Spencer]

Alienware was a privately held company, so Dell was not required to announce the acquisition cost.