What are the best computer brands?

[Killarney]

We're going to buy a new computer soon. What are the best brands? Dell, HP, Compaq??

Who should I stay away from besides no names and eMachines?

[miss_kitty]

1. uh you must have changed the OP because now I got to answer

about how hard I feel Gateway sucks, you aren't asking that question anymore.

Do you like waiting on hold, listening to the song 'Oppenheimer' over and over again? Or hearing 'Computer Tips' in between the playing of the song 'Oppenheimer'?

When I say "waiting on hold" I don't mean a paltry 45 minutes or even an hour or an hour and a half. I am (No exaggeration here) talking about multiple times of 2-3 HOUR holds! And no message as to how many people are on hold in front of you, no estimated time of answering. :grr: and this has been all times of the day, the week, the month the year. I guess they cut back to one guy, and it takes him a while to get to everyone.

Oh and I have written to them about this-AT LEAST GET A SYSTEM THAT SAYS "There are 58 people ahead of you" w/ updates on progress through the queue, so you can decide you want to hang up or keep waiting. or go take a bath while on hold.

I HATE GATEWAY! :grr: :nuke: :grr:

[Killarney]

2. Haha. So I guess that means Gateway hasn't changed

from when we owned one several years ago.

I'll stay away from Gateway.

Thanks. :)

[miss_kitty]

4. most of the computer experts in the lounge suggest building your own

It's cheaper, so you get more bang for the buck, and personally, I like to know how stuff works and am inclined mechanically. I hear the suckage of Dell is quite high-plus it is Thugged up (High donations to Republicans by the CEO)

I have a friend with a lot of money. She bought from Dell and before the service contract was up with them, she just hired a private guy to come by to work on her computer. Dell-apparently BAD

[lpbk2713]

3. And when you do get an actual human being to answer..........

you'd better hope that "Fred" or "Bill" or "Betty" speak English well enough for you to understand WTF they are trying to tell you.

[CBGLuthier]

5. Building your own is not cheaper any more

I won't say there aren't arguments for it but it is damn hard to build your own and get a legal install of Windows XP for much less than you can buy name brand computers. Because the big boys are selling them cheap.

That in mind, you should go with HP or Dell. Gateway truly does suck. Compaq is owned by HP so not much difference between them and HP, but HP support is geared a litte more towards HP.

Beyond that, just find the best deal with the best bundled software. Try to get a minimum of 512 meg of memory because that makes XP happy.

[miss_kitty]

7. Dell=big Bush and Republican supporter. n/t

[Longhorn]

10. Michael Dell is but not all of his people are.

One of his (former?) top executives is a very big Democratic fundraiser here in Austin.

[miss_kitty]

15. 'former' being the operative word

I understand that. But it's the head guy, the guy who steers the company. He's a Thug. And all I've heard about Dell for the last year is they've gone to hell in a handcart anyway.

[frylock]

6. have any mom and pop shops around your town?

around here, there is no shortage of small computer businesses that usually have packages depending on your needs. You can also make any upgrades you like, and they are usually built within a couple of days.

btw.. I home build all of my own. It may not be any less expensive than one of the packages you can get at Best Buy with a rebate, as pointed out by notmypresident, but I determine exactly what components will be installed.

[Angry Girl]

21. I agree: Support the little businesses

I've had quite a few Dells over the years and, while they used to be good, they have definitely gone downhill, using the cheapest OEM parts and overcharging for their memory.

The one time I needed customer service, my phone calls gets routed to a center in New Delhi and I was stuck on the phone with a polite but totally ineffectual retard for 30 minutes until I finally convinced them to get me someone who knew how to do something beyond reading a script.

Then another cretin called me back and proceeded to crash my system and destroy all the data.... great....

Dall has since moved their customer service centers back to the States, I hear, but now that I also know (thanks DUers!) that they're part of the Dark Side, they can keep their stinkin' 'puters!

But PC's are fairly simple to build and if you can find a local mom & pop shop that will make you one, I say you should give them a chance. They give you a guarantee and you'll be helping some regular folks get food on their table!

Angry Girl
nightweed.com

[footinmouth]

8. I've got a Medion

I paid only $700 for it at Aldi's. It's a kick-ass machine, it's fast and has all the bells and whistles. I think I bought it 2 years ago. I know nothing about the technical support, because nothing has gone wrong with it. As all I know about it, is that the price was right and it was made in Germany. I usually can't even get 3 years out of a desktop, so if I can get a good one cheap, I'll grab it.

Aldi's is only in the Eastern part of the US. Watch their ads, they often have electronics at a very good price.

My friend paid twice as much for her Dell and now has to call India for technical support. Then she has to take the machine apart and repair it while they wait on the phone. She purchased a service contract and this is what she's getting for it.

[MsUnderstood]

9. I like my sony machine

[vivalarev]

11. Sony Vaio...

I have a Vaio desktop and laptop. Never had problems with either and they work great.

[Dem2theMax]

12. My 1995 Dell was wonderful. NEVER had a problem with it.

My 2002 Dell? It took them 2 1/2 months to admit they sold me a lemon. And that was after putting me through 2 1/2 months of trying to 'fix' it when the motherboard was the problem all along. AAAARRRRRGGGGG. :nuke: I will NEVER buy from them again. I will NEVER call them again. (The calling. I swear, hell must be like waiting on hold to talk to someone at Dell. Or talking to five people and no one knows the correct answer.) I don't care HOW messed up the computer gets. I swear, if the house was on fire and the only way to reach 911 was to go through Dell - the house would be left to burn to the ground.

Does that answer your question about Dell? :evilgrin:

[huellewig]

13. Well, shit, I was going to suggest Dell.

Or plan B. Order the parts and find a fellow DU'er to slap it together for you and FedEx it to you. I could do it in a hour for free. But being a newbie I wouldn't expect you to trust me. I'm sure sure you could find someone you trust to do it for free.

I could post a list of the exact parts you need for a computer if you want to roll your own.

[Dem2theMax]

14. Well, I'm not the one looking for a new computer. Yet. lol.

When the time comes, or more like, when I have some $$$$ saved up (I'm not holding my breath) I'll be coming here too, to ask what I should buy. And if someone nice like you offers to build one, I'm gonna say YES! The second thing I'll say is 'teach me how to do it myself so I can help others as well.' :)

Then again, others may have good experiences with Dell. But I have now learned that Dell lives on the dark side. Dark side being that they donate to repukes. So no more Dell for me either way. ;)

[newyawker99]

16. I have had my Dell for 2 1/2 years with no problems.

If I buy a new one, I think I will stick
with Dell.

[Plausible]

17. abspc seems very good.

and reasonably priced.

[Longhorn]

18. I've had several Dells.

Most of them have been fine. One of the desktops went bad and Dell sent out a technician to replace the RAM, the hard drive, and the processer before they decided they needed to replace the entire CPU. I thought they'd send out a refurbished three-year-old CPU, something comparable to the one I had but they sent out a brand new CPU, keyboard, and mouse with the latest software, too. It took several weeks to get this issue resolved but it did work out okay.

Another time, I was having trouble getting my wireless network to work correctly and I spent hours on the phone with various customer service people from other countries. The last few times, however, I have worked with knowledgeable Americans. When they have replaced parts, they have sent them in overnight mail first with instructions on how to return the defective parts.

Even with some of the problems I've had, I would buy a Dell again. I live in the Austin area and Dell is a big employer. My husband is a remodeling contractor and has done extensive work for several Dell executives and employees. I understand that Michael and Susan Dell are big Republican contributors but they are also big contributors to many good causes in the Austin area and beyond. And not everyone who works for or profits from Dell is a Republican, especially in this area.

[TroubleMan]

19. If you can afford it Alienware makes excellent computers

http://www.alienware.com/main.aspx

They're expensive though!!

[2Design]

20. I have sony and hp and have been ok with both - SALES

look for the sales

compusa and ciruit city are usually the lowest

best buy is high
office depot and office max are high

every week between now and christmas many will have sale

this coming weekend and next are the ones to look for -