Dell desktop reliability

[dsigma6]

My brother just asked me if the Dell Dimension E310 he was looking to buy was an "Ok" computer. I kind of tried to steer him away from Dell, but maybe that's just because I'm immersed in Thinkpads all day long. He's just a basic user and gets by on our eMachines 1.2ghz with 256mb of ram, so stepping up to 2.8ghz and a gig of ram would more than do the job. It's only $500 something.

Yay or Nay on the Dell? Anything for the price that would last longer?

[AlphaKilo470]

I guess I'm one in a million here since I'm actually still yet to have any genuine trouble with Dell hardware but then again, I'm not familiar with their consumer products. There business products have never been spectacular but the OptiPlex desktops have always been really nice to open up and work on. I have a friend who owns a five year old PIII based Dimmension and he says that thing is built like a brick. Still, since there seems to be a majority of people with complaints about Dell over here, I'd take caution if you are going to go buy one.

[christopher_wolf]

My brother just asked me if the Dell Dimension E310 he was looking to buy was an "Ok" computer. I kind of tried to steer him away from Dell, but maybe that's just because I'm immersed in Thinkpads all day long. He's just a basic user and gets by on our eMachines 1.2ghz with 256mb of ram, so stepping up to 2.8ghz and a gig of ram would more than do the job. It's only $500 something.

Yay or Nay on the Dell? Anything for the price that would last longer?

I am edgy on this; either I am cursed with problems on Dell hardware or they have had quality go down over the years. We are kinda far past their older OptiPlex systems which, as I remember, were quite good; can't say that much for the newer ones as I haven't used a proportional number of them for as long as I had the older ones.

If your brother is a simple user and doesn't tinker with it too much, it should hold together well enough. The pressure on it for 24/7 operability isn't that high, although the quality of Dell's customer support has gone down somewhat and, at various times, people complain about the barriers that outsourcing introduced.

How long does he consider keeping the system and/or what upgrades are foreseen to be made in the future to it?

Until the environ or niche it is going to be used in and expected to perform to is defined, I would be wary of getting it vis a vis an immediate decision.

[dsigma6]

He is quite the basic user. He uses instant messenger kind of crap, checks mail, etc. Nothing demanding. As I've seen, he uses the computer just a few hours a day at the most. The only thing that would be added is memory, which I would do for him. He's extremely intelligent, but doesn't tinker with computers- just uses them for work and gets rich and makes me look silly..

So given that, the Dell doesn't seem too bad. I'll at least tell him to go up to the next model that offers a 2 year warranty as opposed to one. He's quite the miser so hopefully it will last. Would going to the business line be a better idea? I don't see what the harm in that would be, they do the same thing..

Thanks-

[AlphaKilo470]

If the price isn't too much more, a business model actually might serve him better as many consumer models are geared towards multimedia and what not nowadays and even on the more respectable companies, quality is usally traded off for bells and whistles that the business machines don't normally include.

[christopher_wolf]

Mmmm, yes; a little increment of money now is going to give you a large return in terms of long-term cost and operability. I would assume it is OK to advise him to get it.

[JaneL]

He is quite the basic user.

Buy the Dell; upgrade the warranty and support.

[dsigma6]

thanks to all. i will advise my brother. he will be happy that im not going to disrupt his plan!