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| Celtic Radio Community > General Discussion > Gateway Vs. Dell |
| Posted by: Elspeth 19-Apr-2004, 07:47 AM |
| We need a new computer. Actually we need a new moitor due to an unfortunate candle accident that happened 4 years ago, melting the off button so that the thing has been on basically all of the last four years. For some odd reason, it is starting to fade out. Imagine that. Anyway.... At four years old, it seems prudent to replace the system instead of components. We have a Gateway and it has been good for us, especially the Gateway go back feature. But others tell us Dell is great as well. Anyone have opinions? Stories? Advice? What do we really need on a system? |
| Posted by: tsargent62 19-Apr-2004, 08:26 AM |
| I have a Gateway and have had a lot of trouble with it. Fortunately I know how to do most of my own work so I haven't had to send it back. If I had it to do over again I would definitely go with Dell. I have yet to talk to anyone that wasn't happy with one. Do you have any technical questions, i.e., what components you might need? I would make sure the system has enough power to last a while. At least 512 MB of RAM, 60-80 GB hard disk, 16-32 MB of video RAM. In other words, buy the most powerful system you can afford. Programs are taking up more and more system resources and you don't want to get caught short in 2 - 3 years. We're about ready for a new system, too. It hit home when my son bought a new game and our system couldn't run it. I'm trying to persuade my wife to let me use part of our tax rebate on a new one. |
| Posted by: Elspeth 19-Apr-2004, 09:28 AM |
| We had that same problem. Our son got a game at Easter and we can't install it. Yes, I definately need all the tech specs you can give me. Thanks! It's all just alphabet soup to me. |
| Posted by: Mailagnas maqqas Dunaidonas 19-Apr-2004, 09:39 AM |
| I'm not familiar with Gateway, but bought a Dell for my son when he went off to college a couple of years ago. When we received the Dell, we discovered that it had a bad internet card. Within a couple of days, Dell sent someone to our house to replace the card, which I thought was excellent customer service. I can't help but think there's a relationship between Dell thriving, and Gateway shutting down its brick-and-mortar stores. I've also had good luck with eMachines--we have a desktop and a laptop, both of which we have been extremely happy with. I did upgrade the memory on the desktop to 640 mg--the laptop came with 512. I definitely agree that there is no such thing as too much memory. |
| Posted by: Eamon 19-Apr-2004, 09:46 AM |
| Dell has gotten ALOT better since they brought much of their customer support back from overseas. My company got to audit Michael Dells flight department, and his personal jet...let me put it to you this way...he makes WAY too much money. I hear Gateway is good as well, but everything we run at work is Dell, and it is very reliable. Eamon |
| Posted by: Annabelle 19-Apr-2004, 09:52 AM |
| Sis, I've never had a Gateway but I have 3 Dell's. My Laptop had a small modeum problem and they sent a tech down from Atlanta (100 miles) to service my laptop within 24 hours I called them so I'm pretty impressed. The only thing I usually do when shopping for computers is I always buy extra storage. Usually if you buy more when you order the computer the extra storage is cheaper than when you add later. You can go into their website and custom order exactly what you want. More is better! |
| Posted by: maisky 19-Apr-2004, 11:35 AM |
| Look for an MDG computer store near you. Their prices are better than Dell OR Gateway and they keep in-store service. Nice to be able to take the 'puter into the shop where you got it! |
| Posted by: Blue_Rogue 19-Apr-2004, 12:02 PM |
| Sorry can't help with the question between Dell and Gateway. I have always built my own (I know thats not a option for most poeple). I would suggest that if you know someone or someplace that can do this, that is the way to go for several reason. 1) You can get exactly what you want/need from a computer without all the BS your going to get from a packaged unit. 2) I know from experiance that with Gateway and HP, if you run into a programming problem, you have to have the programming disc that come with the computer, because Gateway and HP embed their programming with Microsofts. And one other nice thing about building a computer (if your into it), you can customize everything, can be a lot of fun!! And that's my opinion. |
| Posted by: MDF3530 19-Apr-2004, 03:42 PM |
I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but if you're just gonna get a computer for personal use, forget Dell and Gateway. Buy an iMac. You can buy them at Best Buy (although they still won't sell Apple software  ), CompUSA, or the Apple Store. I don't know about Best Buy, but both the Apple Store and CompUSA do repairs on-site. |
| Posted by: kidclaymore 19-Apr-2004, 04:49 PM |
| I have had both. I like the Dell the best. I had some trouble with the gateway, But mostly because it likes its own name brand components and just any brand won't do. |
| Posted by: Aaediwen 19-Apr-2004, 05:08 PM |
| Personally, I build my own and would recommend nothing less for anyone with that as an option. That way you get exactly what you want, you know exactly what you're getting, and you can make it as high or as low class as you want it. If that's not an option, then I'd go with Dell for a pre-built box, and indeed I'm planning on getting a neighbor who runs a business to order me a Latitude when I get ready to buy a laptop (as I understand, you have to be pretty handy with a soldering iron if you want to build your own laptop, And I'm not) Top 10 in order of prefrence (with some vacant spots left out): 1. build your own 2. get someone you trust to build you a box 5. Dell 8. Gateway 10. E-machines (halfway decent budget machine, but I've seen some quirks in how my mom's machines run. Don't quite trust them myself.) |
| Posted by: gandster 19-Apr-2004, 05:15 PM |
| Takes deep breathe !!!!! Ok i bought a Dell first thing i did was completly strip it back down...repartitioned the harddrive and nuked all the Aol software they were so kind to install for me ...(reformated the harddrive../w the xp cd they were kind enough to send along...by the way...a bootable 98 cd will help by nuking off the ntfs and repartinoing the harddrive to fat 32..then converting to ntfs again....no lag..no spyware ...and a clean system ...and nothing but what ya want on it....after a repation tossing in the xp cd ...itll format the harddrive for you...all pretty easy really...i really wish people would lean how to do this...takes 10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to get over the fear of realizing its just SOFTWARE!...and can be replaced...)even though i was promised a clean harddrive...after that..have had no problems cause i wont let there techs touch it  gandster |
| Posted by: Aaediwen 19-Apr-2004, 05:40 PM |
| Sounds about right. Although I don't see the sense in the visit to vfat (Fat32). Just remove the partition during the XP reinstall, rebuild it there, and you're clean as you're going to get with Windows. I remember that right before I started building my own machines, my procedure with a pre-built box was... First thing when I got home, track down installs for anything they had on it I might want, and nuke the sucker. Fdisk is your friend. |
| Posted by: mingkee 19-Apr-2004, 06:37 PM | ||
besides of these I'd prefer to build myself both NEVER sell AMD version and I built one myself, and really like it shuttle xpc SN41G2V2 barebone AMD XP 2500+ 2ea corsair value select 256MB PC 3200 RAM maxtor 120GB HD lite-on DVD play/CD-RW combo drive XP pro I have monitor already if you're interested to build, go for that just 800 bucks |
| Posted by: mingkee 19-Apr-2004, 06:43 PM | ||
exactly actually, my desktop is a part of my audio system then I have a high requirement since I have a good DA convertor, I'd prefer digital output (SPDIF) and most of system don't have it that I have to build myself to get it |
| Posted by: gandster 19-Apr-2004, 07:16 PM |
Rofl!! yuppers fdisk is your friend....kinda dont have a choice but to go back to fat32 /w win98... had a heck of a time once using a floppy to format c: ... kinda just bumped into this way....thats where the fat32 comes in...after the partiontion is reeinstalled and before reboot toss in the xp cd(seeting the cd to boot from your bios) it comes up as a new partition that needs to be formated and do you want to "quick" or "slow" install ntfs....boom either one works and off it goes...the rest is just waiting the 20-50 minutes ..(bottle of sprits kills alot of time  )gandster |
| Posted by: gandster 19-Apr-2004, 07:30 PM |
| Date: 4/19/2004 Time: 17:46:13 Rule "Default Block Backdoor/SubSeven Trojan horse" blocked (xxxxxx)(xx.xxx.x.xx),27374). Details: Inbound TCP connection Local address,service is (xxxxx(xx.xxx.x.xx),27374) Remote address,service is (24.177.227.76,3353) Process name is "N/A" ps. dontcha just hate these !! |
| Posted by: Elspeth 20-Apr-2004, 05:55 AM |
Can I say you guys lost me somewhere on page 1?  |
| Posted by: gandster 20-Apr-2004, 04:23 PM |
| rofl! raises a glass of pinot ...not really...first thing about a puter is undo those 4 screws and look inside....follow a cable from point a to b ...when you realize that mish mash of cables and wires jumpled all over the place is just that... a simple cable.... little things to become familiar /w your computer...not just turning it on and clicking onto the net....go deeper.... look on web sites... start small...hmm tweaking a 56k modem.....i find it ridiculous that a tech charges $69-100 to format a system...ive lost count how many people ive sat down and forced to do there own...its so easy...its just software !!! 1 key piece of hardware, is a burner a must....save everything..leaving nothing to chance...once its on disk your set...problems arise ...nuke it and start fresh !! gandster |
| Posted by: Aaediwen 20-Apr-2004, 06:56 PM |
| Sis E: Get a machine built or built it yourself if at all possible. That's far better than any pre-built box. If you must go pre-built, go Dell ohh, did I say build your own? Or have it built for you by someone other than a big name dealer? |
| Posted by: A Shrule Egan 20-Apr-2004, 07:30 PM |
| Elspeth, Dell has made it pretty easy for you to choose what you want on a computer. Go to this page: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&kc=6V520&l=en&oc=D46SO&s=dhs and see if you can afford a 4600 AFTER picking out all the options you want. On each option, look to the right and you will see a box that says, "Help Me Choose". The explanations are pretty easy to understand. I'm telling you to start with the 4600 because the technology changes in a matter of months and the 2400 puts you at the bottom rung off the bat. The 4600 gives you more options and is easier to upgrade in the future, without getting to be unreasonable priced. If you can't afford the 4600, try to go with the highest 2400 you can afford. It's still a pretty good machine. If you think you can handle upgrading the memory RAM yourself, then order your computer with 256MB and purchase your upgrade (crucial.com is an option). Buying RAM through the computer company is a ripoff. If you don't feel confident doing that, order the 1GB option. That much RAM will make a big difference in the performance of your computer. As for the warranty and service. To me, buying more than 2 years is a waste. After 2 years, your computer will be considered obsolete to the new technology. Yes, your computer will still work with slight upgrades and downloads but it will never equal what will be available on the market in the future. Hope that helps you in your quest. |