How are Dell computers?

Lol. But I don't really want to set aside the time to build one, nor risk doing it incorrectly, have to worry about sufficient cooling, correct PSUs and that kind of thing. I want to take it out of a box, shove it under my desk, turn it on.

 

In that case, "dude, get a Dell"...

 

Don't shove it under the desk lol, regardless what PC you get. You want the PC to be in an open area. The floor is ok so as long as the air vents are not blocked by the floor/carpet. Get a can of air and blow the vents to clear any dust build up, but by all means DO NOT put the PC in a cabinet. You're asking for it to go bad.

 

Please don't scaremonger - it's quite safe to put a computer under a desk without fear of it exploding. You simply need to leave enough space around it so that the computer has a good airflow (i.e.: not in a box). Make sure there's enough space at the back, that any airvents and fans aren't covered up, and that the case overall has at least a CD's width in all directions to 'breathe'.

He's right about putting computers in cabinets though - seriously, what kind of fool puts what is essentially a radiator with no thermostat in a box with no airflow? Surely you expect it to overheat!

 

Moose, you just rehashed what I said....

 

...It'd be under my desk which is basically a huge open space anyway. Speaking of temperatures, my laptops HDD is *supposedly* currently running at 50C. That can't be good.

 

That's alright. It's not like there's much airflow or any fans there to keep it cool.

My HDD on my laptop gets up that high when I do a lot work on it.

As long as you have your CPU fan spinning and getting air you should be fine. just turn off your laptop when not in use to let it cool down completely.

 

Lenovo I would certainly say is quality.

Sony and HP/Compaq? HELL NO. Talk about cheap build quality and poor support.

When it comes to Dell two things are two:
1) You get what you pay for.
2) So long as you stick to the base configs, Dell will beat a custom build on price 9/10 times.

Dell offers a wide range of machines and support. If you buy the cheapest, shittiest consumer machine from Dell and drop the support to 90 days phone, you are going to get exactly what you pay for. You will get a machine that works, but has average build quality (lots of plastic) and outsourced drone support at an Indian call center.

If you buy one of the business lines (such as a Latitude Laptop) build quality will be better and components will be solid. Pay for gold support and you're connecting right to a US based, native English speaking tech that doesn't work off a script and knows what he or she is talking about.

Want next day, on-site service? You can get that. Want coverage for anything and everything that could possibly go wrong? That's available too.

I once had the touchpad on my (old) laptop die the night before a trip. A quick call to Dell and they scheduled a tech to meet me at my destination. When I landed, there a was a VM from the tech. I called back and when I got to the hotel the tech was ready and waiting with the parts. He fixed it right then and there and was on his way.

The only thing you don't want to do with Dell is buy upgrades on their site. The ENTIRE Dell business model is built around the upsell. The base configs can be insanely competitive, but as soon as you start adding upgrades you're just throwing away money. Get the core system from Dell, but get your additional RAM, upgraded video card and upgraded hard drive elsewhere.

Oh, and plan on re-loading the OS as soon as you ge tit. Part of the reaso nDell can be so competitive on price is because its computer prices are subsidized by selling pre-load space to various programs (Wildtangent games, etc.). Easiest way to fix that is get the machine in, run the WIndows restore disc to format and reinstall just the OS and you're golden.

So yeah, if you want a super cheap, "throw away" machine with zero support, you can get that from Dell. Not bad if you just need something for a specific purpose.

If you want a mid-range, solid machine at an attractive price you can get that too. You can also get some high end gear. It's all a matter of being a smart shopper.

 

Which brands are notable for including little 'crap' on their new PCs?

 

All of them.

 

Lol!