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High End Dell Comparison

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10th May 2006 19:05  #1

High End Dell Comparison
Noticed this on Digg, if you are after a higher end PC and on a limited budget then build it yourself rather than use Dell:


I've suspected Dell was only useful for bulk orders or absolute entry level systems for some time, but I was too lazy to check. Happy

10th May 2006 21:32  #2

As some of the comments state, it totally disregards things like shipping and time to actually build your own system.  I generally build my own system because it is hard to get built in RAID, but it can be a time consuming process.  I'm not saying it is worth the $1k difference, but my time is worth something.

17th May 2006 17:46  #3

I have always built my own machines, but I went out to Dell's site last night and configured a nicely stacked XPS 600 and then configured a comparable PC by going out to both newegg.com and tigerdirect.com. The price difference was actually pretty close by comparison with the DIY coming in a little bit cheaper, but that was before adding in a decent monitor.

Dell usually runs some kind of deal in addition to free shipping most of the time, and currently they are offering a 20" Widescreen LCD monitor with their XPS systems for around $100, one that would normally cost around $400-$500 elsewhere, plus 12-months SAC. I've held off on an LCD for a long time now and am still using a CRT monitor, so an LCD was a must for me this go around. Add in Dell's warranty and service, something that would be virtually non-existent if I were to build my own machine seeing as I'd have to deal with each seperate hardware manufacturer for defective hardware, and I think in my case that Dell was the better deal. I did however order my second HD from Newegg.com as opposed to ordering it with the PC; Dell really does jack up the price on their hard drives. Now I just hope that it gets here by next Friday in time for the long weekend so I can play...

Ona side note...after reading that article I'm leary of the fact that the author expects that configured system to run on a 450 W power supply, plus I'm not so sure about some of the brands he chose to use.

17th May 2006 19:36  #4

On low margin PCs, the big cost for DIY will be a license for Windows.  Since PC manufactures pay very little compared to what a DIY would pay, this can make a big difference in the price.  Of course, if you aren't building a Windows PC, it's a NoOp.

Dell runs some incredible specials too.  We recently bought 3 laptops for work on a buy 2 get 1 free deal.

17th May 2006 23:28  #5

Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,127 Send a message via ICQ to Chris Gould Send a message via MSN to Chris Gould Send a message via Skype to Chris Gould
You sound like a Dell sales rep Wink To be honest they're perfectly ok for most people who just want a basic PC. My Mrs' boss was after a new PC for the office and I told him to go to Dell as it wouldn't have been worth my time doing it (too much hassle if there's a hardware problem in the future). Instead I got roped into doing their wireless network, which didn't bloody work as one of the wireless adaptors didn't work. It was obviously a returned product that PC world thought they'd put back on the shelves for a laugh (the lack of internal packaging gave it away). Now PC World, they really do suck.

18th May 2006 3:43  #6

I'm just trying to figure out how I can get this new PC into or very near to the TV area. Right now the room where my current PC resides is on the opposite side of the house from my entertainment center. I'd like to hook the new PC up to both my tv & reciever and have a normal setup as well since I'll probably be getting a Blu-Ray drive for this PC later this year, but I'd have to do some major re-arranging to pull it off, and even then I'm not sure that it'd work out.

18th May 2006 19:49  #7

I am anything but a Dell rep.  I have built my own computers in the past.  If some pre-built computers would come with RAID, I'd probably give up the practice.  It is always a frustrating experience for me, but I'm much too lazy to back up my system for failures, so I prefer to run RAID.

The company that I work for used to build all their machines from scratch.  This changed about 8 years ago because even though the parts were still cheaper than pre-built machines, we were incurring a huge amount of overhead in paying people to put machines together.  People's time is still worth something.

If you enjoy mucking with hardware, then you probably don't think of it that way.  I don't really like it, but do it out of necessity.

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