Thread: Should I get Dell?

The only thing i want to buy from dell is because they give u more option in customize the laptop, as well as the monthly payment plan. I wouldnt want to spend that much money at once though, gotta pay for my rent and other tuition stuff. However, i know that computer science class wont require graphic but i would want a nice graphic laptop in order to do side project. Somehow my classes' times are not close to each other, and i have to stay in the hub or do something b4 the next class. I wouldnt want to spend a little amount of money on some crappy cheap laptops, but has to be something good that let me do some regular works just as with my desktop.

@QuestionC:
Thank u for ur info, i will be looking in to it

Dell has some of the best prices out there. I searched long and hard for my current laptop, and Dell beat out Toshiba, HP, Sony, IBM, and Mac on the prices. Dell is pretty much the cheapest computer you can get without getting crap hardware (you know...something like eMachines).

I should probably back up my "Dell will rip you off" claim.

I think that this particular deal you found is a fluke. I check prices pretty often, and Dell usually beats them all out.

I'm not saying Dell builds the best quality computers in the world...but they usually have the best bang for your buck.

The only thing i want to buy from dell is because they give u more option in customize the laptop, as well as the monthly payment plan.

I wanted a laptop that could do graphics as well. As a college student, my laptop is more of a "desktop replacement". There are lots of Dells that let you upgrade to a GeForce or an ATI graphics card in your laptop. Mine came with an ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 (I believe it has 256 MB of video mem)

By the way...if you are a student, lots of companies give student discounts. Both Dell and Mac do for sure, and I am sure other companies will as well. Look into that.

I agree that Dell gives a reasonable price for thier laptops... But working 3 years on the Dell - I will not spent my money anymore on it...

Its quality is not sutisfying - Maximum - it is equal to the price...

If I'd buy a notebook today - I'll go for IBM Thinkpad definitely. Their prices are high, but they give the comfort in usage I could never achieve with any of the Dell's I was using...

Dude... you're getting a Dell!

I have a Dell XPS M1210, because it is the only one in the sea that I want:

-T7200. Would have gone with Asus if they have a brain to actually put a T7200 on it instead of the T5500.
-Dedicated GFX on an ultraportable -- now that's a huge floor cleaner.
-a pair of 9 cells at start - Nope. no one I see around. I can go ~6 hours on The Sims 2 Pets.

The M1310 is a good choice if you moderately game and don't want to break your back carrying it. (4lb!) and don't compare a 13.3" with a 17", please. They are for different audience and will cost considerably more.

Don't even think about buying an IBM Lenovo or Thinkpad!
I seriously had one before (centrino single core 1.8) for $1700 and it was basic crap. The harddrive periodically overheats and the monitor had three dead pixels. Even with fresh install it was slow as hell and it periodically stucks with the harddrive banging, not to mention the customer telephone support just does not help.

I returned it to the local retail shop with full refund after 3 days of fustration and are scared of buying a laptop for a year.

Then I bought the Dell 6400 laptop centrino duo and I had no problems with it. Its cheap ($1000), and its hardware is simply not bad at all. I have never deal with Dell's customer support, but thats simply I never have to.

Just be sure to get a fresh install right after you get the computer, its unuseable with the stock installation.

Originally Posted by CreatedByShadow

Why not just build your own laptop?

Buy a bare bone laptop configuration ( if needed I can supply you with some websites ) and buy some parts. Building your own rig(s) always seem to be a bit cheaper.

At least this is what I'm doing for my next laptop.

Yeah, that'll be great. I've never built laptop b4, but i guess it should be pretty much the same as desktop (Hopefully ).

Originally Posted by TomsHardware.com

The idea of saving money surely is not a priority, because do-it-yourself PCs are usually more expensive than an off-the-rack model with comparable equipment.

Quoi? Looks like someone doesn't want to insult their advertisers.

Anyway, the only useful thing I see out of that article is the link to http://www.abs.com which is the only real notebook DIY seller that I know of, however, their barebones appear to be severely outdated. Someone more experienced in DIY notebooks might know better deals though. I would always ebay laptop processors, though. Much, much cheaper.

Originally Posted by Yoshi

The M1310 is a good choice if you moderately game and don't want to break your back carrying it. (4lb!) and don't compare a 13.3" with a 17", please. They are for different audience and will cost considerably more.

Sorry about that. After looking again a bit more closely, I do feel that was a really bad comparison. Dell laptops are much more competitive than I indicated.

I wouldn't recommend laptop building just yet. Laptops, unlike desktops, are highly size-oriented, meaning that manufacturers may often make/design custom parts to specifically cut down on size. Since this is not an issue in a PC, generic parts can be manufactured for most motherboard/case combos at factory-line prices and installed easily. The same cannot be said for laptops, unless you're willing to put up with a chunkier, less fitted product, in which case, you're probably better of going with a desktop in the first place anyways.