I know this has nothing to do with Zbrush but I thought anybody who is considering getting a Dell computer, don’t. Mine went up in smoke two weeks ago and I still didn’t get a replacement for it and nobody knows when I will get it. So, if anybody is considering getting a Dell, thier support is horrible.
I would have to be the pro to your con. I have owned a Dell since the beginning and have nothing but great things to say about the computers I got from them.
I have recommended them to many others and have never once been disappointed by their tech support…in fact they have gone out of their way to help.
Only thing I could complain about in my experience with Dell, is the price.
The factory I do freelance industrial design work for use Dell computers. These people make information towers, touch screen units and internet kiosks. Every unit that goes out is equipped with a Dell computer and they are spread throughout the whole of Holland. If the computers were unreliable the company would go broke because they would do nothing other than replace Dells throughout the land. this is not the case.
Dell is not a fly by night company and when you lock horns with Tech Support it usualy has to do with the reason for your computer being fried.
I use a HP unit at home because I could buy one straight away, but I would recomend Dell to anyone. Oh I forgot to say,… when I work at the factory itself I work on a Dell, done countless projects on it and never once had a problem.
Indeed, Dell are well known for good after-sales service and tech support.
Having said that, I wouldn’t buy a Dell because they use proprietary components (items made to their own design), so it’s not always possible to perform an upgrade without buying something from them. Their prices aren’t particularly good if you want to buy a graphics workstation - but at the mass market end, their prices are average.
When I was looking for a dual-processor workstation recently, I looked at the options they had on offer, but I was put off by the huge price.
Have three Dell’s: two desktops and a laptop.
We have been doing business together for over 5 years.
I have recommended Dells to students and business people without regret.
Have only two minor complaints.
When calling for support you sometimes have to wait awhile for someone to answer.
This might be because they offer lifetime support for free.
Second is that their memory chips are more expensive than you would purchase elsewhere.
But their people are even honest enough to
tell you that, and to give you the information required to buy it elsewhere.
When talking me through a large format, one of their support people even called me back from her home to make sure I was ok.
It doesn’t get too much better that that.
I helped a friend with his Gateway computer and they wanted his credit card number and 55 dollars an hour before they would talk to him.
Same company talked a customer into formatting their machine without checking if the customer had a reboot disc available.
He was without a computer for two weeks while the company mailed it to him.
Dell, to me,is one of, if not the, best out there.
I mean no disrespect to anybody in this forum,and I respect everybody’s input, but to defend myself I have been told that I would recieve the computer on 6 different dates and I haven’t recieved it. I have been talking to other people and they seem to be having the same problems as me. One person was having the same problem and when he finally got his computer, it was the wrong computer that had lesser things the the one he had and it endded up crashing in one day. He sent back the computer, Dell then said that they never recieved it, but the shipping company had a Dell signiture that said they recieved it. He had to get the Better Buisness Bureau to get involved to resolve the issue. This is just one of the stories I have on Dell, there are more. But to be fair to all maybe I should have given the title of “Be carefull of Dell” instead of “Don’t get a Dell computer”. My apologize to anybody I have offended in this forum, that was not my intent.
my 2 cents , I own a dell laptop and have a friend who owns one too. The system is top, no problems , everything runs smooth. But the material they used for the laptop is horrible , after 4 months , cracks started appearing on the case around the hinges , they got big after a while and a I phones support to pick it up and repair it. They picked it up and after 3 weeks I had it back (they said it was gonne be 7 days , but atleast it was still under warranty).
The friend of mine has a dell laptop too but he bought it 2 months later , because I recommended it to him. 4 months after he got it , he got the same cracks around the hinges that started getting bigger. He phoned support and they told him it would cost around 250 $ to fix it , although he still had warranty they didnt want to fix it. So he told them about my laptop and that they had fixed it for free , but they claimed the problem was something different …
They also told me and him after we asked what caused the cracks , that we shouldnt open and close the top case so much and that we best didnt move the laptop around places too much… I thought that was the purpose of a laptop … being portable…
So lesson learned and I’ll never buy a dell again , I just feel bad about recommending it to my friend.
Why not build your own computer?
Then you’ll know exactly what’s in it, and how good the components are.
When it comes to tech support - OK, you’re on your own unless you take it to a friendly local computer store. Or you could learn enough about your computer that you can fix it yourself.
My general experience has been that if you construct a PC from quality, ‘name brand’ components, then you should experience fewer problems.
I don’t think it’s any cheaper to build a PC yourself, but at least you’ll have it built with components you’ve chosen.
Dell is crap for the most part. The laptop case cracking is wide spread. I own a cracked up Dell laptop, hideous material. I have laptops twice as old as the Dell that have no material problems.
As for desktops, their prices are so so, they throw a bunch of BS proprietary software on them. The Dell case is just plain cheap and plastic all over.
Dell support has moved to India unless you pay for premium support.
For laptops I recommend Toshiba, Panasonic, or IBM.
For desktops I recommend ABS PC for the best price to value.
First off :mad: You don’t know nothing about Dell support being in India, there all over. I work for Dell tech support in Vegas.
And there are many other offices statewide and worldwide.
As far as cases go, you need to take care of it. Not drop it and say oh this is a bad case. The prices aren’t the greatest, but you get support for lifetime. By knowledgeable tech people…And if you buy a laptop you should get the extended warranty…
Ciao
I bught a Dell while going to UT in Austin. I lived about three miles from the factory and I got horrible service. Maybe some difference here between personal accounts and corporate. Pops got a Dell handheld and it bit it too (pops never dropped it either). He was not impressed by their service either. I guess it is a bit touch and go with those guys? 
One of my incomes is from PC consulting, though i mostly do web services nowadays.
I’ve recommended Dell laptops to about 6 of my clients over the last 3 or 4 years and none have had problems. Even did an upgrade for one guy to Win 2000 pro on an older Dell that wasn’t really designed for it. That was a challange, but Dell was very helpful and sent a CD of special drivers and other usefull free extras in their (not free) upgrade kit. And the support guy we worked with arranged a special low price for us on the upgrade kit, in case it didn’t work out.
For desktops, i always have them assembled by a trusted local company, from my own specs.
I have had dell desktops for years have had very few problems with them. One time I thought my screen was going and dell sent me a new one in 2 days but that was not the problem it was the video card and I got a new one of those in 2 dyas as well and they let me keep the new screen.
As for laptops I went with the alienware extreem and it does a great job. I have not had problems with it yet so I dont know how the service is.
I have owned a few dells in the past…
The support definitely has gone down hill in the past few years…
Dont give up keep calling back, and hopefully you will get your way…
with any computer purchase people should spend an afternoon with Google and do some research…
Check out every part in computer you want to purchase…
If you go with Dell, Gateway, Compaq, Hp, or IBM you may get OEM versions of hardware components…
some of the OEM versions are not that hot… some require special software drivers that you can only get from the computer company… this means that you have to explain yourself if you want to re-format your system…
Also if you want to run Linux Stay very far away from DELL the motherboards they use in some systems really run funkey in linux…
Every dell system I have delt with installing Linux has given me problems with both the mother board, and CDrom drives…
If you already own a DELL and want to try Linux, I suggest useing a KNoppix HD install with Auto detect for the hardware… Debian seems to like dell systems for the most part…
I suggest just doing your homework, and pay someone to put together your choice of components…
I went with Micronux, they sell systems totally custom… plus you can get Linux , and custom partitions for other Os’s
anyways 2 cents
Yes, but as I am on the other end…There are alot of Ques, if one is filled they bounce you to another place…There are a whole lot of you too out there…Like any business, I think Dell is one of the best support groups out there…Not being biased, I have called many different tech places far worse then Dell…We all hate waiting…Me too…We live in a society that is fast, fast, fast…Yes, you are going to get bad tech people sometimes, don’t give a crap, etc,etc, they don’t last long here…And I hear about propriety components, there made by mainstream providers…Anyways, It’s all a matter of choice people, there are always better and better…since I work at tech all I get is issues, and 90% of the time it is the user who messed up or did something…It’s a hard business, but I think we try to do the best we can, as the technology grows, we all should stay on top of it…I say find out yourself, and quit complaining, just imagine if their was no support at all…Look at software companies, buy there software, open it up, if is a problem, or it sucks, you can’t return it…so Dude, You Got a Dell!!!
I just wanted to add…If you are looking to do specific job on your computer, yes you need something better then a Dell, I don’t even own a dell, I also do 3d design, so Dell don’t suit my graphic needs…Dell’s are aimed for a certain demographic of people, not hardcore users…If you are like me and need power, you don’t buy propriety machines, you get what you need…So that’s my two cents again…
it took them a month once to replace a speaker, and phone conversations with them can take hours is they put you in queue. they are usually one of the first companies people buy computers from, then you move on and find more specialized high quality ones for your needs (I recommend cyberpowerinc.com for custom rigs)
A lot of people have recommended that I build my own computer. Since I don’t know how, can anybody recommend any books or any other information that would be helpfull.
why not just pay someone to build it for you?
thease guys are great!
http://www.micronux.com/
they build nice and sound systems to your specs…
It’s now very simple to build your own PC.
As a guideline, look at the combination of parts that many upmarket PC manufacturers are providing. They usually list all the components.
All you do is make a list of all the best components you will need. Leave out things if you don’t need them, like soundcards and speakers.
Get the retailer to install the processor and heatsink on the motherboard for you.
Then bolt all the bits together!
The only difficult bit is the Windows installation (it’s a lot easier than it used to be, trust me). If you’ve bought parts that are certified as Win XP compatible (from major manufacturers), the installation should be a smooth process.
As the last poster said - if you’re really not sure, get someone else to do it for you.