Be Direct, Buy Dell
Jun 05 '00 (Updated Jun 28 '00)
Unless you’re the type of person who has the skills, patience, or desire to build your own computer, consider purchasing a Dell computer for any of your home, business, or educational needs. I’ve had the pleasure of using some of Dell’s finest products – the OptiPlex GXi, Dimension XPS T500, and Latitude CPx laptop – and have no qualms about ever recommending this brand of computers to family members or friends.
Dell's Logo: Be Direct
Though Dell Computer Corporation has suffered some growing pains over the past year, it’s direct sales and distribution process is one of the best in the industry. While other manufacturers such as Hewlett Packard or Apple may use stores such as CompUSA or Best Buy to sell it’s computers, Dell cuts out the middle man and configures, sells, and ships their computers directly out of their Round Rock, TX headquarters.
And while the computers you find in stores are usually pre-configured, Dell computers can be built-to-order to meet each user’s indvidual needs and budget. Gateway and Compaq also use direct sales methods, but not as successfully as Dell. When I purchased my personal home computer last year, I compared a Dell with a similarly configured Gateway and found that the Dell was a much better value, with better quality parts.
How Do You Go About Buying A Dell?
Dell computers can be purchased over the phone, through their catalog, or online. Their advertisements are prevalent in financial, news and computer magazines, as well as newspapers. Dell designates sales representatives to deal with different types of buyers -- Home users, Small Business users, Medium to Large Corporations, Education, and Government. These sales representatives are trained to understand the products that are geared to your target group, and walk you through the purchase of your system. However, don’t expect these sales reps to be so helpful after you purchase your system and have questions on how something works. They will most likely just direct you to someone in Customer Support for those types of questions.
You can also purchase online, and build your computer with drop-down menus that select your choice of memory, hard drive, graphics card, video card, modem, etc. The price of your system will be calculated automatically as you go along. Whether you purchase your computer entirely online or over the telephone, each order is processed by a specific sales rep, who you can refer back to, should any discrepancies or questions related to the order arise. The turn around rate from the time of order to shipment to your home or office is normally a few days to a few weeks, depending on the shipping method you chose. Also, if you decide within thirty days that you do not want to keep your computer, you can return the complete system for a refund (though you will incur the return shipping costs).
Dell Computers I’ve Used
OptiPlex Gxi: This has been my computer at work since it was purchased new in late 1997. The Gxi model of Dell’s OptiPlex desktops is now the lowest of OptiPlex models, but my Gxi is still stable and performs well, though it has not had one single hardware upgrade from it’s 32MB of RAM, 2GB of hard drive, and Pentium with MMX technology. It is also networked, and has not had any network problems related to the desktop configuration itself. Dell’s OptiPlex line is designed for use in medium to large businesses with demanding networks, where stability and manageability are of up most importance. My Gxi has definitely lived up to it’s expectations, with a truly impressive life cycle. Other large corporations, such as Edison International, also use OptiPlex computers within their networks.
Dimension XPS T500: This is my computer at home, which I’ve had for a year and two months. The Dimension line of desktops is geared for home or small business users who want high performance (speed, multi-media), and expansion capabilities. There are plenty of bays and slots on the Dimension XPS T’s for system upgrades. Assembly is also easy on most Dell desktops, which have color-coded plugs on the back of the mainframe to help you attach your peripherals. The case is also easy to open, which is something I had to do when I installed an after market CD burner. My Dimension XPS T500 was a top of the line Dimension when I bought it last year, and though I love how it performs, I definitely wouldn't mind having the current top of the line model. Prices have dropped significantly, and a fully loaded Dell can be had for a fairly reasonable price.
Latitude CPx: The Latitude is Dell’s line of performance lap tops, often more expensive than it's Inspiron line. This particular one has a 14.1” screen, which is nearly the size of a small, but decent computer monitor. It is equipped with a 500 MHz Pentium III processor, 256 MB of memory, 18 GB hard drive, weighs 6.4 lbs, and has a slim profile. That’s more than a lot of desktops out there have! A lot has changed since the day laptops first came out, huh? This lap top definitely looks very professional, but I am so comfortable with using desktops that I don’t think I would ever want to use a lap top as my primary computer.
Overall, I have been a very satisfied Dell customer -- from a corporate account user’s perspective, as well as a home user’s perspective. Dell cases and monitors are definitely durable, not to mention very attractive and streamlined. The parts used are also from quality manufacturers such as 3 Com/U.S. Robotics, Intel, Logitech, Microsoft, etc, and not generic no-names. Software bundles are also from reputable companies such as Intuit, Microsoft, and McAfee. These systems are definitely stable, which is the most important criteria of all. Higher end models can be quite expensive, but you can find a basic one for under $1000. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Dell computer, if the opportunity presented itself.
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Epinions.com ID:
nghiemr
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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