Enron vs dell

[RJM]

Ever notice how much the Enron "E" looks like the Dell "E"?

(just an observation)

Edited September 21, 2006 by RJM

[ripken204]

lol. dell, what a joke.

[prx984]

lol. dell, what a joke.

nothing wrong with dell.

Ever notice how much the Enron "E" looks like the Dell "E"?

(just an observation)

lol, funny

[Nerwin]

Ever notice how much the Enron "E" looks like the Dell "E"?

(just an observation)

hahahaha LOL I wonder were dell got there logo idea from, hmmmmm...... I Wonder were.

nothing wrong with dell.

Well I Hate dell Desktop, But I really do like there laptop/Notebooks though.

[prx984]

iv never used dell desktops, but theyre laptops are great iv had 6

[ripken204]

i like their laptops too, but still... what are they thinking with the desktops.

[CoffeeFiend]

Their desktops aren't THAT bad (not very big on their laptops actually - Thinkpads is where it's at, but their servers are pretty good - mind you I prefer nice Sun Operton boxes). They may not be the best choice for home users and gamers, but for businesses, it's a pretty good pick/good value.

They have a pretty good enterprise support (bronze/silver/gold/platinum) - they fix things in a very timely manner. Never had a problem with 'em.

And they have some of the best tools/systems for companies. Like, they actually use things like asset tags in BIOS, which is very handy (again, not very much to a home user/gamer, but in a business it truly is).

Tons of PCs return a LOT of junk when you try some basic WMI queries (or even via SMS) - because the SMBIOS info is just crap (BIOS sucks, it's seemingly rushed out the door). And that goes for a LOT of systems out there - including most "white boxes" (not like they manually customize every motherboard's BIOS to have relevant info). Often they just error out on basic stuff as it's just not even there, otherwise you'll get a large batch with all the same serial (such as 123456789), and all kinds of other wrong stuff (CPU/RAM misreported, etc). Whereas most Dells I've tried always returned correct, and very comprehensive information. You'd think other companies would start to get it by now (older PCs truly suck at this)... I've seen MANY oher lines of desktops (by other mfgs) be much more problematic in many ways.

"Ok" prices (especially if buying in volume - and often they'll even give you like bronze support or better for free when you buy in large enough batches), good support and good management features - that's pretty much what any business wants/needs (again, not that I'd buy one for home)

They're shipping a LOT of systems for a reason...

Edited September 25, 2006 by crahak

[WBHoenig]

I've noticed that for a while - probably because Dell is a local buisness here. They're based in Round Rock, which is a 'burb of Austin, where I live.

I can't say that Dell isn't evil, though! Their laptops are the worst! Their desktops are okay; all school is filled with both Dell desktops and laptops. They have the desktops running just fine and honestly they are some of the best XP-based computers I've ever run, but the laptops are pure ****.

Edited September 27, 2006 by WBHoenig

[The Apache]

nothing wrong with dell.

Well I Hate dell Desktop, But I really do like there laptop/Notebooks though.

i don't understand why everyone seems to have a problem with dell desktops. my computer is hardly top of the range, and it runs absolutely fine.

their customer service support (online and telephone) is great and are very helpful. you have alot of options of what size your memory is, what size your monitor is ect: and all great prices as well.

if you are going to say you hate the desktops, at least state why you do.

[ripken204]

personally i dont think you have any choice on things. if i want a high perfomance part, i just cant get it. and why would you care about customer support? are you planning on ur comp to break?

[CoffeeFiend]

personally i dont think you have any choice on things. if i want a high perfomance part, i just cant get it. and why would you care about customer support? are you planning on ur comp to break?

Well, that somewhat describes what people dislike about Dells: they don't cater to gamers and such. Their desktops are good enough for 95% of people, but that other 5% keeps complaining about things like "they don't make low priced SLI rigs" or such. Dell doesn't want to cater to that minority (not as much profit to make, vast inventory of different and costly parts to keep, low volume, etc). Support is crucial for businesses and non tech-savvy folks, but most gamers don't need it.

If Dell's systems aren't appealing to you, it's because you're not their target audience. Simple as that. For the others, the support and nearly unbeatable prices on decently built average (business/office) systems is a great option. They also offer decent accessories and extras at decent prices too (great UltraSharp LCDs, laser printers, PDAs, etc)

[ripken204]

well im just saying. something such as memory. ya they offer 2 gigs, but of value memory... now for a normal user thats fine but not for me.

[CoffeeFiend]

well im just saying. something such as memory. ya they offer 2 gigs, but of value memory... now for a normal user thats fine but not for me.

...which again is my point. Most people wouldn't know or even care what type of RAM they're using, much less their latency or such. Plain value RAM is good enough for ~95% of folks out there. If anything, they've made their ordering process simple enough (just pick how much). Their PC will be plenty fast regardless. They'll be able to check email, browse web, do their finances, play some music, create some powerpoint presentations, etc.

If value memory isn't good enough for you, then again, you're not who the type of person they usually sell systems to (businesses, average users, etc), that's all.

[ripken204]

if thats all they're doing, then why do they need so much ram

[CoffeeFiend]

What about memory intensive apps (there are LOTS of these - photoshop, visual studio, development databases, firefox, etc), heavy multitasking, future-proofing, etc? And it's not like they don't come with 2GB by default either (and most people don't choose it, either). All my PCs are loaded with RAM, but for the most part it's rather generic stuff (last batch was Samsung PC2-4200), and I'm quite pleased with it (next batch is going to be pretty much "average latency" stuff too). The point is to avoid heavy swapping (which slows down any computer tremendously - hard disks aren't exactly fast RAM), not to get a little extra memory bandwidth by paying a hefty premium for some lower latency.

There's NOTHING they could do that would make the other 5% potential buyers happy. They'd carry brand name RAM, someone else would not like it and want another brand (OCZ vs Crucial vs whatever). They'd carry lower latency RAM, some folks would still say that's not low enough (e.g. that DDR2 6400 just HAS to be CAS3). They'd also need to carry a large selection of OC-friendly SLI motherboards from every price point for every socket, a wide selection of CPUs to fit those (including some high end stuff), dozens of different video cards, 63 different power supplies, etc.

And all that [large] inventory of expensive parts devaluates very fast. One month sitting on a shelf * a lot of parts = a LOT of $ (millions in their case). It takes a lot of warehouse space and logistics/supply chain management too. They'd have to create dozens and dozens of new different configurations, all with custom options, test all these, adapt the production chains, etc.

In the end, they'd cost an arm and a leg, and nobody would like nor buy 'em regardless, and they'd likely make very little profit from it (if any). So they decided to focus on the remaining 95% potential customers and make those happy - and for the most part, they are.

There's really nothing wrong with Dell. You're just part of that other 5%.

Edited October 1, 2006 by crahak