<p>Can someone PLEASE explain just what is wrong with Dells? I already shelled out $2000 for the Latitude from Penn...</p>
<p>they are notorious for mediocre build quality and bad service. don't worry though, penn gives you a buttload of warranty, and a lot of people with dells turn out fine. You get a lot of performance for the buck from them</p>
<p>I think Dell is a hit or miss company. For me it's been all miss and my experience has been AWFUL with them, but I know people who have had fantastic experiences with them.</p>
<p>Yeah, it's not that Dells are awful computers or anything, or else they wouldn't still be one of the most popular computers on the market. They just seem to be more prone to problems than a lot of other brands out there. </p>
<p>I also just want to point out that I got a Compaq and have had a miserable experience with it... I've had to clear my HD 4 times over two years, and had to have my CD-ROM drive and Hard Drive replaced (under warranty, luckily) once each.</p>
<p>Dells suck...theres a reason they are so cheap and its the crappy job they do building them. Yea theres no other place to get a 300 dollar computer...but if you can afford 1400 then dell is not the way to go. I'm a big fan of Vaios cause ive never had a problem with them, but yes they are on the pricier side. I havent had much experience with IBMs, but my new Toshiba is running great. I was gonna get a MacBook but then I won this pretty sweet Toshiba at graduation, so I decided to keep it. If your willing to spend 1600 bucks I would still go for the macbook...its a solid computer with lots of cool and effective programs and toys</p>
<p>A good website to check out is Ubid. You can get a solid Vaio on there for a much smaller price because they are mostly refurbished laptops...but they are well built...i helped my friend pick one out last year on Ubid and he has had no problems.</p>
<p>here are just a few of the repeated problems i've encountered when working on Dells that seem to occur much more frequently than on other types of machines:</p>
<p>-hard drives fail
-CD/DVD drive breaks
-noisy fans
-cooling fans break
-computer overheats even when fans are working properly
-abysmal tech support if you call outside of regular 9-5hrs
-computers are not sturdy, little bumps or spills that other machines take without difficulty lead to parts needing replaced
-I don't know if they fixed this, but in last year's models you could only use your LAN internet line if the laptop was hooked up to the power adapter
-wireless service notably worse than than with other brands (mainly IBM and Apple)
-battery life is average at best
-and this is personal preference, but... THEY'RE UGLY</p>
<p>My e1405 looks very good i think. I do have to wonder about your point with the hard drive though. I have a seagate in my dell, and it is a decent drive company. The fan noise is also very imperceptible.</p>
<p>Buying a dell is buying into a compromise: There is more maintenance on your part in return for a better price. In my case, I downloaded a program that monitors fan speed and cpu/hdd/cd/ram/etc/etc/etc heat, back up important data, don't rely on tech support, and try to baby it as much as possible.</p>
<p>But yeah, I think I will buy a lenovo when i am done with this one though, I want a top-of-the-line laptop for once</p>
<p>its a given that you need to take good care of your computer if you want it to last a long time...say 4 or more years...but that doesn't mean you should have to baby it...who cares how much your saving on a dell if i need to run scanning programs and cleaning programs every day to keep it running normally</p>
<p>I don't, honestly. the antivirus does something on its on every once in a while, and i scan for spyware every other month. By baby i mean I don't drop it, I'm careful about what I download, and I don't install useless junk. I find that a lot of people complain about what they've created: (a junk filled registry, un-defragged hard drive, useless programs, damaged hardware, etc). I do run it hard, however, moving around lots and lots of gigs to and from the hard drive and burner, and running LOTS of programs at once.</p>
<p>besides, always remember that even if they do run every night they can always be scheduled to run on their own</p>
<p>Why does everyone keep saying Dells are cheap? The Dell was the most expensive thing that Penn offered.</p>
<p>slickdeals.net Check out the front page: you can get 1.83 ghz core duo, 1 gig ram, dvd-rw, ati x1300, truelife screen... for $600. Unbeatable</p>
<p>that is a pretty sick price...is that just a computer put together or is that of a company</p>
<p>Hey, you seem to know quite a lot bout computers, maybe you can give me more advice.</p>
<p>So I definitely want a pc, not mac. I am leaning towards the IBM cuz I heard they are really well built, reliable and have an amazing warranty. This is a BIG factor for me since I dont have money to waste on having the laptop repaired.</p>
<p>However, the IBMs seem quite ugly and 'oldschool', while the VAIOs have a sweet design.</p>
<p>I would be willing to sacrifice design for longevity, but tell me if the IBMs are REALLY significantly better at reliability than other laptops like VAIOs. Is it really worth it to get an IBM?</p>
<p>Furthermore, I dont play any computer games, but I do record music, edit music, and I want to watch movies, are IBMs as good as other pcs for these purposes?</p>
<p>I want a 15.4 (or 15) screen, since the laptop will serve as a desktop the major part of the year (although also used for travelling a lot) and I want to watch movies on it and have a wide screen for more comfortable working.</p>
<p>However, Penn Connections has no such offer...they only have 14.1-screen IBMs and the one that is worth it is also lacking a DVD-burner, which I really want. Should I try to get a more customized laptop from Penn Connections maybe getting a discount? Or should I just get it of the IBM website?</p>
<p>Also, are there IBMs with a less ugly look? Maybe a different colour than black or sumtin...</p>
<p>Thanks a lot :)</p>
<p>I have a VAIO and it works fine. I don't think IBM really makes laptops anymore...from what I've heard, they're gearing more towards systems and networks than computers. I personally think VAIOS are the slickest computer available...definitely worth it if you can afford it!</p>
<p>Everyone has to realize that Penn Connections is not offering you any fancy discount...its probably just the student discount that the company would give you...thats at least def the case for the macs at the penn computer store</p>
<p>it's a brand new dell. The deals show up all the time, keep an eye on the site. </p>
<p>IBM sold their laptop division and they are now marketed as Lenovo. The quality seems to have remained the same however. IBMs are super solid and will serve you well</p>
<p>oh its a dell...well then the price isnt that great haha</p>
<p>Try this website <a href="http://www.deals2buy.com%5B/url%5D">www.deals2buy.com</a> I bought an Acer Aspire with really good configuration for the money</p>
<p>I was also thinking of buying a Lenovo laptop...but one of my friends mentioned that you can't add memory to it?? Im not quite familiar but is that true? Most of them only have 512mb of memory, and that is why he advised not to buy a lenovo..</p>
<p>ah i give up, buy whatever. You usually get what you pay for anyway</p>