Comments | un_petit_mot: HP or Dell

un_petit_mot

HP or Dell

Jul 12, 2006 15:54

My computer search is probably drawing to a close-

Does anybody have anything to say for or against Dell or HP computers? I would love feedback about durability, quality, other useful features.

Comments 3

inevitablymango July 12 2006, 15:07:43 UTC

I don't know if you're thinking about a laptop or a desktop but I have definite comments to make about Dell laptops: they're awful. I've had one for five years. A year ago I got a new computer because the Dell had basically died after three-ish years. I had to reformat and then it kinda/sorta lived for the rest of the senior academic year, thank goodness. In general, they have lots of problems and aren't reliable. Danny also had one and had similar issues, as does my sister, who has one too. Perhaps Dell makes better desktops but I've been unhappy with their laptops.

holmes_iv July 13 2006, 15:29:31 UTC

Laptops generally have a pretty short useable lifespan, as compared to desktops (especially the more recent ones-I think the late-1990s laptops were a lot more durable). That said, I gather that Dell has an even less durable rep for laptops than the average, which is a pretty nasty thought (though they at least used to have pretty solid repair service available for the inevitable breakages).

Me, I'd buy a MacBook. But then, y'all knew that already. ;-)

yaleartificer July 12 2006, 16:37:38 UTC

I've had a Dell desktop for about 5 years now, and I've generally been happy with it. The hard drive died after about 3 years, but that's pretty normal in my experience (but maybe I tend to buy cheap computers?). The one annoying thing is that they tend to use custom drivers for hardware, and then they don't update those drivers. This can lead to some new games being buggy, though it doesn't come up often.

I've heard that Dells can be difficutt to upgrade, but I've added RAM, a DVD-ROM drive, a network card, a new hard drive, and a new graphics card to it over the years, and haven't had any issues. In fact, it came with a guide for installing new hardware. I suspect replacing the motherboard would be a challenge, though.

Never used tech support, but I suspect it's not great.