What does it mean - "poor build quality"?

On the cusp of buying a laptop (I know, Santa Rosa tomorrow, but they might not have models in the range I would consider released by the time I MUST have my new one), the Dell Inspiron 9400 is my top choice due to price and that niiiice Go 7900GS. However, the ONE thing that is worrying me a little is this oft-quoted build quality issue. Repeatedly the main complaint I see against Dell's is that they have "poor build quality". But what does that mean, precisely? That the laptop starts falling apart after a time? Does it mean that the palmrests are less comfortable, the keys are not right for typing etc etc?

Can you explain what you mean when you say, in a review or in a feedback thread, Dells have "poor build quality"?

Cheers. If I can clear this up it will make my current purchase (this Dell vs Asus G1 vs HP dv9000 - subject to change in the next two weeks, possibly) a lot easier, but I've posted it in the Dell forum since the comment seems more often directed at Dells, and others may benefit from seeing any responses about this.

 

There is a reason why Dell notebooks are usually so inexpensive. Besides mass quantities sold and buying in bulk, most Inspirion notebooks are made from plastic and are quite basic in build quality. As long as it holds together.

However, it isn't fair placing such a 'tag' at Dell, but the fact is, you buy what you pay for.

 

OK, so a plastic shell is at least one of the ideas that falls into that category of build quality. Fair enough, but I have to say I think there would be a sector that prefers this to the fingerprint magnets of all the shiny laptops I've been reading about. I certainly would - my stuff is gonna get dusty.

Perhaps this thread is poorly located, but can anyone suggest where I should have put it/ask for it to be moved to?

 

In my opinion, Dell laptops have much better build quality than a lot of people give them credit for. I've had my Inspiron 6400 for about 2 months and so far it has exceeded my expectations. It is extremely sturdy and the screen has no flex whatsoever. Before I bought it, I was kinda worried about the quality of the keyboard because my previous laptops' (Toshiba Satellite M40) keyboard was subpar and didn't live up to my expectations. However the Dell's keyboard feels very comfortable and typing on it is a breeze. I couldn't ask for a better build-quality in a consumer type notebook. Anyways, that's just my opinion.

EDIT: About the plastic shell, although it's plastic, It's very sturdy, sturdier than a HP DV6000 notebook which I've also tried out.

 

I agree. I am not a big fan of Dell Inspiron laptops or any budget laptop. I think business series laptops are a better value. Dell Latitudes, Lenovo Thinkpads, ASUS V or W, HP business laptops or premium Sony laptops.

 

Dell implements JIT and sells to dumb unsuspecting consumers.

JIT (just in time) building will suffer from lack of product testing before it reaches the hands of the customer. Cheaper product price points will dictate cheaper quality polycarbonates(plastics).
The majority of Dells sales will be from the lower end computers and its these units that have given Dell the reputation that they have.
The lack of product testing and sub-par materials makes them the number one computer company with the highest rate of repairs at the tune of 1.7Billion.
Thats A LOT of defective units!!!
http://hardware.seekingalpha.com/article/31802

Dell is no more a computer company as they are a marketing giant. The Dell computer is just a means to an end. A byproduct to Dell's unscrupulous marketing plans to cheat less than knowledgeable consumers.
How does one sell a inferior product that they know is inferior?? Sell it on the internet and by phone and by Shop-at-home networks.
Recent proof of that is the cancellation of the Dell store in NewYork.
http://www.crn.com/it-channel/199000215;jsessionid=KABELGRHXFGLYQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN

Why open a store when a customer cant actually walk out with a purchased product??? Again, Dells JIT policy means this store as well as the Dallas store doesnt even stock any computers. Also, opening a retail store goes against Dell's marketing to lure customers by coupons, rebates, no down payments, dont pay til schemes etc.

"Dell equipment and services are sold exclusively by telephone and through Dell's Web site, customers view only pictures of the products prior to sale - never the product itself."
"Knowing that these consumers are not sophisticated, Dell nonetheless inundates them with a dizzying array of advertisements for Dell products,"

Dell has had more class action lawsuits against them in the last 24mths that its eroded the Dell stock down 45%
Theres corporate corruption where MichaelDell himself lines his own pockets with millions of backdated stock options that cheat other stock holders but the best one of all has got to be how Dell cheats and defrauds its own customers.
Dont get reeled into the Dell finance ring because you'll soon find out youre paying 38% interest on the computer you bought.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/dell_suit.html
http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/103777/dell-sued-over-34secret-rebates34.html<br />

The poor build quaility not only pertains to the bulk of their computers but it also pertains to the poor management and corruption that will soon come crashing down.

 

I'm going to take the highroad and agree with CeeNote speaking from my own personal experience. A year and six months later and I am still here talking to you on my white bumper clad Dell Inspiron. It has a few battle scars, but it has served me well. I have had less than a weeks total of downtime, even after a motherboard failure back in June (My experience with Dell tech supports had been suprisingly good, but my experience speaks for the minority sense I have a business class warrenty) It has even survived a few accidents. By contrast 9 months later and my sister's HP Pavilion notebook has spent half of its life in the shop and shows twice as many scars.

 

Build quality as I understand it refers to the general feel of how solid the machine is. Is the case made of durable material? Is it prone to scartching? Does it fade with use? Is it hard to keep clean? Once you open it, does the monitor jiggle about? Is there warping or buckling in the keyboard when you type? Too much or too little give in the touchpad buttons? Does the monitor close flush and do the latches keep it closed, so that the lid doesn't move around. When you hold it, does it feel well-built? Is there anything rattling about when you move it back and forth? Do all the panels and the screws securing them look flush? Do the buttons feel loose?
Does it feel like it can take what you dish out? If you're keeping it on your desk all the time, it doesn't really matter if it's plastic. However, if you travel a lot, have it where it might get bumped, where stuff might fall on it, can it take that kind of punishment?

Now for my personal opinion. I own the E1705(9400). Actually, I ordered it a week after it was released. I travel alot, and aside from that I really treat it like crap. It looks it too -- the case is scratched, the corners are scuffed, there's wear on the palm rests. But that's cosmetic. All the important parts (keyboard, screen, media drive, all the ports, the battery) feel as solid as when I bought it. My older one (the 15'4 model I bought in 2004) looks even worse but feels just as solid -- not to mention it works with no problems. That's kinda important too.
It has its quirks though -- that weird noise the battery makes when it charges (my husband's has it too) and other such weirdness.
But this is my third dell laptop and as soon as SR comes out, I'm buying my fourth.

 

Inspirons are as reliable as any other laptops in their price range. They are average priced computers with average durability, and will tolerate daily use but not abuse. The Latitudes and the XPS lines have better build quality. In my opinion, the Dell warranty is one of the best in the industry, especially if you get on-site service and complete care. Sometimes you have to be firm with them about what you want, but I've always had very good luck with just a little persistance.

I'm personally with you as far as the fingerprint magnet factor--I can't stand the shiny plastic-y design of current HPs. They look like childrens' toys to me. I also think it's funny that everyone thinks white Macbooks are so stylish, but white bumpers on Inspirons are so tacky. Really, trends in notebook design are as silly and fickle as fashion trends--a couple of influential people say something is "cool" or "uncool" and everyone else repeats it, no matter how little sense it makes. Okay, done hijacking your thread with my rant!

 

I have a 4 year old Inspirion 5100 that's still going strong. Ok so the hinges have developed a crack from repeated opening and closing the lid but that's it. It's been super reliable as the day I bought it.

 

Dated: January 12, 2007
Class action lawsuit
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/01/12/dell-suit.html

the claim:
Dell "was negligent in the design of the notebooks," so the computers are susceptible to overheating and premature failure of the motherboard

The Inspiron models named in the action are the 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160.


A similar U.S. action involving the Inspiron 5150 was recently settled. In that settlement, Dell agreed to provide an extended one-year limited warranty covering certain repairs.
http://www.lieffcabraser.com/dell-inspiron.htm
Dell Inspiron 5150 settlement:
http://www.lundellsettlement.com/

----------------------------------

Its the stuffs like this is why Dell + poor build quality goes hand in hand.
Its not made up propaganda to taint Dell. Its not subjective views of the manufacturer. Its just plain ole simple black and white facts.

The bottom line is consumers should not have to litigate against manufacturers for poor build quality. Dells refusal to recognize fault or fix the consumers issues only makes them look worse that they already are. The class action lawsuits keep piling up and the big one from AMD is just around the corner.
Kinda hard to have any buyer confidence in a company like this.

 

Do a Google search for "class action lawsuit" + brand-of-your-choice. Every company has occasional product flaws and gets sued. What about last year's Sony battery recall? Everyone raves about Sony quality.

 

My Dell E1705 is definitely built a lot better than any Compaq or HP laptop I've ever owned.

 

I have an old Dell Dimension 4550 (P4, 2Ghz), my father-in-law has a 2 yr old I9200 and they bought a Dell Dimension E520 just last year. I just bought an I6400 a month ago.. I must say with all the experience I've had with Dell's consumer line of machines *knocks on wood* .. I haven't had any problems with the machines so far. Which is quite good, seeing as the oldest Dell I have is about 6yrs old and still going strong.

This is just my personal experience.. others may have good or bad experiences but I can't comment on that. I've also owned a Compaq laptop (N610c) and after a few years the keyboard is going wacky, the screen's connections are not good and it overheats. I've dismantled the entire unit and cleaned out all the cooling spots (fan intake/exhaust) which only helped a bit. I've been to BB and the other big box stores.. and played with the HP's, Acer's, Toshiba's and Sony's. I must say I'm not happy with any of their build qualities except the Sony's.

Just my 0.02 cents.

 

I received an e1705 about two weeks ago now. This week i just realized that it doesn't sit flat on a desk because the case is warped to some amount. Obviously, this was very disheartening after spending close to two thousand on a laptop. BUT, when I got Dell on the phone, they said they were overnighting a new 1705(minus battery) to me with prepaid packaging for the defective unit. It is the only Dell I've owned, and despite what most people say about their customer support, I thought that was pretty good.

 

My old laptop was an Inspiron 5100. From just normal use it developed cracks on the plastic by each corner of the screen. A 2 foot fall onto a thinly carpeted floor was enough to produce chips in the plastic.

 

I own an Inspiron 5150 and those were kinda known to be bad. Cracking of the plastic after normal use, overheating and 2 mobo replacements was what I went through in the last 2 years. I haven't dropped it either. Unfortunately, my next laptop is probably going to have to be a Dell as well since they really are the only company that offers a decent dedicated graphics chip at my pricepoint.

 

seems to me that quality of the inspiron 6400 has been fine so far compared to the previous generations

 

Dell support has been very good, I needed it twice to date. I own a B&W Rev.1 Mac and have been burned by Apple with a defective motherboard. My HP and Gateway notebooks have failed as well. All water under the bridge.

When Apple, HP or whatever can get me a GS7900 or better notebook for lower than $1350 I'll check it out. Laptops are very expensive to be repaired so It's worth, to me, the $170 at home warranty extension for a second yr.

 

I started out w/ an NEC, that was a POS -- getting replacement parts for broken plastic pieces took forever. I inherited an Inspiron 3700 as a severance package after a startup I was at went bankrupt. The 3700 still runs like a champ and it was hard for me to replace it, but I wanted something w/ higher screen resolution than 1024x768. The 3700 had a 1999 build date.

IMO, the Inspirons have chintzy plastic pieces, but they seem to hold well w/ mild abuse and getting replacement parts is fast (maybe being 3 hours away from Round Rock has something to do w/ that).

Store bought computers? No thanks, I want to spec mine out myself.

///Michael

 

I've had my inspiron 6000 for 2 years now and I think the build quality is pretty decent especially for what you pay. Scratches on the top barely even show up. I do think the inspirons look "tacky" but mine has held up pretty well. I've had a problem with a few keys popping off and my 9 key broke off, but it still works..... Also I have a problem with my LCD screen, i have 7 verticle lines running up and down my screen (lit pixels I think they are called). The laptop is sturdy, but it does make creaking noises...this is my first laptop though so i dont have much to compare it too. I think i'm buying a macbook soon.

 

Is its true that Dell has had not so stellar build quality in its older models, but I thin the current crop fare quite well.
See my views in this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=97803

The 9400 should be quite well built.

 

Keep in mind that the E1705 is the same base model as the Precision M90 and XPS M1710, and thus features a magnesium alloy casing that the other Inspirons don't. Therefore, it automatically becomes better built.

Going beyond that, I've had my M90 for about a year now. There are things that are going wrong with it, especially the lid is getting scratched. The hinges aren't quite as tight as they used to be, but are far better than many other laptops I've used. And there is minimal fading in the paint (although I believe the Inspirons have cheaper paint). The keyboard is holding up incredibly well, and is firmer than pretty much any other laptop I've ever used. Nothing really seems to be bad with the laptop; the screen isn't fading, the plastic isn't cracking, and nothing is warping. I've only had to call Dell once for a bad power supply, and they sent a new one out and was here the next day.

I think a lot of people are spreading a lot of crap about Dell to be honest, because they want to hate the big company. They always refer to plastic parts and being made in Malaysia. But honestly, name me one consumer laptop under $2k that DOESN'T use plastic. Even a certain someone's G2 uses plastic, as do all the HPs. Even the new Thinkpads use a composite lid rather than the magnesium that they've always used in the past. It's not just about price, but who wants an all metal laptop; do you realize how heavy that would be?

Like I said, the E1705 has a magnesium chassis, which puts it on a similar level to the Latitudes, but the looks are still the worst part IMO. Not only do the colors not look well these days (cheap silver paint and white does not look good IMO), but the basic shape of the Inspirons is bad IMO. My M90 has black bumpers, metal finish, and darker gray paint similar to the Latitude, but the look is just too bulky and blocky IMO. But if you're okay with the look, then I think it will be a fine choice.

 

Another BIG reason IMHO, is that people are trying to justify their more expensive purchases.

Thinkpads in our univ are quite common. In our group (of 5), 100% of them have had serious problems in a 4 year span. Fried motherboards, non-working fans, hard drive crashes, screen malfunctioning.
We had two Inspirons. One of them is now in storage, after being working great for 5 years, it just became obsolete. It even survived a 3 feet fall while on.
The other inspiron died after 3-4 years.

Buy an inspiron 9400, get a 3 year at home warranty, and you should be set for the next 4 years, at a much lower price than other "higer quality" laptops.
See my sig for free warranty extension.

 

I got a chance to play w/ a co-worker's Toshiba yesterday. If I had to put it in automotive terms, Dell's use of plastic (at least in the Inspiron) would be the equivalent of a GM interior, while the Toshiba's use of plastic would be the equivalent of a Honda interior. The silver paint and glossy white bumpers just don't seem as professional as the matte black finish of the Toshiba... maybe these Inspirons are a Dell design exercise to appeal to consumers that cross-shop w/ Macs.

Beyond that, both laptops accomplish the same thing at the end of the day, but mine cost less and customer service has been good to me.

///Michael

 

I've had my B130 from August, but already it is falling apart on me. A plastic piece fell out of a USB drive already so now anything I want to plug in there is loose and disconnects. Also, the front bezel of the optical drive is coming off for some reason (I don't even use it much.)