Would you do it again?

Touchy topic but I'd like to hear some honest answers:

Most of you are here because you already own a Dell notebook, or like me, are seriously considering one.

I've read the Dell quality thread and heard things like keyboards breaking, etc. Of course these things do occasionally happen with most things manufacturered (heck I've seen quite a few ibooks and powerbooks take dives where they shouldn't have)

But the question is, if you could do it over again. Would still pick Dell? Maybe yes but a different model. Maybe never again. Or does it just depend on what's out there for the money?

I've always been drawn to industrial design and because of that have mostly been a Vaio fan (as an owner and from afar as the newer models come out) But as far as getting another? I wouldn't do it again. The support just isn't there. (Being in IT, I mean support as in "my LCD just died and I need it fixed" not "how do I, where is the, what the?" type support.

With Dell, sure you may get the overseas language barrier but at least they're there to help (or try to) And I think it's great to have a "spare parts" number to call if you need a part replaced.

So if you could, would you do it again? (to make it easy, yes you can pick from today's latest selection of Dell machines or, of course, another brand)

 

Not only would I buy another Dell, but I just can't imagine buying another brand and here's my reasoning........ First, I'm not going to BS anyone in the least. I've only owned two Dell notebooks, an 8200 which I recently gave to my wife and a recently acquired 8600 which I am typing on right now and couldn't be happier with these machines but here is the main reason I would probably never buy anything but another Dell- When it comes to computers, I'm probably going to purchase the same way I purchase automobiles and that is that I don't believe in buying new. I feel that there is a substantial savings in buying a car or computer that is only a year or two old where someone else suffered the big depreciation rather than me. Furthermore, have you ever looked for a Dell part on E-Bay? The other night I was looking around and realized that I could just about buy every part for my current 8600 used and in pristine condition. You mentioned a keyboard, that same night, I saw a guy selling a factory fresh and sealed keyboard for my machine for $35! I've also seen factory new/sealed screens for around $250 and motherboards for as low as $300. It hardly makes sense to pay for an extended warranty when you can find virtually every part you might ever need on the internet for very low prices. Yes, I would buy another Dell without hesitation! They're great machines and there's billions of them on the planet and they're for sale, traded or bought used every other second of the hour. I prefer buying used but if you're going to buy new, consider buying a new Dell machine from someone other than Dell. They're available all over the place and as far as the warranty is concerned just remember these two facts I learned yesterday concerning warranties, in the first 9 months of 2005, Dell took in $21 billion dollars in warranty sales alone, just warranties! Also I remember also reading that a 4 year extended warranty on a $999 Latitude machine cost $451, is that really a bargain? I'm not saying you should buy a machine without a warranty because if you do spend $3K for a new Dell laptop, it might be wise to by a good warranty but if your only going to spend $1200 on a machine, use your head when it comes to the warranty. Just my opinions and two cents........
Respectfully,
Ed

 

This is my second Dell. I am quite happy with their computers and, believe it or not, their support. I would have no problem buying a Dell again given their excellent pricing. That being said, I intend to blow some money on my next computer, because I kinda would like to have something a little more stylish/better built. I will probably be going with an Asus. I just like Dell for the price-perfomance ratio.

 

Well, to put it bluntly, no, I wouldn't buy another Dell. The only reason I bought an i9400, was because Dell was the only one who would offer me financing at the time. In our workplace, we always had problems with Dell laptops (the batteries in their Latitue line were attrocious). Also, here in Canada, it's harder to find a coupon, and you usually have to resort to their "deal of the week". That makes them not much cheaper than the competition. I don't hate my 9400; it's a good notebook. But there are flaws in it's design that make you ask "what were they thinking?". And is it just me, or does the whole Dell thing seem like a big game of "trading baseball cards", with mods and parts and ebay, etc.

I've always bought my computer equipment from a local computer shop, whom I've known for years. I could always count on getting what I wanted and knew I would get good quality. Frankly, I'm just tired of the whole monster-corporation thing. It's nothing but bottom line for them, and if it means screwing over the customer for equipment, support, or whatever, then they'll resort to it.

So if money were no object, I probably wouldn't own a computer, but if I had to choose, I'd probably go with a mac (and not one of them new intel-macs - give me tried, tested and true powerpc), or a thinkpad for work use.

OK, that's my opinion only - you asked for it

 

could you say those flaws please? I'm considering buying the 6400.

 

Yes I would Dell is the best

 

Well, they're nothing that haven't been said before:

The screens suck. You might be lucky and get one that doesn't have light leakage, a WXGA+ that isn't kind of washed out, or a WUXGA that is so bright as to reflect the blemishes on your face. Unfortunately, it seems all manufacturers are turning to these high-gloss screens, making them less usable in brightly-lit rooms (like at work).

The battery is only "okay" if you get the 9-cell, and there is still no word on whether it's affected by the USB power bug. Pray you don't get the Sony DVD+-RW, otherwise your wrist rest will turn into a massager with the noise and vibration.

A lot of people really aren't that fond of the "white baby buggy bumpers", although I suggest a snap-on cover, as that makes it look more stylish.

Then there's the whole "seriously underclocked" 7800go issue.

Granted there are fixes and mods to solve a lot of these issues, but why should we have to go to the trouble of fixing something that should have been right in the first place?

Sure, the laptop has it's advantages, and the things that appeal to me and others are: Price, Core Duo, 6 USB ports, DVI output, 17" screen.

So you should really go see one in person to see if it suits you...

 

Because of my work I have dealt with a HUGE amount of computers/laptops/servers. My persdonal experience with Dell has been 1 server, like 5 or 6 LCD's and 3 laptops. I have always had their extended hardware warranty on the laptops and I have no problems with them at all. The 1 time I needed to actually get some service done (otherwise it has been solid) was when freind took my laptop out scuba diving (he was editing a video at the time) and dropped it in the water. Dell sent a guy out, replaced the MB and it works fine to this day. (Gave it to my brother in law).

That being said, I have heard people have a horrible time with them for customer supprt. My mom is one, my mother in law is another. If you have no tech knowledge it seems you can have a very difficult time getting god service, but again, this hasnt happened to me at least. When my mother was having trouble I just called them up, told them to stop messing about and send me a new MB, and they sent it next day, so I guess you need to be extra assertive

I am now on my new E1705, that the day after I bought it, suffered a horrible fall (My own fault, I knew that laptop bag wasnt closing properly) and it came out OK, so I dodged that bullet.

 

This disscussion has been very usefull for me. Thanks for bringing it forward. I am considering in buying a new laptop very soon. I have looked at almost all manufacturers:fujitsu,sony,ibm,toshiba,acer and dell. I am currently using an asus notebook. but I am not very happy with it. Sony FE has a great stylish design. but it is almost twice times expencier than dell 1505.Fujistu also has a great design and awesome build quality. But it is way heavy. Toshiba, well, I can not decide yet on toshiba. IBM, veryyyy expensive. even expencier than sony. In the past I owned a Dell 9300. It wasnt very cool looking. No where near stylish. But still, there were actually little to complain about. Weight was ok for 19". Screen was kinda annoying. Very uneven backlighting. But compared to asus, it was still great.So I really cant find a reason why not to buy another dell.

But they really need to do something with the design. At least they should offer some stylish notebook lines. I am quite willing to pay 300$ more just for the cool design and good build quality.If you are using your notebook as your major computer, you really wanna stare at something cool as you would see it almost all the day staying in front of you.

 

Personally, no i wouldn't buy another dell again unless it was a latitude. I'm not too crazy about the Inspiron's physical looks, plus I've had alot of problems with my Inspiron.

I need a laptop that is built for heavy duty usage (10-15 hours a day), and some thing more durable & portable. the inspirons are good for those how have a limited budget and need a good system, but they weren't meant to travel everyday. I'm probably going to get a Fujitsu/Sony or maybe a latitude this summer.

Since i've upgraded my screen, I think my Inspiron is great for entertainment purposes, but I don't really like spending countless hours on end on it. The keyboard and touchpad keys are pretty annoying.

 

Sure I'd buy another Dell again for what I got (specs Below) I spent maybe $1600 which will crush practically any botique laptop for 1/2 to 1/3rd the price.

Its definatly not the prettiest machine in the world, but really.. how long do I spend staring at the case? Its light enough for what it is (DTR), battery life is acceptable, screen is luck of the draw but I got a pretty good LG screen. Also I'm rather pleased that Dell parts can be bought down to the individual screws in case I break something later on.

I'm not a Dell fanboi, this is only my second personal Dell laptop (though I've had quite a few through jobs). However I also own a Sony S360, an Acer 1710 (ugh), and service quite a few Acer/IBM(Lenovo) units and would be perfectly happy to buy from any of them given the price is right and the features are there.

I guess in some ways I don't fit the average Laptop buyer, I don't really care much about the service and support. Not saying Dell's is the worse, certainly its about average. However I don't rely on it very much, come the day something breaks I'll probably fix it myself, though my ownership time is far less than most. On average I'll resell my laptop within 12-18 months time.

 

I'm an idiot, so I probably would do it again. I wouldn't count any brands out of my selection including Dell and Toshiba if I had to buy again tomarrow, god forbid.

The support isn't the best but it got the job done when I did need it and trust me, it is no worse, possibly better than my previous experience with Bestbuy.

Looks don't really matter to me. If my classmates behind me are laughing at my white bumpers, let them. My notebook isn't supposed to be a fashion statement. I guess it could be considered a status symbol. I'm right in the middle if thats the case. I don't consider it a toy.

All I care about is that it gets the job done.
1.It goes to school with me everyday, whether I'm in class or working in the media center.
2.It survives all five hours on battery during theory classes.
3.It can go online so I goof around.
4.I can write my amature novels and entries in my 'journal folder'.
As long as it can do those things, I'm good.

I don't completely hate my Dell even after one mess up. I know deep down all the mushy stuff that goes with being lucky enough to afford to have any kind of luxery including my laptop, and I know how simply be grateful for what I have.

 

i've sysadmin'd a network with all dell poweredge servers. i've had dell workstations at 2 different jobs. i've had 2 dell desktops and 2 dell notebooks.

i don't really have any brand loyalty to dell (the servers and workstations were purchased by employer), but the price/performance nexus is pretty much unbeatable. i think their machines are generally ugly and i'd much prefer a Samsung notebook if they would sell them in the US and offer a WUXGA lcd.

i've also never ever had a problem with dell sales or support. this includes business support for the servers and workstations and home support for my personal machines.

the machines always took a beating (i was merciless to my dell workstations) and never crapped out.

because of my 100% positive experiences with dell's support, i'm always curious about these horror stories people share. truth be told, i'm usually skeptical when i read about horror stories and i usually assume it's not the CSR that's the problem, but it's much more likely that the customer (a) has unrealistic expectations of the machine, (b) doesn't know what they're talking about, (c) are n00bs that wrecked their own machine but blame dell, (d) have some kind of fanboy grudge against dell because they're a large company (these are the same people that hold some kind of lame grudge against microsoft because they are the major player).

sorry, i did phone support a long time ago, so i know how completely oblivious the general computing public can be.

 

MetaMorphical.....this paragraph is right on point....i feel ya!!

 

Things could change so quickly, that if I had to get another one tomarrow. I couldn't. Be happy with what you have while you have it. I've been poor and I've been rich in my short life, and I'll surely go threw that cycle 10 times over before I die.

 

Never. I've only owned 1 dell laptop personally. But I work on Dell laptops/desktops alot and can't justify ever buying another one. I had an Inspiron series laptop, and build quality just wasn't good enough. The entire thing seemed bulky. The OS that's included is filled with a bunch of junk that I immediately removed, and still it was a sluggish system. Upon a reformat and install of a non-Dell configured Windows OS, MUCCCCHHHH better. Then i had problems with the HDD (had to replace), later had problems wih the cooling fan (had to install 3rd party fan control software someone typed up). Ended up selling it to a friend for VERY cheap, jsut to get rid of it.

Maybe it's Dell's customer base, but almost every Dell I work with is completely bogged don with unnecessary software/malware, etc. 80% of what's on the computer the user has never used or has no idea what it does. I end up formatting alot of Dell's simply because it's faster than sorting through all the crap.
Hardware wise newer Dell's can compete, but you pay for it. If you're spending over $800 on a Dell desktop, you can probably get a faster machine for the same price with another brand. Building yourself is the best as far as I'm concerned but not alot of people have this option.

Just my take. Dell's not the worst, but definetly far from the best in my book. My PDA was also a load of crap, from Dell of course. Sold it as well.

 

The number of trialware and other useless software thats shipped with a typical Dell Home system is almost unfathomable, reformating before ever touching is a given. Fortunatly I've been able to get OS Discs without paying the extra $10s (though thats not gonna destroy me its just the ethics of it...)

Build quality on the Inspirons I've had/used 9100, 9300, 6000d, 700m (won't mention latitudes), while bulky is not unnesecarily heavy for its class, and I honestly don't know what you mean by build quality, I'm typing currently on a Sony S360 and Honestly I don't think the Sony is built better as far as chassis flex and what not go, it is however less generic? less wasted space built for its particular configuration. Where the Dells seem like there built to share parts across the entire lineup.

I'm rough on my machines, I walk to work over 3 miles in inclimate weather, I use my machines on average at least 10 hours a day and never have I had a significant problem with any of my Dells. There subjected to overclocking, modding, opened up countless times and still keep ticking on.

If your looking for the "Experience" Dell probably isn't for you. Get yourself an Apple, Sony, or whatever.

 

By build quality I meant that almost the entire laptop was plastic. The hinges under the screen both cracked eventually and one broke off, simply because of opening and closing. I never once dropped it. I know this makes laptops lighter, but I'd prefer metal. Also on the bottom of my laptop, I lost 2-3 screws eventually. They just fell out, the holes stripped eventually because of...i have no idea. I'd assume case flex, but it wasn't THAT bad, never had that happen on any other laptop before. I never overclocked my Dell, seemed like a waste of time since it already overheated at stock settings. I had to lap the heatsink and change to liquid thermal paste to keep it cool, also never happened on another laptop.

This is just my personal experiences though. Coming from a desktop modder/overclcoker enthusiast you can't really expect alot of love for laptops. Almost all the fun and joy of working with a PC is lost on a laptop, so my epxectations are very high.

 

Once I went laptop, and experienced the freedom, I couldn't go back to a desk. Fortunately, useless software is an easy thing to fix. All the problems. Cracked hinges, rusted screws, fallen' off rubber feet, fallin' appart power adapters, dead screen, scratch after scratch, and jammed touchpad occured with my Toshiba. I know the feeling.

 

Build quality certainly is no Thinkpad, example I still have a 701C that boots runs windows etc... and its over 11 years old. Course its heavy for having only a 10.4" screen and its thick. Same thing with my Pentium 200 Toshiba, about 9-10 years old still boots runs fine. Course thats in the 8lb catagory for a 12" screen.

However comparing build quality of most mainstreem laptops in the same catagory (no you can't compare it to a Thinkpad or Powerbook, always alot more money...) there fine. It compares pretty favorably with the Acers and Toshiba's I service and support. (Our department never buys the same manufacturer twice it sometimes seems...).

That reminds me about 3 years ago I bought a VPR Matrix... heh I loved the appearance of the machine it was designed by FA Porche, however...... the USB ports became unusable, wireless died, screen now boots to a red tint, and my original ran so hot that it litteraly melted a hole in the METAL at the top right of the hand keyboard. Battery is good for about 5 minutes now, everytime I sent it for service it came back with less screws and at one point GLUE held it together. VPR Matrix is a whole different and somewhat amusing subject of an inhouse Best Buy brand

Not quite sure what model you have that actually has Plastic Hinges, but while the hinge covers on the Dells I've had are plastic the hinges themselves are indeed metal.

Granted every user's experience is different, by no means do I think I even have a decent sampling of individual build quality considering as I said I've only personally owned 2. Worked on or serviced a fair amount, however those machines were used in a professional environment generally. Something to consider however is if your machine is outside of warrenty or you don't have Complete Care or whatever its called, everything can be bought from hinges, screws, housings, anything that comprises the machine practically for a fairly reasonable price.

 

I don't mind the keyboards but I've went through about three in the last three years. I also have to say I hate the built in mice. They run hot and loud and generally seem to be built pretty cheaply (especially the 8200s) however generally pretty reliable and for the most part the service is good. I have had one hard drive die that dell provided with my machine.

For the money and for most people they're great. I'll be using mine another 2yrs roughly and then I'm hoping to get something else-hopefully boutique brand.

 

I would have to think twice about getting another Dell. I am not so much complaining over the quality of the product but the service is lacking in my opinion. I looked at WidowPC but opted for Dell when friends told me they had good luck with them.

So far I have not had great luch which I can handle but the response from the support team at Dell has not been what I had expected. I have now talked to enough people in India and gotten the run around so many times that I am dizzy.

Luckly with help from this forum I may have found a fix for my problem. Dell has been unable to fix it so far.

 

I'm reading this thread because I'm thinking about buying a e1505/6400. My main Dell experience is with an Inspiron 4000 that I brought new. As another poster mentioned, the cheap parts on eBay are a huge plus for Dell. Unfortunately, the 3 sets of screen hinges without different part number labels are a huge minus so buying parts on eBay is not always a guaranteed thing. It's certainly possible but you have to match sure the parts match exactly if you want everything to snap back together nicely.

I gave the Inspiron 4000 to my brother when my work provided me with ThinkPad R51. Now I have to give that back so I'm considering a Dell again. The things that put me against Dell are the cheap keyboards and the styling. I like something more minimal but, honestly, I can live with whatever Dell churns out. The keyboard is more of an issue. The last issue is playing the Dell price game. Every brand is like this but Dell more than others do to the interesting coupon promotions and what not.

Honestly, if I could get a ThinkPad with similar specs to the e1505 and would only have to pay $200 - $300 more, I'd buy the ThinkPad right away.

 

When I ordered my Dell Axim X5, i had to wait for 3 months for them to get 1 in stock and ship it. They were brand new so I figured they'd be back ordered...but 3 months? This is a freak accident kind of thing, but it kind of put me off from ever ordering from them, especially with a new product. To be fair though, this happens with alot of products from various manufacturers.

 

As much as I dislike intel, if you do get a mac, consider the new macbooks. I've seen them perform and they are screamers. EFI bios, x1600 gpu, dual core...

When native apps come out for them, look out. My friends who work at Apple were blown away. They couldn't stop talking about them.

-But believe me I can relate if it's just an anti-intel thing.

 

From the responses, it looks like the biggest issue is quality control then. other things like bloatware aren't show stoppers and something you'll find on almost all machines and aren't an issue to remove (for most people here) though it is a pita.

My experiences are similiar to Genom's, worked on multiple Dell notebooks and desktops, I've setup and installed 1 Dell server (a power hit killed the raid controller cause the customer didn't have it on a UPS ..Because of that, I got stranded in a small town and spent another day/night someplace where their airport was basically a 7-11 with an airstrip. and the movie theatres closed at 6pm! No Bestbuys, no Borders, nothing... I'll never forget it. shudder. No offense to anyone here... just not my cup of tea)

sorry got derailled (ahem) All in all it looks like hit and miss with Dell. Since they have different people making the parts, with low quality control, you've got parts that could work great and others that fall apart. Even the XPS line, you've got people with decent screens and then others with lots of light leakage, etc.

For a lot of ppl though, if you do get a good unit then it's definely worth the price.

Metamorphical, your last comment about appreciating what you have, I couldn't agree more. A lot of us should be more grateful for what have.. (speaking to myself here) Thanks for that reminder...

 

Heck yea I'd buy another dell. Dell's build quality and stuff isn't the best but for the price! My XPS M140 was my 4th dell notebook that I have helped purchase for the family. My sister has a 600m, dad -- 700m, mom -- a chunky 9100, and me an XPS m140. The HD, in my systers computer was bad. After a couple of hours on the phone, dell arranged to have a brand new HD sent to us. It came the next day! In my dads 700m, the DVD / CD-RW drive was bad. After again.. about 2hrs on the phone with dell. They sent us a brand new drive... and it came in a day or 2. Although the quality of dell's laptops arn't the best, and their telephone service isn't the best... Dells still are the number 1 computer brand for people on a budget (in my opinion). I would much rather have somthing like an Asus or an IBM... But I just don't have the money. In conclusion dell offers some great pc's at great prices... there build quality isn't the best, and there telepthone service isn't the best. But once you get connected to somone, dell will help you get the problem fixed... and do it FAST!

 

Yes. I will do it over again - to buy Inspiron notebook. Not the ideal Latitude because Latitude is not what I need. I'm one of their happy customer. I'm satisfied with their Customer Care, the notebook, service (warranty and completecover programme) and pricing but I will not polish Dell's shoes because the decision in buying their product and service "was and is" not theirs but mine.

1. I like the 21-days Total Satisfaction Policy (TSP) - it really works and I didn't have to pay for any fee. No shipping or whatever fee. I enjoyed already the TSP twice)
2. I like the completecover programme (but I hope that I dont have to use it. It's just cool that it is there.. just in case. We'll never know when accident will or is going to happen with the lappy)
3. I like the warranty and support offers
4. Tech Support and Customer Care in Hong Kong are cool. Two incidents with i630m and they gave what I wanted (I asked for replacement, they give. I asked for return/no refund so I can get i9400, they give that too without any hassle or fee). I am actually surprise to receive a good service. The service that I received are opposed to what I am expecting (you know when you lurked around their official Dell forum, you'll read a lot of horrible stories so when you have this thing now..you expect the bad service too). But no, Dell in Hong Kong surprised me a lot. They know what they are saying. They know what the customer is saying. Haven't experience long talk with them. I simply call their toll free and tell them the issue, they give answer then I email them on what they need. They are the one who will phone me the next day to update me on the issue or incident that I submitted. They are well coordinated too among their department.
5. The notebook didn't came with junks. Just 1 trialware (Norton Internet Security 90days trial). Just remove it and all is good.

If one of my desktop will die, I plan to buy dell dimension.

 

Yeah I read this a lot from ppl here (I'd like to get an Asus or IBM) But in my case I'm ready to buy and I'm *still* leaning towards the M170... Ever after reading about how the palm rests paint starts to fade and the lid scratches...

My other choice is still an Asus (v6va) but even with the allure of Asus quality, styling and that IPS screen, I'm considering an M170... it's the specs, the replaceable video card, the support and the fact that I can buy almost any part that I need in the future (Asus' support is no slouch either) And I like the look.

It's that sportscar dilemma... (Do I get the reliable Acura or that Viper?)

 

It's not anti-intel. I prefer Intel over AMD (yes I've owned both, since the AMD 586 days), albeit by a small margin, and I have no preference over powerpc or intel either, and while the new Macbooks will be great, the verdict is still out. What I appreciate is the whole experience of the powerbooks; It's just a sensory thing, where all the parts just work well together, as they were designed to do. Things start going haywire when you take different parts from different manufactures and slap them together into a consumer device. The few products out there that provide the satisfaction of knowing they just work well are far and few between, but they end up being revolutionary devices. The key is to design for the consumer, not for the accountant in the cubicle next to you

I love the fact that I've got a dual core, but haven't seen anything yet that really uses it. Once software comes out that better utilizes the technology, then we will all enjoy our notebooks even more. In the end, all the opinions in the world doesn't matter, as it should be yourself that determines whether buying something is right for you. Don't succomb to the peer pressure!

 

So far, I have been happy with my i9400. It is my first laptop, and I was going for a "best bang for the buck" laptop I could game on. The bloatware and underclocking are things I fully expected from any pre-built computer, be it a laptop or a full desktop. I do not notice the light leakage or wrist shaking dvd, but I suspect a touch of that comes from elevated expectations over what appears to be a monster investment by Garbuckle (that list of equipment in his sig is insane). The rest is stuff I'd be figuring out with any purchase.

The battery life was not something I paid any attention to before purchase. So far, it has been a non-issue, but time will tell if my laptop's battery will hinder my mobile lifestyle or not. If this is a setback, it is one of my ignorance, not a knock on Dell.

The glossy screen is indeed taking a bit to get used to, but certainly isn't a catastrophic design error. I could see playing FEAR outside on a sunny day is not going to happen, but so far the ordinary tasks are going just fine. Perhaps my next laptop will have a matte LCD. Either way, I had the choice with the Dell, and having the choice is what is important.

Dell's customer support has already been used once by me, and Tom was amazingly helpfull. I had bought my Dell through compudirect.com (seemed like a wise decision at the time. i wouldn't do it again. all part of the learning curve), and was worried both Dell and compudirect would be trying to leave me out in the cold with support. Tom was cool. He changed the owner's info on the laptop from compudirect, to me, and sent out all of the CDs to me free of charge. How great will he be with something serious? I don't know, but this experience has left me encouraged.


Ultimately, you're going to want to decide what is and isn't important to you in a purchase. I was looking for a good first laptop, with gaming capabilities, that wasn't going to break the bank. I have been pleasantly surprised... Happy hunting.

 

I just received my E1705, which was a replacement as the first machine came with a dead video card. I will say that dealing with Tech/customer support is painful, but if escalate the matter to a manager level, the issue does get sorted pretty quickly.

My new machine works perfectly and I am happy with my screen. My previous laptop was a thinkpad T40. It was a great machine but after almost two years it needed a new motherboard and hard drive (replaced under the warrenty). That said, parts are parts and sometimes a bad one gets through the process. I think the build quality on the E1705 is good, mine does not flex or creak and the screen hinges appear to be very sturdy. The bloatware is easy to remove and is becoming common on all manufactures these days.

I think I am in the minority when I say that I like the color scheme on the E1705. I think the white contrasts nicely with the silver and it is a welcome change from all of the black and gray machines I have used in the past.

For those looking at the new mackbooks, I have been perusing the Apple forums and it seems that the new macbooks run pretty hot, as that super thin profile cuts down on the heat exchange. Apple also lowered the specs on the superdrive and the firewire to keep to that profile, so that just shows that all manufactures make decisions that may not be the most popular when putting out new machines.

For the price, I believe the E1705 was a great purchase for what I got.

Just my 0.02

 

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with many of the things with my 9400. I also admit I was hesitant psuhing the "Purchase" button, just because of some of the horror stories I've heard about dell.

I have to laugh, because Dell always calls after I order something online, and they actually admitted I knew more than them about my pruchase (i.e. when I bought the 2405FPW, I told them the resolution was better than their LCD TV's, which they had to double-check)...sorry a little OT

I listed some of the problems with the laptop, so here are the good points:

- No screen flex
- BLOODY FAST Core Duo (even better with supported software)
- Great current-generation video card (even underclocked, it still beats most)
- 6 USB 2.0 ports, plus Firewire
- DVI, VGA, Svideo, Coaxial digital outputs (hello HTPC)
- Lighter than I thought a 17" would be
- Quiet (even more so if not overclocked)


As for the "flaws" I mentioned earlier, I was able to overcome most of them, and others have/will as well:

- I ordered the 9-cell battery to be able to watch 1 DVD on a flight (which is the same amount of time I had on my 15.4" emachines m5310 from 2 years ago - that also had issues, but was still a good laptop)
- I use an external 2405FPW monitor (simply kicks a$$)
- I overclock the GPU just enough to make my games rock!
- I got the snap-on cover for a stylish B+W look


I guess I assume it will be a large investment for a lot of people, and when you spend that kind of $, you take pride in your purchase. Which is why, if you are unhappy with it, return it. If it doesn't make you happy, what's the point? (and yes, my 9400 makes me happy - no more desktops for me )

In the end, you always get what you pay for, whether from Dell or elsewhere. So even though I may think twice about buying from dell again, millions of people are quite happy to do so, and they can't all be wrong

 

Alot of commentary about hot running systems is based on experience with Pentium 4-M systems... and face it they all were hot. Inefficient Netburst based procs. The thermal designs of most Dells seems alright, while they still rely on fairly inefficient thermal pads and what not, airflow is good.

Heck my 9300 with an OC'd 7800 GTX still remains only warm to the touch while operating on my lap after 2-3 hours of Battlefield 2... Pretty much the same with the 700 and 6000, tho of course exclude any commentary on Battlefield 2

 

Yes the whole Mac feel is great. It's amazing what they've done with OSX -especially Tiger. But the "feel" you're talking about exists with the new Macbook as well. Everything just works. In fact other than the speed increase you wouldn't know it wasn't just a another powerbook.

Apple's done something simliar with OSX, combined Apple's GUI know-how with BSD. --and they made it work. So I really don't believe it's a Frankenstein concept like what you seem to think it is.. Of course this is my opinion. (Now if Macs adopt Windows like what Dvorak believes they will, *then* we're talking a full-fledged Frankenstein monster. shudder. --Dvorak's a nut though)

Heh, actually when it comes to tech stuff. I'm usually the one guilty of applying the pressure, not succumbing to it I think a lot of my friends and coworkers would have saved a lot of money if it weren't for my telling them what the next hot bluetooth headset, pda or 3g smartphone is to get ..

I am trying to curb that though with my next lappy, normally I would have just jumped in and bought it by now. But I'm taking my time in my decision. So there's hope!

 

Irfan, just curious as to why you aren't happy with you asus? Most techgeeks consider their build quality up their with IBM.

 

Well, there are some people around me claming the same thing. They obviously hasn't hand on an IBM yet. Some Asus models are really top notch thou. But claming an equivalent quality to IBM is a least an exaggeration. For my part, I dont like the keyboard of my asus. it flexes a lot. the lcd isnt as good as my old inspiron 9300. and the bottom of the laptop seems very loose.

 

Asus overall is probably a bit less than a Thinkpad in terms of construction, especially keyboard. The screen however... its probably as good or better than a thinkpad most of the time. However your comparing it to a Dell screen, Thinkpads have never really been known for there exceptional screen quality so I'd say most Asus screens I've seen are at least as good. Comparing an Asus with a Thinkpad in everything but screen is kinda unfair to the Asus.