Buying a Dell

I'm thinkin of buyin a Dell but it seems like a lot of ppl have problems with their computers. Should I reconsider?

 

You can have problems with any computer from any brand, it's the nature of the technology. I say if you find a dell that fits your specs and your price range, then go for it!

 

Also remember that people who are fine with their Dells don't tend to post as often about their Dells being fine as people who get one with issues.

 

This is a huge and very valid point people need to realize. Its one of those things in technology.

 

As with any product, good point.

 

I just got a 1330...I am very happy...I would buy another

 

I am typing on my replacement 1330 now after swearing off Dell laptops for the last 5 years (had problem w/ the then biz line in terms of durability). I have been using 99% ThinkPads, a couple of Sony's, Toshiba's, etc. The price was right when I ordered the 1330 so I bit.

I have to preface that I don't really have any issue in terms of the different make of the components (LED's, slot drive, etc.) but I am very particular in the fit & finish.

First unit has the CM LED & this one has TMD, first one had a Panasonic slot drive & this one is Hitachi/LG, the original HDD was WDC & this one is Samsung, BTW, the keyboards are also different.

Having said that, I couldn't tell the differences in terms of the LED other than the CM was brighter, and the Panasonic drive makes a bit more noise, so component-wise I had no issue.

The first unit has a very noticeable and irregular warp around the LED bezel, bulge on the right side of KB, etc. Other than that, the unit was running fine.

The replacement has much better fitting of the screen bezel, still has some minor gaps here & there, not really a big deal. The keyboard has a bulge on the left side instead of right, both keyboard problems were caused by improperly channeled wires underneath, takes a bit of time to rectify. The keyboard also has a warped space bar. Finally, the replacement unit kept having a RTC failure on boot after the battery was removed & reinserted, once I opened up one of the bottom panels, it was clear that one of the wires from the button-cell B/U battery was stripped, another easy fix.

In the end, after spending some time and having a good Dell rep, I got a decent unit. While I don’t mind this as it is my machine, but I am not sure if I have enough faith to order one & ship it off to my daughter at school. I used to run an IT group and had always purchased Thinkpads (except for a batch of Dell’s for special situation), while all companies have Q/C issues here & there, I just think that Dell has more than the norm. Just for reference, the last 2 machines I bought in the last 9 months, a custom ThinkPad T60P and an off-the-shelf MBP, were perfect in every way – didn’t have to reseat/refit anything.

I have to say that the 1330 feels quite sturdy, no flex when grabbed the unit tightly, feels much better than the HP TX1000z I recently used. I think if the units are properly Q/C, or if Dell raises the Q/C requirement, then the units would be fine, and Dell would probably save some $ in a long run.

 

i have had 0 problems with my 1520