i really hate the likes of dell and tiny

[james.miller]

Dont worry guys, that isnt a rant........

a few months back, meby 6 or 7, the small family owned-electronics firm i work for brought a pc. I can't remember the exact model number, but it was an advent pc. Athlon xp2100, 512mb pc2700, geforce 440mx. £1200. I told them i could build a better pc for less, but they didnt listen..........


Anyway, that pc is used for testing and one day, something went wrong and took out both the serial and parrallel ports:eek: I walked in one morning to see the pc with its case off on the desk, so i decided to take a peek inside. The quality of the components, for that sort of money, was disgusting.

This £1200 advent pc had none other than an ECS motherboard:rolleyes: i dont know what was worse - that, or the impossibly small 175w powersupply.


Honestly, i could have done better for 1/4 of the price of that piece of crap. I am mortified.

[Oni]

Well, I know that they're not the absolute best, but the ECS K7S5A is an excellent Athlon motherboard. However, charging 1200 pounds for a system w/ a motherboard like that in it is criminal.

[William]

The ECS motherboard is a good motherboard for OEMs and is better than what most of them put in. As for Dell, in my expierence the quality of their systems have been top notch, the cases are so much nicer than anything I have ever used and much tider than mine :). Companies are looking at the bottom line, for them whats the difference between a top of the line motherboard or an ECS model that offers the same reliability to the user. The computer isn't being modeled nor sold as a machine to overclock with so why put in a an overclocking board?

Two weeks ago I worked on a Gateway computer which had an MSI motherboard in it and in my work with Dell desktops have found nothing at fault with the hardware they use(though their connections are proprietary).

The people that buy Dell/HP/Compaq/etc. desktops would much rather have a cheaper computer than a top of the line component because it doesn't matter to them. As long as the computer runs fine then thats all they want. My grandmother doesn't need an Abit motherboard with overclocking options and a 500W powersupply(The 175W thing would tick me off though). She just needs a computer that will allow her to get on the internet and thats what she has, a three year old gateway. Its perfect for her and what I told her to get. I haven't doubted that recomendation at all.

[Crism]

scream at your boss and tell him you NEEEEEEEED to build him one

[nealric]

though their connections are proprietary

you just did ;)

Thats the one thing I cant stand. With $140 mobo + cpu combos around, sooo many people could bring their old machines up to date for penuts these days....

If they hadnt put in the proprietary connectors.

frends dont let friends buy oem :)

[MooMasster716]

True once had a mac and the proprietary connectors caused me to switch over to PCs. Though you have to admit those new G5 look awsome but the whole bentchmark fiasco was just wrong.

[William]

Originally posted by nealric


you just did ;)

Thats the one thing I cant stand. With $140 mobo + cpu combos around, sooo many people could bring their old machines up to date for penuts these days....

If they hadnt put in the proprietary connectors.

frends dont let friends buy oem :)

It depends on the friend. In many cases for the clients I do computer service for upgrading their computer is a more costly route than getting a new computer(sans monitor). When you are taking say a Pentium II and upgrading it your at motherboard, cpu, heatsink, ram, more than likely an upgrade in the PSU, and many want a larger hard drive and a cd writer as well. Add the labor charge and its more costly than an E-Machines, Dell, or insert large OEM here. If they get 4 years or so of use out of a computer, its a wise investment. I don't know of anyone besides myself(well discounting everyone here :) ) who upgrades their computer even once a year or even needs to. If my friend or client isn't a computer guru, they are going to be in a bind with a self built machine and don't care that they have an 8x AGP slot because Word and Outlook don't need an 8x AGP graphics card.

Even with propriatery connections, I don't find that to be a fault at all. I haven't ever serviced a dell computer that I needed to install a new motherboard in(and I really doubt I ever would need to either).

BTW, while the Mobo/CPU combos do hover around $140-$200 depending on the combo you get, a new oem computer that has a larger hard drive and a cd burner hovers around $400. You also need to factor in the cost of a new power supply(call it $30ish), and more than likely new ram(call is $40-$50). So even with rock bottom costs, its going to be $210 to do that upgrade, plus you have to add on labor fees since most people can't do it themselves, and thats going to run to $100 or more at least. So its really $310 versus $400 which isn't a large difference at all, and gives the person more than the upgrade would. It is more economical for them to go to Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, call Dell, etc. than to do a processor upgrade, not to mention easier and less stressful (as a bonus, most people find a bargain monitor and now have two computers they can use).

Its the old mantra. There is nothing wrong with the Dell's, HP's, or Gateway's of the world. Just because its not the type of PC that a certain group would prefer doesn't automatically put the OEMs into purgatory. It would be like criticising a Lincoln Town Car for not being capable of going off road or a Porsche for not being able to comfortably seat 5 pasengers(their SUV being an exception here). Or to put it in another perspective, its like expecting your food to arrive within one minute of ordering at a gourmet restaurant or expecting McDonalds to serve you a full course meal prepared on the spot prepared by a trained professional chef. Its all about the target market. The OEMs serve the mass market well, although some are definately better than others.

[TollPhree]

My orginal computer was a tiny all the capastors burst when I put a ti 4600 in it =P doh now i build my own comps , back then I was stupid thou and my dad was payings o *shrug*

[stoopid]

Well, on one hand, you get what you pay for. If someone buys an OEM they deserve what they get (mediocre performance for close-to-top-of-the-line custom built price).

On the other hand, I've stopped building PCs for most people (who don't pay me) and tell them to get an eMachine or call Dell. I can't be their tech support and most of them just want to surf the net anyway.