- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
Can anyone tell me HOW or WHY Dell's prices on desktops are so unbelievably cheap??
I do freelance computer work and assembly. I just CANNOT compete with the prices that Dell has been giving... in parts alone I would lose money!!!
Is anyone else also losing their minds b/c of this? I used to do a decent amount of business on the side (I am an I.T. professional as well now), and in parts alone I can't beat Dell's price... that's WITHOUT a profit I still can't even beat them... I hate it!!!
Is Dell having trouble with business or something? Take this deal for example that is on slickdeals today.
* Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2160 (1.80GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)
* Genuine Windows XP Home Edition (or Vista Home Basic)
* Dell 19 inch Widescreen E198WFP Analog Flat Panel Monitor
* 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs
* 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
* 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
* Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
* 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service
* 10GB for 1 Year Online Data Backup by Dell DataSafe
All for $379 + tax and free shipping!!!
My price off the top of my head would be:
CPU - $71.99
Motherbooard - $50
Windows XP Home - $89.99
Dell 19 inch LCD - $160 if you find it on sale
1GB DDR2 2DIMMs - $25
DVD+/-RW Drive - $25
250GB SATA HDD - $65
Case/PSU - $60
Keyboard/Mouse - $20
Total: Approx. $567
I typically profit anywhere from $100-300 depending on the system. The total I estimated is WITHOUT PROFIT...
And on top of that Dell gives a standard 1 yr warranty!!
So can anyone explain what's going on here? Should I give up the freelance computer assembly b/c Dell somehow pulls this stuff out of their ***??
People come to me b/c they know I build rock-solid systems for my friends and family and many others come to me based on referrals. I feel stupid even giving a price anymore b/c it will ALWAYS be beat by Dell, by a fair margin.
I do freelance computer work and assembly. I just CANNOT compete with the prices that Dell has been giving... in parts alone I would lose money!!!
Is anyone else also losing their minds b/c of this? I used to do a decent amount of business on the side (I am an I.T. professional as well now), and in parts alone I can't beat Dell's price... that's WITHOUT a profit I still can't even beat them... I hate it!!!
Is Dell having trouble with business or something? Take this deal for example that is on slickdeals today.
* Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2160 (1.80GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)
* Genuine Windows XP Home Edition (or Vista Home Basic)
* Dell 19 inch Widescreen E198WFP Analog Flat Panel Monitor
* 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs
* 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
* 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
* Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
* 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service
* 10GB for 1 Year Online Data Backup by Dell DataSafe
All for $379 + tax and free shipping!!!
My price off the top of my head would be:
CPU - $71.99
Motherbooard - $50
Windows XP Home - $89.99
Dell 19 inch LCD - $160 if you find it on sale
1GB DDR2 2DIMMs - $25
DVD+/-RW Drive - $25
250GB SATA HDD - $65
Case/PSU - $60
Keyboard/Mouse - $20
Total: Approx. $567
I typically profit anywhere from $100-300 depending on the system. The total I estimated is WITHOUT PROFIT...
And on top of that Dell gives a standard 1 yr warranty!!
So can anyone explain what's going on here? Should I give up the freelance computer assembly b/c Dell somehow pulls this stuff out of their ***??
People come to me b/c they know I build rock-solid systems for my friends and family and many others come to me based on referrals. I feel stupid even giving a price anymore b/c it will ALWAYS be beat by Dell, by a fair margin.