Dell: you get much more buying direct
Written: Aug 16 '00
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Pros: built well, flexible design, great service
Cons: hard to reach a live person by phone
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| beartracks's Full Review: Dell Dimension L433 |
I ordered my Dell computer last October from their Dimension L series. The computer is probably the best value I could get for the money. In some respects, it is still better than some systems I see advertised in retail stores TODAY at higher prices! Consider the following: last October, I spent $1112, plus another $95 for shipping for a 466MHz Celeron Processor, 17" monitor, 128MB SDRAM Memory, 6.4 gigabyte hard drive, Harmon-Kardon speakers, and 1 year Dellnet internet service. In last Sunday's Washington Post, I saw a HP for sale at Best Buy for $1349, which is cut to $949 if you sign up for MSN (Microsoft) internet service for 3 years at a whopping $21.95 per month. Now, three years is a long time to be stuck paying these rates for 56K modem internet access, so as far as I'm concerned, that rebate is worthless to me. Let me qualify this. Dellnet currently costs around $9 per month. Assuming that Dellnet costs no more than that over the next three years, the difference of $22-$9 = $13 per month over three years comes out to be $468, or $68 more once you figure in the rebate! Now I can't imagine that MSN is worth paying that much more for than Dellnet! I also expect prices for internet service to drop, rather than rise over the next three years. Since I'm not locked in for three years, I can still switch if things get better elsewhere. This is not a sale for me, so my price is still $1349. This computer has a Pentium III 667MHz processor with a 17" monitor, 64MB shared SDRAM, 30 gigabyte hard drive, 48X max CD-ROM drive, and Intel Direct 3D AGP graphics. The processor on this machine is more advanced than my Celeron, and a bigger hard drive. On the other hand, I have a year of Dellnet and 64MB more SDRAM. The monitor is 17" on both systems. Everyone I know prefers Dell monitors over HP.
On the surface, it may seem like getting the Pentium III makes the retail package better than my machine. However, the 64MB difference in memory is a big deal. If you're a gaming enthusiast, you probably should get the latest processor. Most people I know who are just surfing the internet for fun need more memory. Try visiting many web sites and you'll see quickly what happens when you run out of memory. Memory fills up and nothing seems to load properly. Eventually you just end up rebooting the machine. You can order up to 512MB SDRAM even within the low end Dell Dimension L series. In contrast, the best machines sold at retail have the same 128MB SDRAM that my 9 month old $1200 computer has.
Along with the aforementioned advantages of buying a Dell, there is the often overlooked service advantage. One year of next business day on-site parts and labor comes with each Dell purchase. This is in stark contrast to the expensive service plans offered by the retail stores.
Ordering from Dell is a piece of cake. You simply go to their web site, click on "Desktops" and then custom build your computer from one of the Dimension L, Dimension 4100, or Dimension XPS B series. You then custom build your computer by selecting options from within a category. Start by clicking on "Recommended Systems", followed by "Customize and Price". You then have the option of selecting from several options for the processor, memory, hard drive, monitor, service, CD/DVD ROM Drive, Sound Card, Speakers, Modem, and so on. Their web site contains really comprehensive information that explains what you can expect to gain from each option. Once you've built the system, just pay with a credit card. Dell built our computer in less than 24 hours! When you get the system depends primarily on the shipping method. We chose the slowest delivery option (UPS), and got our system three days from the time we placed the order. The shipping charge varies based mostly on the weight of the monitor and the speakers. For our order that included a 17'' monitor and harmon-kardon speakers, it cost approximately $100 for shipping. Unless you live in Texas, sales tax is not charged when you make the purchase. I recommend buying the printer at a retail store. There isn't much difference in price between the retail store and Dell, and you won't have to pay shipping.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1112
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 7-9
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Epinions.com ID:
beartracks
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 3 members
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