All computers are not created equally. That is, computers of the same class and identical chip do not by any means perform alike.
I buy personal computers for small, networked offices and have occasion to purchase and configure dozens of boxes a year. Having tried many different branded PC's there is no doubt Micron builds the best. There are many variables in the way all the components in a PC work together (with Windows!) and Micron gets it right.

Last year I was buying the Micron Celeron 400's and they really ran well, or so I thought until getting my hands on the Micron Pentium III 600's this year. These machines are simply screamers. I have been using them in applications both on a network and standalone and they just run fast, period.

Micron has: sales people that will get to know you (if you do repeat business and need this) and give excellent personal service; they supply all software CD roms (hello, Compaq and HP do you hear this?); they custom configure your box and tell you when it will ship and they mean it; you can track your shipment every step of the way; their prices are very reasonable.

Now, should you mail order a PC? The only advantage to a local purchase is being able to get it right now. And, if you are talking about Best Buy or Circuit City, they will be out of stock of what you go in for anyway. You can custom order from Micron and get a great machine at a great price in about ten days, not bad in my book. And my experience with reliability for Microns has been most excellent as well. I have had no initial failures (except for one network card configuration on a server) and believe it or not, I have never needed a service call. This is very unusual as all PC's suffer from notorious unreliability- why don't they just run and run like your refrigerator or stove? I do not know why, but they don't.

You may buy another branded PC that you like, but if you try a Micron 600, others will suffer by comparison, and whatever you do, never buy a Compaq (but, that is for another review!).




Recommended: Yes