Dells Stand Up to Use and Abuse
Mar 02 '01
The Bottom Line Compared with similar Gateway and Micron models, Dell computers hold up better to hard public use in a library.
My first home computer (a 286) was not a Dell. My second computer (a 486) was not a Dell, either. My third (current) computer is a Dell Pentium 333. It's three years old, and it has been a great machine. It needed a new keyboard last month, which Dell supplied quickly under the extended warranty.
I work in a public library, where we have two Gateways (486s), two Microns (Pentium 400s), and two Dells (Pentium 200s). All but one are public access machines. They have been used thousands of times by a wide variety of people. It's a miracle they still run at all, because we rely on volunteer computer technicians to resolve problems; we have no computer expert on our staff. When we got the Dells, I took one of them for the office, to replace a Gateway. When we got the Microns, I kept the Dell and put both Microns out for the public. I have not regretted that decision. The Dell is older, but has had fewer problems than the newer Microns.
The Gateways have always been a disappointment to me, mediocre where I expected excellence. Compared with my older Zeos at home, the Gateways were sluggish even when new. On paper they had more horsepower than the Zeos, but in practice they were no match for it. One of the Gateways has required a new motherboard (to be fair, that was due to patron abuse of the computer, not because it was faulty). One of the Microns needed a new DVD drive and a new modem (no indication that either problem was due to abuse by users). All the Dells have ever needed in four years were new mice.
These computers have all received much more use and abuse than most home computers would be subjected to. Probably any of them would be fine for home use. In the demanding atmosphere of public library use, however, the Dell computers stand out for their ruggedness.
I recommended a Dell to a library staff member a year ago. Once she resolved some initial "out-of-the-box" problems, she has also been pleased with her Dell computer.
There are many computer brands I have never dealt with at all. I expected the Gateways to be great, but they proved to be merely adequate. I hoped the Microns would be great; they have been less than that. Based on my experience, I have found Dell computers to be a good investment and better than the others in the library.
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Epinions.com ID:
dubuquer
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Location: Oregon, USA
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm a library director and a teacher.
I Love cheap trashy rock 'n' roll.
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