DU PC preference poll. What is the best PC brand? Help!

[usregimechange]

We are going to buy our next school PC. Help us. Advise is welcome. What is your experience?

[saltpoint]

1. Dump 'em all and get a Mac.

[Maven]

4. Yup.

They're all crap by comparison.

And I used to build my own PCs.

[CatholicEdHead]

9. Yep again

Macs are much better and more secure overall. BSD cores do that to OS's.

[democracy eh]

20. Yep thrice

stable, capable, fast, complete

[JohnLocke]

2. Compaq/HP. Under no circumstances e-Machines.

[democracyindanger]

5. Yes, note that HP and Compaq are the same company

[Deja Q]

3. Think differently - build your own.

[madison2000]

6. Dell is very good

Although they're Rep donors.

[usregimechange]

12. ha, the bar is red too. nt

[St. Jarvitude]

7. Dells suck

Not only is Michael Dell a huge Repuke contributor, but the computer itself uses all sorts of proprietary plugs + connectors. A very big :thumbsdown:

I've never had any problems with the Compaqs I've owned. Right now, I've got a converted Compaq workstation from ~1997 running as a server downstairs. The hardware is rock-solid... no complaints here.

[usregimechange]

8. Don't forget to vote, nt

[B Calm]

10. Sony Trinitron

[usregimechange]

11. kick nt

[democracyindanger]

13. Build your own

You might try posting this in the Computer Help group. You may not get answers as quickly, but it won't be bumped off the page as fast, either.

[personman]

14. I agree

If at all possible, build your own.

[qnr]

18. Normally I'd agree, but I got the impression this was for a school, and

multiple computers, so I didn't mention it.

[personman]

25. good point

I should try actually reading the posts, might be good.

[Obviousman]

15. I've got a awesome Sony VAIO

It has cable tv plugged into it and can record TV and stuff.

[reprehensor]

16. My experience.

I work on a top of the line generic PC that rips.

But, I have a 1998 Dell 350 that is still going strong. Slowly, but with pride.

I use Compaqs as secondary computers at work, they are 1999 vintage and are real workhorses. Slow, but reliable.

Neither the Dell or Compaqs I have worked with have suffered a fatal chipset death, or hard-drive death.

Dell is a heavy Republican contributor. That sucks.

If you can afford to hire a small independent computer shop to piece together a nice generic computer, do it. At least you'll know to a degree where your money is going.

[usregimechange]

17. Are there any computer makers that don't support Bush? nt

[reprehensor]

27. Apple

The big IBM clones are all R supporters.

Apples on OSX are really enjoyable machines. I've got a laptop right now, considering making a new Apple laptop my main rig.

Plus, Steve Jobs donates to the Dems.

[sendero]

19. Just remember...

... Dell gives a LOT of $$$ to Bush**.

Personally, PCs are like any commodity product at this point. All of those computers are assembled from parts (drives, boards, etc) made in China mostly. There isn't a dime's worth of difference between any of the hardware IMHO.

Where the companies do differ is in their support policies and performance. But I can't claim to have current info on who offers the best tech support at this time.

[Nye Bevan]

21. Don't go NEAR Gateway - I had a horrendous experience

I bought one of those Profiles (all-in-one PC) from them. The cordless mouse did not work (and the transmitter is built into the PC itself in this model) so I returned the system for an exchange. The second computer they sent me had an annoying screen flicker. So I decided to give up and get my money back. But they refused to give me a refund on the grounds that more than 30 days had passed since they sent me the FIRST defective PC, even though it was only a couple of days after the SECOND PC had arrived! It took several days of nasty phone calls and legal threats before they finally agreed to give me a refund.

The moral of this story-- if you do ever buy a Gateway, and you need to return it because of a defect, do NOT do an exchange. Get your money back. Once you get your money back you can always buy another Gateway (if you are a masochist) and make sure that the 30-day refund clock is restarted.

I bought a Dell 4100C (the small one) instead and it has been trouble-free.

[meganmonkey]

22. I love my EMachine. Cheaper b/c they don't advertise

at least I have never seen an ad. Of course I haven't had TV for 4 months..

I do love my machine though. I should have gotten a Mac, in retrospect I could have afforded it, but I have no regrets about getting this. It's a laptop and it kicks ass.

[sakabatou]

23. Don't get an e-mchine

they have power problems and sometimes there OS will freeze because its a trial version. Happened to me.

[lpbk2713]

24. Homebuilt -- always

Last PC I bought off the shelf was a 486 probably 15 or 20 years ago.

[Burma Jones]

26. Not a Laptop I assume..........

Avoid Gateway. I've had some trouble with Dell. The most reliable box I've ever had was homemade. If you can find someone good locally, you can really get a better machine made around the corner.

[Kellanved]

28. Homemade

The only way to get a low-noise high-performance PC.


Dell is pretty good too.

[meow2u3]

29. I picked HP for one reason alone

You forgot to provide the choices of Alienware....and other (clones)