Corporate Desktop Hardware - Slightly OT

Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20) for
a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts etc
but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 - hence
the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

On Sep 29, 2:39*pm, "TheScullster" wrote:
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20) for
a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts etc
but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 - hence
the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

The standard companies like IBM or HP come to mind.

On Sep 29, 2:39*pm, "TheScullster" wrote:
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20) for
a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts etc
but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 - hence
the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

The standard companies like IBM or HP come to mind.

The majority of large OEM's Dell/HP and the like will use bespoke
motherboards I doubt theres much to choose between them in reliability
stakes.
Decide what specs you require then approach the suppliers and see what they
offer, being mindfull that a large proportion of any costs may well be the
software (Office etc)

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20)
for a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts
etc but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 -
hence the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

The majority of large OEM's Dell/HP and the like will use bespoke
motherboards I doubt theres much to choose between them in reliability
stakes.
Decide what specs you require then approach the suppliers and see what they
offer, being mindfull that a large proportion of any costs may well be the
software (Office etc)

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20)
for a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts
etc but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 -
hence the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

I understand Maximum PC is not exactly up your alley, as it caters to gaming
and PC's like that, but there are some comapanies that advertise in there
that offer decent prices and have good. Cyber Power PC comes to mind. There
are other reliable companies, but I can't think of them off hand since I
don't have a magazine handy.

Nowadays you can get some pretty good deals on dual or quad core machine.

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old and
just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the owners to
replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing. You'll really
have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they have banners on
their website if you click you get a special price. For example I found a
Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor for cheaper than if I
went through the configuration process myself. I then opted for a better
video card.

Some of the deals are 2 days only, some are a week or two.. so that's why I
check back often because even though they said they'd buy new computers,
getting them to do it is another story entirely.

"DL" wrote in message
...
The majority of large OEM's Dell/HP and the like will use bespoke
motherboards I doubt theres much to choose between them in reliability
stakes.
Decide what specs you require then approach the suppliers and see what
they offer, being mindfull that a large proportion of any costs may well
be the software (Office etc)

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20)
for a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts
etc but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 -
hence the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

I understand Maximum PC is not exactly up your alley, as it caters to gaming
and PC's like that, but there are some comapanies that advertise in there
that offer decent prices and have good. Cyber Power PC comes to mind. There
are other reliable companies, but I can't think of them off hand since I
don't have a magazine handy.

Nowadays you can get some pretty good deals on dual or quad core machine.

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old and
just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the owners to
replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing. You'll really
have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they have banners on
their website if you click you get a special price. For example I found a
Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor for cheaper than if I
went through the configuration process myself. I then opted for a better
video card.

Some of the deals are 2 days only, some are a week or two.. so that's why I
check back often because even though they said they'd buy new computers,
getting them to do it is another story entirely.

"DL" wrote in message
...
The majority of large OEM's Dell/HP and the like will use bespoke
motherboards I doubt theres much to choose between them in reliability
stakes.
Decide what specs you require then approach the suppliers and see what
they offer, being mindfull that a large proportion of any costs may well
be the software (Office etc)

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20)
for a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts
etc but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 -
hence the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

"shawn" wrote

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old
and just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the owners
to replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing. You'll
really have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they have
banners on their website if you click you get a special price. For example
I found a Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor for
cheaper than if I went through the configuration process myself. I then
opted for a better video card.


If you do convince your employer to replace hardware and you are happy to go
Dell, then you should be able to negotiate rather better prices than
advertised on their web site.
From my experience as a UK buyer, their web site seems to be a starting
point for haggling.
From memory I don't think they were so competitive based on the web figures.

Phil

"shawn" wrote

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old
and just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the owners
to replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing. You'll
really have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they have
banners on their website if you click you get a special price. For example
I found a Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor for
cheaper than if I went through the configuration process myself. I then
opted for a better video card.


If you do convince your employer to replace hardware and you are happy to go
Dell, then you should be able to negotiate rather better prices than
advertised on their web site.
From my experience as a UK buyer, their web site seems to be a starting
point for haggling.
From memory I don't think they were so competitive based on the web figures.

Phil

I spoke with a Dell representative. They told me I'd get better pricing on
their website as I do not have to deal with or talk to any salespeople.

I have no clue if that's the truth or not.

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...

"shawn" wrote

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old
and just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the
owners to replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing.
You'll really have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they
have banners on their website if you click you get a special price. For
example I found a Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor
for cheaper than if I went through the configuration process myself. I
then opted for a better video card.


If you do convince your employer to replace hardware and you are happy to
go Dell, then you should be able to negotiate rather better prices than
advertised on their web site.
From my experience as a UK buyer, their web site seems to be a starting
point for haggling.
From memory I don't think they were so competitive based on the web
figures.

Phil

I spoke with a Dell representative. They told me I'd get better pricing on
their website as I do not have to deal with or talk to any salespeople.

I have no clue if that's the truth or not.

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...

"shawn" wrote

Dell have been reliable for us at the office. Our PC's are extremely old
and just doing something simple takes awhile. I'm trying to get the
owners to replace them and have been keeping an eye on Dell pricing.
You'll really have to shop around their site for deals. Sometimes they
have banners on their website if you click you get a special price. For
example I found a Dual Core system with 3GB memory and a 20" LCD monitor
for cheaper than if I went through the configuration process myself. I
then opted for a better video card.


If you do convince your employer to replace hardware and you are happy to
go Dell, then you should be able to negotiate rather better prices than
advertised on their web site.
From my experience as a UK buyer, their web site seems to be a starting
point for haggling.
From memory I don't think they were so competitive based on the web
figures.

Phil

My experiences:

Dell hardware is generally good but very bespoke. Even things like fans and
PSUs cannot be bought off-the-shelf. HP hardware used to be like that but
nowadays is more standardised.

By the looks of things most of the recent HP boxes would take any standard
ATX/BTX mobo as appropriate. Dell boxes are entirely specialised, and if the
mobo goes you can forget it.

Reliability-wise I've seen quite a few Dells go down with various obscure
ailments, but HP machines just seem to soldier-on.

Memory upgrades always seem to be a nightmare on both HP and Dell. HP the
worse though. Why this is I'm not sure, most other mobo makes don't suffer
this problem.

With both, you have the problem of preinstalled junk, especially the dreaded
NIS. Though, Dell will supply a 'clean' OS if you are insistent enough.

If you're using Win7 this last is an important consideration as you may not
have any way of performing a clean install without voiding the (extremely
strict) OEM activation on 7.

"TheScullster" wrote:

Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20) for
a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts etc
but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 - hence
the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

My experiences:

Dell hardware is generally good but very bespoke. Even things like fans and
PSUs cannot be bought off-the-shelf. HP hardware used to be like that but
nowadays is more standardised.

By the looks of things most of the recent HP boxes would take any standard
ATX/BTX mobo as appropriate. Dell boxes are entirely specialised, and if the
mobo goes you can forget it.

Reliability-wise I've seen quite a few Dells go down with various obscure
ailments, but HP machines just seem to soldier-on.

Memory upgrades always seem to be a nightmare on both HP and Dell. HP the
worse though. Why this is I'm not sure, most other mobo makes don't suffer
this problem.

With both, you have the problem of preinstalled junk, especially the dreaded
NIS. Though, Dell will supply a 'clean' OS if you are insistent enough.

If you're using Win7 this last is an important consideration as you may not
have any way of performing a clean install without voiding the (extremely
strict) OEM activation on 7.

"TheScullster" wrote:

Hi all

I am just investigating the options for replacement desktops (approx 20) for
a small engineering design company.
10 years ago I bought Gateway and they were solidly built with standard
components - all in all a decent buy.
5 years ago I bought Dell Optiplex which are not so solid, bespoke parts etc
but at the time were a reasonable price point for the spec.
But now that the Dells are starting to fall over with NIC and fan control
issues, I am interested in recommendations for future hardware.
The majority of the PCs will be running office software, purchase order
software - nothing too arduous, but most likely the OS will be Win7 - hence
the OT admission.

Any constructive comments welcome

Phil

"shawn" wrote
I spoke with a Dell representative. They told me I'd get better pricing on
their website as I do not have to deal with or talk to any salespeople.

I have no clue if that's the truth or not.

In the UK there are different sales reps depending on whether you are a
corporate buyer or member of the general public.
My approach has always been "surely you don't expect corporate customers to
pay the inflated web prices?".
Determine the spec that you want, check the price on their web site, then
call and ask to speak to corporate sales.
Use the web price as a guide of what not to pay!

Phil

"shawn" wrote
I spoke with a Dell representative. They told me I'd get better pricing on
their website as I do not have to deal with or talk to any salespeople.

I have no clue if that's the truth or not.

In the UK there are different sales reps depending on whether you are a
corporate buyer or member of the general public.
My approach has always been "surely you don't expect corporate customers to
pay the inflated web prices?".
Determine the spec that you want, check the price on their web site, then
call and ask to speak to corporate sales.
Use the web price as a guide of what not to pay!

Phil