computer choices?

**gpint** · April 29th, 2002, 09:49 AM

I am currently looking at purchasing 80 new computers. I have a budget of $60,000, which gives me $750/tower. This is w/o monitor and must include shipping. I have found some machines that I like and would like to hear your opinions on computer brand. The specs are all very similar on all machines, I would just like to hear your thoughts on Dell, Gateway, and Micron. Which would you recommend? If you have had any past experiences with them good or bad please let me know.

Thanks for your time, and your continued support. This has to be the best site on the web.

**Darren Wilson** · April 29th, 2002, 10:04 AM

Dell's use proprietory PSU's & Motherboards so if one goes down unless you buy direct replacements from Dell, you would need to change both.

Gateway, have been under some financial pressures for a while now (closed all outlets in Europe last year), so I would be a little wary especially with the amount of systems that you are buying.

Micron, I have had no experience in dealing with, so I cannot comment.

**NooNoo** · April 29th, 2002, 10:08 AM

If you are going to buy a brand name computer, look at their website for drivers and ease of navigation ... gateway as a rule provide very poor support.

Dell website is very very much better and with the service tag (printed on every machine) you can get quick and easy access to all the drivers. The only problem with Dell is that they make there power supplies and mainboards incompatible with anything other than Dell.

Compaq is a mixed bag... poor driver support in many cases, and again you have to make sure any upgrading is compaq approved.

Micron I have had no experience with.

**kato** · April 29th, 2002, 10:24 AM

something to consider would be to check the local shops around your area and see if anyone is interested in bidding on your project providing you with PCs that meet your specs and provide on-site service.

It never hurts to put some money back into the community.

local shops like to bid on company and school projects, because the people using the pcs will see their badge on the pcs so it's free advertising too. Here at work we buy compaqs (yuk) but when the lusers need a computer for home, what company do you think pops in their head first?

**MacGyver** · April 29th, 2002, 11:21 AM

I'd recommend HP, but they take forever to ship. We have to order computers a month before employees arrive to make sure the employee actually has something to do work with!

**gpint** · April 29th, 2002, 12:09 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by MacGyver:
I'd recommend HP, but they take forever to ship. We have to order computers a month before employees arrive to make sure the employee actually has something to do work with!<hr /></blockquote>I have had good luck with BRIO's in the past, but last summer I ordered 75 pavilions and have had nothing but problems. Last year we were in a big budget crunch and decided to go with refurbished machines, so I bought 75 refurdished HP pavilions for about $275 each. So for about 25% of those have been repaired (most at our expense). Bad power supplies and harddrives are the most common problem. The ones that died within the first 90 days they did repair, but nothing after that(they only repaired 8 machines out of the 20 or so that died. I told HP that with the 25% failure rate that I experienced I would not buy another HP computer unless something was done to resolve the issues. They didnt seem to care, so I am not going to purchase any more HP computers. (I purchase a minimum of 60 new computers a year)

**Outcoded** · April 29th, 2002, 12:15 PM

Damn me for saying this but....

Dell. Reliable, good warranty, most use standard format PSU's and mobo's, especcially the one's for corporate use.

**Darren Wilson** · April 29th, 2002, 12:25 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Outcoded:
, most use standard format PSU's and mobo's, especcially the one's for corporate use.<hr /></blockquote>Dell themselves admit that they don't!! They LOOK the same and use the same connectors, but the pinouts on the PSU (& motherboard) are totally different to the general ATX standard.

**ilovetheusers** · April 29th, 2002, 12:34 PM

My company has been using Compaq's for some time and I can comment that they are garbage and are very slow for the power they are supposed to have and they use all proprietary garbage in them.

From the Gateways I have seen from my friends and the stories I see up here I'd nix that idea.

Right now my Company is getting PC's from Dell and they are awesome. I think they are Optiplex gx50's (I think) with a 15" monitor and the OS is 2000 and we pay $575 american for each one (we are geting a really, really good deal though). They are sweet and everyone that gets them loves them. They all have a 1ghz CPU and 128mb of RAM and a 20gb HDD but graphics and sound are shared. Anyway - my users are clamoring to get them.
<a href="http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/products/model_optix_2_optix_gx50.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/products/model_optix_2_optix_gx50.htm</a>

**ilovetheusers** · April 29th, 2002, 12:38 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Darren Wilson:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Outcoded:
, most use standard format PSU's and mobo's, especcially the one's for corporate use.<hr /></blockquote>Dell themselves admit that they don't!! They LOOK the same and use the same connectors, but the pinouts on the PSU (& motherboard) are totally different to the general ATX standard.<hr /></blockquote>The dels we have a sweet. they do have intigrated sound (yamaha) and video (nvidia I was told) but the person working on a word .doc or the person working on power point don't need a bangin' multimedia experience. For home use I would recomend something else, but having seen these little things and how well they work for a corp. environment, I'd say this was exactily what the guy wants.

**MacGyver** · April 29th, 2002, 12:42 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by gpint:
I have had good luck with BRIO's in the past, but last summer I ordered 75 pavilions and have had nothing but problems.<hr /></blockquote>I should have been more specific. The Vectra, Brio, and Kayak lines from HP are excellent. We use all of these in our company without any issues or problems. (Well, one dead hard drive in a Brio after two years of 24/7 service but HD's do die)

Pavillions are the low end of the spectrum and I definitely would not recommend Pavillions to anyone (corporate, consumer or otherwise)

**Darren Wilson** · April 29th, 2002, 12:42 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by ilovetheusers:
<hr /></blockquote>The dels we have a sweet. they do have intigrated sound (yamaha) and video (nvidia I was told) but the person working on a word .doc or the person working on power point don't need a bangin' multimedia experience. For home use I would recomend something else, but having seen these little things and how well they work for a corp. environment, I'd say this was exactily what the guy wants.[/QUOTE]

I agree but if anything does go wrong, with Dell you will need to get replacement parts from them or change both PSU & Motherboard. I have no qualm that Dell are indeed probably the best choice for a corporate environment, I was just pointing out something that people should be aware of.

**gpint** · April 29th, 2002, 01:00 PM

These are all going to be used as lab machines or teacher machines in a K-12 school district. We just accepted a new Master Technology Plan that states we replace at least 2 labs(30 computer each) every year. I have been leaning towards dell and micron. Both have a 3year onsite waranty. We are also planning on purchasing a couple extra machines to have on the shelf incase one goes down, that way we can just swap out machines and take our time with the repair if needed. I am looking for at least a P4 1.6, as these labs, acourding to the plan will not be replaced for another 6 years.

**Hippie_Tech** · April 29th, 2002, 02:20 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by gpint:
I am looking for at least a P4 1.6, as these labs, acourding to the plan will not be replaced for another 6 years.<hr /></blockquote>Accckkk!! 6 YEARS!!! I was going to suggest the Dells as well, but I don't think anything should be kept for 6 years. 4 years possibly, but 6? Ouch. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

**morguth** · April 29th, 2002, 02:26 PM

i hear all sorts of horror stories for all brands - go with the best warranty...you'll need it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

ps - any phone support is horrid, but since i work at a gateway country store, and i've seen what people claim phone support have told them, i would have to agree with noonoo, gateway phone support is the worst out there...well, maybe not as bad as aol, but it is bad...

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