Brand name computers, why buy them?

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I just went to fix my uncle's Gateway PC, not only are all drivers proprietary making it impossible to change or upgrade the OS, it's a Pentium IV 3ghz with 512mb ram and it's at LEAST 10 times slower than my Athlon 1400 even after a format, not to mention it must have cost at least 3-4 times the price. To top it off, there's no reset button (you definately need one on a gateway, it was freezing constantly even after the format), and no HHD let (perhaps they decided it was noisy enough not to need one, it is incredibly noisy when there's HD access).

So why in the world do people buy brand name PCs? You're just paying 3 times more for 10 times less and 10 times more trouble. ALL my computers were total nightmares until I built one myself, and it didn't even freeze in 4 years (although that's also thanks to Windows XP which is incredibly stable comapred to 98).

My uncle said he got a brand name because there's less compatibility problems If anything they'res WAY MORE compatibility problems with brand name PCs because they make everything proprietary so you have to buy everything from them for 10 times the cost.

I guess people buy brand name PCs because they feel safer, but in fact they should feel less safe, because AFAIK all brand name computers are a pile of overpriced worthless unstable garbage that never work.