dell or compaq?

[neo_otyugh]

my office is in need of 5 workstations. I had spec'd out 5 machines (1 gig tbird 266 cpus, 256-512 megs of ram, dual geforce 2 mx's, cd burners/dvds, sblives, 20 gig ata 100 harddrives, 17 inch lcd monitors, nics, total cost 10,600 for 5 of em), but it looks like we got a choice of compaq or dell.

since i cant stand either manufacturer i was wondering what yall thought of em. the machines will be used for ms office/star office, web browsing, lots of terminal connections to servers, web/graphical design, graphical feeds to projectors, and all must dual boot win2k/red hat 7. and being able to game on them is always a plus.

anyway i looked at dell and compaq and think they both suck equally. let me know what you think of them and who would most likely be a better workstation supplier...

[Axel]

I recently worked with DELL support on utilizing the recovery CD for one of their new laptops. I can only characterize DELL's restore CD process as USER HOSTILE when compared to the same HP process.....

I used to work for a company that did Compaq PC support about 6 years back - no-one on that team would even consider ever owning one.... but that was 6 years ago - they make good servers - their desktops I'm not so pleased with.

so your original assessment is along the same lines as mine - two bad choices.....

I'd say go back and lobby for some other brand excluding Sony equipment. I've had good luck with HP's and Gateway equipment - then there's what I build myself from hand-picked parts - something I'd consider as you only need 5 units..... but then you're stuck supporting them for ever..... some enjoy this - some do not.

As far as the monitors go - spend a little more and get the 19 inch displays - it really makes for a much better system for typically $200 more.....

[daverme]

My wife bought a Dell online a coupla years back and I've worked on it many times and, quite frankly, I like it. I have no experience with Compaq so can't say anything about them.

I'm curious as to why you think they both suck ... equally?

Also, I've never heard of Dell using AMD processors in their machines; how long have they been doing that?

[NDC]

web/graphical design,

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/Forum3/HTML/010883.html

[neo_otyugh]

del doesnt use amd at all as they are "too delicate". the monitors we ar eusing are the LCD ones and cost 1100-2000 apiece, the 19 inch ones are too much. Unfortuenately I work in a corporate that has specified vendors...and compaq and dell are approved, but not others...
the office i work in is the same one that builds and maintains our servers, so workstations are no big deal.

my ex gf worked for compaq tech support and there were very few desktops that did no have some serious problem. my experience with dell..well i dont like vendors that use proprietary components. i prefer industry standard. upgrading and repairing is a lot cheaper, and although dell has a good warranty, the cost of it gets added to the cost of the complete system.

[wyvrn]

I have had much better experiences with dell than compaq. I have worked on many a compaq and they always break. The few dells I have used have never had serious problems.

[zskillz]

i have had nothing but great experiences with dell... my monitor lost a few pixels one day... I called them, and I kid you not...there was a brand new monitor on my doorstep the very next day... and they paid to ship the old one away... no questions.

as far as i'm concerned, they are the best there is if you are absolutely gonna buy a computer.

-Z

btw-I have had some of the worst experiences i can think of when using gateway, so I would strongly recommend against them

[randy48]

Dell over Compaq any day, what's the chance of building them yourself? $2100 a piece...you might save the company a few bucks and have better quality! Just remember who would have to do the warranty work http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Andy_L]

Between the two-definatly Dell. Dell does not sell AMD. Looks like you may need to re-look your specs. You really dont want a Compac workstation.

[RobRich]

My actual vote goes to IBM for a pre-built box, even considering some of its systems are still based on proprietary parts. I have never had a problem with IBM for tech support or warranty issues.

To the question at hand, I would have to recommend Dell for desktops/workstations over Compaq. Compaq does build some of the best servers currently available for reliability and performance, but I rate its desktop offerings as being under average. I have never had a positive experience dealing with Compaq for end-user issues. It is not that Dell is really much better, but Dell does atleast offer decent tech support, plus actually takes the time to listen to its customers concerns/problems.

Robert Richmond

[Freaked]

Definitely Dell. I have owned several dells over the past 5 years and never had one probably. Can say as much for my friends who have Compaqs. They have problems all the time. To bad.

[wahrez]

I have owned Dell's since 1992 and have always found them to be excellent machines, I had a keyboard break and someone delivered a new one to my door within 18 hours. There web-site has huge amounts of technical data and they always update the drivers very quickly.

I worked with Compaq's for about 6-9 months, while I worked for a law-firm with over 1,800 Compaq's. They are good machines, but they just aren't quite as good as Dell.

[neo_otyugh]

i would lvoe to build em on my own, would save the comapny like $4000 to build better machines. but we dont have an "approved" vendor that will send us parts. i will probably go with dell even though it means going second rate with p3s (for most of our work only 2 of the 5 will actually do any heavy graphic design). if there was some way i could expense the parts a piece at a time i would do it and build a better box...
oh well thanks for all the input so far!

[struggles]

Just a few observations from a Dell user. I've had a Dell for a year and a half and never had a BSOD, never had to reformat, never had any hardware problems whatsoever. It came with an IBM harddrive, which is good.
If youve ever had to go inside to work on one, you will appreciate some of the small features that really make the difference.

Excellent cooling ductwork
Small grab handles on ide plugs
one thumbscrew for cover removal(nice)
rubber boots on extra power leads
no proprietary windows disk

If you are making your decsision based on processor power, there is alot more to consider. In a business environment, who will really notice the difference between a P3@1ghz and an Athlon@1ghz.Unless your playing Quake on your lunchbreak, either processor will be fine.
I have nothing real positive to say about compac. I guess its because I am constantly working on them. I really hate using their recovery disk mainly because you dont recover anything but your os.

IMHO I would not even consider compac, gateway or IBM, as I've worked on all three and found none to be fun to work on.I wasnt aware Dell even had a recovery disk anymore.Building your own would be a blast! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by struggles (edited 04-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by struggles (edited 04-04-2001).]

[GroundZero3]

yeah Dell is a great company when it comes to tech support. i heard so many great things about them. i would stay away from compaq. seems they break every couple of weeks

Jason

[Warthog]

Dell all the way!

Compaq sucks IMO, compared to Dell. They are more for the average, no nothing, home user.

Warthog

[deebee666]

I'd rather have a Dell than a Compaq any day. I work with both, and dislike the Compaq's intensely. Try finding a file download for a Compaq - I've spent hours trying to figure out what I need. Then go to the Dell support site. Enter in the serial # and it takes you to any and all downloads, all operating systems. No comparison to the Compaq site. I've had to call Dell support, and for the most part they're knowledgable, friendly and supportive. I've had very few hardware problems with Dell, one pc was dead out of the box, they sent a tech out to replace the motherboard right away. I live in a small town where the local computer store has a so-so reputation - if you buy and it works, you're happy. If you have problems, support can be a problem. I tell people to buy Dell - when they have problems they get support. Of course they're not perfect, but I'll take them over Compaq.

[bdunn]

We buy Dell machines here at work and have few problems with them. I've had a lot of probalms with Compaq machines and wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

Read here: http://www.compaqsucks.com If you need more on compaq.

[Froflant]

Dell, in my 6 years exp. is by far more reliable than Compaq.
Compaq tech support is ok, at best. The hardware seems to fail more with them too.

I have setup over 300 Compaq's and about 250 Dell's.

I never use the image that comes from any PC manufacturer, as I either setup NT or Win2k.

Anyway, from my own exp.:
Dell = quality and reliablility
Compaq = many hardware problems
IBM = good desktop, bad laptop
Gateway = why bother
HP = havent had one yet, but am willing to try
Sony = nice for home and games, not work
NEC = (are they still making PC's) not to shabby

But the best recomendation, of course, is to build your own, with reliable name brand parts!
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[shadow]

This post was a joke, right?
Compaq? And I love HP too http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

Buy a plain white box or better yet build your own. And make sure an AMD CPU is steering the ship http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[neo_otyugh]

if i was allowed to buuild the 5 systems on my own i would...but since i work for a corporation that has approved vendor lists...i really dont have a choice. compaq and dell are approved vendors. i like the fact that compaq sells the amd processors. but it seems that dell makes a better quality box from peoples experience. i cant say i am thrilled to overpay for a p3 and rdram, specially since i can save the company around $5-7,000 with my bspecs. but they dont care...all it means is our budget gets stretched thinner. im willing to bet the 5 dell machines i have been looking at cost more than the 7 new servers i just built...