desktop side-by-each comparisons

[gwlogue]

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a relatively unbiased comparison of desktop systems. I've found a good one on laptops from mobiletrax,

http://www.synchrologic.com/images/whitepapers/mobiletrax_notebook_report.asp

and I could really use something similar for desktops.

Thanks

[rangeral]

If you mean branded systems then there isn't that much to say since dell takes the cake here for mass consumption, if your a gamer then alienpc. HP and compaq compete against each other for the leftovers.

Dell is probably the most proprietary with there parts bios, psu, ram, etc. While alien looks to be not so proprietary.

[gwlogue]

The end-user for these systems is a consultant who relies on technology but is not in the technology business. BIG markups to his clients so price is not a constraint. The primary concerns are stability and reliability. This guy does not want to be taking chances at all. I'm figuring the IBM T40 for a laptop but I lean towards the DELL for desktop. But which model? What is the competition? The mobiletrax report was perfect for the laptop.

[rangeral]

Everybody wants stability and reliability but what will they be used for ie graphics dept. or word processing?

If he wants coverage for the machines then dell would probably respond faster otherwise a compaq or hp with lesser intel parts for word processing wouldn't tax the machine and should last as long as the dell for a better price.

[gwlogue]

This guy is vanilla business applications only. MS Office w/Access and Project and a copy of Visio for good measure. Most of his work his Word and Excel.

I lean towards Dell because of past experience with their support. Very good as long as you don't change any of the components or attempt an O/S upgrade.

Thanks