I need to find some new PCs for the small business I work for.
May 18, 2010 7:24 AM Subscribe
I need to find some new PCs for the small business I work for.
Our business's PCs are ancient and need to be replaced. We're scoping out new desktop PCs now, and we're trying to decide on the brand. We need good, main line PCs (not Macs) running Win7 that are fast enough that we'll be able to keep them for a long time without upgrading, but we have no unusual hardware requirements. Reliability is really important, we really can't have breakdowns. Good warranty repair service is extremely important too. If the PC breaks, we'd need good on-site response. For these two reasons, we've decided that it has to be a main stream company, and that it cannot be Dell. (We've had problems dealing with them in the past) Do any Mefites out there have any recommendations? Thanks.
Our business's PCs are ancient and need to be replaced. We're scoping out new desktop PCs now, and we're trying to decide on the brand. We need good, main line PCs (not Macs) running Win7 that are fast enough that we'll be able to keep them for a long time without upgrading, but we have no unusual hardware requirements. Reliability is really important, we really can't have breakdowns. Good warranty repair service is extremely important too. If the PC breaks, we'd need good on-site response. For these two reasons, we've decided that it has to be a main stream company, and that it cannot be Dell. (We've had problems dealing with them in the past) Do any Mefites out there have any recommendations? Thanks.
I would suggest at least getting a quote from a small computer company in your town. They can usually build you some decent machines with warranties and provide on-site service. Dell is generally good but I've seen some real problems with their provisioning (not enough RAM, etc).
posted by dozo at 8:08 AM on May 18, 2010
posted by dozo at 8:08 AM on May 18, 2010
Can you tell us about your problems dealing with Dell that make it a deal breaker? This will help with suggesting an alternative.
posted by clarkie666 at 9:19 AM on May 18, 2010
posted by clarkie666 at 9:19 AM on May 18, 2010
Response by poster: Regarding the problems with Dell, we used to be happy with them, but their service and quality seems to have declined. We got a laptop from them recently. The motherboard failed only about 4 months after we got it while on the road, so the user had to just buy a new laptop from a store near the airport just to have something for his meeting that day. Attempts to get someone from Dell to come and fix it after he got back were disastrous. They kept either sending people who didn't know what they were doing, or who weren't given the parts they needed. When they did get the part, we found out that they wouldn't even give us a new motherboard; they would only use one that had been refurbished. It ended up taking them 3 weeks, and I had to fight them every step of the way to get them to even show up. To make matters perfect, the user of this laptop is our company's president, who was about to meet with a big client before the laptop failed. Needless to say, he now has some strong thoughts on the advisability of buying a Dell, and I have to say that I agree. So, what I need from a PC maker that Dell can't provide is reliability and efficient service for repairs.
posted by unreason at 10:13 AM on May 18, 2010
posted by unreason at 10:13 AM on May 18, 2010
Response by poster: odinsdream, Thanks, but Dell is ruled out. see my entry above.
posted by unreason at 10:14 AM on May 18, 2010
posted by unreason at 10:14 AM on May 18, 2010
Thanks for clarifying - I can understand why you want to go elsewhere even if this hasn't been our experience here with a business account and business support.
Have you looked at HP? Through the business store the standard warranty seems to be 3 years onsite, next business day, 3 years parts and 3 years labor and includes free telephone support 24 x 7. HP have been reliable for us although they are typically 10-20% more expensive than Dell (this is a guesstimate based on my experience of buying desktops and servers)
posted by clarkie666 at 10:25 AM on May 18, 2010
Have you looked at HP? Through the business store the standard warranty seems to be 3 years onsite, next business day, 3 years parts and 3 years labor and includes free telephone support 24 x 7. HP have been reliable for us although they are typically 10-20% more expensive than Dell (this is a guesstimate based on my experience of buying desktops and servers)
posted by clarkie666 at 10:25 AM on May 18, 2010
I've never had a problem with Dell PC's, at work or at home. I've owned and worked with quite a few.
Dell laptop and netbook, yep, both had issues. The Toshiba laptop I had at one job sucked, literally, had to prop it up to get the fan to quiet down a bit.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 10:48 AM on May 18, 2010
Dell laptop and netbook, yep, both had issues. The Toshiba laptop I had at one job sucked, literally, had to prop it up to get the fan to quiet down a bit.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 10:48 AM on May 18, 2010
Lenovo/ThinkPad? HP/Compaq? Besides Dell's business lines (Latitude, Optiplex, etc.), those are the brands that I tend to think of when looking at small business PCs. But I've tended to buy Dell, so I don't have particular experience with the other companies.
In any case, you should pay for the fancier support contracts, especially if you may be trying to get warranty support away from your office. In this later case, a local hardware vendor may not be able to help.
posted by chengjih at 11:17 AM on May 18, 2010
In any case, you should pay for the fancier support contracts, especially if you may be trying to get warranty support away from your office. In this later case, a local hardware vendor may not be able to help.
posted by chengjih at 11:17 AM on May 18, 2010
I got a Velocity Micro for work after I decided I'd never buy anything from Dell again. It may have been a little pricier - I didn't compare - but it's been excellent. No crapware pre-installed, no weird inexplicable problems. I can't say anything about their support because I've never needed it, but if I was buying a new PC, I'd go there first. And their salespeople seemed very good - it's probably worth a call to request prices for several units.
Good luck,
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:39 PM on May 18, 2010
Good luck,
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:39 PM on May 18, 2010
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posted by General Malaise at 7:44 AM on May 18, 2010