Returned the ASUS and purchased a Dell

AddRAM · 09 Mar 2017

That`s a $279 laptop, I thought you said you spent $1000 ???

Jesse Williams · 09 Mar 2017

No. I never said I paid $1,000 for this laptop. I couldn't afford that much for a computer.

gene1000 · 09 Mar 2017

On the flip side of the coin, I just purchased an Asus GL753VE-DS74 and so far, it's running great. I'm not a gamer, but I wanted a powerful, reasonably priced machine with some good specs. This thing had many accessories and is very fast.

Hopefully, I won't have too many issues with it.

SoDiMm · 09 Mar 2017

pparks1 said:

I disagree that Dell laptops are garbage. I am sure some of the low end models aren't great, I think the same argument could be made about any vendor. I've carried Dell Latitudes for years and they have proven reliable and durable. There is a reason many employers use them. Inspirons aren't nearly as durable, but they are a lot less expensive.

Having worked on laptops for years, I absolutely hated working on HPs. Fans buried under the mobos.

We have Dell Latitudes and Inspirons @ work as well. The touchpads suck, they're built cheap and I have niggling little software gremlins with all of them at some point unless I wipe/reload OS fresh, without Dell's pre-installed software before being issued. Yes, I know that should probably be standard procedure anyway...

Buying them is somewhat of a chore as well. I bought a few laptops a few months ago that offered SSD's as an option. Come back a couple months later, and now spinning rust is the only option. Why do I buy them if I think they're junk? Well, they offer decent prices on their k-12 education site. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't bother.

If I had to pick between a low-end Dell or an equivalent HP, I'd go HP.

pparks1 · 09 Mar 2017

Dell only shows some configurations on their website. My sales rep could put together whatever I wanted. So, for example, you could have certainly had an SSD installed. It's the same way when you purchase servers. There are RAID controllers not shown as an option, even though I knew they were an option for sure. Why they elect to not show all of the options on their website was beyond me. So, I just emailed my rep, told him what I wanted exactly and how many and he came back with the quote.

I never left the Dell install on the hardware. Always used a company image.

MrWhoopee · 10 Mar 2017

I'll add my 2 cents. I receive my computers as hand-me-downs from clients when they buy new. I haven't bought a computer in over 20 years. I currently have (and use) four laptops, all Dells. I just took 8 dead laptops to recycling. All HPs. My oldest surviving laptop is a Toshiba. It only supports 1 Gb of ram and the fan is noisy, but it still runs XP fine.

I have seen a couple of dead Dells, but nothing like the HPs.

My experience is anecdotal and not statistically significant.

ArazelEternal · 10 Mar 2017

pparks1 said:

I disagree that Dell laptops are garbage. I am sure some of the low end models aren't great, I think the same argument could be made about any vendor. I've carried Dell Latitudes for years and they have proven reliable and durable. There is a reason many employers use them. Inspirons aren't nearly as durable, but they are a lot less expensive.

Having worked on laptops for years, I absolutely hated working on HPs. Fans buried under the mobos.

I second this. I still have my Dell Latitude which was built in mid 2010 and it still works great. Its stable and handles day to day stuff just fine, albeit a bit slow. Now I have a Dell Precision M4800 that was built in 2014 I think and the thing just smokes along. The build quality is incredible. Now, that said...

I never would have bought that Inspiron. People seem to think they have to have the newest when it comes to computers. While that is understandable, it isnt neccesarily the way to go. Often times you can get a computer on eBay that is a few years old for far less than it would have cost brand new that would keep up really pretty well with anything that is made today, and would likely be a good deal faster than anything of the same price today.

My Precison M4800 cost me ~$600 on eBay when I bought it just a couple weeks ago. It would just utterly crush any laptop of the same price that is brand new. Im sure when this Precision was new it was a ~$3000 machine. That just shows how quickly prices on these things tend to drop.

Anyway, point is, your money is often times better spent going with a quality used system on eBay that is a couple years old than buying what is effectively new junk. The only time new really makes a difference is if the new hardware has new features built into it that are really needed. For that same ~$300 you spent, you probably could have gotten a 2-3 year old Dell Latitude that would run circles around it, maybe even with discrete graphics that would give you a huge boost in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Jesse Williams · 10 Mar 2017

I looked at some Latitudes that were used on Facebook's Marketplace, but the only thing it didn't have was the number keypad, and that's something that I must have. It may have not even come with a DVD drive which is what I was after in the first place. I was looking for something that could do Lightroom, would have a DVD/Disk Drive, and came with a number keypad. I probably should have done more research, but Dell should have told me more about this computer before I ordered it. Also, some people are not rich and simply can't afford a computer that costs $1,000 or more. Not everyone has that kind of money. I am on a fixed income (disability) and I am doing the best I can here. But I am blessed beyond measure.

ArazelEternal · 10 Mar 2017

Jesse Williams said:

I looked at some Latitudes that were used on Facebook's Marketplace, but the only thing it didn't have was the number keypad, and that's something that I must have. It may have not even come with a DVD drive which is what I was after in the first place. I was looking for something that could do Lightroom, would have a DVD/Disk Drive, and came with a number keypad. I probably should have done more research, but Dell should have told me more about this computer before I ordered it. Also, some people are not rich and simply can't afford a computer that costs $1,000 or more. Not everyone has that kind of money. I am on a fixed income (disability) and I am doing the best I can here. But I am blessed beyond measure.

Oh, I understand the not having money. Trust me. That is why I do a lot of my shopping on eBay. I got this system with my tax return check. If it wasnt for that I wouldnt have been able to afford it. Some more reasearch would have done you well though. There are some Precision models that are a generation older than what I have that would likely have fit into your price range, and would have had the keypad as well.

Dont feel alone here though. That other poster that said you had autism, I think that was kind of a crap thing to just say like that. Little do most people know, I have autism as well so I am there with you.

Trust_No1 · 10 Mar 2017

If you look around, Newegg, BestBuy, etc. you will see 2 companies that stand out for refurbished units and that's Dell & HP.

My brother just bought from Best Buy, one of the Dell i7 6700 units (Windows 10) and he had absolutely nothing but problems with it, memory chips would not remain seated properly. He had a Dell sponsored tech come out to fix it. Within a week it started acting up. I finally convinced him to return it and build his own. He did. Same thing, with ASRock mobo, better video card, for basically the same price. However, did convince him to install windows 8.1 (they are still around to purchase). He loves it.

I am jealous he has a sweet system, much better than mine. Triple boots Windows 8.1, 7 and 10.

Personally, I am not a fan of Dell, especially their bios interface (I have nothing but problems with it), I always have difficulty with getting it to boot with an external usb or drive. Just hate working with them.

But everyone has their own preference.