HP vs. Dell desktop; opinions?

[jjcom]

I'd say if you're in no hurry to just watch the sales. For the most part, HP desktop to Dell desktop, you're probably not going to see a lot of difference. I've put Dell, HP, Acer, ASUS, and other brands into service and overall I can't say I've seen a huge difference in reliability.

I do enjoy watching for off lease business computers...thats how I got my laptop. It was under 300 bucks, loaded with Windows 7, Office Professional, and a discs for it all. No problems a year or so later.

 

[yesthatsteve]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
I'll second the recommendation to get (refurbished) off-lease business systems. They're simply more robust and well built.

I have heard nothing but negative things about Dell; but most of those things had to do with support and service. I am a Linux guy, and HP has about the best company-wide Linux support out there, so I support them.


We've used HP exclusively at work for years, with minimal problems. Off-lease business systems make a lot of sense for general home use. Plus it reduces the demand for cheap Chinese-made stuff.

 

[itguy08]

HP.

As a veteran IT Professional, Dell is UTTER GARBAGE. From poor quality of construction to low performing parts, to maddening service they are the garbage of the PC world.

 

[OVERKILL]

I just replaced two DELL servers for our PACS system with two new G8 HP Proliant 380's.

Not a big fan of DELL here either.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
HP.

As a veteran IT Professional, Dell is UTTER GARBAGE. From poor quality of construction to low performing parts, to maddening service they are the garbage of the PC world.


From another veteran IT Pro, Dells aren't junk. 7+ year life cycles of their Optiplex (business class) in the office isn't junk by any measure.

There was a time when HP did use better parts than Dell in the business class systems, those days are long over.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Originally Posted By: itguy08
HP.

As a veteran IT Professional, Dell is UTTER GARBAGE. From poor quality of construction to low performing parts, to maddening service they are the garbage of the PC world.


From another veteran IT Pro, Dells aren't junk. 7+ year life cycles of their Optiplex (business class) in the office isn't junk by any measure.

There was a time when HP did use better parts than Dell in the business class systems, those days are long over.


At least with their servers I can tell you that HP is a Foxconn product, just like Cisco.

Lenovo makes their own, and they are made in Mexico with many parts sourced from Japan, which I thought was strange, with them being a Chinese company.....

I haven't had any of the new DELL servers apart, but the last one I did have apart was also a Foxconn product.

I remember when HP was one of ASUS's biggest customers, I think as you said, those days are long over.....

 

[Brons2]

I work with both

At my main job we're all HP on the desktops and laptops and happy with them and the service. Elite 8100 desktops, 2570 laptops. Also have some top-of-rack HP Procurve switches and various Proliant servers.

I'm also on the board of directors of a children's non-profit and pretty much the only IT inclined person involved, so the setup and maintenance of our Dell equipment falls to me. Dell is a major, major benefactor of this organization but I can say honestly that we've had very, very few problems. Maybe I have a bit of a conflict of interest in reporting positive results but whatever. We have Latitude 5510s and 5520s, Optiplex 380/390 (full towers yeah!) Power Edge server (singular), Dell switchgear and Dell/Aruba wireless.

So anyway. I just got a new personal laptop and it's an HP. How did I decide? Went for the best deal. My desired specs were : 17+ screen, Core i3+, 6-8GB RAM, 500+HDD, no more than 25% CPU utilization playing 1080p videos fullscreen, 6 months no interest. Mission accomplished with a Pavilion g7-2010nr. It's all plastic and kind of has an ugly finish but oh well who cares. I am happy. Also got a 3 year accidental damage Square Trade warranty as I am prone to dropping things.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
Originally Posted By: itguy08
HP.

As a veteran IT Professional, Dell is UTTER GARBAGE. From poor quality of construction to low performing parts, to maddening service they are the garbage of the PC world.


From another veteran IT Pro, Dells aren't junk. 7+ year life cycles of their Optiplex (business class) in the office isn't junk by any measure.

There was a time when HP did use better parts than Dell in the business class systems, those days are long over.


I agree ... 8 years and 4-5 hours per day (Windows XP Pro).... non-business
Constant web-surfing and all I do is vacuum it - dust it and Lens-clean the screen.

Only thing I've replaced is my original mouse.
Dell rocks for me.

 

[BearZDefect]

Just beating the dead horse here: I see old Dell PowerEdge 1850/2850 servers still running 24/7, all original except perhaps for hard disks. On the other hand, I've seen the next generation PowerEdge 1950 fail after a single year of service from bulging capacitors on the storage daughterboard. Yuck. It doesn't matter if it was under warranty, there was downtime and wasted manpower to get it fixed.

Side notes about PowerEdge 1850 vs 1950:
+1 to the 1850 for easy open source Linux compatibility and long term reliability.
-1 to the 1850 for having the ghastly netburst Intel CPUs.
+1 to the 1950 for having much better Woodcrest CPUs.
-1 to the 1950 for less open source compatibility and lower hardware quality.

It's all irrelevant now anyway, since these models are ancient.

 

[Tempest]

How about the higher end consumer products? I'm looking at a new Dell 8500 in the $1000 range. How are these items?

 

[Mystic]

For a Windows computer I would not buy Dell or HP. I would have a custom built Windows computer. You can get exactly what you want and either build it yourself or have local people who build gaming computers build it for you. You don't have to get a full blown gaming computer. You can get a very powerful computer for $1000.00 to $1500.00.

Dell is in trouble anyway and I think HP is too. With a custom built computer you get exactly the software and hardware that you want, and not a lot of useless software that has to be removed and hardware that might be second rate stuff.

Even though I used Apple Computers for a long time I have owned three custom built Windows computers in my lifetime. I never felt going back to Dell, Gateway when it was around, or HP or anybody else after running a well-built custom built Windows machine. A computer that is actually fast and does not come with a boatload of useless added software you have to remove anyway. You would be amazed how fast a Windows computer can be without that tonnage of useless, bloated, trash software. And decent hardware will run circles around some of that junk they put in budget computers.

 

[Mystic]

And I am sure that some people will say they can get a computer for a lot less than $1000.00. Sure you can. I can also just replace whatever needs to be replaced in my Windows computer and keep right on going. If you have a good case, good power supply, etc., you replace only what needs to be replaced. There are parts in my current computer that are more than 6 years old. Some of the parts I am using right now have been in 3 different computer cases. Instead of replacing the entire computer I just replace a few components. And it just keeps going and is fast.

And the days of useless, bloated, trash software are long over for me. I don't have to spend time with a new computer removing trash that never should have been installed anyway. Windows 7 runs just fine without the trial copies of Norton or McAfee, the utilities that don't do anything that the Windows utilities cannot do, and all of the other garbage software they like to add.

Just my opinion. I would never, ever again buy a computer from Dell or any other computer manufacturer. I have never found any computer faster than a custom built Windows computer with decent components and a pure Windows operating system without trash software added. And I am not even discussing Windows gaming computers. A true gaming computer would blow the plastic off of those budget Dells.

 

[jjcom]

You bring up a great point Mystic...building a PC from scratch leaves you with exactly what you want, without all the added bloat. If you're going to build a performance/gaming computer, then the best option is to build it yourself or find someone who can for you. The high priced Dells, HP, etc don't give you near the bang for your buck that a custom computer does.

Normally for a budget computer, Dell, HP, etc do come in cheaper. I've priced that out many times for people, and basic web PC is almost always cheaper when bought as a unit. Unless you have parts from your old PC that will work, but often times those who just want a web PC, won't have any crossover parts.

 

[Mystic]

There are some young people who own a computer shop a short distance from where I live and they build gaming computers all the time. They are very reasonable in price also. I just go to them and have them install new components and a new Windows operating system. Trust me the young people who really know computers are the people you want building your computer. Unless you are a computer expert and can do it yourself.

Now I have never owned a gaming computer, because I never really got into a lot of computer games. Myst was own of the few I liked. But a powerful computer is useful if you want to do stuff like working on photos and videos. And you don't have to have a Top Fuel gaming computer. Heck, the very first custom built Windows computer I had built for me cost only a little more than a typical Dell and it would run circles around one of them.

I recommend however paying a little more so that you can get a really good case, good power supply, etc. A good case can last ten years. And stuff like the quality power supply, card reader, etc., can all last a long time. Other stuff needs to be replaced more often like the motherboard, processor, RAM, and graphics card. To run Windows 8 right I would need a new motherboard, RAM, graphics card and processor. But that stuff is due for replacement anyway. All of that stuff is old but still fast. Windows 8 has support for USB 3 and secure boot etc., so you need a motherboard that supports all of that. I wind up paying less for what is essentially a new computer than what people are paying for a brand new computer in a store.

I seriously recommend the custom built Windows computer to anybody considering a new computer. Just find the people who can do a good build.

 

[Y_K]

Search for Dell T3600 and HP Z620 on the Bay. Dell is the newer model and may be not there yet (most of the time). There is one seller there who has an HP Z620 once a month with SSD, 48G RAM, decent entry level Quadro video for 1/3 of the price. Cable-free, tool-free design, that you can not replicate as a DIYer, and cheaper than a DIY box. Super quiet. I have both of the above for my business. Dell's consumer grade boxes are a corner-cutting fest with a bunch of disparate parts from box to box, and their propensity to use proprietary pin outs on PSU cables is maddening. Optiplex and Precision are fine.
Otherwise, DIY is the best way, but you will pay more than you would from those vendors nowadays. The days of DIY price supremacy are long gone.