DELL quality...? (need advices)

Hi,

i am getting a dell inspiron 6400 over some other brands. (HP, toshiba)

I know some people who told me to buy DELL isntead of any other brand cause they are 1 of the best quality made laptops.

I never seen DELL or used 1.

So what u guys think of DELL laptops hardvare/build/performance/quality ?
(dont mention any customer support etc., only laptops itself)

in this forums i see not so many people ar fanatics of DELL as they are here in my country

 

I personally like HP budget laptops better. Perhaps you should consider the FAQ and post there.

 

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000D, which is an older version of what you are looking at. I have had no problem so far in terms of quality or anything for that matter. Everything has been very solid. The laptop also performs extremely well. I even have the GPU overclocked and haven't run into any problems. My experience with a Dell so far has been great. Hope that helps a bit.

 

yes it does

 

Great, feel free to ask me more detailed questions about my experience if you wish. I would be happy to share.

 

Yes dell does make good products. Most people that complain expect their very cheap dell notebook to have the quality of a thinkpad.

 

Dell's quality is slightly above average, but in a sea of mediocrity that's not saying much. Anecdotally, I would probably say that it is better than HP/Compaq, Toshiba or Acer for example, but is definitely not at the same level of Asus or Lenovo/IBM. The higher priced Dells, like the Latitudes and XPS are also slightly better built.

Dells tend to be on the heavy side, but solidly built. They don't feel like they're going to fall apart in your hands like many other laptops, but that is because the plastic is an inch thick. Their build quality is a matter of taste.

For what it's worth, I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 (the bargain basement model) that's still running fairly strong after 3 years. I don't regret my purchase decision, but I probably wouldn't buy one again, simply because my needs/budget have changed.

 

as far as value goes, Dells are a great deal, and are pretty reliable. I used to fix toshibas and compaqs all the time, and saw very few dells come by the shop. Lenovo, etc have better components but shockingly you pay for them when you buy their product. Dells are more 'plasticky' than other brands (except maybe acer or averatec) and are probably as ugly a computer as you can imagine, especially on the lower end models. (This is changing, thankfully)

They have really good tech support IMO and a great driver selection. Their extended warranty is a good investment. If you can afford it, the accidental damage addition will get you the VIP treatment when you do just about anything to your laptop.

 

I am on my second Dell portable. My first was an Inspiron 5100. I had no major issues with it. The 5100 system is known to get hot at times. I bought an E1505 which is the same as the 6400. Some people will tell you its heavy but to me it is light compared to what I had. It is considered a budget laptop and is low on the gaming side because of its graphics card, but it is a good laptop for the price. Customer service is not what it used to be since they outsourced to India. Many users complain they can not understand what the heck they are saying. I agree. Users also suggest you should buy as much warranty as possible. They have a regular warranty, and a extended warranty called complete care. Complete care covers broken lcd and spills I believe. You might want to check out the dell forum and see what issues users are having. Take them with a grain a salt. Remember squeeky wheels get the grease. Well thats my 2 cents. lmk if you want more feedback.

 

(Lower-end) Dells are average in pretty much every department, but put altogether are one of the best (if not THE best) bank for the buck. That's for sure.
Higher end models (starting with e1705 w/GeForce7900GS) also offer amazing performance at very good prices.

 

according to Zaz,
well,
What would you say about the hinges of Compaq V2000, V4000 - recently replaced by new models?

VERY poor quallity as seen on my two friends' notebooks.

 

My V3000 is very solid especially in light of the price I paid for it. Time will tell on the hinges.

 

I have both a t60 and an e1505..The thinkpad obviously is built much better, but I was not at all dissapointd with the e1505, I just wanted something a little smaller and lighter. It is fairly plasticky--however that makes it pretty sturdy. I think it uses a ABS plastic chassis..this is a little bit of a dissapointment, esp. because the e1705 uses a magnesium-alloy chassis.