A Few Things to Consider Before Buying a Name-Brand Computer
Provided by Q & N Premium Computer and Electronics
It is inevitable that we will all eventually need to upgrade or purchase a new computer. Important things like cost, tech support, warrantee and quality are all a big factor in deciding what to buy. But what about maintenance? Suppose the hard drive dies, no big deal you can get a new one anywhere. Suppose the power supply goes? If you bought a Dell, chances are you can only get one from Dell ..if your computer is still under warranty.
A few years ago a man brought his computer to me because it would not boot up. After quickly checking it out I noticed that the fans were all running very slowly, and the hard drive did not start. I told him I thought the hard drive was probably dead and either the motherboard or power supply was going bad. I took it to the office to repair.
The computer was manufactured by Dell in 2000. Upon testing the computer I found that, indeed, the hard drive had gone bad as well as the power supply. I had another hard drive and power supply on the shelf, and proceeded to install them. While attempting to install my standard ATX power supply I discovered that it would not fit. Weird. I then noticed that the Dell power supply was built completely opposite of a standard (nonproprietary) power supply and could not be installed into the Dell case. So I did a search on the internet to purchase a Dell power supply, but found that no one on the internet sells one. I also found out that even if you hacked up the computer box to fit a standard ATX power supply, the wiring configuration is completely different. Compounding the pounding, Dell uses a standard ATX plug to attach to the motherboard and at this point the unknowing individual would plug in and fry the motherboard and toast the power supply. So the only choice I had was to go to Dell to get a power supply.
I then found out that Dell does not sell parts, they replace them under warranty, if the computer in still under warranty. If not, you will need to return the unit to them for repair and pay for all the shipping, allow 3 to 4 weeks for the return of your computer. Or trade it in for a new one. This was unacceptable, 4 weeks or $600 for a new tower! All I needed was a $30.00 power supply.
Getting back on the internet I found a guy who makes an adapter for the wiring, but still no way to mount the power supply into the Dell box. My next thought was to get a new box and move the other components into a new box. Then as I went to remove the motherboard out of the Dell I noticed that it mounted differently than all the other motherboards I had installed before. All of the ports would not line up and none of the mounting holes lined up.
Not only was the Dell power supply proprietary (not interchangeable with standard industry parts), but so was the motherboard and tower. In fact even the CPU fan was proprietary. Now what else do I need? What are my choices? The Dell was a 1 GHz Intel (a PIII) with 256K Rambus Ram (RDRAM). RDRAM was real hi-tech and expensive at the time. But trying to find a standard Motherboard for a PIII (socket 370) and RDRAM is impossible. I spent at least 10 hours searching for one, to no avail.
Now before I go on, I must say that all the parts Dell used on this machine were high quality parts, but barebones. The power supply was only a 200 watt, but very well made. RDRAM must be installed as pairs, Dell installed a single stick or 256K and the second stick was a filler. RDRAM needs a pair to run at top speed. The tower was well constructed weighing a good 15 pounds, stripped.
The CD-ROM was salvageable. and the CPU, or the RDRAM, but not both. By this time you can no longer find a P3 socket 370 motherboard that accepted RDRAM. The only motherboards that would accept it were P4 socket 478 motherboards which were really expensive at the time.
After all was said and done, my client spent $800.00 for a new nonproprietary pre-built computer, due to the inability to purchase the $30.00 power supply that was needed to fix his machine.
Now the point to this story is before you buy a pre-built computer you want to find out if the parts are proprietary like Dell's, Compaq's ,HP's, Gateway's, and Packard Bell's. If so, buyer beware. I know Micron was using all standand parts the last time I looked at one, but these days I build my own computers. If a power supply goes, I simply take another backup part off the shelf and install it.
The same can go for upgrades, too. If you plan to upgrade one of these pre-built computers a lot of times you are probably better off just buying a whole new system.
Case in point.. point out a case you like and have somebody build you a computer that will not only save you money on repairs, but can mean the difference between purchasing few inexpensive upgrades or being forced to buy an entirely new system just to get the same results.
Orignal From: Things to Consider Before Buying a Name-Brand Computer
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