Re: FN-FORUM Server prices - Dell vs Compaq etc

date posted 23rd January 2002 18:24

I've bought a couple of Dell servers, one PC and a laptop, but I don't
think I'd do it again without a very good deal. The laptop never worked
properly; and one of the servers it has taken over a year to get a problem
solved (eventually they gave up and replaced the motherboard). The real
problem is their customer service. I had to repeatedly call back, send
emails both directly and through the CS pages, and still the promised
drivers, returns of call etc never materialised. All this with next day
onsite support. Someone did eventually turn up next day with a motherboard,
but only after I'd replaced all the firmware. Several times. In different
orders. To their instructions. And then spent an hour on the phone to them
explaining this.

And more relevantly for Bob's client, the pre-installed software on the
server wasn't much good. I expected to reconfigure them for the network,
but the basic OS installation was almost useless.

Now Compaq...I've only bought PCs but they were cheap (bought direct from
Compaq), speedy and needed no further OS configuration - only addition of
software and the network settings. Yes, their servers are expensive (can't
get them direct, or at least you couldn't at the beginning of last year),
on a like-for-like comparison. But then my last company bought its Compaq
web server in 1997...and it's still happily serving several web sites,
running Oracle, and doing a bit of streaming, all on 256Mb memory, a P266,
and smallish RAID array. Ok, I believe it cost them about 20k when they
bought it, but it's still going strong so I think they got a pretty good deal.

So I won't recommend Dell again, because if something goes wrong I don't
trust them to sort it out. Of course, you can always get bargains so I
never rule anyone out completely but I'd be very wary...

I know this is a fairly limited sample, but so far Compaq's on top. I'd be
interested to know what anyone else recommends.

And of course I'd really like to recommend Macs because they're so pretty
:-) (start another major war!)


At 17:42 23/01/02 +0000, you wrote:
>I'm very happy with my Dell servers and my three next day onsite support.
>Better that f&^%ing Compaq! Although our local Compaq dealership are very
>good. However you need to know how to spec your server if you buy from Dell,
>as their sales people are useless!! When I bought my first server about five
>years ago, the tech sales person was very good--now they just seem to read
>from the web site!!
>
>Kathy
>----- Original Message -----