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

date posted 23rd January 2002 21:16

IMHO, there is only one answer to this.

HP servers, Dell desktops, Sony laptops (or IBM if you want the
horsepower), Extreme switches, 3com NICs, Seagate hdd's. You're stuck
with everything else, but these are the important parts.

HP's servers make Dell stuff look like the cheap crap it really is.
Their support is hugely better than Dell (tho I don't think anyone has
the support you want). OTOH, Dell desktop boxes are so cheap that you
can afford to buy a few extra to swap in when they fail (usually the
quantum/maxstor drive). Sony laptops look nice (which seems to be all
anyone cares about). Extreme switches just rock - period. Intel NICs
would probably do just as well, but Intel seem to make a habit of
buggering up the drivers - usually just when I'm stuck with an Intel
card. And Seagate hdds, well, that's a matter of my experience. They've
got the most helpful support, and give you absolutely no hassle
whatsoever when you have to send a drive back. The failure rate is also
far lower than any other brand I've tried, and they hardly ever just
die, so you have a bit of time to make sure you've got all the data.

btw, all the above is just from my experience of doing this stuff for
the past 10 years. I'm sure other people have got a similar list of
stuff they trust - it'll be interesting to see what overlaps.

-C