LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: michael <michael@home.lyppard.com.au>
  To  : Andrew Reid <andrew.reid@plug.cx>
  Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 21:19:21 +0930 (CST)

Re: AMD Notebook Chips / Computer Shops in Adelaide / Auslinx

Hi.

You just have to be aware when you buy, the problem is not with "crappy
Leader PC's", but the price point you are buying at. 

That Leader machine starts at what? - is it $800 or $900 dollars?, and you
are seriously comparing it to a mass produced, factory assembled Compaq? I
don't think we are being entirely fair here. There are benefits both ways.
In my opinion, the best of both worlds is to specify what you want in your
PC, and order the parts from Leader (or wherever) and build it yourself or
have them build it for you. Just dont expect to get a $2k Compaq for $1k. 

For the record, I wouldn't buy a Compaq desktop at any price - too much
non-standard gear in there like special memory chips that cost a bomb to
upgrade. If I were to be building a PC today, I'd be off to Toms' Hardware
guide and be choosing up an Asus/Abit mobo with quality accessories for
the same price or less as the Compaq and better servicable quality in my
hands. Ive built many of these over the last decade and most of them run
linux ( a couple of MS boxes snuck in, sorry), and none of them have
failed - I think I have had warranty on one HD and a power supply.

Whilst Compaq will probably be still in business tomorrow, I doubt that
LG, Asus, AMD, Hitachi and Seagate are any different - these are large and
successful businesses, and they'll be here tomorrow too, tragedies
notwithstanding.

Regards,

Michael

On 10 Jul 2001, Andrew Reid wrote:

> On 10 Jul 2001 16:36:01 +0930, Anthony Symons wrote:
> 
> > yeah, but they use cheap crappy brands at any store to have competetive
> > prices. If you buy brand name components, rather than a brandname box
> > then you should be ok.
> 
> I suppose that depends on your definition of "brand name components".
> Some would have you believe MSI is a brand-name component.
> 
> > Hmmm. Thats why out of 6 new compaq desktops i've unpacked in the last
> > week, I have had 1 western digital 10gb hdd (they still sell them?)
> > crash, and 1 faulty 17" compaq monitor. Cdroms are rebadges lite-ons
> > (yeah, great) all components are on board (all or nothing style) I could
> > go on... and then get to response time for repair of ciritcal
> > servers....
> 
> Heh. All of the brand-name manufacturers have that problem. Friends in
> the states have unpacked Sun E450s and found them DOA.
> 
> Compaq's response time for -anything-, let alone mission-critical
> servers is enough to make you reach for a bucket.
> 
> Another thing to consider with brand-name equipment is the assurance
> that your manufacturer will be there tomorrow. For example, when that
> monitor dies, you can take it back to the vendor and be sure that
> they'll not say "Who's Compaq?".
> 
> As I said, they've also got the advantage of having service centers all
> over the world, meaning when the "Leader PC" dies, it doesn't have to be
> toed back to Percy Court, Adelaide.
> 
> > Yeah, that is true...  Just depends on who its for I guess. 
> 
> And who you bought it from. I've got to say that Sun have the best
> support in the competition, though. You have to pay for it, but the help
> is unbelievable.
> 
> I think Compaq are a bad example when it comes to after-sales service.
> They -do- make gear build like a brick shithouse, though.
> 
>    - andrew
> 
> --
> void signature () {
> 	cout << "Andrew Reid -- andrew.reid@plug.cx" << endl ;
> 	cout << "Cell: +61 401 946 813" << endl;
> 	cout << "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur" << endl;
> }
> 
> -- 
> LinuxSA WWW: http://www.linuxsa.org.au/  IRC: #linuxsa on irc.linux.org.au
> To unsubscribe from the LinuxSA list:
>   mail linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au with "unsubscribe" as the subject
> 

-- 
LinuxSA WWW: http://www.linuxsa.org.au/  IRC: #linuxsa on irc.linux.org.au
To unsubscribe from the LinuxSA list:
  mail linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au with "unsubscribe" as the subject