Re: Dells, Gateways, Compaqs or Microns?

David A. Gillespie, Jr. (dgill@hawken.edu)
Fri, 26 Jul 1996 17:36:15 EDT

We have tried several different makes of systems and can give a little
advice. We generally purchase from mail order now because most offer
one year of on-site service which can be extended if we desired. The
price savings on the systems, though, are worth it.

When people ask us what kind of system they should get for home use, I
first tell them what to avoid. Avoid Intellicomp and Packard Bell at
all costs!! Nothing but trouble. Also avoid refurbished Gateway
systems, although new Gateways are very reliable. Some
Procorp/Magitronic systems have compatibility problems with network
cards and other hardware.

We have a perfect record with both Quantex (http://www.quantex.com/) and
CyberMax (http://www.cybmax.com/). Quantex sells high-quality
well-packaged Intel Pentium systems, and CyberMax sells Cyrix 686
systems which perform as well (or slightly better) than their
"equivalent" Intel systems, but cost much less. Last price check was
$1800 for a Pentium-166-equivalent with full multimedia, voice modem,
software, and 15" monitor. Very impressive systems; we have a few now
and are getting several more for the upcoming year. No compatibility
problems on either make of system.

Dave

------------------------------------------------------------------------
David A. Gillespie, Jr. '89 dgill@hawken.edu
Director of Computing Services http://www.hawken.edu/orgs/compsvcs/
Hawken School in Gates Mills, OH http://www.hawken.edu/