Linux Users Beware

[trigggl]

Nope, not for "average Joe" consumer. I checked their product pages on the Inspiron 660, XPS 8500 and the Alienware Aurora 6. There is nothing in the options for selecting a non-Windows OS. Also searched their FAQ and help using Linux and Alternative OS keywords. The only hits were for Enterprise hardware.

Well, I wasn't going to buy from them again anyways.

[c303a]

As easy as it is to build a desktop, I would just highly encourage everyone to open your desktop up and take a look to see what is inside if you have never done it. It's not a big secret. A board, a hard drive, a video card, some memory and a case with a power supply. The hardest part will be putting the wires from the case to the motherboard. Just follow the instructions in the motherboard manual. Just about anyone with a screwdriver can do it as I am sure most of us in this community know. Go to your favorite parts store, talk to them and put their parts list on the forum. I am sure we will be able to help with the pricing and recommend the proper parts for you to buy.

You can also upgrade and as always we are all here to help. Cut out the middleman, build your own and get exactly what you want.

[Fire$torm]

Well, I wasn't going to buy from them again anyways.

As easy as it is to build a desktop, I would just highly encourage everyone to open your desktop up and take a look to see what is inside if you have never done it. It's not a big secret. A board, a hard drive, a video card, some memory and a case with a power supply. The hardest part will be putting the wires from the case to the motherboard. Just follow the instructions in the motherboard manual. Just about anyone with a screwdriver can do it as I am sure most of us in this community know. Go to your favorite parts store, talk to them and put their parts list on the forum. I am sure we will be able to help with the pricing and recommend the proper parts for you to buy.

You can also upgrade and as always we are all here to help. Cut out the middleman, build your own and get exactly what you want.

++1 Building your own system is well worth the effort. Never have to fight Dell's or Hp's hidden partitions with their spyware (yes Dell is notorious for this), junkware and the like. Nor will you end up with sub-par hradware like crappy RAM, faulty hard drives and anemic PSUs.

But for those that truly abhor a DIY system then I highly recommend buying a computer form Puget Systems (Link). Puget uses only retail components to build their systems. No restricted OEM doggie doo doo used, no spyware, malware or rootkits will be found lurking in their stuff.

[John P. Myers]

++1 Building your own system is well worth the effort. Never have to fight Dell's or Hp's hidden partitions with their spyware (yes Dell is notorious for this), junkware and the like. Nor will you end up with sub-par hradware like crappy RAM, faulty hard drives and anemic PSUs.

But for those that truly abhor a DIY system then I highly recommend buying a computer form Puget Systems (Link). Puget uses only retail components to build their systems. No restricted OEM doggie doo doo used, no spyware, malware or rootkits will be found lurking in their stuff.

++++1

Also Maingear.com.

These are the promises we make to you.

1. You will never speak to anyone that works on commission. And those who you do speak to about a purchase will have built systems for us, or will be current technicians, engineers, and support personnel. You'll never get better advice than from these employees.

2. You will never be oversold. If we think you may be spending more money than you should for your needs, we'll advise you of ways to save money. Conversely, if we think you may not have configured a PC for the performance you're looking for, we'll let you know about that, too. But we'll never pressure you.

3. For the first 30 days of ownership, we will pay 2-way shipping of your system should a problem arise.

4. You will never have to pay for phone support or labor for the lifetime of the system. There are actually companies that make you pay for this after 90 days.

5. At our discretion, we'll engage a 3rd party service to provide on-site service at no additional cost.

6. We'll always replace any failed components in your PC with something that is at least equal in performance and features if we are no longer able to acquire the original part.

7. At your request, we will employ our virtual on-site, hardware-based remote diagnostic technology to fix any quirky software issues you may have. And we'll record it if you wish to reference it later, or to ensure your privacy concerns. This perfect blend of pre- and post- sales support and service make up MAINGEAR™ SERVICE. It's the foundation of our success and the key to our future growth. We feel it's important to make this information front and center.

Large, multi-national computer manufacturers have commoditized the PC market by subsidizing their products with the installation of intrusive, third party software. They are paid to do this. This software bogs down your system and prevents it from running at its highest potential. It also has the tendency to make your system unstable or may conflict with software you wish to install. All MAINGEAR systems eschews these tactics as we believe that YOU are the customer, not a third party software provider. We build purebred PCs designed for performance and reliability, not billboards and advertisments.

Good luck getting Dell or HP to adhere to even 1 of those promises.