Computer Price War underway, and WE all win!

[soflawill]

If Gateway is going to take on Dell in a price war, Gateway will head South faster than Enron. Was reading yesterday where Dell is sitting on over six BILLION in cash reserves. Look at what happened when Kmart took on Walmart on price. You can't out-Dell Dell. Love or hate their products, but you must admit they have a business model in place that kicks everyones butt.

 

[sleefer]

If this hits the business end then it will be great. If they go after the small business server market, then they can drag HP into the mix.

 

[GreenGhost]

We all like to build our own computers, but the fact these prices are very hard to beat in undeniable. The question is not if we can build something better than a Gateway, but build a similar computer (including software, of course), for the same price.

 

[Sesopedalian]

The largest increase in sales, and some of the best values, will be in the notebook market. We can't build those. The difference in performance is becoming smaller. However, a large caveat is upgradability. Who will be the first to come out with a fully "upgradable" notebook? I think lots of us would buy those.

 

[OgreShade]

<< We all like to build our own computers, but the fact these prices are very hard to beat in undeniable. The question is not if we can build something better than a Gateway, but build a similar computer (including software, of course), for the same price. >>



It would also have to be worth the time you waste pricing all the components, the time to build it, the time to troubleshoot it (if necessary), etc. I guess some of the high school/college students here have the free time, but my time is valuable. If I didn't enjoy building the computer, it would make very little sense to build one to try and save money because when you factor everything in, you don't really save money building it. Building has advantages (such as picking the components, enjoyment, feeling of accomplishment, etc.), but saving money is not one of those advantages for the vast majority of people.

 

[wfay]

those prices are excellent for someone looking to buy a computer that just works and comes with fully licensed software and tech support when they need it!

my family members know that i build computers for myself, and sometimes they ask me to help them get a good new computer, but i ALWAYS recommend that they buy something at a good price from Dell/Gateway just to save myself the headaches of supporting them for the next 2-3 years...

sure they still call me when they have problems, but i frequently remind them of the 1-2-3 year support contract they received with the purchase of their machine, and that they are throwing that money away when they call me... usually they pick up on what i'm saying right away and call the 800# and get things resolved themselves.

good deal bump.
--w

 

[dietrologia]

Thanks to BigDoggie for the post.

Please remember that not everyone builds their own pc's. There's something to be said for the ability to be able to purchase a system like these that you know will work AND comes with legitimate copies of OS and office software.

Whether or not you like OEMs was really not the point of the OP anyway. I think what BigDoggie was pointing out was that the lowering of prices by ANYONE is always "A Good Thing(tm)" for us.

So, I'll let my brother know about these prices as he may very well be interested. He's not inclined to take the time to learn how to build his own pc (however fulfilling that process is) and I'm not inclined to drive 8 hours to help build one for him.

 

[lepper boy]

<< now if only Newegg dropped their prices accordingly >>



that would darn near be heaven.......

 

[ishmael2k]

I agree with those saying that this is a good deal for ppl that don't want to build their own systems.

I have built 30 or so systems. Some for myself, a couple for family and a few for friends. I like building pcs, but have decided to no longer build for anyone but myself and a couple of family members and 2 friends.

Let me tell you, it isn't worth it for anyone but yourself unless you really like getting those fun phone calls in the evening. I now point them to the best Dell deal I can find here and point out all the benefits of owning a warrantied system with 800# support.


Rb

 

[unclebud]

still laughing

 

[gerrick]

At these prices anyone who would build a system for a family member or friend who is not all that bright in computers is not thinking. I rarley ever bulid PC's for family or friends because of tech support alone. These systems come with some at least. The PC's are also fast enough to check email and browse for the next three or four years. Grandparents and Parents deserve better then a P200 with 32mb of ram. With Monitor, OS, Warranty these prices are untouchable.

 

[Pothead]

A problem with building PCs for people is that the people that use them do stupid things that mess up the computer, however, it can be software issues at times. But in general, I've seen people play with thier computer I build them. Some people use it like a normal person would and rarely bug me for anything problems. I think though people should take an initiative and search the problem before say calling the person that built the computer. It's not like Dell is gonna help you all the time. Dell starts charging you money for any issues with the OS one month after you order the computer.

 

[NewBozo]

Do those Gateway prices take into account the $100 coupon that is floating around?
Hmmm. Maybe time for a new PC to keep the kids away from mine.

 

[MontyBurns]

While I appreciate the fact that we all want to appear as smart as possible, and that we all think that we are somehow much smarter than anyone who would ever buy a computer at Dell or Gateway, I have to admit that a lot of these prices I'm seeing lately -- even on high-end systems -- are just incredible.

Those who brag about building a computer for $300 are almost always leaving out expensive components like software and warranties. Plus, they almost always price components at the cheapest they've EVER APPEARED on hot deals, and not necessarily the price they could be obtained for TODAY.

Unless you're buying a bargain-basement PC, you're likely to find components in a Dell or Gateway that are of VERY high quality. They could really skimp on areas like memory (type and speed) and monitors, but they rarely do.

So, swallow your pride, and admit that these are good deas.

 

[LostHiWay]

This might not be a "hot" deal for the people AT, but for regular non-techie people this would be hot. Sure we all might be able to build a very comparable system for less but could you imagine the tech support calls you would get from the people who would by a $600 dollar system. Probably people getting this as a first computer. I could only imagine.

 

[Kevin]

<< If Gateway is going to take on Dell in a price war, Gateway will head South faster than Enron. Was reading yesterday where Dell is sitting on over six BILLION in cash reserves. Look at what happened when Kmart took on Walmart on price. You can't out-Dell Dell. Love or hate their products, but you must admit they have a business model in place that kicks everyones butt. >>



Better off to die trying. Gateway is in a pretty heavy financial situation. They can either start a war with Dell, or just lay back and die. So their mentality is right, trying to compete. Although one would think Dell would be able to push them out of business for good, things always change.

 

[bigi]

<< At those prices, I think you are better off building or learn to build one yourself... At those prices we still lose. >>



I also thought that way (I built boxes myself) ... until I realized that not everyone needs to do it.
Actualy, I think that most people/firms purchase computers. If they didn't Dell and others would not even exist.

BiGi

 

[DowntownII]

Do those prices include a steep discount for having to deal with Dells exceptionally crappy "award winning" support? I don't know about Gateway but Dell has some real problems when it comes to customer service!

 

[dentalboy]

great for use new buyers

 

[Dug]

One thing that I've noticed about the new Dell's... They are completely silent.

I know some of you like your 16 blazing 120cfm fans running so you can squeeze out a few more Mhz,
but for me and others like me, there is nothing like a silent computer.

 

[Spyboy]

Downtown II.

You must have had a bad experience with Dell Tech Support.

Be that as it may, they consistently rank first in tech support in reliable surveys.

Just a couple months ago they spent about 10 hours (over 2 days) with me walking me through stuff others might find easy to do. And the computer is pushing 5 years old!

Dell is starting to charge more for its warranties and tech support, but they still make the best machines and have the best support. Since they aren't making much on the computers, I don't begrudge them charging more for support.

 

[nippyjun]

In a few years when there is only 1 or 2 major pc makers then we'll see prices go up a lot.

 

[yodayoda]

who pays for their operating system? what suckers...

 

[StanG]

Man, I've learned the hard way about building computers for computer illiterate people (some of my friends ).
Over 2 years later, I am sill on their speed dial when problems occur. As I type this, one of the pcs is sitting at my house being fixed

Nowadays, it's only Dell (outlet) for anyone that asks me for advice

 

[VTrider]

Yeah, I love building computers and how I wish I could solve that 'you are my tech support guy at 10:00pm' phone call problem That's the biggest problem, it's just too bad, I wish everybody was tech savvy, but then I couldn't build computers for everyone because they could do it themselves I guess? Oh well, no win situation.

As for the Dell/Gateway deals - Ya gotta admit, it's not a bad deal for a first system, that 599.00 ad even made me do a double take the other day when I saw it on t.v

-VTrider