How not to Buy a Dell

[So long as sites like The Consumerist insist on silly closed comments system, I figure their posts are fair game in my own blog.]

Consumerist.com parrots posts some "tips" from Dealhack about buying a Dell. Several of the tips are not good.

On average I buy one Dell a week, and I advise people on their private purchases just as often. My own purchases are for work but they have the same motivation as a private purchase: most bang for buck.

"1. Buy one step below top-of-the-line."

Misleading. Buy at the price/performance "sweet spot" that you can afford (see the backward #2 tip below). "Just below" the top of the line may not be a good deal at all and you may pay for features you don't need. One thing's for sure, don't buy the absolute top-of-the-line, ever.
"2. Decide your needs before you configure."

Backwards. Decide your budget, which will dictate what you can buy. If it doesn't meet your needs, raise your budget. If you try to pick a system based on needs, you're going to find systems all over the price range that either just fall short of your needs, meet them or slightly exceed them, yet the price range across these systems is substantial.
"3. Make the best use of coupon codes."

Yup, if you can. Be wary though -- sometimes these don't work. It can also take a long time of monitoring coupon sites before you find a good deal.

"4. Buy and install additional memory yourself."

This does save a lot of money, but it gives Dell an excellent target if you ever get in to a hassle over weird problems with your computer. Memory issues are very frustrating to diagnose. Using 3rd party RAM gives Dell support a plausible explanation (an "out" of the support, if you will) for weird hardware problems that may or may not be RAM-related. If every component on the motherboard comes from Dell under the same warranty, it does not matter what is causing the problem -- Dell needs to fix it.
So buy 3rd party RAM to save money, but expect to take it out before calling Dell about a problem. Better yet, buy 3rd party RAM to upgrade your system after it's out of warranty.

5. Buy online, not over the phone.

Only if you are comfortable with using computers. Many folks buying Dells are not experienced computer users.

So here's the revised set of buying tips.

1. Pick a budget first.
2. Expect the shopping experience to take weeks or months if you want a good deal.
3. Pay the extra money for a good three year warranty. If you can afford Complete Care for your laptop, get it as well.
4. Don't buy the extra junk they offer to sell you in addition to your laptop like software, UPS, carrying cases, etc. Get those separate, and be sure to budget for them.
5. Look at Macs before buying a Dell