Experiment (Gateway stores closed)

[Matt]

OOOOOooooooohhhhhhh!!!! Sheesh, I wonder how I missed that blurb earlier?
My wife has no hardware knowledge, zero interest in computer hardware and
has never built a computer before. Not once. She spec'd out a computer in
10 minutes that will kick the crap out of anything Dell could ever hope to
build. So what's your excuse? Note she didn't build it, but she could
have. I really don't think she would have screwed it up either, because I
know her. She takes a very logical approach to learning things she's never
done before. In simpler terms, if she doesn't know what the heck she's
doing, she will RTFM before she really screws up.

I just thought it was so funny in re-reading that paragraph to see someone
who has built systems for 14 years and thinks he can't beat a dell.
Meanwhile, I know my wife who is deliberately hardware ignorant could beat
dell on her first build without breaking a sweat, and with no help from
anybody. That is just sooooooooooooooo funny!!! -Dave

Just what is the motivation for your posts?

Certainly you are not trying to show that most people can get a cheaper,
better system by building it themselves.

_______________________________________________________________________
Faster Dell P4-2.8Ghz/800Mhz bus desktop $494, May 31

If you want more speed, faster dual channel memory, AGP 8x slot etc..
Dimension 4600 Performance Desktop P4-2.8Ghz HT-Technology/800Mhz bus,
256MB Dual Channel DDR 400/40GB HD, 48x CD, Free 48x CDRW and 48x CD,
Word Perfect, XP Home $494, no rebate, shipped free.

Start here, Click Customize It under 4600, 2.8Ghz P4 HT/800 / XP Home /
Basic Audio - Continue

Dell 2 button Mouse/Free PDA, Camera, or Printer/No Floppy/40GB/Special
Dual drives 48x CDROM and 48xCDRW - Continue, 1 yr Basic Plan
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Bob Ward]

Dave C tried to present the experiment as if the hypothetical computer
builder were basically doing the job on her own, so we can assume that
Dave C is permanently gone fishing. Or maybe trolling.

Dave evidently places the same value on his time that I would value
it, based on his pronouncements in this forum.

 

[Marcio Watanabe]

OOOOOooooooohhhhhhh!!!! Sheesh, I wonder how I missed that blurb earlier?
My wife has no hardware knowledge, zero interest in computer hardware and
has never built a computer before. Not once. She spec'd out a computer in
10 minutes that will kick the crap out of anything Dell could ever hope to
build. So what's your excuse?

And you missed again. Learn how to read. I said that "I can build a
computer with better specs, but not an overall better product. " And
your wife didn't even build one alone and never will. But I
understand your ignorance. It took me many years to know the
difference.

 

[Marcio Watanabe]

Actually, I was just discussing this issue with her yesterday. There's no
need for her to build a new system right now. But the next time she needs
an upgrade, I'm going to take her to a computer show (she HATES those
things). I told her she's going to spend my money, choose her parts at the
show and build the thing when we get home. I told her I'd only intervene if
she makes a really stupid mistake, like choosing a component that will not
work at all with another component.

Duh, what a way to put your money where you mouth is. So basically
you intervene if she makes a mistake.

This topic is so much nonsense. I had enough.

 

[McQualude]

She spec'd out a computer in
10 minutes that will kick the crap out of anything Dell could ever
hope to build.

Ok, enough of this...

It didn't have a heat sink and would have melted 10 seconds after she
turned it on.

It had a smaller, cheaper hard drive than your Dell example.

It had a cheaper, slower video card than the Dell example.

It had a junk $65 monitor that you added on, which I don't believe for
one second that anyone with sense would buy. It's hard to buy a quality
used monitor for $65.

The components weren't color matched. This doesn't affect performance
but it sure looks stupid for someone who brags so much.

It had a slower, cheaper processor than the Dell example.

It used slower memory than the Dell example.

You failed. No amount of spouting off will cover your failure. You
didn't beat Dell, you built a miss-matched, lower performing junkenstein
computer that would have melted at the touch of a switch.

 

[Dave C.]

Ok, enough of this...

It didn't have a heat sink and would have melted 10 seconds after she
turned it on.

It had a smaller, cheaper hard drive than your Dell example.

It had a cheaper, slower video card than the Dell example.

It had a junk $65 monitor that you added on, which I don't believe for
one second that anyone with sense would buy. It's hard to buy a quality
used monitor for $65.

The components weren't color matched. This doesn't affect performance
but it sure looks stupid for someone who brags so much.

It had a slower, cheaper processor than the Dell example.

Wow, you were doing so great too. -Dave

 

[David Maynard]

you will still end up with something that likely can't be



You havent seen the insides of a dell for a long while have you, no more
proprietry components.

You seem to have forgotten about what if something goes wrong during the
build? An inexperienced user wouldnt have a clue what to check. Dont get me
wrong, i build my own systems, but there is a place for OEM's.

hamman

True. Not only that but they include everything needed, like a processor
heatsink and O.S. (missing from his list). Not to mention that they pay
their assembly people as opposed to a 'free husband' =:O)

I build my own too, so I fully appreciate the advantages of doing so, but I
also repair other's machines and the last two I 'fixed' were brand new
'home built' by the owners.

It isn't because they're stupid. It's just that things which seem trivial
to the experienced builder, such as proper heatsink orientation, don't
necessarily register as something to even think about to the average
person. And then when a problem crops up they don't know enough about how
it works to diagnose the symptom. It just "doesn't work".

The builders of the last two I fixed actually did a pretty good job: they
got it 99.9% right. It was just one little thing that fouled them up but
that was enough to prevent one from running and the other to periodically
lock up.

And then there's that little 'secret' of loading in special drivers with F6
during install, etc.

 

[David Maynard]

Oh shin on a shitgle. Good catch!!! I'm betting that OEM CPU comes with no
HSF. But the last time I built a system, both the CPU and mainboard had
very stern instructions not to install a CPU without one. And so it is
likely she would have caught that mistake herself. She spent about ten
minutes picking out parts. There may have been a bit of luck involved, and
she did screw up on forgetting the HSF. But she did take a somewhat logical
approach, for someone who is totally clueless. For example (as I wrote
elsewhere), she figured an athlon 64 CPU would be a good idea for an athlon
64 mainboard. Still, I think she did awesome. I told her I'm tempted to
build her creation. -Dave

I think she did quite well, no joke. She obviously has a logic mind and the
good sense to draw on other's expertise, as in checking reviews, etc.

But for your experiment to continue you need to hand her the credit card
and say "buy", leave town for a few weeks, and see how well it works when
you get back.

 

[T Shadow]

I think she did quite well, no joke. She obviously has a logic mind and the
good sense to draw on other's expertise, as in checking reviews, etc.

But for your experiment to continue you need to hand her the credit card
and say "buy", leave town for a few weeks, and see how well it works when
you get back.

Not really doubting her or the results but I don't think its a fair test. In
school even the dumb kids could get an answer correct once in a while even
if they didn't know how they got it. Not that shes dumb but got lucky
picking a new CPU with little options. I had never looked at NewEgg before
but when I looked at AMD processors that's the first one that came up. Maybe
their was already clicked links in the browser. Besides a wife is a poor
test subject. Women have a nasty habit of listening to you even when they
don't know what your talking about just incase they might be able to use it
against you later.

If he would use his credit card to let 10 computer hardware illiterates
picked at random build computers and then recoupe his money by selling them
in tact(with him giving tech support) that would be a much better test. It'd
still be a statistically insignifigant number but at least it'd show he
actually believes what hes saying.

 

[David Maynard]

with no



Not really doubting her or the results but I don't think its a fair test. In
school even the dumb kids could get an answer correct once in a while even
if they didn't know how they got it. Not that shes dumb but got lucky
picking a new CPU with little options. I had never looked at NewEgg before
but when I looked at AMD processors that's the first one that came up. Maybe
their was already clicked links in the browser. Besides a wife is a poor
test subject. Women have a nasty habit of listening to you even when they
don't know what your talking about just incase they might be able to use it
against you later.

LOL

As I read it I thought perhaps you were going for a picking things up by
osmosis theory but, no.

I didn't say having her build it was a perfect test, or that it would even
mean much, but simply picking parts is not really even half way there.

If he would use his credit card to let 10 computer hardware illiterates
picked at random build computers and then recoupe his money by selling them
in tact(with him giving tech support) that would be a much better test. It'd
still be a statistically insignifigant number but at least it'd show he
actually believes what hes saying.

To heck with 'reselling' them. I'd be stunned if half of them simply worked.

Btw, I doubt that most people would try it even with the parts being paid
for so willing 'volunteers', whether 'random' or not, would probably not be
representative of the general population either.