STONE or DELL Computers

[E1uSiV3]

perhaps Dell is a better build quality but at £50 to 75 per unit more we just cant justify it when buying 100+ units

 

Have you phoned them? the website guide is way inflated compared with what they will do, and bulk orders seriously get them slashing margins.

[Dos_Box]

perhaps Dell is a better build quality but at £50 to 75 per unit more we just cant justify it when buying 100+ units

 

Have you phoned them? the website guide is way inflated compared with what they will do, and bulk orders seriously get them slashing margins.

 

Agreed. Dell will slash their wrists to sell to you and undercut any quote you get in my experience. I have been very impressed with Dell kit in recent years, and have not as yet been let down by them.

[kingswood]

No problems with Dell for us- and with a three year on-site (NBD) hardware warranty we can't complain at all. It means less of a support burden for us (as far as hardware replacement is concerned) and standardisation of desktop hardware. I am also in the process of completing some Dell PowerEdge training that means I will be better qualified to understand and implement their IT Assistant software and tools...not bad at all.

 

We just ordered 60 new machines from Dell- 30 of them dual core with 17" flat panel monitors for a little over £500 a piece and 30 with CRT (170L) and they cost £400 each after some nice woman at Dell slashed another £40 off each for us :-)

 

I like them.

[darkest_star]

That margin is with Dell shashing the price

 

Stone Workstation with 17in crt = £329 or £389 with tft

 

our best price from Dell was over the £400 mark

[Dos_Box]

Ask yourself this. Why do Stone never give PCs' to magazines or other review bodies for assesment? At least with Dell you can look up what you are about to purchase and it is not an unknown quantity from what is basically a corporate box-shifter.

[darkest_star]

I dont disagree with the Dell option, I have to look at what I can get for the budget I have and to keep a rolling replacment of computers going I can't justify Dell or HP when I need to replace volumes of PC's

 

I would rather save money on the workstations and invest in our infrastructure and Servers (which are all Dell)

 

Previous to Stone we used DAN PC's both of which have served us well so I dont think it is as big a compromise to us as it may be to others.

[wesleyw]

Well judging from the website they only sell to Public sectors schools/colleges/unis/lea etc.. So no point in sending them to a PC mag and saying review this for us but remember 99% of your readership can't buy from us lol!

 

Never had any problems with Stone Computers after sales or pre. Might be an account manager thing?

 

Wes

[secman]

How can anyone compare STONE and DELL? Dell are probably the largest PC manufacturer on the planet with millions of units installed in all sorts or businesses. Have you noticed how many Dells appear on TV???

 

I have been working with Dell PCs since they fist started up in the UK in 1987 (Yes I am that old!!) I have rarely had any real problems with the kit, found it reliable and long lived. Some of our Dell GX110 PCs are 5 years old and although a bit slow these days and being phased out, still boot every time.

 

We have bought over 300 Dells in the past 3 or 4 years, have had no DOAs and any problems have been sorted quickly and efficiently. I would recommend them to anyone.

 

We also have Dell Servers which have also proved reliable and stable.

 

We do have some minor concerns over Dell's business practices of late but they seem to be pushing to take the education market by storm.

But the kit has always been excellent.

 

We also have some experience of dealing with those who seem to think it better to build your own PCs. Our Junior school has 22 PCs build by a freelance technician that have had problems with PSUs blowing up (literally!). We just cannot get anyone to take responsibility for the failures and have a number of unusable machines. The case manufacturer wants us to disassemble all the PCs and send back the cases for checking. You wouldn't have this problem with a branded PC. There is also the problem of compatibility. Although much better than it was, there is still the chance that the motherboard won't like the sound card for instance. Who then sorts the problem. Branded PCs go through many hours of testing that we simply do not have the time to do.

[Dos_Box]

I dont disagree with the Dell option, I have to look at what I can get for the budget I have and to keep a rolling replacment of computers going I can't justify Dell or HP when I need to replace volumes of PC's

 

I would rather save money on the workstations and invest in our infrastructure and Servers (which are all Dell)

 

Previous to Stone we used DAN PC's both of which have served us well so I dont think it is as big a compromise to us as it may be to others.

 

Didn't DAN turn into Stone? I get very nervouse about a company that sell soley to organsations who tie themselves into one supplier. It gets my backhander-senses tingling, especially when you can do better elsewhere.

[Snuffkins]

[quote="Dos_Box

Didn't DAN turn into Stone? I get very nervouse about a company that sell soley to organsations who tie themselves into one supplier. It gets my backhander-senses tingling, especially when you can do better elsewhere.

 

I thought Omega turned into Stone or did Dan brand it's kit with that logo?

Do you mean that Stone only sell to organisations who tie themselves in too one supplier?

 

We have a lot of Stone machines here, but we also have Dells and NS Optimum PC's ... To be honest they've all been just as good as one another were the hardware is concerned as they all only use intel parts. I've had a the odd problem with all companys equipment as i'd expect with general wear and tear, but out of all the companies i've dealt with Stones support is the best and i think their end product is very good too.

 

Even if i wasn't on a tight budget like i am i'd still think of Stone Computers as one of the top on my list to get my equipment from based mainly on the service you get.

[darkest_star]

I dont want to get into a flame on this But I I dont take backhanders

 

my opinion differs, the needs of our school are well served even without everyone wearing Dell badges. We look at ALL options each time we make a paurchase

 

last time we bought Stone They won the bid, this time we source from 3 builders + Dell & HP same as we did last time if Stone deliver then they will win if not someone else will

 

If we had had a bad expreince with Stone we would not use them again

[Dos_Box]

Sorry, I was not referring to anyone on this forum, mearky from conversations \I have had in the past from others. Usually in whispered tones in darkend rooms. I just find Stone to ba an anomaly. They are successful, and often huge organisations buy soley from them for their IT procurement. I find this a little suspect. That is all.

[projector1]

been using stone now for 4 years and have nothing but goods words to say.

great build quality

very competitive

5 year waranty on our 50 pcs purchased last year.

next day turn around.

 

would highly recommend on our experience with this company.

[cookie_monster]

We've used stone for a couple of years now and i've been very impressed with their service and support. They generally supply good PC's in tough cases which is exactly what we need. They can be a bit pricey but for that you get a 5 year next day warrenty on their workstations.

 

JINX :-), you just beat me to it.

 

We also use Dell but i've found they have a nasty habit of turning up at silly times, expecially in the hols even when you say 'we will not be here after 4' they still ring saying "I'll be there at 4.30" grrrr.

Edited March 7, 2008 by cookie_monster

[Guest blacksheep]

I must be mad maybe I should milk the school budget

I used to build them, now they do it for 30 quid. Still I spec them up exactly (the mainboard everything) and do all the s/w and h/w support. Is getting harder with the amount of machines we have got to (300ish).

Still can add onsite (i think) or send it back within a year, never do though more likely chat about the problem and get the faulty bits sent to me in post. Reliable machines just a few here and there and the older ones have seen better days. I use CCL btw.