"Off the shelf" computers???

[SuperCell]

So you hear people saying buy a Dell...no no, buy an HP, yeah buy an HP because Gateway sucks...what??? My Gateway seems fine?!

Seriously, is there really an major difference between the quality of these brands? I mean, there's only 2 manufactures of CPUs, right? And all the electronic components in these computers, the motherboards, etc...I bet there's only a couple manufactures who supply the parts to everyone, no?

If it says Dell or HP on it or whatever, isn't it really all the same inside???

 

[-=Antimatter=-]

The quality of the build (ie how it is put together) is just as important as the specs inside when it comes to off-the-shelf type computers. Most of these kinds of boxes are used by families and non-enthusiasts who think PCI express is a commuter train service, so they have to be sturdy, reliable and have a logical and functional layout.

The layout of the internals is very different from manufacturer to manufacturer and even model to model, so even if Foxconn supplies all the Dell motherboards, for instance, Dell might use a big green heatsink shroud, while Emachines might use a stock cooler and case fan like a lot of home-built computers.

People buy OEM computers because they don't want the hassle of building their own, they want tech support, and/or they want to save money. Look at any review of an OEM system (like the ones here at [H] consumer) and they rate the system based on the complete package, rather than just performance. There is a limit to how much the internals can vary, but each company has their own deals with component manufacturers so they get an extremely low price, and they also get to make their own custom gear (Dell motherboards can't be bought on Newegg, for example, even though they run standard intel chipsets).

 

[Lich]

True. It all varies by the brand and the model, etc. Some people will use proprietary everything in their PCs, big shrouds, etc. Others will use standard parts on all of it. ie, I just finished setting up a new Compaq Presario. Nothing aside from the case and DVD drive was made by HP/Compaq. The board was a standard ASUS with standard heatsink and fan. All other parts, including the power supply, were standard off the shelf computer stuff that anyone can go and buy. If I was to ever buy from a manufacturer, I'd want the case opened up and a look under the hood before I take it home.

 

[NulloModo]

True. It all varies by the brand and the model, etc. Some people will use proprietary everything in their PCs, big shrouds, etc. Others will use standard parts on all of it. ie, I just finished setting up a new Compaq Presario. Nothing aside from the case and DVD drive was made by HP/Compaq.

The board was a standard ASUS with standard heatsink and fan. All other parts, including the power supply, were standard off the shelf computer stuff that anyone can go and buy. If I was to ever buy from a manufacturer, I'd want the case opened up and a look under the hood before I take it home.

Was the Asus board a regular model Asus, or something Asus makes specifically for Compaq? Sometimes large manufacturers have special boards made for them by normally retail companies, so it would be interesting to know if it is a model you could look up and buy off of e-bay.

Even when this is the case, as long as the power supply and board layout are something standard, it shouldn't be a problem, but some manufacturers (and Compaq and Sony used to be _awful_ about this) have custom boards built that are not ATX/BTX/microATC, etc, so if it goes, you are forced to buy a replacement from them. Dell also used to use proprietary power supply connectors on their mobos, and had non-standard power supply bays in their cases, so if either one went, you had to buy from Dell, plus you didn't even have the option to replace both.

Others will use standard parts on all of it. ie, I just finished setting up a new Compaq Presario. Nothing aside from the case and DVD drive was made by HP/Compaq.

I am not trying to call you out on this, so don't take this as an attack, but: [latin geek] ie is short of 'id est' and commonly is used to mean 'that is' or 'in other words'. I think what you were going for is eg or 'exampla gratia' which means 'for example'. Which they can occasionally be used interchangeably, in most cases one fits the situation better than the other. [/latin geek].