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Add an 'Optiplex products' Category, here, please.

180 points posted to IdeaStorm by bretta 12/20/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

As most of my Corporate clients (usually large) standardize on Dell Optiplex, I've had nothing but Optiplex since my '96 / '97 GX-1 purchase (now running Linux as a test box, BTW). I'm not married to Optiplex, but clients can be a touch more favorable if you're running what they're running (for OSs and other software, too).

You have Categories for Dimension, Inspiron, Lattitude, Precision, XPS and even baby Vostro... but NO Optiplex!?! What's with *that*? Please add 'Optiplex products', for I have many comments waiting that will otherwise get lost, it seems.


OptiPlex products category is now on our list of categories.





cosmichellion
12/20/07
Does Dell still make the optiplex line?
bretta
12/20/07
I'm not sure if you're kidding here, but Dell classifies Optiplex as: Stable & Dependable Network PC ... Business Class Leader ... Optimized for networks and manageability. It has five current Model ranges: 320, 330, 740, 755 and 7545 Flex; Up to 4 form factors (755s); Processors from pentium D to Core 2 Quad; Memory to 8GB (Flex only); all but the 320 can have Gigabit ethernet; and lots more. Where I live, most major corporations (and many not so major) have run more on Optiplex than anything else (*my* obsevation, but pretty valid, I think). ... So, yeah, they still make 'em. Are you suggesting they're on their way out (*that*, I'd wanna know!)
cosmichellion
12/21/07
uhm, no I wasn't kidding. It was a simple yes or no question. I wasnt' suggesting anything. I'm not a business customer which is what they're aimed for so I don't go looking for them nor do I care to purchase one. I just hadn't heard a lot about them in the last few years and wondered if they still sold them. Their specs don't interest me as I'd never buy one anyway.
bretta
12/21/07
OK. So now I'm curious... Why would you "never buy one"? I'm asking because they have an excellent reputation from all almost accounts I've heard over a decade, but your very strong statement with *never* leads me to believe there must be a reason behind it, other than the fact that you "just hadn't heard a lot about them in the last few years". I 'need' to know why people would never buy them if there's any valid reason at all for that, so I can voice said reason(s) to clients, friends and others who listen to what I suggest.

And, by the way, just one example of reputation is my circa '96 mid-range GX-1 still seeing service under Linux, with no end in sight and no problems at all in 11 years, though I did receive one free upgrade for it (my 4-year-old P4 GX-260 has not been quite this good).
cosmichellion
12/21/07
I'm not doubting their reputation but the optiplexes just do not fit my style. Typically, it is even hard for a home user to get ahold of these types of units as they are set aside for businesses and business accounts. The purchase terms are also a little different again sometimes causing problems. The services dell bundles with them are not practical for a user such as myself. You get more "fun stuff" so to speak with the other lines targeted to home.

On another note, I personally prefer the flashy, sleeker, offerings that they have to offer in other lines such as the XPS and inspiron line. Although the optiplex is of good quality, and basically uses the same components as other Dell systems, the design is bland.
A good example of the products being very similar is of you compare the Inspiron(home) laptops to the vostro(business) laptops they are pretty much one in the same. However, for the inspirons you get fun colors and additional software that you don't with the plain black vostro.

The optiplex line has been around for a long time, in fact it was one of the first. Dell has pretty much phased out the Dimension line which is just as old. I wasn't sure if that had happened with the optiplexes as Vostro seems to be a new name in systems aimed at businesses. There is nothing wrong with the optiplexes but it seems to basically come down to if you want substance or substance with a little character.
bretta
12/21/07
Fair enough. Different strokes... But just to clarify, Vostro is aimed at small biz, not business in general, at least currently and I don't see that changing.
bretta
12/23/07
That's interesting... they don't allow the 755 Flex for: USA > Small & Medium Business (but I'm glad they seem to have ditched the 320 across the board). Now if they'd just bring in a new high-end model with updated chipset (P35 or maybe even X38), PCIe 2.0, Penryn, fatser memory, et al :-) And if they support my current Optiplex like they said they would, I'll buy two more in the next ~18 monthe, one of 'em in Q1... Dell?
dell_admin1
12/23/07
@bretta - thanks for your feedback. For a while, we did not receive many ideas related to our Optiplex product line, which I believe was largely due to the fact that Dell's consumer customers made up the bulk of the community here. But as IdeaStorm has grown and welcomed more of Dell's business customers to the community here, we've added new categories like Precision workstations and Simplify IT.
And yes... we absolutely do still manufacture and sell our Optiplex product line! In fact, it is a great example of how customer feedback can impact product development... input from our business customers has inspired enhancements to the Opti line even prior to our launch of IdeaStorm. It's also one of our most energy efficient product lines, which is pretty cool.
Thanks again for your feedback - check for the new category later this week. :)
bretta
12/24/07
Thank you very much, Dell_Admin1... from a request on the 20th to your agreement on the 23rd! I'm impressed. :-) Now if you'd only do something to help me since my 4-y-o Opti GX-260 in unfixable according to Dell and others, just because you didn't hold back a $70 spare part (i.e. graphics card) to support GX-260 customers like me over what we were told would be a 5-year life cycle. For lack of this cheap part on a $3,168 computer, Dell Canada is so far telling me I have to buy a brand new computer, where virtually none of the old components can be reused! (IBM helped their customers - including me - when a similar issue arose with PC/ATs in the mid-'80s! ... Where's Dell?)

In truth, I think Dell's saying this because I haven't yet reached the right level of management - everyone agrees this is a Dell-caused problem (including 95% of the people at Dell to whom I've spoken), but the folks with the money don't want to put one red cent where their mouths are, and where they were 4+ years ago when they assured us of a 5-year life-cycle. Now Dell says an Optiplex should be good for 8 years, but how can we trust this if you won't come through in any way after less than 5? How can we even trust 5? I've spent >$4,000 of my time trying to resolve this, and I'm still trying. I'm not finished, yet.
bretta
Jan 30
So, dell_admin1, it seems it's been over a month since you suggested I "check for the new category later this week". Am I just missing where to look? I rather thought an "Optiplex" category would show up somewhere between *Operating Systems - Multiboot* and *Printers and Ink*, and though I've checked 5 or 6 times, nothing's shown up. What's up, please?
jackie_c
Jan 31
Changed status to **IMPLEMENTED**.
jackie_c
Jan 31
OptiPlex products category now available :)
bretta
Feb 6
Thx Jackie C! :-) :-) :-)
 
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