Expert: Bobbert - 1/30/2008

Question
I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a desktop purchase. I'm leaning toward a Dell Inspiron 530 with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 and 2GB memory. I'm also thinking of getting an XP OS rather than Vista due to networking issues I've seen. I have also heard that XP is faster. I have also looked into getting an HP d4996t desktop with similar features. My main reason to get a Dell over an HP system is the support. Would you agree that Dell has better support than HP? Otherwise, I think an HP system has an edge. Thanks.

Answer
Yes, I'd give the nod to Dell, in my experience (mostly IT industry related), Dell outshines HP in terms of support, and general build quality. One thing to note, ensure you purchase the upgrade option on your support package, to ensure you get decent support, not the free outsourced support that doesn't really do you much.

As far as Vista vs XP, your reasons are mostly rational, just realize that Microsoft is by no means going to stop time for XP, and that XP is approaching its 8th birthday this year, while Vista is less than 2, and offers a number of features XP can't quite touch (most notably, DirectX 10).

-bob