Re: Alternatives to Dell?

Josh, Steve:

I have also been looking at non-dell server vendors due to
recent concerns about the PERC RAID Controllers. That said,
I believe IBM just shoots itself in the foot via its sales/pricing
practices....

Price out a PE2850 w/ 8GB RAM and 6 18GB Drives on the
Dell website and you'll get a number in the $9-10K range. Talk
to your sales rep and you can get a $1-2K discount(total $7-8K).
That seems fair and it wins alot of business.

Go the IBM website, try to find a comparative x86 system and
spec it out. The list pricing is in the $12-16K range. Yes, I know
I could get a good discount if I developed a relationship with
an IBM reseller here..and perhaps the end pricing would be
in the $10-12K range....but the Dell way just seems alot more honest
to me, and reasonable. The IBM gear doesn't seem that much better.

And while I have concerns about some of the Dell
hardware, none of the issues have really caused any issues for me or my clients
here yet.....(crossing fingers..)

I just don't think IBM makes it easy for new customers to buy their equipment and
if I went with them, I'd always have the lingering suspicion that I was paying too much.

I really hope they change some day... Until then, I just see Dell winning more of the
server market share.

Regards,
Matt
--- Original Message---
To: josh(at)agliodbs(dot)com
Cc: pgsql-performance(at)postgresql(dot)org
From: Steven Rosenstein <srosenst(at)us(dot)ibm(dot)com>
Sent: 12/01/2004 4:17PM
Subject: Re: [PERFORM] Alternatives to Dell?

>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I recommend IBM equipment, but in the spirit of caveat emptor I should let
>> you know I work for IBM... :-)
>>
>> Seriously, I've been using IBM laptops and desktops for about 5 years, even
>> before I started working for them. They tend to be a little more expensive
>> than Dell, but I think they use beefier components and don't cut the specs
>> quite as close as Dell does. IBM gear is designed more for industrial use
>> than home computing, which is reflected in the quality (and the price).
>>
>> IBM just released a new series of PowerPC-based servers that are
>> specifically designed to run Linux. They're at the higher end, but from
>> what I understand, they provide much more bang for the buck than
>> Intel-based servers.
>>
>> I hope this helps,
>> --- Steve
>> ________________________________________________________________________
>> ___________
>>
>> Steven Rosenstein
>> Senior IT Architect/Specialist | IBM Virtual Server Administration
>> Voice/FAX: 845-689-2064 | Cell: 646-345-6978 | Tieline: 930-6001
>> Text Messaging: 6463456978 @ mobile.mycingular.com
>> Email: srosenst @ us.ibm.com
>>
>> "Learn from the mistakes of others because you can't live long enough to
>> make them all yourself." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
>>
>>
>>
>> Josh Berkus
>> <josh(at)agliodbs(dot)co
>> m> To
>> Sent by: pgsql-performance(at)postgresql(dot)org
>> pgsql-performance cc
>> -owner(at)postgresql
>> .org Subject
>> [PERFORM] Alternatives to Dell?
>>
>> 12/01/2004 05:24
>> PM
>>
>>
>> Please respond to
>> josh
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> A lot of people have been having a devilish time with Dell hardware lately.
>>
>> It seems like the quality control just isn't there on the Dell servers.
>>
>> Thing is, some companies are required to use 1st-tier or at least 2nd-tier
>> vendors for hardware; they won't home-build. For those people, what
>> vendors
>> do others on this list recommend? What have been your good/bad
>> experiences?
>>
>> --
>> --Josh
>>
>> Josh Berkus
>> Aglio Database Solutions
>> San Francisco
>>
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