Why not a branded PC?
Ok, before I begin my rant, I’d like to point out the major companies dealing in branded PCs in India. They are HP/Compaq, HCL, Dell, Zenith. There are some other plyers as well like PCS, Intex etc.
Now to begin with, what is a branded PC?
A PC is referred to as branded when its offered for sale by a company who assembles the various parts to make a PC and then sells it under its brand. The PC on a whole becomes a complete product and has different models each having different configuration and price. Its just like when a car’s parts are assembled to make a car, different models, different specifications and different prices, though car makers make almost all of their car’s parts while these companies selling PCs, they just either take off-the-shelf components to assemble a PC or they contract some other company to manufacture some parts branded as PC maker’s.
So, what’s wrong with branded PCs? We do buy cars like that & televisions and the list goes on!! This is the important question of all, there’s nothing wrong with branded PCs. Its just a matter of choice. The thing is that assembling a PC is not as hard as assembling a car or even a television, both of which can be assembled if one wants. A 12yr old just needs to see someone assembling a PC, get a few pointers, all in all just 1 hour of learning time & he’ll be ready to assemble the next PC, its not rocket science!! So why should one go with a configuration that might not suit you? PC makers assemble PCs on a general scale, its just like getting a pair of Peter England trousers or Levi’s jeans off the shelf. But custom tailoring is always better, since that’s made as per an individual’s specifications.
Another thing to consider is that PC makers generally use only a few good quality components, the ones they advertise, like processor, motherboard etc. But they don’t tell you what kind of HDD or keyboard or mouse they have or the screen or cabinet or the optical drives etc. And that’s where they gain, by putting in sub-standard components that are cheaper, thus allowing them a broader profit margin. Another thing is that they sell at overly inflated price(not all but still quite a bit of the PC makers), though this has come down quite a bit in recent times due to growing popularity of custom assembled PCs & a significant downfall of hardware costs, but still, the price at which they sell is not justified. Some people might argue that the extra cost can be justified by the support that they provide, well, that might hold true anywhere else, but it won’t cut any ice here in India. The PC companies here generally suck & I’ve seen such a lousy service by global leaders like Compaq, that I wouldn’t recommend them even to my enemy!! :sick:
Still, another point of argument is that what do these companies do extra to justify the inflated price? They try to harass customers, especially those who are not tech savvy & just know how to use email or MS-Office. Secondly, the service that they provide, of sending a technician to check on the fault in a PC or replacing a malfunctioning component, well, that can be done & is being done by thousands of local hardware dealers & assemblers. Its not a specialised job anymore, teen kids can troubleshoot a PC. So I don’t believe that these PC makers are providing any value added service that justifies the added useless weight to the price tag for a PC that is being sold at a much higher price than what its worth!!
BOTTOMLINE:~ Pre-assembled/configured PCs from PC makers are suitable for the novices or new entrants to the PC user’s world(though they can do a lot better by having it assembled), but they certainly are not for the people who know what they want. For them, having a PC assembled & confifured as per their needs & specifications is the only way. :tup:
So if you need a PC, then you should see if there’s a trustworthy hardware dealer/assembler in your locality(you can ask your friends/neighbour for recommendations) and get a PC assembled, by telling him your needs if you can’t specify the technical details. Also, you can do better by obtaining the technical specifications of a model you like from a PC maker & then asking its cost from your dealer. You’ll know about the price difference then & there!! 
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Although I prefer to assemble my computers, one benefit of branded PC’s is on-site warranty,which comes in handy for people who don’t like running to the dealers of all different components.
well, that’s a myth that corrupts a lot of people in favour of branded PCs. who says that dealers don’t give on-site warranty? none of the dealers that I know or have come across deny this, their cost of assembling a PC includes 1 year of on-site warranty(unless the customer doesn’t want that in lieu of a reduction in price) & after that the customer may choose to purchase an AMC starting Rs.1000/year or choose a pay-per-visit model.
only some low life third rate dealers don’t provide on-site warranty for the PCs they assemble.
Did’nt have much of an idea about that, because I’ve never bought an assembled PC from a dealer, always made them myself.
well, you should’ve atleast give a thought to why people are inclined towards custom assembled PCs, even though its a fact that people here will always first ask for the warranty of anything they buy!! so if the dealers weren’t giving any on-site warranty, people wouldn’t buy them, since no one, especially novices, would like to carry their whole CPU or some part to the dealer for repairs!!
Actually, lots of people I know prefer branded PC’s for some reason. Never gave that much thought.
I always suggested people to have their PC’s assembled, but they always replied about warranty.
like I said, just one of the old school myths that surround the branded PCs, that they give warranty & assembled PCs don’t!! there will always be three types of people; wise, fools & ignorant, & the pretty thing is that you can’t do anything about them!!
Hi Amit..
Well said mannn.. Big name branded PCs are a rip on customers especially those who look at computers even in this day as a “miracle gadget”.I specially have a grouse on HP which i rate as the most ruthless exploiter in india.I had bought from them a combo printer in which the guiding tape shredded within 14months.When i went to them said the model has changed,anyway beyond warranty, hence adviced me to dump this gadget costing Rs16000 and buy a new one.Same thing happened for their CD Writer -DVD combo which conked off on the 13month.I made a huge noise, got a free replacement which conked off before the 4th month.In disgust threw the whole lot outside and have decided then and there, i will buy everything from my nearest electronics vendor in chennai “Mercy Elewctronics”I get the best taiwan/chinese products working in top condition. By the way, i have an assembled PC bought way back in 1997 in Mumbai upgraded to Pentium111/800mzs in 1999 working in top condition even till this date.No service contract either.
well, Laks, the issue about branded PCs & other equipment like printers etc. are different. For getting components like printers, optical drives, hard disks etc., I would still not recommend getting any un-branded stuff, that too after I’ve had my share of problems with Samsung, who took more than 2 weeks to deliver my repaired monitor last year after promising it in 1 week & next day from there on till it was finally delivered, then again refusing to repair my DVD drive this year after it was 1 month out of warranty claiming that the serial number is not present on the drive & now that my new 3 month old Samsung DVD drive is again throwing up problems!!
but since here we expressed a point of view on PCs and not individual components & their problems with vendors etc., I’d say that please keep to the topic & not post your grudges regarding any specific component vendor!! :tup:
Hi Amit
A company which HAS POOR SERVICE qualities while selling CD/DVD drives or printers are not going to give a greater quality for their PCs.I have 2 bad experiences with HP on CD drives / printer.I know what they are capable of.I am not going to go back to them for my PC requirements.My neighbourhood seller has greater empathy to the buyer than these behemoths.
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Yes its better to buy components of your choice and budget and get it aseembled. That way one can not only save money but also get warranty on individual components. If components are purchased from a good dealer he always helps in getting it repaired or replaced as soon as possible. nice article specially for new PC buyers.