[wellylug] Computer System Vendor Wgtn

[nic]

I've bought several machines from PB Tech in Vivian St over the past coupe of years. I've 
been happy with the price/performance balance, and excellent service.

The only times I've had Linux compatibility problems it's been related to newer 
motherboards where I've been trying to do software RAID1 with SATA drives. Frequently a 
pain in all sorts of places where sometimes even the latest version of a distro doesn't 
support the SATA controller. I've got to  the stage where I will probably avoid SATA for 
because of the problems with chipsets and drivers. Apart from that, though, the 'whitebox' 
(new term to me, but I think I can guess what it means) suppliers/parts have been fine, 
and decent prices.

Nic

Mark Foster wrote:
> 
> 
> On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 thou82 at xtra.co.nz wrote:
> 
>> Hi Mark,
>>
>> I work for a SMB in lower hutt that services SMBs in the Wellington 
>> Region.
>>
>> Traditionally, it has been our experience that if we stick with major 
>> manufacturers, namely IBM and HP, we get far more reliability than 
>> from the white-box suppliers out there. Furthermore, we only sell 
>> business grade products, rather than the pavilion range found in 
>> retail shops. Again, we do this because long-term, we find them to be 
>> more reliable, have better support, and end up having a lower Total 
>> cost of ownership, despite the sometimes slightly higher up-front cost.
>>
>> If you are interested in a quote, I can have one prepared with 
>> workstations that are known to have good linux compatibilites. Get 
>> back to me if I can help.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Chris
> 
> Chris,
> Thanks for the offer.
> I've had pretty good service out of the 'bitser' type PC's ive been 
> running for the last few years.
> 
> The last 'new' system I bought was from OEM Computers in South Auckland; 
> they put together white-box systems based on standard configurations 
> which are tested by their engineers for stability before theyre put on 
> the market.  So you an choose your bundle, mix and match your 
> accessories (they had standard reccomendations) and come out with a good 
> price for a system you know will work well.
> 
> I have worked for large corporates which have had combinations of 
> Compaq, HP, Dell and IBM systems internally.  Agree that at that level, 
> they tend to have decent reliability.  Unfortunately from my POV, I have 
> cost as a factor, and for that reason would prefer to ensure a decent 
> mobo/processor/ram combination, and a generic case.  The idea being that 
> I dont want to be locked into a limited upgrade path in a few years time...
> 
> (If you can show me a brand name system that is not designed to be 
> replaced in its entirity after 3-4 years of service, and will otherwise 
> remain generic in its upgradability, then I might be interested... for 
> the right price.)
> 
> Cheers
> Mark.
> 
> 
>