"i have had a dimension 8300 for 2 years now and it outperforms some of my friends custom built systems."
Just because a computer is custom built, it doesn't mean they're good. A computer is as good as their parts, and the skills of the person who builds it.
With that said, I'll put my system up against any Dell system of comparable specs. My system will win. Any system I build that are the same specs as a Dell will win. Period.
You also can't get Athlon 64 based desktops from Dell, which it's common knowledge these have a marked advantage over P4's currently in gaming. Overall, Athlon 64's win in performance in most applications.
You simply don't know all the details of your Dell system. What is the ampage on the 12V rail in your Dell? Did you know that when you bought it?
What brand was the hard drive in the system? What model? How much cache did it have? What was its seek time?
What brand and model was the burner?
What brand and model was the motherboard?
You can't answer any of those things about a Dell at the time of purchase, yet it's common knowledge all this information pertains to stability and/or performance of a system
"The dells can be upgraded just as easily too."
That's why many of their power supplies are proprietary. In many cases, if you upgrade either the motherboard or PSU, the remaining component can't work with the new component.
I am a naysayer for good reasons.
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