This page wasn't revised in over a year, so the data here is out of date. However there has been an important change -- the systems models on the home site and the small business site are now completely different. The purchase decision is now more driven by the use of the system than it has been in the past. For instance, if you want a system for multimedia home use, you are best served from the home site. If you want the system for program development, the small business site is more likely to meet ones needs. The general statements made below otherwise hold true.
Dimension and Inspiron systems are identical construction on both sites, and all options tend to be available on both sites. However Small Business allows purchasing without modem (on Dimension models), ISP software, often the A/V software trials, or speakers. Office suite choices sometimes vary. Windows XP Plus is not available from Small Business. Many specials deals restrict the options than can be added or eliminated. For instance, most specials require purchase of a monitor.
Dimension and Inspiron systems purchased from Small Business with greater than 1 year warranty have "Gold Support" automatically.
Lattitude notebooks, Optiplex desktops, and Precision Workstations are only available on Small Business.
Should you look at the (commercial grade) Lattitude, Precision Workstation, or Optiplex lines?
Some people want to buy stripped systems. Yes you can buy them from Dell, but you may not want to. The Windows operating system and a minimal office suite add maybe a total of $50 to the cost of the system. The other software is basically free, or even has negative cost (companies pay to have it put on the system). So a Dell without software is typically little less expensive than one with software. The same can be said for the keyboard and mouse -- on systems where it is an option, adding them is a zero cost option!
All the following systems are available from the Small Business site.Just recently the Dimension 2400n has been made available on the Home site as well. The "N" series of computers have no software or a copy of Linux installed, except for Precision Workstations which have RedHat Linux installed. The models available at this writing are Dimension 2400n, Optiplex 170Ln, and GX270n, and Dell Precision Workstation 360n ,450n, 650n. PowerEdge Servers (the 400SC being low cost and very similar to the Dimension 8300 or Precision Workstation 360) are available without any software, keyboard, or mouse. The Optiplex and Precision Worstations can be bought without keyboard or mouse. The Optiplex, Precision Workstation, and Latitude Notebooks are available without any software except for the operating system.
Don't want the memory or hard drive? I've heard of people successfully returning these on PowerEdge Servers after purchase and get credited their retail cost. Want to buy just the case? Now you are out of luck. Dell doesn't sell empty cases.
While offers vary, the tendency is for Home to have free/discounted peripherals and rebates while Small Business tends to offer free shipping and gives the choice of memory upgrades or rebates. Small Business customers get regular discount coupons in the mail (about once or twice a month) with additional discounts, from 5% to 15% on systems or up to 25% on peripherals, on further purchases.
Since about March 2004 the prices have increased and the discounts have been reduced. The is probably because sales are way up and they don't need to discount to make their desired sales targets.As an example, the Dimension 8300 I purchaced in February for $960 hadn't dropped below $1300 until the line was discontinued, and there is no equivalent 8400 model that comes near the price. There were no end-of quarter discounts at the end of April either.
Both sites offer offer special deals on preconfigured systems or systems with limited configuration options. Sometimes these can be best buys, providing that the configuration matches what you want.
Prices/offers change every Thursday on both sites. There are occasional weekend only discounts, and sometimes exceptional deals occur Monday only. You can get the best deal by deciding on a configuration and then watching both sites closely, buying when you get a much better price. Prices are especially low on Small Business in December (a slow month for commercial computer sales) and at the end of each Dell quarter (last week in January, April, July, October). Prices on all but base systems will vary by $200 or more over the course of a month.
Watch the peripheral sites for discounts on monitors. It's almost always cheaper to buy the monitor separately when on sale in the peripheral site and there are other discount offers on systems. Note that Dell branded monitors bought separately have a 3 year warranty and so do those bought with systems, no matter what the system warranty. This is a change: until recently the monitor carried the system warranty (which might be as little as a year) when bought with the system.
Most of the time it is less expensive to buy a system with minimum memory and then buy additional memory at crucial.com (or other reputable manufacturer). Sometimes there are "double-memory" discounts, but the value of these should be compared with the buying from crucial.com when the discount is not available.
A deal is best if it consists of what you want. Free upgrades to things you desire are worth more than free upgrades for things you don't need. So the first step is to decide on exactly what system, including options, you want. Also sign up on the Small Business site on the e-coupon mailing list and watch discount sites for special e-coupons.
Now spend the next month checking prices on your ideal configuration. Check on weekends and Mondays/Tuesdays. Price both with monitor (assuming you want one) and with monitor purchased separately. Price with Dell memory and 3rd party memory. See how it varies. Now you will know when a good deal for what you want comes up. Next time the price is good, buy it!
Individuals can order online from Small Business by entering their name as the company name. It appears that individuals cannot order by phone, at least some people have reported that the phone salesman won't take orders from individuals.
Do not trust any advice from telephone sales. They are on commission. When ordering online, examine each page closely - some options may be set on by default that you do not want (this has happened frequently in the past with surge protectors). In either case decide in advance exactly what you want because it is not possible to change an order once it is in the system.
Individuals cannot obtain financing from Dell on the Small Business site. Be aware that interest charges for Dell financing on the Home site are usually much higher than that of standard credit cards and that financed systems must be completely financed (you can't pay part in cash to buy a system beyond your credit limit.)
Sales tax may or may not be a consideration. Small Business charges sales tax in all states with sales tax while Home charges only in states where it has a presence (this number is increasing all the time). This gives the following possibilities:
NOTE - the return policy has recently become more restrictive, in that it is no longer the traditional 30 days! Policies are the same for system purchases, however for peripheral/accessory purchases there is a 15% restocking fee for purchases from Small Business unless the product is defective. Systems can be returned within 21 days from invoice date (the date Dell ships the system) for any reason. Poweredge SC servers, N series systems, and refurbished systems must be returned within 14 days. Systems with problems that cannot be resolved within the first 21 days should probably be returned - Dell will usually offer an exchange at that time so they don't lose the sale.
Defective monitors (such as flat panel monitors with bad pixels) should be returned for exchange. Always use Customer Care for exchanges in the first 21 days. If you have your monitor replaced by Technical Support you may get a refurbished replacement rather than a new replacement.
Complete Care is not available in Florida or New York from the Home site, but is from the Small Business site.
The warranty agreement on Small Business states that the system is to be used at the address where the system is delivered.
There are different phone numbers, and some people believe that support is better from Small Business. I've only purchased from Small Business so can't compare, but will say that my calls are always answered quickly and issues handled efficiently.
Please send any corrections or suggestions to webmaster9@almy.us
Last Revised 10/19/04. First paragraph added 12/24/05