E-Commerce Times Talkback

Re: The Black Hole of White-Box Workstations
Posted by: Tiernan Ray 2003-03-28 07:34:42

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Despite a lack of promotion and low to zero name recognition, it is becoming clear that vendors of white-box (unbranded) machines are an important part of the personal computer ecosystem. In fact, IDC has estimated that last year, about 31 percent of the 35 million desktop PCs sold in the United States were white boxes. And a white-box purchase does not necessarily equal a clunky system, though there are tradeoffs to consider. So, what does the murky world of white-box systems hold for would-be buyers?

Re: The Black Hole of White-Box Workstations
Posted by: secant 2003-03-28 14:42:33 In reply to: Tiernan Ray

I applaud your article, just not some of your conclusions. We use white box systems exclusively. The advantage is the opportunity to be able to specify name-brand parts for your new PC. For example, let's say you pick a specific video card, you now have that manufacturer's full resources to get updates etc. With a name-brand PC, finding out who made the video card is problematic and getting updates near impossible.