Continued:

The market for customised high-end machines certainly does exist, and going by the number of SLI hardware and dual-core processors sold, it is most positively on the upswing. Dell could have very well started the trend, which would’ve then followed by Sony, HP and the rest of the OEMs.

With that said, custom PC makers (enthusiasts) will not be the ones going for this, as it’s certainly cheaper to build one than opt for Dell (or other high-end custom PCs for that matter). Taking a look at the various parts and their prices, this is what you can get for $2800. The prices have been pulled from various online vendors, such as Newegg.

Credit: CoolTechZone.com

This is pretty much the best money can buy, and it’s a far better than what Dell would offer you for the same amount. Obviously, Dell is not giving you the best components out there, but it’s charging you for possibly the most revolutionary service policy currently in existence. For consumers buying these PCs, support would be a massive deal breaker, although for their sake I hope Dell doesn’t replicate its current support and offer consumers the real deal.

Dell just might be able to make this policy work, as their prices are quite competitive. Retailing high-end PCs is not the problem, its been happening for years, but selling the same PCs as luxury goods is a whole new ball game for Dell and something that HP, Sony, Gateway and other OEMs haven’t tried out before.