Dell versus IBM & HP/Compaq

How do you convince the Board to buy IBM or HP/Compaq and not Dell servers? There is a significant difference in price between the two disparate types of vendor and it makes it difficult to justify to Directors why the extra bucks for no extra bangin the short term. Airy words like “expandability” and “lower TCO” don’t wash in the real world as these are not words that the holders of corporate purse strings hear often. They have not faced the reality of the great frustration caused by buying cheaper hardware and leaning away from turnkey solutions. Have you tackled this problem. How did you justify the extra expense?