You could look into Cyberpower. While I have no real-life experience with the company, they seem reputable and they show up as top in this top 10 list http://computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming/
Originally posted by monarc333 I bought a Falcon Northwest desktop couple years ago and its just an amazing machine. Still holds up to todays games. I also have a Cyberpower laptop. Great machine also. If I were you, and I had the $$, I would check out Falcon Northwest. All american company with american speakng customer service. Cant go wrong with that.
I asked a friend of mine who build professionally this question when I was shopping around and he said Falcon Northwest was by far the best , Alienware was overpriced, and ibuypower had lower quality assembly crews. So I would go Falcon if you got the bucks.
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing. -Robert E. Howard
Every company i have seen offers you full customization,so there really is no best as they can order anything you want.
the onus is totally up to the consumer to do his homework and decide what area could use improvement and what can be left out.A simple rule to follow is your system needs to be balanced,you can't have a great processor and a weak gpu for example.
you also can't add a bunch of cool gadgets lights,extra cooling,extra fans and go with a 150 watt power supply.
The mention of Dell is interesting because at one time they did have something extra to offer but is no longer the case.Dell used to make or have special drivers made that gave an improvement on performance,that however was costing them too much money so when profits started to dwindle they quit doing that.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
A point that Quiz touched on that gives another very nice advantage to a self built or boutique built custom computer is the lack of..................................crapware.....................bloatware...................junk you don't need and is just gumming up the works from the get go.
There is just something really nice about a OS freshly installed without any of that.
IMHO it's a key reason to shy away from the mass produced systems.
I used CyberPower and I would recommend them to everyone. Great customer service, significantly cheaper than Alienware and speedy delivery. They even called me the day after purchase just to make sure what I chose on their website was what I wanted.
I think about any company can work, but you have to configure the system, and order the right stuff. I have bought from IBuypower before, and I configured everything the way I wanted. They use to actually be a lot better price wise. A friend built one on their site during a Christmas sale like 1.5 years ago, and actually got all the parts picked out and built for under $75 difference from buying the exact same parts on Newegg. It is not like that now, it is $400ish difference on a $1500 computer, after paying for shipping and such, last time I looked.
Cyberpower, they seemed to have a little less options, when I looked at them, but I have never ordered from them myself.
Dell/Alienware - Their site is horrible, and build options are very limited. I could not believe how bad they were anymore when I looked, just to see a while ago.
AvA Direct - I think they have the most options, not that you cannot find good quality choices at say Cyberpower and IBuypower, but AvA Direct will let you put something more specific together imo. They are based in Ohio, so having to pay sales tax on a internet purchase was never too attractive for me.
I would say if you can get something configured for around the same price w/ shipping, I would put them in this order personally.
1. Ava Direct
2. IBuypower / Cyberpower - I found Ibuypower to have more choices, but they seem about the same. I would have Ibuypower ahead, based on actually using them a long time ago, and knowing people that have used them and had no problems, even with service.
You best value is to buy from the internet, get free shipping, and even find someone to help you put it together, or maybe pay someone to put it together for you imo. Then you get exactly what you want, and even with paying someone, you will probably save hundreds.
I have purchased two high end PCs from IBuyPower over the last two years. The first one had HD issues within a month but they were quick to help me get it replaced. The second one was a beastly custom job for gaming that I asked for the "professional" wiring and those extras they offer for a little extra cash, and they really did a fantastic job putting it together for me. So far the second one has worked perfectly for me. I know it's not much to go on, but so far I've had great luck with them. They have a great selection and if you give them that little extra so they take more time to do the wiring you will like the outcome...
------------------------- "Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Originally posted by TalulaRose MSI is worth looking at.
lol Even though I use mostly MSI, I know going MSI requires a bit of guts. They do things to get a slight edge over the competition that can leave your product in the trash bin. Thankfully they have a warranty, but it could be a hassle to deal with. If you want a Laptop, and don't mind going through a warranty claim, go with MSI.
If you want a prebuilt go with the Boutique Vendors. There is no way you can buy something from Falcon Northwest, Origin PC, or Digital Storm; and it be crap. There are a lot of ways you can buy something from PowerPC, Dell, HP, Lenovo, or Apple and it be crap.
Originally posted by Precusor Alienware customizations is pretty good now.
No, they're not. They don't even tell you what power supply or motherboard they'll use, let alone allow you to choose. Nor do they even offer the standard option of a small SSD together with a large hard drive.
Comments
You could look into Cyberpower. While I have no real-life experience with the company, they seem reputable and they show up as top in this top 10 list http://computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming/
Worth looking into I guess
I asked a friend of mine who build professionally this question when I was shopping around and he said Falcon Northwest was by far the best , Alienware was overpriced, and ibuypower had lower quality assembly crews. So I would go Falcon if you got the bucks.
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can
be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
-Robert E. Howard
Every company i have seen offers you full customization,so there really is no best as they can order anything you want.
the onus is totally up to the consumer to do his homework and decide what area could use improvement and what can be left out.A simple rule to follow is your system needs to be balanced,you can't have a great processor and a weak gpu for example.
you also can't add a bunch of cool gadgets lights,extra cooling,extra fans and go with a 150 watt power supply.
The mention of Dell is interesting because at one time they did have something extra to offer but is no longer the case.Dell used to make or have special drivers made that gave an improvement on performance,that however was costing them too much money so when profits started to dwindle they quit doing that.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
A point that Quiz touched on that gives another very nice advantage to a self built or boutique built custom computer is the lack of..................................crapware.....................bloatware...................junk you don't need and is just gumming up the works from the get go.
There is just something really nice about a OS freshly installed without any of that.
IMHO it's a key reason to shy away from the mass produced systems.
I think about any company can work, but you have to configure the system, and order the right stuff. I have bought from IBuypower before, and I configured everything the way I wanted. They use to actually be a lot better price wise. A friend built one on their site during a Christmas sale like 1.5 years ago, and actually got all the parts picked out and built for under $75 difference from buying the exact same parts on Newegg. It is not like that now, it is $400ish difference on a $1500 computer, after paying for shipping and such, last time I looked.
Cyberpower, they seemed to have a little less options, when I looked at them, but I have never ordered from them myself.
Dell/Alienware - Their site is horrible, and build options are very limited. I could not believe how bad they were anymore when I looked, just to see a while ago.
AvA Direct - I think they have the most options, not that you cannot find good quality choices at say Cyberpower and IBuypower, but AvA Direct will let you put something more specific together imo. They are based in Ohio, so having to pay sales tax on a internet purchase was never too attractive for me.
I would say if you can get something configured for around the same price w/ shipping, I would put them in this order personally.
1. Ava Direct
2. IBuypower / Cyberpower - I found Ibuypower to have more choices, but they seem about the same. I would have Ibuypower ahead, based on actually using them a long time ago, and knowing people that have used them and had no problems, even with service.
You best value is to buy from the internet, get free shipping, and even find someone to help you put it together, or maybe pay someone to put it together for you imo. Then you get exactly what you want, and even with paying someone, you will probably save hundreds.
-------------------------
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
lol Even though I use mostly MSI, I know going MSI requires a bit of guts. They do things to get a slight edge over the competition that can leave your product in the trash bin. Thankfully they have a warranty, but it could be a hassle to deal with. If you want a Laptop, and don't mind going through a warranty claim, go with MSI.
If you want a prebuilt go with the Boutique Vendors. There is no way you can buy something from Falcon Northwest, Origin PC, or Digital Storm; and it be crap. There are a lot of ways you can buy something from PowerPC, Dell, HP, Lenovo, or Apple and it be crap.
No, they're not. They don't even tell you what power supply or motherboard they'll use, let alone allow you to choose. Nor do they even offer the standard option of a small SSD together with a large hard drive.