abs, alienware, monarch, which one to buy pc from?

[imported_buggs]

I know i've posted some of the same questions already, but have narrowed down my list so i'm reposting a little.


I'm looking to buy a new pc from a major manufacturer and have some concerns. I am in the research mode, eliminating those companies that are not what I want. So, i've got it down to alienware, abs and monarch.

Reading the reviews of monarch at resellerratings.com make me nervous about ordering from them. Every review except only a couple that I read had order problems and so forth. Even if monarch fixed the problem etc, made up for it etc, it is rediculious how many problems people had. I mean sheese, almost every single review here on this web site said they had a problem. That's extremly bad in my opinion no matter how the company makes up for it. So, i'm now thinking twice about ordering from them, specially when it could take up to a month or more to get a pc from them, according to some of the reviews. waiting more then 1 week is completely insane and rediculous in my opinion and no matter what it should not take more then a week to get the pc unless you order snail speed shipping., i can not and will not wait that long.

So what do people think of monarch, alienware and ABS for around $1800? I can get a pc for that cost from all three that seem to be ok for what i want. I'm just needing to find out about customer service, how long it would take to get the pc and well, the support must be based in the Us, not freaking india or some crud like that. i would never support a company that outsourced the support.

I can probably get the best pc specs wise from monarch for $1800, but weary now from reading all the problems people had with them on this reseller ratings web site. From what i read and how picky on companies i am, how demanding a customer must be, monarch would not have a rating as high as they do on this site, it might be half of what it is. to me, any problems look bad on a company even if they make up for it.

Anyway I'm also interested in other suggestions about other companies. These i will not buy from.
HP, dell etc. none of those places i will buy from.

The pc must be an AMD64 3000+ or faster, 1gb ddr good ram, 120gb drive, good video card, etc etc.

anyhow take care guys.

 

[ShellGuy]

Buggs,
Y are you limiting your self to the AMD64 Line?? Unless you must have the 64bit processing. You could get a Faster P4 prob.


Will G.

 

[imported_buggs]

AMD64 same spec, faster then P4 and cheaper I've read. I've also read that they do the virus thing in the cpu itself with win xp sp2 and that's kinda neat, and i've read from several different magazines and even the screen savers they've all talked about the AMD64 is a little better for gaming.

And the 64bit computing is cool even if that's a ways away.

I configured 2 AMD64 systems from alienware that I like, but still hoping for suggestions etc from other companies or something with AMD64.

 

[TackleDummy]

About a year ago my family bought a new pc from ABS. I don't know what exactly FedEx did to the friggin thing, but the box was beat to hell, and when I set it up and plugged it in the vid card was screwed. I called ABS tech support, spoke to someone who spoke flawless english, and RMA'd the vid card. Once they got the dead card they overnighted a new one, and once it got to the house another native english speaking tech support guy walked my father through the installation. It all took less then a week, and I didn't have to argue with them to get them to replace the vid card.

Like I said, that was about a year ago, so give the tech support number a call. I'm sure someone will get a laugh if you tell them you just wanted to make sure they spoke english.

 

[GlobalHPSJoe]

Originally posted by: buggs
Reading the reviews of monarch at resellerratings.com make me nervous about ordering from them. Every review except only a couple that I read had order problems and so forth. Even if monarch fixed the problem etc, made up for it etc, it is rediculious how many problems people had. I mean sheese, almost every single review here on this web site said they had a problem. That's extremly bad in my opinion no matter how the company makes up for it. So, i'm now thinking twice about ordering from them, specially when it could take up to a month or more to get a pc from them, according to some of the reviews. waiting more then 1 week is completely insane and rediculous in my opinion and no matter what it should not take more then a week to get the pc unless you order snail speed shipping., i can not and will not wait that long.

Well, let me address Reseller Ratings.

Most people put up a review whenever they have a problem on an order, not to praise good service. The postings on RR reflect just a tiny portion of the orders we ship per day. Most orders go through just fine, some have problems. Everyone makes mistakes, but the true test of a company is how they can own up to it. If you look at most companies, the complaints are never addressed. They have your money, too bad, better luck next time. We try to address every customer concern to try to make them completely satisified.

As far as build times, yes, we're 8 - 13 business days for a custom system. This allows for a full burn-in as well as to cover any problems that may come up. We're dealing with completely customized systems, and with that, you never know what issue may arrise.

If you want a fully customized and upgradable system, from a company that puts the customer first, we're the company for you. We've been around since 1991, and will continue to be.

 

[theblackbox]

I like buying components from Monarch myself. Even though they are pretty big online, they are not too far away from where I work. I've personally never had problems except for the occasional "yes, it's in stock" until I go to buy it and they don't have it there. Other then that, I've never had problems with them. I only buy components from them, can't say i'd buy a system from them, though, or for that fact, from anybody.

Alienware is cool, but they seem so expensive. It has always seemed that you pay more for the name with Alineware. It may be different now, but it has always seemed that way to me.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: ShellGuy
Buggs,
Y are you limiting your self to the AMD64 Line?? Unless you must have the 64bit processing. You could get a Faster P4 prob.


Will G.

that's the dumbest advice ever. sadly, you CAN'T get a faster P4 for cheaper then an amd 64 and you're statement on 64 bit processing is retarded. why go P4 unless you must have ddr2 and pci-e? ddr2 and pci-e are currently worse performers than agp and ddr. 64 bit is already being utilized, and 64 windows is coming out in half a yr or less. i'm not just biased towards amd. the truth is taht the amd line is faster overall and is cheaper then any comparable P4. if intel started selling for cheaper and made better cpu's, then i'd gladly switch over.

generally speaking, limiting to an AMD64 line is smarter then limiting to an intel line.

 

[ksherman]

dude, save yourself some money and build it yourself! If you dont know how (its VERY easy), then ask a friend. You will save a ton of money and probably get a better performing PC. the system minimum spec you want would probably cast you less or around $1000. Just look at AT's system guides if your not sure what to buy...

 

[ShellGuy]

Ksherman,
He has built in the past and has had issues with his builds i guess. and doubts his abilitys now. so in turn he would like to purchase one from a vender instead.



Will G.

 

[imported_buggs]

I don't really have doubts about my abilities, but the parts i would choose, so if i go somewhere like a major manufacturer they will put together a pc which is stable etc, and if any issues happen, they can deal with it. Cus i'm tired of dealing with issues all the time here.

 

[The Internal]

Originally posted by: MonarchJoe
Most people put up a review whenever they have a problem on an order, not to praise good service. The postings on RR reflect just a tiny portion of the orders we ship per day. Most orders go through just fine, some have problems. ...If you look at most companies, the complaints are never addressed.

As an advertising major (and a informed customer), I'd have to agree with Monarch Guy's statement (I'm tickled to see Monarch doing PR on Anandtech forums... good call.). How many complaints aren't resolved is a much larger issue than a few vile complaints. Unless a customer is ridiculously impressed by a service, they won't typically consider taking the time to post on a forum about how great it was. Heck, I really like newegg alot, but I don't go posting on forums about it, although I do recommend them to friends. I've bought a few components from Monarch before, and although I really think they need to redesign the look of their website (*cough* Newegg with a better color scheme *cough*), their service met my expectations.

-Kev

 

[imported_buggs]

I've probably found the best deal at ABS who gives a system restore dvd and some software and games that i will enjoy. and i think a kick ass deal compared to monarch and alienware.

 

[trexpesto]

Originally posted by: buggs
I don't really have doubts about my abilities, but the parts i would choose, so if i go somewhere like a major manufacturer they will put together a pc which is stable etc, and if any issues happen, they can deal with it. Cus i'm tired of dealing with issues all the time here.

If you get the parts from jpeyton's buyers guide, or the AT buyers guide, what would be the issue? If you post how much you can spend, people will tell you exactly what to buy.

 

[imported_buggs]

done subject now i think.
i already said i will not build myself, so why in the world do people keep on suggesting that i build when i said more then once i won't. i wish people would be more respectfull of others and just not talk about stuff when people say what they can or can not do etc. it saves a lot of issues. anyhow god bless ya all.

I've probably found the best deal at ABS who gives a system restore dvd and some software and games that i will enjoy. and i think a kick ass deal compared to monarch and alienware.

 

[HermDogg]

haha sounds like someone just wanted others to agree with the decision they already made

 

[cirthix]

prebuilt=suck build it yourself, unless you feel like spending hundereds of dollard, maybe thousands, on support calls to india

 

[imported_buggs]

I ordered yesterday a kick ass ABS M5^64 pc configured how i want it, and it's a major kick butt pc. $2400 including 2 day fed ex shipping. Way more then i can get from alienware for even $2900 or more.

 

[kd2777]

It had at least better be this good.

KD

 

[imported_buggs]

It's actually better. Here's the specs. I'm really really glad you posted here and the specs you showed were from newegg cus this goes to show me that I got something better for the same money and newegg is an awesome site to buy from, ABS was even cheaper which surprises me.

Ultimate M5^64 Print Summary Base/Sale Price: $1899


Item Description Quantity Price

Cooler Master Silver MID-TOWER CASE with Window, Model "CAV-T01-WWA" -RETAIL (Item#ABS11119049) 1 Standard
Sennheiser PC 135 USB PC Headset - RETAIL (Item#ABS26106379) 1 $0
Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1a (Item#ABS37110016) 1 $60
Antec 550W Power Supply For TRUE550 (Item#ABS17103910) 1 $20
ASUS "A8V Deluxe" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL (Item#ABS13131510) 1 Standard
AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 512K, L2 Cache, Windows Compatible 64-bit Processor 939 Pin - OEM (Item#ABS19103460) 1 Standard
Thermaltake Silent Boost K8 Copper Heatsink and Fan for AMD Athlon 64 FX and Opteron (Item#ABS35106036) 1 Standard
Corsair XMS Series 512MB PC3200 DDR400 184-Pin (Item#ABS20145416) 2 pieces Standard
Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Video Card, 128MB DDR3, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "A400" -Retail (Item#ABS14122193) 1 Standard
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 - OEM BULK (Item#ABS29102158) 1 $76.99
Western Digital Raptor 36.7GB SATA WD360GD 10000 RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive (Item#ABS22144200) 2 pieces $86 Raid 0
Maxtor 120GB ATA133 7200RPM 8MB Cache (Item#ABS22144148) 1 $84.99
Lite-On 52X32X52X16 Combo Drive Black, Model SOHC-5232K, OEM Bulk Pack (Item#ABS27106932) 1 $11
NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A, OEM (Item#ABS27152022) 1 Standard
Sony 1.44MB Floppy Drive (Black) (Item#ABS21103116) 1 Standard
Logitech Cordless MX Duo Keyboard and MX700 Optical Mouse (Two-Tone) (Item#ABS23126124) 1 $67
UBI SOFT FarCry DVD - Special AMD Bundle Offer - Limited Time Offer (Item#ABS37109001) 1 $0
Free Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (Item#ABS37110020) 1 $0
Free Microsoft Rise of Nations - PC Game (Item#ABS37110021) 1 $0
Free Microsoft Works 7.0 (Item#ABS37110005) 1 $0
Half Life Platinum Edition 2 - PC Game Retail (Item#ABS32128103) 1 $0
2Net 1 Year 24/7 Tech Support & Onsite Service | (Concurrent with Standard Warranty) (Item#ABS88101201) 1 Standard
1 Yr 2Net 24/7 Technical Support and Onsite Service | Extended Warranty (Total of 2 Yrs) (Item#ABS60101004) 1 $101.50
ABS Computer System Binder for Organizing Drivers and Manuals (Item#ABS57101101) 1 Standard
Blue 8" x 9" x 6" ABS Mouse Pad (Item#ABS17114110) 1 Standard

Price with Option(s): $2306.48