What do you think about this COMPANY/PC SPECS?

[uthaman3]

Hey,
I heard about this company from a friend. I don't want to buy my new PC without getting some honest feedback from some experienced users.
I don't want to buy a typical name-brand PC. This company looks like they're selling a pretty hot system. What do you think?

Here's the URL:

www.elementpc.com

Uthaman3

 

[Cosmic_Horror]

what will he system be used for?

is there a preferance for intel or amd system?

they look ok, (can't comment on the price as i live in australia).


do you need:

zip drive?

raid setup?

hardware decoder card?

 

[Yuckysgf]

No Reseller Rating...

I think building your own is the best way to go. Unless, of course, you don't have enough time.

 

[nortexoid]

uh, it looks ok - though if u can configure the same system yourself for probably cheaper, why not?

looks like they just tossed in the latest and greatest components they could find...not exactly my choice of pc...

best/bang/buck is my style....especially when u can get equivalent/comparable components that perform on a par w/ some of those for a lot less (i.e. using 200mhz athlon parts and unlocking and overclocking it, getting the kk266-r instead of the additional hot rod controller, or simply not using ide raid at all cuz all it is is a giant headache for relatively unnoticeable performance gains for the average user, etc. etc.)

and why wouldn't they couple that system w/ an SX1030B so it matches the rest of teh system components?...idiots.

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Well, their site is pretty slick, I have to wonder why they link to anandtech.com though, are they trying to give the illusion that they're recommended by anandtech? And you could probably build one yourself for cheaper, of course.

 

[hungrypete]

looks like a sweet system, and the price is reasonable, but I would hesitate to buy one with no reseller ratings.... also, why do they have logos for anand and tom stuck all over the place? I've never seen this company reviewed.... have you? I, personally, would be hesitant to recommend these guys.
gotta laugh at thier "raves" section tho


<<
&quot;This is unlike any system I've ever owned! You have to experience it for yourself.&quot;

R. Brazel - Burton, MI
&quot;I've built my own systems before, but this was different. These guys did everything right. And now I'm proud to say I own an Element PC.&quot;
V. Meas - Waterford, MI
&quot;I'm a PC nut, and I refused to buy a system from Dell or Gateway because there is always some component I knew was crap. This Platinum system I bought has nothing but the best...and it shows.&quot;
T. Carey - Waterford, MI


&quot;This is the best system that I've used so far, and I am very proud that I purchased an Element PC.&quot;
J. Crawford - Highland, MI
>>


hmm, they all seem to be in MI, maybe its mom, dad, and little jimmy talking about little bobbie's new computer biz....

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Hmm. Uthaman3 is a junior member, PMs and profile disabled. I hope this is not a thinly veiled attempt to promote your website.

I also searched and found that you posted this exact same message twice before, and these are the only messages you have posted. I am not making any accusations, as it could be due to double posting or something, but I thought I'd mention it.

 

[Yuckysgf]

Titanium PC

Antec SX1030 - $95
IWill KK266 - $135
AMD Thunderbird 1.13GHz - $270
Taisol CGK742 - $25 <- mucho better
PC133 CAS2 256MB SDRAM - $80 <- no difference
CL Annihilator 2 Ultra - $360
(2) 45 GB IBM Deskstar 75GXP - $300
Promise Ultra/100 modded to FastTrak/100 - $20 <- PM me if you get this card, you need to solder a bit of stuff
Plextor 16/10/40 - $240
Pioneer DVD-105S - $90
Software Decoder (Pass-throughs degrade video quality) - $0
Philips AcousticEdge 5.1 - $85 (You probably don't need the breakout box and it has better sound quality)
Iomega ZIP 250MB EIDE - $65
Linksys 10/100 NIC - $20
Logitech 3-Button Scroll Mouse - $30
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro - $50

48X CD-ROM - $50 <- Don't use the DVD drive to read CDs

Software - You figure it out

Total - $1865

Hell, I assumed with my equivalent setup that you bought from different shops and had shipping calculated on all of them (savings of maybe $100 if you bought from a single store with similar prices, mwave.com comes to mind). The price difference is so large you could get a nice 21&quot; monitor and have it flat even.

P.S Do you even need the Zip drive?

 

[steven185]

AMD Thunderbird 1.13GHz (266 FSB) CPU

For $2,649 I think I would check all the prices on pricewatch and see how much you are paying for them to put this together for ya
I'm thinking I could do it for about 1600 to 1900 and a couple hours

 

[forouza1]

You can look at my rig that I just build. I spent about $1100 (I had the monitor, keyboard, Logitech mouse and floppy drive from an old computer). I agree, you could probably build yourself a system comparable for at least $500 - $700 cheaper. I also used this site to help me:

www.bensbargains.net

Good luck

 

[Yuckysgf]

<< I hope this is not a thinly veiled attempt to promote your website. >>



Oh no, Sir Fredrick! If this is true, then I'm sorry uthaman3, I've scared away customers with your $800 price difference, LOL.

 

[Yuckysgf]

<< For $2,649 I think I would check all the prices on pricewatch and see how much you are paying for them to put this together for ya >>



Too slow steven.

 

[uthaman3]

Hey,
Thanks for the feedback. I did check pricewatch for each component they listed and it looks like they are ~$200 over what I could build the exact same system for. I don't want to build my own (not enough time or interest). Do you think for OS/Assembly/Warranty that it is worth the ~$200?

You folks seem so comfortable building your own system...but I just want to buy the best system (with a warranty) and enjoy it. My buddy seemed pretty happy with his experience (despite the lack of reseller &quot;rating&quot;...who gives the rating anyway?)

More thoughts?

uthaman3

 

[Dark4ng3l]

The os itself is worth over 200 (well canadian price chnaged to us$ is over 200)

 

[Yuckysgf]

uthaman3 - It's an $800 price difference.

Customers give the ratings. You buy something from a reseller - You give a rating on Reseller Ratings, saying you liked it, didn't like it.


The OS can be found for as little as $0. I'm not condoning it, but it's a the truth of things.

Contact Russ at http://www.compucheap.com/. Generally his prices aren't as competitive as those vendors on the first page of Pricewatch, but his service and support is the best in the business, bar none.

 

[Sir Fredrick]

I agree, Russ is the man. I build my own systems now but I still get the important parts (motherboard &amp; cpu) from Russ, I know if I have a problem he can help me out.

 

[uthaman3]

Here's my Pricewatch findings (mixed with yours) but keeping the components the same...

Antec SX1030 - $95
IWill KK266 - $135
AMD Thunderbird 1.13GHz - $270
PC Power &amp; Cooling Z1D - $20
Mushkin PC133 CAS2 256MB SDRAM - $200
CL Annihilator 2 Ultra - $360
(2) 45 GB IBM Deskstar 75GXP - $300
Abit Hot Rod 100 - $60
Plextor 16/10/40 - $240
Pioneer DVD-105S - $90
Dxr3 Hardware Decoder - $80
SB Live 5.1 Platinum - $170
Iomega ZIP 250MB EIDE - $65
Linksys 10/100 NIC - $20
Logitech 3-Button Scroll Mouse - $30
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro - $50

Total: $2185

So I guess it's ~$450 (not quite $200 and not quite $800 either). So the question is whether the OS/Time-to-Build/Warranty is worth $450.

In addition, I compared them to other non-big-name OEM's like Voodoo-PC and Hypersonic PC using identical specs and this is what I found:

Voodoo PC: $3717
Hypersonic PC: $2824
Element PC: $2649

Hmmm...looking pretty good compared to the other choices (besides building my own and stealing the OS)

Oh well, maybe I'm asking the wrong crowd for an opinion.

Uthaman3

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Or maybe you're trying to hard to promote your site.

 

[uthaman3]

&quot;Taisol CGK742 - $25 <- mucho better&quot;

I've been checking into this...seems others have a much different opinion:

Taisol:

&quot;The cooling performance is identical with the Intel cooler (one that is part of every Pentium III &quot;in a Box&quot; from 800 MHz upwards). Altogether a product of pretty average qualities.&quot; - Tom's Hardware Guide - Lord Kryo Puts His Hands on 17 Coolers:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Created:
December 11, 2000
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By:
Frank V&ouml;lkel
Uwe v.d. Weyden
Text

We'll see shortly what AnandTech has to say in their soon to be published (and what appears to be much more scientific) roundup.

Uthaman3

 

[Howard]

I think Russ is the only way to go if you so desire a system that you haven't built.

!!! You did change the components! You changed Generic memory to Mushkin, changed the Philips AcousticEdge to the SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, added a hardware decoder, changed the IDE controller...

You stated the components were the same.

 

[Vyle]

Not buying it, Uthaman3.

 

[Vyle]

It has to be his site. Notice how he's not commenting on it. Just another troll trying to advertise. He claims he wants honest feedback and when you give it to him, he argues the point. It's gotta be his site.

 

[uthaman3]

I was actually trying to get a response from Yuckysgf about the cpu cooler she/he recommended.
I wasn't really interested in hearing from Yucky about a previous discussion that didn't involve him...coming in a little after the fact don't ya think (so late you actually missed the whole point).
As for Vyle...thanks for your help with my sincere request. You must be a help to alot of people I imagine.
Maybe all you folks (including Sir Frederick) smoke a bit too much pot...which leads to these paranoid delusions.

Uthaman3

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Uthaman3 - FYI, I do not, nor have I ever, used illicit drugs.

The fact remains, however, that this is still the only thread that you have posted/participated in, and you are defending that company strongly -- it is obvious that you are simply trying to promote your own site.

 

[uthaman3]

Actually, I'm responding to this posting because Yuckysgf got me thinking. I'm actually trying to buy the components to build my own computer. I used her/his feedback and the components contained in Element PC's Platinum model to make my choices. The only one I am currently unclear on is the CPU cooler. I was hoping to get some constructive feedback from this puffed-up crowd of PC intellects. Unfortunately, it appears the puffed-up egos combined with puffing joints has caused more than a little paranoia and brain damage.
Sir Fredrick, thanks for taking a break from your bong, your feedback has been so helpful (p.s. be careful when you go outside today...the black helicopters are following you).

Uthaman3:disgust: