I'm interested in seeing how some of your rigs are holding up still? No problems? Minor stuff? Or too good to be true? I'm coming down the stretch and I'll be doing just a little more research before I put the nail on the computer purchase coffin..Some pictures would be great too!
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Mforce PC Owners...
- Thread starter bekfreak
- Start date
sigh...I won't be able to do it this week(I have to do 1 science project a night with my little girl this whole week) but I can post some pics when I do my review.
I'll tell you right off the bat that I'm a super happy customer.
No problems, no errors, good wiring, great customer service.
3 year minimum warranty(lifetime on parts that have it from the manufacturer), lifetime tech support, they pay for the RMA's, fast response time, good reviews.
There are quite a few people here on [H] that have gone with them and I don't think you will find any negative comments from any of them.
I wasn't let down in any aspect of my dealings with Max.
I'll tell you right off the bat that I'm a super happy customer.
No problems, no errors, good wiring, great customer service.
3 year minimum warranty(lifetime on parts that have it from the manufacturer), lifetime tech support, they pay for the RMA's, fast response time, good reviews.
There are quite a few people here on [H] that have gone with them and I don't think you will find any negative comments from any of them.
I wasn't let down in any aspect of my dealings with Max.
I just wonder though if Max will still be in business for three years with how things are going now. If he makes it through fourteen months or at least while he still honors the free handing with the RMA then we're fine.
There's just still lots to think about between Max and Maingear. Both have their pros and cons. Max: I get what I want on my PC and I'm not spending two grand to do so. Con: Just the really newness has me with some doubts and concerns. Maingear: Close for shipping, they've been around the block and have a great reputation. Cons: Damned expensive for the same rig at MF. Slower DDR3 for the i7 systems. 1066 vs 1333 at Max. Also, unknown PSU.
There's just still lots to think about between Max and Maingear. Both have their pros and cons. Max: I get what I want on my PC and I'm not spending two grand to do so. Con: Just the really newness has me with some doubts and concerns. Maingear: Close for shipping, they've been around the block and have a great reputation. Cons: Damned expensive for the same rig at MF. Slower DDR3 for the i7 systems. 1066 vs 1333 at Max. Also, unknown PSU.
Asking on the Maingear forums about the PSU might be a good idea.
I had the same fears as you did: Max being a new company...but in the end, his extreme helpfulness and his prices quelled them to a degree where I felt comfortable taking the chance.
If it causes you anxiety, though, go with what makes you stress free.
If it causes you anxiety, though, go with what makes you stress free.
And, I just found a local place that I've driven past on my way to work countless times and missed. They're in the process of moving into a place that is well walking distance to my house. They won't be re-open till the end of the month they want to try for sooner...I did get an AMD quote as a sample of what type of parts they use and not too shabby. Yet, I'm feeling more comfortable to go with an online builder that at least has a known customer base..
Not mine but another quote...
NZXT Apollo
Corsair 750w psu ATX
AMD Phenom 9950 Black Edition @ 2.66ghz
Asus M3N73-D AM2+/AM2 Nvidia nForce 750a SLI ATX
XFX 9800 GTX+ XXX
Corsair 4gb 2x2 DDR2 1066
WD 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0gb
Asus 20xDVDRW Drive
Sabrent 65-in-1 Card Reader
Acer 19in LCD
$1380 Without OS...not bad considering they're tossing in a monitor too.
Not mine but another quote...
NZXT Apollo
Corsair 750w psu ATX
AMD Phenom 9950 Black Edition @ 2.66ghz
Asus M3N73-D AM2+/AM2 Nvidia nForce 750a SLI ATX
XFX 9800 GTX+ XXX
Corsair 4gb 2x2 DDR2 1066
WD 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0gb
Asus 20xDVDRW Drive
Sabrent 65-in-1 Card Reader
Acer 19in LCD
$1380 Without OS...not bad considering they're tossing in a monitor too.
I guess Ive had my system from Max now for about three and a half months or so, and I am completely satisfied. So, I have nothing but good things to say about Max and my experience with him and his company.
Max provides great work at a VERY inexpensive price. My system came in at the price I wanted with all of the components I asked for. No other site I visited was able to match that. Most importantly, it is not cheap work, only inexpensive!
As far as the system setup goes. Im a little bit of a tinkerer, so I did play around with some of the wiring, just a little bit, but I could have left the system as-is and been perfectly satisfied.
I also fussed around with the over-clocking a little bit too. But when I had a question, I called up Max and he was able to answer every question I asked.
The video card drivers have been a little bit of a chore, but I pretty much expected that. And I did have to make a few changes to the bios, but only to turn off a few of the things that were messing with my games.
I understand your reservations when it comes to shipping. When I received my computer from FedEx, the Corsair memory fan had been shaken loose and it did dig up the Tuniq 120 in a few places, even though Maxs packaging appeared to have taken every precaution to insure safe shipping.
However, I the more likely suspect here is probably the fans shoddy mounting bracket and FedExs inability to understand what FRAGILE on every visible side of the packaging means.
And to be completely fair, Ive gotten home from a local store with some items only to find damage that is more extensive then you would expect. So, I do not think you should let shipping sway your options.
Max provides great work at a VERY inexpensive price. My system came in at the price I wanted with all of the components I asked for. No other site I visited was able to match that. Most importantly, it is not cheap work, only inexpensive!
As far as the system setup goes. Im a little bit of a tinkerer, so I did play around with some of the wiring, just a little bit, but I could have left the system as-is and been perfectly satisfied.
I also fussed around with the over-clocking a little bit too. But when I had a question, I called up Max and he was able to answer every question I asked.
The video card drivers have been a little bit of a chore, but I pretty much expected that. And I did have to make a few changes to the bios, but only to turn off a few of the things that were messing with my games.
I understand your reservations when it comes to shipping. When I received my computer from FedEx, the Corsair memory fan had been shaken loose and it did dig up the Tuniq 120 in a few places, even though Maxs packaging appeared to have taken every precaution to insure safe shipping.
However, I the more likely suspect here is probably the fans shoddy mounting bracket and FedExs inability to understand what FRAGILE on every visible side of the packaging means.
And to be completely fair, Ive gotten home from a local store with some items only to find damage that is more extensive then you would expect. So, I do not think you should let shipping sway your options.
There is still of course the option of finding someone to do the build. One of my dad's friends is a bit of a geek when it comes to computers so it might come down to a newegg order. An i7 940 with an Asus PT6 comes to about $1800 with some nice goodies in there.
I'd have to be pretty convinced of someones building skills before I risked $1800 on them.And then there's the matter of a warranty,customer support,handling RMA's if needed,ect.There's a lot more to consider beyond the actual build.
From my experiences with Max, his systems are often just over what you would pay for the parts from Newegg.
My system was built; the OS was installed, CPU was over clocked, and everything was delivered for just under $200 over what it would have cost me to order the parts from Newegg. And I got an excellent warranty and a good solid PC I can count on.
Whatever you do, good luck with it.
My system was built; the OS was installed, CPU was over clocked, and everything was delivered for just under $200 over what it would have cost me to order the parts from Newegg. And I got an excellent warranty and a good solid PC I can count on.
Whatever you do, good luck with it.
Concur...with everything.
A very valid point and one of the reasons I would rather have someone who's good at it do the build for me with a warranty and less trouble. I now have three options, a little more time and my budget jumped from thinking $800 on an E8500 build with hp to something that is close to $2000. I'm cutting my budget there and not going any further with the thing.
$2100 at Maingear for the Prelude.
Intel i7 940 @2.93ghz
, Silverstone Strider 650W, Intel Desk Board DX58S) X58 Chipset, Kingston DDR3-1066mhz @ 6gb, WD 750gb HD, WD 250gb HD, Evega 260 GTX; Vista Home Premium 64
I'll buzz Max again when it gets closer to when I order.
$2100 at Maingear for the Prelude.
Intel i7 940 @2.93ghz
, Silverstone Strider 650W, Intel Desk Board DX58S) X58 Chipset, Kingston DDR3-1066mhz @ 6gb, WD 750gb HD, WD 250gb HD, Evega 260 GTX; Vista Home Premium 64I'll buzz Max again when it gets closer to when I order.
A very valid point and one of the reasons I would rather have someone who's good at it do the build for me with a warranty and less trouble. I now have three options, a little more time and my budget jumped from thinking $800 on an E8500 build with hp to something that is close to $2000. I'm cutting my budget there and not going any further with the thing.
$2100 at Maingear for the Prelude.
Intel i7 940 @2.93ghz
I'll buzz Max again when it gets closer to when I order.
I am pretty sure he'll beat any price by Maingear and have a better warranty to boot.
The thing you have to ask yourself, is what company makes you feel comfortable?
Also, I like how you're cutting your budget at $2000 and then quote a $2100 Maingear...haha. If I didn't have my wife looking over my shoulder I would have spent more on my system too.
I could be stating the obvious here, but you could do a 920 and OC it to get the price down a bit.I'm willing to bet Max crushes that quote from maingear. IMHO.
+1 to wives keeping us from spending what we SHOULD on our toys!
haha...I would have TWO 24" monitors side by side and two 4870x2's crossfired in my rig. I would also have the useless PhysX card and the Killer NIC network card. This would have pushed me to the $3500 limit I mentioned in my first thread ever.
Of course I would also lose my City of Heroes 45 month veteran account as she has stated if we ever get divorced she is taking it with her.
I told her I would put a hit on her if she tried.......
Isn't love grand?
And, I got Max to give me a quote on what would be an OC F-131 920 at Maingear. The same nice Silverstone TJ-10 too...I'll admit that's a nice case. I'll have to get it in silver...
$2,042.
I really think Max is going to win out on my boutiques but I still want to keep an open door. I'm glad he hit the nail on the head with the RAM that Maingear offers for it's i7 systems that the 1066 will bottleneck the thing.
$2,042.
I really think Max is going to win out on my boutiques but I still want to keep an open door. I'm glad he hit the nail on the head with the RAM that Maingear offers for it's i7 systems that the 1066 will bottleneck the thing.
Yup. I'm going to drop the $300 case. I can put that to getting a higher clock speed. I'm going with Max. I'm not getting the feeling of love from Maingear. They're too expensive and I should have say in the case department. The man is pure love and he knows his stuff.
Cooler Master COSMOS 1010
Corsair TX-750W
Intel Core i7 920 3.4GHz Cache 8MB L3 - Factory Overclocked
Cooler Master Hyper 212
ASUS P6T Deluxe (X58 Chipset XFire + SLI)
Super Talent DDR3-1333 6GB (3x2GB) CL8
EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB (55mn)
Western Digital WD10EADS 1TB SATA2 32MB
Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
The man is pure love and he knows his stuff.Cooler Master COSMOS 1010
Corsair TX-750W
Intel Core i7 920 3.4GHz Cache 8MB L3 - Factory Overclocked
Cooler Master Hyper 212
ASUS P6T Deluxe (X58 Chipset XFire + SLI)
Super Talent DDR3-1333 6GB (3x2GB) CL8
EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB (55mn)
Western Digital WD10EADS 1TB SATA2 32MB
Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
I'm so going with Max. I researched RMAs and stuff between him, Digital Storm, and Maingear...Max won. Digital Storm's wasn't bad but it's on 30 days and no restocking fees as well. It went down to the wire with Max and Digital Storm. Both three year warranty with life tech support. It was the distance and the RMA situation between the two. So for $2014 or 2090 when three day shipping is involved...So around Presidents Day my order will be placed. I'm sure it'll be a little less than that too by then.
Case: Cooler Master COSMOS 1000
Power Supplies: Corsair TX-750W
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 3.6GHz Cache 8MB L3 - Factory Overclocked
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master V8 (Heavy Overclocking)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 (X58 Chipset XFire + SLI)
Graphics Card: Super Talent DDR3-1600 6GB (3x2G CL9
Memory 2: Please Select
Memory: EVGA nVidia GeForce 280 GTX 1GB
Hard Drive 1: Seagate ST3320620AS 320GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Optical Drive 2: SonyNEC Optiarc DDU1671S 16X SATA DVD-ROM
Operating System: Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Same rig at Digital Storm with the HAF was about $2500. They tried to sell me a 1000w psu too!
Case: Cooler Master COSMOS 1000
Power Supplies: Corsair TX-750W
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 3.6GHz Cache 8MB L3 - Factory Overclocked
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master V8 (Heavy Overclocking)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 (X58 Chipset XFire + SLI)
Graphics Card: Super Talent DDR3-1600 6GB (3x2G CL9
Memory 2: Please Select
Memory: EVGA nVidia GeForce 280 GTX 1GB
Hard Drive 1: Seagate ST3320620AS 320GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Optical Drive 2: SonyNEC Optiarc DDU1671S 16X SATA DVD-ROM
Operating System: Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Same rig at Digital Storm with the HAF was about $2500. They tried to sell me a 1000w psu too!
That's a great deal,close to the system I have in mind.I'm glad now that I had to put off getting a new system a few months back,I was planning on going with AVA.Then it all hit the fan over there,and I heard about Max.After checking him out,and seeing all the complaints about AVA,it's a pretty easy choice who to go with.
BettiePage
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- May 16, 2007
- Messages
- 315
has ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ updated their website yet?
when i took a look it was very slipshod. almost felt like I was going to some shady site or a site a school kid put together in their spare time for some extra lunch money.
when i took a look it was very slipshod. almost felt like I was going to some shady site or a site a school kid put together in their spare time for some extra lunch money.
I'm so going with Max. I researched RMAs and stuff between him, Digital Storm, and Maingear...Max won. Digital Storm's wasn't bad but it's on 30 days and no restocking fees as well. It went down to the wire with Max and Digital Storm. Both three year warranty with life tech support. It was the distance and the RMA situation between the two. So for $2014 or 2090 when three day shipping is involved...So around Presidents Day my order will be placed. I'm sure it'll be a little less than that too by then.
Case: Cooler Master COSMOS 1000
Power Supplies: Corsair TX-750W
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 3.6GHz Cache 8MB L3 - Factory Overclocked
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master V8 (Heavy Overclocking)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 (X58 Chipset XFire + SLI)
Graphics Card: Super Talent DDR3-1600 6GB (3x2G CL9
Memory 2: Please Select
Memory: EVGA nVidia GeForce 280 GTX 1GB
Hard Drive 1: Seagate ST3320620AS 320GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA2 7200rpm 16MB
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
Optical Drive 2: SonyNEC Optiarc DDU1671S 16X SATA DVD-ROM
Operating System: Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Same rig at Digital Storm with the HAF was about $2500. They tried to sell me a 1000w psu too!
Not sure I get the point of the first 320gb seagate hdd but everything else looks fine to me.
It looks much better now,they've gotten the configuration pages working now.But I really think Max prefers having customers go through the forum to configure their systems to give it a personal touch and tailor each system to the customer's needs.
The 320 is for the OS, Applications, other Games. I'm still budgetted or I would of put a WD Vraptor in there. This is made with FSX in mind and the 640 is for that and that alone. I'll be putting my 250 gig IDE drive in there and it'll be strictly for storage once I format it.
I liked the personal touch that Max gives. And, he's not going to sell you something you don't need either. If it's going to cause problems he'll let you know. The way Digital Storm made it seem I needed the 1000w psu made me think of when you goto buy a car and they try to sell something that's not needed. I'm not planning to run 4xSLI. I prefer a single card and I'm not running on ultra high resolutions either.
This way you're sure to have things that are going to work right together. And, with the continued way prices drop on computer components you get a true price on what your ordering. What I ran through there was $2400 - the quote from Max was $300 less. I felt the way you did about the website too and his newness of course is to be expected. Then again it's the same with the local mom and pop store that has no customer base to feel the waters from.
I feel bad that I've spent almost since the start of October asking questions but he has been very low key and not presuring me to fork over money. Heck he told me to take my time. His advice is worth it's weight in gold even if you wouldn't buy from him.
I liked the personal touch that Max gives. And, he's not going to sell you something you don't need either. If it's going to cause problems he'll let you know. The way Digital Storm made it seem I needed the 1000w psu made me think of when you goto buy a car and they try to sell something that's not needed. I'm not planning to run 4xSLI. I prefer a single card and I'm not running on ultra high resolutions either.
This way you're sure to have things that are going to work right together. And, with the continued way prices drop on computer components you get a true price on what your ordering. What I ran through there was $2400 - the quote from Max was $300 less. I felt the way you did about the website too and his newness of course is to be expected. Then again it's the same with the local mom and pop store that has no customer base to feel the waters from.
I feel bad that I've spent almost since the start of October asking questions but he has been very low key and not presuring me to fork over money. Heck he told me to take my time.
His advice is worth it's weight in gold even if you wouldn't buy from him.I like what I've seen over at MFPC also. His offerings are fairly broad. Not insane like AVA but not as restrictive as MG. His prices are excellent and it looks like he's very communicative on the boards, which I like.
My only real concerns are about his business itself. I get the feel it's just him. Now, that's awesome as his overhead islow, but the more customers he gets, the more difficult it will be for him to support them.
Still, he's obviously very knowledgeable, has a good record with folks here on the boards and his prices are terrific. I've been holding off on a new rig for a long time and done extensive research at Puget and MG before finding MFPC. The others no doubt have an awesome reputation but frankly, they can't compete on price.
Puget is just ridiculous with their pricing these days and they offer older tech still at premium prices. Service and repuation though are stellar
MG is a nice in-between but to get the good pricing you have to scrimp a bit and go with some off-brand components where you can't be quite sure what you're getting. Go with all their first-tier manufacturers and you wind up nearing Puget numbers
MFPC - Well, you pick what you want, he offers great suggestions and the markup is quite low. Only unknown is future service and if he'll be able to survive the 3 years he offers on warranties. Times are hard out there.
My only real concerns are about his business itself. I get the feel it's just him. Now, that's awesome as his overhead islow, but the more customers he gets, the more difficult it will be for him to support them.
Still, he's obviously very knowledgeable, has a good record with folks here on the boards and his prices are terrific. I've been holding off on a new rig for a long time and done extensive research at Puget and MG before finding MFPC. The others no doubt have an awesome reputation but frankly, they can't compete on price.
Puget is just ridiculous with their pricing these days and they offer older tech still at premium prices. Service and repuation though are stellar
MG is a nice in-between but to get the good pricing you have to scrimp a bit and go with some off-brand components where you can't be quite sure what you're getting. Go with all their first-tier manufacturers and you wind up nearing Puget numbers
MFPC - Well, you pick what you want, he offers great suggestions and the markup is quite low. Only unknown is future service and if he'll be able to survive the 3 years he offers on warranties. Times are hard out there.
Anyone know if MF is supporting warranties from Solaris? They had a name change but I don't believe it's anything sinister like we've seen in the AVA thread that's going nuts somewhere on this page.
edit: doh - looks like they got sued by Sun for trademark infringement. Sun has an OS named Solaris. That would explain the name change.
Question about the warranty support from the previous company is still out there if anyone knows.
edit: doh - looks like they got sued by Sun for trademark infringement. Sun has an OS named Solaris. That would explain the name change.
Question about the warranty support from the previous company is still out there if anyone knows.
He still honors the Solaris warranties.
But, your concerns are the ones I still have with MFPC. I wonder if he's working by himself but I looked at one of his holiday builds that he had trouble getting his staff in due to bad weather so maybe not.
I also looked into Digital Storm but they wanted to sell more than what I needed. A 1000w psu.
But, your concerns are the ones I still have with MFPC. I wonder if he's working by himself but I looked at one of his holiday builds that he had trouble getting his staff in due to bad weather so maybe not.
I also looked into Digital Storm but they wanted to sell more than what I needed. A 1000w psu.
Just my opinion, and not about any specific company, but I wouldn't buy an expensive computer from any very small company that doesn't have a long-term track record. The worst case scenario isn't just that there's no one to service your warranty, but that you end up paying for a defective machine --- or perhaps no machine at all --- and the company goes under (as I believe happened to some people with Monarch a while back). That's especially true in the current climate: I'm pretty sure that Falcon NW will be around in 3 years time, but even there I'm not 100% certain.
Then again, I bought a lifetime subscription to Hellgate:London, so you probably shouldn't listen to my advice.
Then again, I bought a lifetime subscription to Hellgate:London, so you probably shouldn't listen to my advice.
You'll pay about 50% more for FalconNW. Now, you could do Maingear and pay about 20% again as much if you were concerned. They have a very good track record.
Between Solaris and MFPC there are 10 reviews and all were good. So far, no one here at [H] has had a bad experience either.
As to getting "no machine", well, that would be criminal and despite being somewhat new to the scene, I certainly don't think there's any reason to believe that this company is a criminal enterprise
Between Solaris and MFPC there are 10 reviews and all were good. So far, no one here at [H] has had a bad experience either.
As to getting "no machine", well, that would be criminal and despite being somewhat new to the scene, I certainly don't think there's any reason to believe that this company is a criminal enterprise