My AVA Experience

P

Pdwe

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 20, 2007
Messages
308
AVADIRECT, Custom System

COOLERMASTER, Cosmos S (RC-1100-KKN1-GP) Black Tower Case, EATX, No PSU, Aluminum

THERMALTAKE, Toughpower, 80 PLUS®, 1000W Power Supply w/ Modularized Cable Management, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Quad SLI Ready

THERMALRIGHT, Ultra-120 eXtreme 1366 RT CPU Cooler, Socket 1366, Aluminum

GIGABYTE, GA-EX58-EXTREME, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-2000MHz 24GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /10, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /3, ATX, Retail

INTEL, Core™ i7-965 Extreme Quad-Core, 3.2GHz, LGA1366, 6.4 GT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail

CORSAIR, 6GB (3 x 2GB) Dominator XMP PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (8-8-8-24) 1.65V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC

XFX GEFORCE GTX 280
XFX GEFORCE GTX 280

WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD6401AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache

WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD6401AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache

WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD6401AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache

WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD6401AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache

Sound Blaster® X-Fi Titanium, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, PCIe x1


KOUTECH SYSTEMS, FPM220 Black/Beige 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive + 23-in-1 Card Reader Combo Drive, Type A USB 2.0

SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S223 Black 22x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM

SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S223 Black 22x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM


CASE FAN, NON-LED, Fans Maximum Package, Low Noise

MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM

MICROSOFT, Windows XP Professional Edition w/ SP3, OEM

AVA, ASSEMBLED,TESTED,LOADED AND BURNED-IN (for 48 hours at 105 degrees Fahrenheit). ALL DRIVERS, CD'S, MANUALS & ALL CABLES; COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION ARE ALL INCLUDED. SYSTEM IS AIR-COOLED MAXIMIZED.

AVA, 3-YEAR Limited Warranty (Computer Systems)


I ordered this system in Jan 21 2009 I recieved it Feb 25th 2009

I have used this system alot and I have really enjoyed it. I've had no problems with it at all. It arrived via UPS it was it great shape no damage. My DVD RW's did come loose during shipping but, big deal plug them in and off you go.

This was the first time I ever tried a dual boot system it is great. Vista Ultimate is the default so if you boot up and leave the room it will boot to vista if you want XP you need to select it at menu at boot up.

I decided not to overclock so can't give you views on that part. I figure my 3.2 is fast enough for my needs.

Ava was very friendly and was quick to repond to any questions.

Tech Support: Never had to ask them anything


I will be sending it in for upgrades(my choice) not because of issues.

The Upgrades I will be doing is

MB: EVGA X58 Classified
I will be getting new MB just because it has a better layout for the soundcard I want to use (Omega Claro XT.card) so it won't block my case ports I want to keep my card reader

Add 6 GB of ram
Pioneer Blu Ray Burner (Replace one samsung DVD RW drive)
Win 7 Ultimate

I like what I'm hearing so I thought its worth a try.

I have enjoyed my AVA system so far and have no fears using them again.
 
Sending it back for any reason except for refunds is just asking for it,,,,,,, This is who will be servicing your system..
 
SouLXIV said:
you need a life. A life that doesn't involve trashing every AVA thread you see.
Click to expand...
My $2,000 loss justifies it as does the history of ava's RMA dept. He sends that thing back its good chance he will regret it... Its working for him right? Why gamble on having a perfectly good machine ruined?
 
Unless you get some fantastic deal on parts, or trade in discounts.......

For that upgrade you could easily do it yourself, especially if you don't overclock.

Why risk a trip back to the shop in a box, or some goof at AVA ruining your otherwise stable and working system.

All you are doing is swapping out the MB, adding RAM and an optical drive.
You can wipe your OS drive and install Win 7 when it comes out in less than 20 minutes.
Why continue to use Win XP or Vista? Win 7 in my experience with the RC is far superior to either.
 
I can't imagine buying that system(what 3-4 grand?) ... then sending it back in 8 months later for another $500 upgrade. That's absolutely outrageous. I'm sure AVA loves it though.

Considering the shady tactics AVA has used in the past in regards to CS, I wouldn't be surprised after all the recent allegations if they asked customers to post 'good feedback' they may have on forums, including hardforum.com. Of course that would mean taking extra time to make sure things are 'just right' for those who post.
 
i have no opinion of ava direct good or bad. im just saying sending a computer back for upgrades is a bad idea. you can do that locally and have a shop do it near buy or do it yourself alot cheaper.
 
I dont know how to build a PC... all those jumpers and switches on a MB and parts just put me off.

But shipping a PC back to anyone to upgrade just seems excessive... unless your buying insurance against damage/loss. If it's already broken/dead then shipping it isnt an issue. Just take it to a local PC repair shop to do the upgrades. However that may invalidate your warranty, not sure.

Unless your close to em and can drive there and drop off/pick up your PC. I'd say go the local route, but check with em to see about your warranty status if you do.
 
I forgot to ask, what advantage to you hope to gain swapping out a Gigabyte X58-Extreme for an EVGA Classified if you don't Overclock the processor????

A simple adjustment of the lower video card should allow you to place your other add-in cards.
You can add more RAM yourself, and the Blu-ray player is a simple plug and play add-in or replacement.

None of that seems worthy of a UPS ride back to the company, unless warranty would be void.

Sending the computer back to the company was a favourite ploy of Alienware back a few years ago, and was the thing that turned me into a DIYer. Alienware wanted me to send my computer back to change out a PSU.......2 years after the warranty had expired.....and did their best to explain to me that the swap was too complicated to be done at home.
It was a good thing for me. I found [H], I found excellent advice, and I haven't looked back since.
 
magoo said:
I forgot to ask, what advantage to you hope to gain swapping out a Gigabyte X58-Extreme for an EVGA Classified if you don't Overclock the processor????

A simple adjustment of the lower video card should allow you to place your other add-in cards.
You can add more RAM yourself, and the Blu-ray player is a simple plug and play add-in or replacement.

None of that seems worthy of a UPS ride back to the company, unless warranty would be void.

Sending the computer back to the company was a favourite ploy of Alienware back a few years ago, and was the thing that turned me into a DIYer. Alienware wanted me to send my computer back to change out a PSU.......2 years after the warranty had expired.....and did their best to explain to me that the swap was too complicated to be done at home.
It was a good thing for me. I found [H], I found excellent advice, and I haven't looked back since.
Click to expand...

First off thanks for the responses. The only reason I considered switching MB's was do to a soundcard I was going to use but, now I'm not so no need to switch it.
 
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