thank you for the detailed review and open criticism. the online reviews read like giant ads, nice see some objective feedback.
I have a couple of questions that I was hoping you could address:
1) do you feel it's a good purchase? I mean does the quality of the case warrant the extra cost?
2) Would you have just bought the case if that option was available or are the tweaks part of the reason you purchased it?
3) You mentioned removing a video card - are the video cards cooled and if so, can you remove the cooling without damaging either part?
4) Can you comment on returns, it sounds like that thing weighs a ton, if you had to return it, who pays shipping?
Thanks again for the great review!
-Mike
Mike, to address your questions:
1. I feel it's a good purchase, but I can't quantify it in terms of the case alone. There's a review online that adds up the components in the system and they came up with about $500 for the case and labor. As you know, a Lian Li or Silverstone will run more than half that, but this case is way, way better than anything either of them offer at the moment.
2. I bought from them rather than building myself because I wanted an integrated system that I didn't have to troubleshoot and test. I like being able to call someone for help if I need it and if something does fail, there's some comfort in knowing it'll get looked after without question. It is modertately overclocked, not to the point of instability, but enough that it is maximizing the components.
3. The video cards are watercooled and although I haven't tried to remove one of the blocks, I'm sure that it can be done if need be. As I mentioned in the review, the video cards are eVGA 8800 Ultra's.
4. The thing weighs a lot, but really, how much more is it than a Voodoo or an Alien or any other boutique system? The box size is about the same as any other full sized system. As far as who pays for shipping, if there was a warrantable problem that required the whole system be returned, they would pay for the shipping.
Hope this answers your questions and feel free to ask more.