Ava Direct or Maingear?

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Well its worse than 2.2v it was 2.288 just sly of 2.3v. Ava says its not a problem..... When I get time I will have to inspect the cable running to the dvd burner maybe its damaged or something. I don't see this pc lasting a long time. I even said in an earlier post they probably never corrected the overvolting issue and I was 100% right. I know damn well its what killed the ram last time and any google search for bad ram+asus maximus formula can show so many instances of it and I see it clearly in the bios.

Not sure what I can do now. I could throw whole pc away or ebay it. A new board+ram would run me a ton considering the guy I know would want $150 to change it out plus cost of parts. My old pc could do well with a new case and psu that would enable me to cannibalize this one for the working parts at least. I am getting enough spare parts from this shit to just build a whole new one. Last time I bought two new dvd burners when the one failed. My old pc has them and they work excellent and now the one ava replaced is screwed up. Its crazy deja vu. They couldn't even connect the sata cables and a power cable like I asked. The rewiring job they did was to to use cable ties and wires going to the burner are twisted up maybe the reason its screwed up even. This thing is a total lemon. Just look at the pic I took when I tried to open a pdf total bullshit.
 
schneider said:
I will have to play with wiring. I'm not doing it again.
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you sir, are officially a retard. It does not require rewiring to see if the thing works or not. So after the RMAs, you still didn't learn you lesson of not messing with the PC yourself. You stated yourself over and over that you have no idea what you're doing. So instead of turning on the computer at its current state from AVA and isolating the problem, you decide to do the same shit.
 
you sir, are officially a retard.
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SoulXIV you sir are the retard.,... It doesnt require rewiring to check to see if the computer works.... If you had read what he posted he requested several hard drive bays to be prewired so that he could install his extra HD's... AVA promised to do so and didnt....

Thats the rewiring that is being talked about. Its not like hes doing total rewires here... Maybe he should be though since the last time it was wired it wasnt wired properly either.That makes you the retard for not even reading the posts.

Either way you look at it it still doesnt resolve the underlying issue of the ram being overvolted which could result in continued failures.... Its typical AVA support in action... If replacing the part doenst resolve the issue you are having god help you cause they have NO ABILITY to diagnose the underlying cause... They insist on just throwing parts at the problem. EXACTLY the reason that I have a $4200 computer part eatting box.... Sure they might be a good integrator and might do some nice wiring work but their after the build service is abysmal.

I expect michael.pa2 to come in and defend them but seriously people wether you like what I am saying or not take a look at the reports on this board alone about the issues with AVA... There is a repeated pattern of incompetence when it comes to RMA work. Project bluezilla was another HUGE fiasco from AVA... There are others out there so its NOT just me... I am just the one thats continued to be vocal about it and WILL continue to be vocal about it till either I get tired of posting about them or they cease to exist in the computer business....
 
kodan said:
SoulXIV you sir are the retard.,... It doesnt require rewiring to check to see if the computer works.... If you had read what he posted he requested several hard drive bays to be prewired so that he could install his extra HD's... AVA promised to do so and didnt....
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again, if AVA PROMISED to do it, and they didn't, why the hell would you mess with it yourself if you don't know what you're doing? Solve one problem at once, see if there's something wrong with computer itself first by turning it on, THEN call them about the wiring. It's common sense.
 
SouLXIV said:
again, if AVA PROMISED to do it, and they didn't, why the hell would you mess with it yourself if you don't know what you're doing? Solve one problem at once, see if there's something wrong with computer itself first by turning it on, THEN call them about the wiring. It's common sense.
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Ava don't give a fuck! I asked them about it and the ram being overvolted they don't care. Their response was if it under 2.3v screw it. You really think i am some retarded dumbass because I want a $2000 pc to be able to hold more than 465gb of data for its lifespan? What the fuck did I pay for then? All they had to do was insert 3 damn sata cables and they couldn't even accomplish that. They knew damn well thing overvolted ram and what did they do they pumped even more voltage though it..... Lets not solve the problem lets make it worse up the voltage even more..

Do you even know how to install a hard drive?

1. insert rails on sides of drive
2. plug sata cable into motherboard.
3. slide hard drive into case slot
4. plug sata power and data cables into hard drive.
5. done
 
schneider said:
Guess what? I knew one of you would chew up my ass over it and guess what?

POSTED ON: 10/21/2008 11:40:50 AM
SENDER:

MESSAGE BODY:
Vista 64 would be ok reinstalled. That copy I made of my xp disc with updates using nlite I made may be corrupt or damaged since you guys found the RAM bad. I made it a day or so before I shipped it using the pc. It should probably not be used. Was there anything else found wrong or just the RAM? If your cleaning up the wiring inside if possible please prewire the sata and power cables for my extra drives or at least factor that into any rewiring that is done before it is shipped back. Also was the case power reset button able to be repaired?

10/21/2008 13:43 Chris Mundy Hello ###, I will let the tech know. How many drives will be installed total? Thank You

10/22/2008 02:20
I have 3 sata drives and with that one 4 total.

10/22/2008 10:33 Chris Mundy Thank You

Now then should I have sent my data drives across state lines with credit reports, medical records and personal photos on them and other private family info?
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So after this exchange with Chris Mundy from AVA, they STILL didn't install the cables?
That's piss poor customer service.

Lets put this into perspective: An AVA rep has been in this thread and talked to schneider directly. They know how much attention this thread has received and yet they still didn't come through on a simple request to attach the cables?

AVA, what are you doing? Surely you know that people are taking stock of the outcome of this computer? Why invite that kind of bad press?

Is there something we are missing? AVA, you are under no obligation to talk to us at all, but I don't think we're getting a side of the story that we really should be getting: yours.

If Chris Mundy is asking how many cables schneider wants and then not putting them in, then there is a disconnect somewhere and in this particular case, I would have had a triple check evaluation of the computer before it got put back in a box and sent back to schneider.

Seriously, you KNOW he is going to post about what he gets back. You know this; you have seen and been involved in this thread. Why would you not be making this guys computer problems go away?

It's already been stated in this thread alone that 4 people have declined to give you their business based on schneiders and kodans experiences with you. Kodan is a lost cause, that boat has sailed, but you were in the PERFECT position to bring people into the AVA fold by going above and beyond with schneider and you didn't. Why?

You've lost out on potentially $5000 to $10,000 in revenue and all you had to do was at the least replace some parts and throw in some requested cables and at most, replace the machine or refund him his money, which was around $1900 from what schneider has said.

And these are potential losses that we KNOW about. The word will spread. [H] forumites are a [H]uge advocate for your company so I am really amazed at the lack of effort put forth here to keep it that way.

Someone else was requesting which company they should go through and in my reply I put links to this thread and links to another thread of AndonSage's glowingly positive review of the system he got from you. Here is the link http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1357561&page=2

In that thread, I recommended you as well as Puget and M a x F o r c e PC but I can't in good conscience recommend you again. And it's not even the build quality that I base that on, it's the customer service thats being displayed here.

Anything can happen to computer components(thats understandable) but the lack of attention to detail, the minimal effort shown in this case, and having to pay for complete system RMA's are all huge negatives.

Are we missing something? Please, you used to be in the top three of boutiques I recommend to people based on all my research, so I would love to be able to put you back there. So give us the info. Whats going on here? Don't fall in with the likes of CyberPower PC or iBuyPower...your reputation is too good for this.
 
Typical AVA support in action.. They ignored several requests and promises made to me during my repairs as well... All the time telling me they were going to get things fixed... My whole second RMA was because the ignored me telling them the mobo in my comp was bad and I had several pages of links showing the exact same problems which were diagnosed to be mobo issues. Get comp back and less than 24hrs mobo died....


Of course by then it was too late to get refund even though I wanted and asked for one at that time... Shipping the comp back and forth so much in the early days ate up my 30 day return window.
 
Well I don't know what I am going to do at this point. I have too many hours at work this week to test it more and also address the dvd burner issue.. I don't even think its worth the time its probably only a matter of time before the ram is dead again. I turned down the voltage some in the bios but it still overvolts and its possible ava put it at that voltage to get the system stable to cover over some other defect. Either way I don't see it lasting long. I played a video earlier and it stuttered some. Same damn problems over and over. I give up I really do. I saw a pc on ebay the other night for $345 I'm going to think about what I can do now to end this and get some peace of mind.
 
Here is a response, from AVADirect's Technical Director, Chris Mundy, regarding Schenider's issues...


Hello [H] Readers,

I would like to have a chance to explain. The voltage was set to 2.2V for stability and will not have any long term effects. We have a statement directly from Corsair who confirms this is true.

"These modules are guaranteed at 2.1~2.2v and running them at 2.2v will not cause any problem with the RAM at all. Please note the voltage regulator on the motherboard maybe off a little; we have seen cases that the voltage is set to 2.2v but it only show up as 2.1v on a voltmeter." -Corsair RAM GUY Support

When his system was here for RMA we replaced the memory in this system because it failed our tests. We tested with Everest stress test, Burn-in test and 3dmark'06 for over 72hrs without any stability problems. DVD drives were used to reload his operating system and install our testing software; we did not experience any issues. We noticed when we first received the system the front USB and audio were disconnected. Our documentation shows that they were connected before it shipped on his last RMA. We rewired the whole system and connected all cabling as well as replacing all SATA data cables. We also checked all front and back ports to make sure they were working correctly. Before we shipped he asked for extra wiring for 3 hard drives which I gladly agreed and updated his RMA information. I checked on this system myself before we shipped and I did notice the extra wiring. What our investigation reveals is our RMA QC manager removed the wiring prior to shipping because he overlooked my notes about the extra wiring. We have already adjusted our QC RMA procedure so that this will never happen again in the future. I have tried to contact this customer so he can provide me with information on all his current issues so I can provide him with solutions but he fails to reply. I urge him to keep in contact with me so we can work together and get his system up and running. Unfortunately there is no way for me to attach our test results so they will be available upon request.

Thank You for reading,

Chris Mundy
AVADirect
Director of Support
 
Suffice it to say I am done with avadirect and am making arrangements with a third party technician locally. As for the ram it reads as 2.288v when set to 2.2v and I have read countless reports of this boards overvolting issue that causes ram to die, As for stability it isn't stable at stock ram voltages? Something else is wrong there is it needs to be overvolted past its stock settings just to be stable I would tend to think. Was this board tested with a volt meter? Just because this ram guy says he has seen some of these boards like this is bunk since there is no mention of bios revision and boards can vary even from the same batch. So unless this board was itself tested with a volt meter its all bunk.
 
AVAdirect_Joe said:
Here is a response, from AVADirect's Technical Director, Chris Mundy, regarding Schenider's issues...


Hello [H] Readers,

I would like to have a chance to explain. The voltage was set to 2.2V for stability and will not have any long term effects. We have a statement directly from Corsair who confirms this is true.

"These modules are guaranteed at 2.1~2.2v and running them at 2.2v will not cause any problem with the RAM at all. Please note the voltage regulator on the motherboard maybe off a little; we have seen cases that the voltage is set to 2.2v but it only show up as 2.1v on a voltmeter." -Corsair RAM GUY Support

When his system was here for RMA we replaced the memory in this system because it failed our tests. We tested with Everest stress test, Burn-in test and 3dmark'06 for over 72hrs without any stability problems. DVD drives were used to reload his operating system and install our testing software; we did not experience any issues. We noticed when we first received the system the front USB and audio were disconnected. Our documentation shows that they were connected before it shipped on his last RMA. We rewired the whole system and connected all cabling as well as replacing all SATA data cables. We also checked all front and back ports to make sure they were working correctly. Before we shipped he asked for extra wiring for 3 hard drives which I gladly agreed and updated his RMA information. I checked on this system myself before we shipped and I did notice the extra wiring. What our investigation reveals is our RMA QC manager removed the wiring prior to shipping because he overlooked my notes about the extra wiring. We have already adjusted our QC RMA procedure so that this will never happen again in the future. I have tried to contact this customer so he can provide me with information on all his current issues so I can provide him with solutions but he fails to reply. I urge him to keep in contact with me so we can work together and get his system up and running. Unfortunately there is no way for me to attach our test results so they will be available upon request.

Thank You for reading,

Chris Mundy
AVADirect
Director of Support
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Upon the customers request?
 
One of mine by request. Luckily I have xp on a different drive that is a bit more useful than vista. My video choppiness went away after I lowered ram volts to as close as I could 2.1v.
 
Ok. Talked with a tech about this and was told this board's bios is trash. I was then advised to follow an upgrade procedure. I now have a rampage formula. I've been told it will help stabilize my pc and hopefully save me from having buy a new board.
 
schneider said:
Ok. Talked with a tech about this and was told this board's bios is trash. I was then advised to follow an upgrade procedure. I now have a rampage formula. I've been told it will help stabilize my pc and hopefully save me from having buy a new board.
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Did AVA switch you out for the Rampage?
 
Sounds like typical AVA support in action.. We cant figure it out so the hardware must be crap... And do I understand you they had you flash the bios on your board to a bios for another board? I am unsure how wise that is.... In fact I would expect it to potentially create issues based on features and settings. Really dont think I would do that with my machine....
 
My tech advised me to do it not ava. Ava would would never have me do something like this since now essentially it is a rampage now as both boards are nearly identical in every way. This is why I am done dealing with ava one conversation with the tech I know and he knows exactly what to do to attempt to salvage this mess.
 
Hello Everyone,


When we troubleshoot any system during the RMA process, we do not replace existing hardware for a new one unless it is requested by the customer. We have made attempts to swap hardware in the past, and customers become upset because they typically choose their motherboards based on certain features. In this case, had we been asked to swap the motherboard for a different part# we would've definitely considered it. We are a custom builder and offer the most current technology like these problematic 680 and 780i chipsets that they have been. Hopefully with newly emerging technology the mayham will finally stop. AVADirect is moving towards cutting down on a wide selection of so many components and investing more into R&D. Lastly, I would be careful with flashing a motherboard with a foreign BIOS. Sometimes it is irreversible, so if you attempt to flash the board with its native BIOS it just fails, and then you’re stuck with worse issues than you had before.


Kind Regards,

Joseph Mundy
Sales Executive
800-808-8299 Direct
 
AVAdirect_Joe said:
Hello Everyone,


When we troubleshoot any system during the RMA process, we do not replace existing hardware for a new one unless it is requested by the customer. We have made attempts to swap hardware in the past, and customers become upset because they typically choose their motherboards based on certain features. In this case, had we been asked to swap the motherboard for a different part# we would've definitely considered it. We are a custom builder and offer the most current technology like these problematic 680 and 780i chipsets that they have been. Hopefully with newly emerging technology the mayhem will finally stop. AVADirect is moving towards cutting down on a wide selection of so many components and investing more into R&D. Lastly, I would be careful with flashing a motherboard with a foreign BIOS. Sometimes it is irreversible, so if you attempt to flash the board with its native BIOS it just fails, and then you’re stuck with worse issues than you had before.


Kind Regards,

Joseph Mundy
Sales Executive
800-808-8299 Direct
Click to expand...



I wrote this long(or longwinded) write up to you about the power of word of mouth, the qualities that I graded companies on when I was researching boutiques, and various other things but I think I can sum it all up by saying the following:

This computer should have been treated like a review rig you'd send to Computer Shopper.

Before this thing left, the RMA department should have hated the sight of you.

Now you have a guy that would rather flash bios and void his warranty then have to deal with you ever again..........

Whats that say?
 
Shawnasee said:
I wrote this long(or longwinded) write up to you about the power of word of mouth, the qualities that I graded companies on when I was researching boutiques, and various other things but I think I can sum it all up by saying the following:

This computer should have been treated like a review rig you'd send to Computer Shopper.

Before this thing left, the RMA department should have hated the sight of you.

Now you have a guy that would rather flash bios and void his warranty then have to deal with you ever again..........

Whats that say?
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Mysterious forces are causing AVA's hardware to malfunction at absurd rates. Lulz.
 
Working on getting the northbridge voltage lowered and stable now. The tech thinks its much too high for a stock system and for other reasons and I have to agree. I have been assured that this common on some asus boards as asus sells almost identical hardware for higher prices with a more mature bios to justify the cost. The process can be reversed if needed but doubtful that is going to be done as its a positive improvement.
 
Shawnasee said:
I wrote this long(or longwinded) write up to you about the power of word of mouth, the qualities that I graded companies on when I was researching boutiques, and various other things but I think I can sum it all up by saying the following:

This computer should have been treated like a review rig you'd send to Computer Shopper.

Before this thing left, the RMA department should have hated the sight of you.

Now you have a guy that would rather flash bios and void his warranty then have to deal with you ever again..........

Whats that say?
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I have to agree with Shawnasee on this point.This forum can have a strong impact on how people look a company,so this matter deserved AVA's best effort.I don't understand why a quality control tech would remove the extra wiring,it seems to be outside his job.Considering how much attention this matter has gotten,it should have been handled better.That attention was evident by a post in AVA's own forum by a prospective customer who wanted to purchase a fairly expensive system,but wanted some clarification about the issues brought up in this thread.AVA's response was to delete the post.This isn't the way to handle this situation,obviously they lost a customer,perhaps much more than one.As Shawnesee noted,word of mouth can be very powerful,both negatively as well as positive.
 
michael.pa2 said:
I have to agree with Shawnasee on this point.This forum can have a strong impact on how people look a company,so this matter deserved AVA's best effort.I don't understand why a quality control tech would remove the extra wiring,it seems to be outside his job.Considering how much attention this matter has gotten,it should have been handled better.That attention was evident by a post in AVA's own forum by a prospective customer who wanted to purchase a fairly expensive system,but wanted some clarification about the issues brought up in this thread.AVA's response was to delete the post.This isn't the way to handle this situation,obviously they lost a customer,perhaps much more than one.As Shawnesee noted,word of mouth can be very powerful,both negatively as well as positive.
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Emphasis on your exact words Michael.pa2.... Its for those exact reasons I am still running around being a whiny kid as you call me. My computer deserved every bit as much consideration as this computer. It just again goes to show the pattern of abuses,lies,misinformation etc.. that AVA has in regards to support
 
kodan said:
Emphasis on your exact words Michael.pa2.... Its for those exact reasons I am still running around being a whiny kid as you call me. My computer deserved every bit as much consideration as this computer. It just again goes to show the pattern of abuses,lies,misinformation etc.. that AVA has in regards to support
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Your exact words mean as much as a whiny kid.

*Kills thread*
*Waits until someone else complains about AVA's RMA, true bashing will start then*
*Perform thread necromancy when the above scenario occurs*
 
kodan said:
Emphasis on your exact words Michael.pa2.... Its for those exact reasons I am still running around being a whiny kid as you call me. My computer deserved every bit as much consideration as this computer. It just again goes to show the pattern of abuses,lies,misinformation etc.. that AVA has in regards to support
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Never called you a whiny kid,someone else takes credit for that,though if the comparision fits - -.And a few missteps don't constitute a pattern,you'd have people believe that AVA is the Devil incarnate,another Cyberpower.They aren't,they're still a very good builder for people who can't afford the inflated prices other builders charge.But they did drop the ball in this case,not that I think the customer didn't create more problems than necessary himself.But given the circumstances,I expected better. They need to be careful as their business grows bigger that they don't lose sight of the things that got them there.
 
michael.pa2 said:
Never called you a whiny kid,someone else takes credit for that,though if the comparision fits - -.And a few missteps don't constitute a pattern,you'd have people believe that AVA is the Devil incarnate,another Cyberpower.They aren't,they're still a very good builder for people who can't afford the inflated prices other builders charge.But they did drop the ball in this case,not that I think the customer didn't create more problems than necessary himself.But given the circumstances,I expected better. They need to be careful as their business grows bigger that they don't lose sight of the things that got them there.
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Amen

They dropped the ball and they don't seem to care about trying to pick it back up.
 
Don't know what's going on there,but their ratings over at RR have dropped from 9.56 to 9.07 in a few days.Not a major disaster yet,but not usual for them and the lowest I've seen them get,and a bit disconcerting considering the hit they've taken here lately,you'd think they double their efforts to improve.Perhaps they need to brush up on their history and take a good look at the Monarch Computer thread here to give themselves some incentive.
 
michael.pa2 said:
Don't know what's going on there,but their ratings over at RR have dropped from 9.56 to 9.07 in a few days.Not a major disaster yet,but not usual for them and the lowest I've seen them get,and a bit disconcerting considering the hit they've taken here lately,you'd think they double their efforts to improve.Perhaps they need to brush up on their history and take a good look at the Monarch Computer thread here to give themselves some incentive.
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Maybe AVA recently hired some bad employees? :confused:
Also, I read this a long time ago about Monarch: This.
 
michael.pa2 said:
The definitive thread about Monarch is right here. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1132728
I think it's a classic example of how success can ruin a company if not handled right,and just how fast a once good company can fall apart.Should be required reading for anyone thinking about starting a boutique builder.
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From [H]'s review of one of Monarch's systems, "offers a ton of different configurations but it leads to major problems in build quality when it comes to the Furia. "

Sounds familiar. :p
 
LOL go read the actual bad reviews ava got lately... Carbon copies of the issues in this and my thread....... When one crazy guy screams about something you might blow it off, but when you have 5 or 6 crazy guys all screaming the same things you should wonder if they really are so crazy.... Buy from AVA if you want but they are the worst computer company I have ever dealt with from the RMA/repair side.

I understand people have gotten good computers from them and are happy but they have a repeated pattern of RMA/support fiascos and I cant believe you all are STILL defending them... Pretty sure Monarch had the same kinds of people propping them up when they went under too. How much more of a pattern do you all need?

Are you all like that lady that I I just read about? She sent nigerian scammers $400k with everyone telling her it was a scam(her family/the bank/local cops). It finally took the Department of Justice noticing the 144k wire transfers over the course of a month and threating to prosecute her before she would stop and SHE STILL THINKS SHE COULD GET MONEY IF SHE KEEPS SENDING IT. Sure looks like all you AVA apologists share some traits with her.
 
kodan said:
LOL go read the actual bad reviews ava got lately... Carbon copies of the issues in this and my thread....... When one crazy guy screams about something you might blow it off, but when you have 5 or 6 crazy guys all screaming the same things you should wonder if they really are so crazy.... Buy from AVA if you want but they are the worst computer company I have ever dealt with from the RMA/repair side.

I understand people have gotten good computers from them and are happy but they have a repeated pattern of RMA/support fiascos and I cant believe you all are STILL defending them... Pretty sure Monarch had the same kinds of people propping them up when they went under too. How much more of a pattern do you all need?

Are you all like that lady that I I just read about? She sent nigerian scammers $400k with everyone telling her it was a scam(her family/the bank/local cops). It finally took the Department of Justice noticing the 144k wire transfers over the course of a month and threating to prosecute her before she would stop and SHE STILL THINKS SHE COULD GET MONEY IF SHE KEEPS SENDING IT. Sure looks like all you AVA apologists share some traits with her.
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I think it's a case of not wanting to believe it's true, instead of apologizing for them.
 
It's not a case of apologizing for them.Up until very recently,they were very good.Cry wolf often enough and you're bound to be right once.They can still turn it around,maybe some people there need an attitude change.Or a change in employer.
 
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