iBUYPOWER P4 Custom @ [H] Consumer

C

Chris_Morley

Former [H] Consumer Managing Ed.
Joined
Jul 5, 2000
Messages
3,609
Stay away from iBUYPOWER.

Our experience with iBUYPOWER clearly illustrates why our evaluation philosophy here at [H] Consumer is as it is. Number-wise, the system performed quite nicely. Going on that information alone, a reader might be inclined to purchase a system from this company. But our evaluation of the company’s tech support and customer service paints a different picture.
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I have some experience with this company, feels more like a small garage operation.

I hate those stock raidmax psu, light as a feather. This company have no quality control, you can deck out a powerful system with highend video SLI video cards, and they will still ship you a pos psu unless you select one. Most people that order online instead of building themself would not know the difference. That alone is quite scary, which can lead to just about every hardware problem in the system, then to face their tech support because of it =(.
 
Oh man, that's a new low!
Shipped to the wrong address 3 times, even after they called about it!

Once again, its so nice that you and your staff put up with these goof balls, so that we the consumer don't have to.

~Great read
 
RQLe said:
i have some experience with this company, feels more like a small garage operation.

i hate those stock raidmax psu, light as a feather. This company have no quality control, you can deck out a powerful system with highend video SLI video cards, and they will still ship you a pos psu unless you select one. Most people that order online instead of building themself would not know the difference.
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What's amazing to me is that I don't believe they are a small garage operation. They have multiple full page ads in gaming magazines every month. My fear is that people are falling for the low prices without doing proper research.
 
At least they didn't give you crap about an RMA..........

Anyway yea it looks like you all got the finger from them pretty much. The only saving grace is that most consumers would have told them to keep the machine after they had it a few weeks to install an os. Anyway you all need some awards like your ones for the systems that turn out good. Maybe a silver steaming pile of crap and a gold steaming pile of crap.
 
swatbat said:
At least they didn't give you crap about an RMA..........

Anyway yea it looks like you all got the finger from them pretty much. The only saving grace is that most consumers would have told them to keep the machine after they had it a few weeks to install an os. Anyway you all need some awards like your ones for the systems that turn out good. Maybe a silver steaming pile of crap and a gold steaming pile of crap.
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Yeah, normally, not given crap about an RMA is a good thing, but it seemed this was more of a case of a lazy tech.
 
lol and i thought Dell had bad customer service...(personal experience)

great read! oh and Kyle: your $$ will be replaced in due course, dun wry :p
 
After reading the review, I decided to see if iBUYPOWER was really that bad. So I did some research. I checked a few websites and found that quite a few sites had given them decent reviews *cough PCmag cough ZDnet cough* That is where the problems starts for me. On the one site they had given iBUYPOWER a "good" rating even though the picture clearly shows SILVER case with a BLACK monitor and a BEIGE keyboard and mouse. How could any company send out a computer that doesn't even match? Better yet, how could any review site give them a "good" rating for it? Clearly iBUYPOWER doesn't really care about the product that leaves their warehouses.


Mike

(what kind of retarded name is iBUYPOWER anyway?)
 
With so many companies you're either lucky or really really unlucky and there is no middle ground. That is why I will probably go with someone like Velocity Micro. Yeah the price might be a bit more than iBuypower or CyberpowerPC but its a lot less risky too.

Delivered to the wrong address three times? :mad: Wow, three strikes and their out.
 
im sorry, can i puke yet? :D

you know.. id probably have better luck with my dead motherboar dthan this thing 0_0 2.0 lmfao just shave another .1 ... god knows they deserve it (call it attitude? :p ) and for the money blown on shipping 0_0 over all what was the TOTAL spent on this thing?
 
Get real guys.

I haven't come across a system builder yet that tells me which DvD drives come with or without software. With as many choices as they provide you, especially the option for no-OS, it should be obvious that they are making lean machines.

Look at it this way, XP and 2000 don't decode by design. MC might, but I don't have a copy to be sure (I expect it to because of what its designed for)

As for the shipping, yeah, stupid them. Seems their system is locked to CC addresses only or the ordering department doesn't realize the shipping department can't read.

Still, as for the power supply. You clearly state it gave you no problems yet you dinged them for it. You also declared that it would not work if you ordered more components yet that is something you haven't proved.

Basically the review sucks because one of ya'll got a bug up his ass over the DvD decoder software or the shipping (or both) and couldn't get off of it. Hell you bring it up multiple times in the conclusion. You gave monarch the same score and they were far worse by not installing promised driver updates let alone getting the configuration you chose shipped to you whereas iBuyPower did ship what YOU ordered.

There a lot of us who appreciate a no-OS option. I believe it would not have been a big issue except for the fact you got focused on the DvD decoder and would not let go. Down here we shoot dogs with that problem.

The review ain't worth more than the score you gave them. (and no I never bought a system from them, don't know or care who they are, and would never buy from them anyway)
 
Shivetya said:
Get real guys.

I haven't come across a system builder yet that tells me which DvD drives come with or without software. With as many choices as they provide you, especially the option for no-OS, it should be obvious that they are making lean machines.

Look at it this way, XP and 2000 don't decode by design. MC might, but I don't have a copy to be sure (I expect it to because of what its designed for)

As for the shipping, yeah, stupid them. Seems their system is locked to CC addresses only or the ordering department doesn't realize the shipping department can't read.

Still, as for the power supply. You clearly state it gave you no problems yet you dinged them for it. You also declared that it would not work if you ordered more components yet that is something you haven't proved.

Basically the review sucks because one of ya'll got a bug up his ass over the DvD decoder software or the shipping (or both) and couldn't get off of it. Hell you bring it up multiple times in the conclusion. You gave monarch the same score and they were far worse by not installing promised driver updates let alone getting the configuration you chose shipped to you whereas iBuyPower did ship what YOU ordered.

There a lot of us who appreciate a no-OS option. I believe it would not have been a big issue except for the fact you got focused on the DvD decoder and would not let go. Down here we shoot dogs with that problem.

The review ain't worth more than the score you gave them. (and no I never bought a system from them, don't know or care who they are, and would never buy from them anyway)
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Most oem drives tend to come with dvd software. Also if the tech caught that off the bat it would have gone alot better. As far as the shipping once again if ibuypower came out and said they will only ship to the billing address this would not have been as much of an issue. Image a kid in school having an issue and having them ship parts to his parents house and not ship them to a dorm. This is a big issue. The powersupply is something I kinda agree with you on as it didn't cause an issue but I do agree with them that it had a good chance of messing up with higher end hardware. Also a month to get windows installed on a system. Yes it was the editors fault for not adding it but if they missed it other people would as well.

Remember this is about the experience they see with the machine. While monarch did screw up on the colors this machine came in with a damaged case. It looked used from the beginning. It is pretty much just as bad as the off color drives. I think most people would have returned this if they bought it and had the issues these guys did. Overall I think the review is fair.
 
Shivetya said:
Get real guys.

I haven't come across a system builder yet that tells me which DvD drives come with or without software. With as many choices as they provide you, especially the option for no-OS, it should be obvious that they are making lean machines.

Look at it this way, XP and 2000 don't decode by design. MC might, but I don't have a copy to be sure (I expect it to because of what its designed for)

As for the shipping, yeah, stupid them. Seems their system is locked to CC addresses only or the ordering department doesn't realize the shipping department can't read.

Still, as for the power supply. You clearly state it gave you no problems yet you dinged them for it. You also declared that it would not work if you ordered more components yet that is something you haven't proved.

Basically the review sucks because one of ya'll got a bug up his ass over the DvD decoder software or the shipping (or both) and couldn't get off of it. Hell you bring it up multiple times in the conclusion. You gave monarch the same score and they were far worse by not installing promised driver updates let alone getting the configuration you chose shipped to you whereas iBuyPower did ship what YOU ordered.

There a lot of us who appreciate a no-OS option. I believe it would not have been a big issue except for the fact you got focused on the DvD decoder and would not let go. Down here we shoot dogs with that problem.

The review ain't worth more than the score you gave them. (and no I never bought a system from them, don't know or care who they are, and would never buy from them anyway)
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Thanks for your thoughts, they are noted. I will say this: we didn't ding them on shipping what we ordered. We dinged them when it took them over a month to get our computer back to us - and they still shipped it to the wrong address. And you're damn right I expect a DVD decoder if I order a DVD drive. If you aren't going to ship one, then tell me.

And I've been doing this long enough to know that 14A over the +12V rail IS inadequate for high end systems. There aren't two +12V rails here, just one.
 
Shivetya said:
Basically the review sucks because one of ya'll got a bug up his ass over the DvD decoder software or the shipping (or both) and couldn't get off of it. Hell you bring it up multiple times in the conclusion. You gave monarch the same score and they were far worse by not installing promised driver updates let alone getting the configuration you chose shipped to you whereas iBuyPower did ship what YOU ordered.

There a lot of us who appreciate a no-OS option. I believe it would not have been a big issue except for the fact you got focused on the DvD decoder and would not let go. Down here we shoot dogs with that problem.

The review ain't worth more than the score you gave them. (and no I never bought a system from them, don't know or care who they are, and would never buy from them anyway)
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I totally disagree. They were fair in aspects like gaming and stability. For OEM build reviews [H] is focusing on the customer experience, and in this situation the experience obviously sucked. I read through the whole thing and the problems they were encountering were just stupid. A month to receive a badly dented case barely taped into the box? Multiple shipments to the wrong address? Customer support that misdiagnoses a problem and refuses to make right after subsequent loss of money through unneccessary shipping? Don't kid yourself, the support experience with Monarch was not anywhere near that bad.

Anyway, kudos++ for Chris and Kyle on another great review. It was very well-written and fair, considering the experience you had. I'll be sure to keep these people on my "do not buy" recommendations list.
 
Firstly I totally agree and concur with all the observations and the scoring of IBUY's offering.
I love to build my own systems but it still makes me mad that companies who allow you to
configure systems often are not very good at listing important info. Even Dell fails to list the
brands for memory, hard drive and optical drive. But wait! They do list the brands for the
keyboard, mouse, sound card, game controllers and speakers so they are not totally clueless.

Finally I have a question about the review process.

Does the author (Tim) do everything (purchasing, testing and tech sport calls) and then just
keeps the editor (Chris) informed?

or

Do both the editor and the author share the work load?

Basically I am just curious to know how many people are getting a near first hand
experience during the review process.

However you guys are doing it, keep it up. You are doing very well. :D
 
{ROW}Apocalypse said:
(what kind of retarded name is iBUYPOWER anyway?)
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It really sounds like an Ebay user name to me.
Someone who buys lots of computer junk.
 
mentok1982 said:
Firstly I totally agree and concur with all the observations and the scoring of IBUY's offering.
I love to build my own systems but it still makes me mad that companies who allow you to
configure systems often are not very good at listing important info. Even Dell fails to list the
brands for memory, hard drive and optical drive. But wait! They do list the brands for the
keyboard, mouse, sound card, game controllers and speakers so they are not totally clueless.

Finally I have a question about the review process.

Does the author (Tim) do everything (purchasing, testing and tech sport calls) and then just
keeps the editor (Chris) informed?

or

Do both the editor and the author share the work load?

Basically I am just curious to know how many people are getting a near first hand
experience during the review process.

However you guys are doing it, keep it up. You are doing very well. :D
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I am very involved in the evaluation process, from start to finish. It is important here at [H] Consumer that we keep an "all hands on deck" attitude and that my guys (and gal) are aware of what each other are working on. It helps add to the "perspective" that is so important. And I make sure to stay observant during the process and give advice when asked. The authors of course do the brunt of the work, but each article passes my eyes several times before it is posted.

And when it comes down to it, we're all in the same office, so it's easy to bounce stuff off each other when we need to.
 
Wow just wow. In the article it's mentioned that they mimic cyberpower. Are they related in anyway to cyberpower?
 
kendo26 said:
Wow just wow. In the article it's mentioned that they mimic cyberpower. Are they related in anyway to cyberpower?
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I would only be able to offer conjecture on that matter, and I'd prefer not to.
 
I'm guessing that if your knowledgeable enough to build a system yourself, it's best to stay way from these companies.
 
kendo26 said:
I'm guessing that if your knowledgeable enough to build a system yourself, it's best to stay way from these companies.
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Exactly, if you have to do all the work yourself in terms of research, and you can't even get support out of them, what's the point?
 
Is it normal for a reviewer [H] to self-reference its own articles so much? What comes next, once you've finished your arguement?
 
apk said:
Is it normal for a reviewer [H] to self-reference its own articles so much? What comes next, once you've finished your arguement?
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Why is this bad? Compairing things in a review to another company's is good. Also with compairing it to ones own articles you have a better chance that everything lines up.
 
apk said:
Is it normal for a reviewer [H] to self-reference its own articles so much? What comes next, once you've finished your arguement?
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Yes, we reference our own articles to give the reader more information or perspective where it counts. We don't assume that everyone who reads an article has read every article we've ever written.
 
I bought a $1000 system from them several years ago (WAY back in 2001) . It worked great, there were no issues what so ever.

I have since replaced it peicemail (not having the money to buy a complete new system). Now that I do, looks like I might rethink becoming a return customer.

Shocka
 
Kudos also to article author Tim Roper - good work.

So the question becomes - how do these folks stay in business? There's tons of bad buzz about them on the web, they rarely get a good review, their tech support is terrible, and on and on.

yech.
 
lovemyPC said:
Kudos also to article author Tim Roper - good work.

So the question becomes - how do these folks stay in business? There's tons of bad buzz about them on the web, they rarely get a good review, their tech support is terrible, and on and on.

yech.
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Go read any computer games magazine out there. They have full page, mulitple page spreads with very cheap pricing. I think that's the incentive. First time gaming buyers wouldn't know any different.
 
Shivetya said:
Get real guys.
I haven't come across a system builder yet that tells me which DvD drives come with or without software.
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Monarch does. The default is set to include the software and it states it's required if the DVD drive is OEM. (They also have a default OS set to Fedora :eek: )

I think a better question would be how many system builders put in a DVD device without the appropriate software? At least thorw on some shareware. Seems like a poor business decision.

There were other problems here that support such a crappy score. Shipped elsewhere 3 times and a month to put in a viedo card and OS? No one would say that is acceptable.
 
Question for Chris

Did this system come with any burning software? I just did a quick reread through part of the article and didn't see anything about this. You would think with dual drives that can burn disks it would come with at least 1. Also did they give you the disks that came with the motherboard, video card etc? Just wondering because you can order it without an os(like you did). I'm wondering also as some of the video cards come with dvd software but don't remember seeing anything mentioned about these disks.
 
swatbat said:
Question for Chris

Did this system come with any burning software? I just did a quick reread through part of the article and didn't see anything about this. You would think with dual drives that can burn disks it would come with at least 1. Also did they give you the disks that came with the motherboard, video card etc? Just wondering because you can order it without an os(like you did). I'm wondering also as some of the video cards come with dvd software but don't remember seeing anything mentioned about these disks.
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No, it did not.

Tim has exactly what came with it, but it was barebones, you can see a picture of the bag of software in there, but I see that a closeup is missing. I will get this information for you.

http://consumer.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTE1MDc1MDc1NjBzU1dmODllV09fM180X2wuanBn
 
Chris_Morley said:
No, it did not.

Tim has exactly what came with it, but it was barebones, you can see a picture of the bag of software in there, but I see that a closeup is missing. I will get this information for you.

http://consumer.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTE1MDc1MDc1NjBzU1dmODllV09fM180X2wuanBn
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If thats the case I would have pulled even more marks off. No support and you don't even get the stuff you would have if you bought the stuff off a good online site. Sad. Anyway thanks for the prompt reply
 
Sad they couldn't even give you links to something like VLC player for DVDs and DeepBurner for CDs/DVDs.

...Glad you ripped them a new one.

 
Shivetya said:
Get real guys.

I haven't come across a system builder yet that tells me which DvD drives come with or without software. With as many choices as they provide you, especially the option for no-OS, it should be obvious that they are making lean machines.

Look at it this way, XP and 2000 don't decode by design. MC might, but I don't have a copy to be sure (I expect it to because of what its designed for)

As for the shipping, yeah, stupid them. Seems their system is locked to CC addresses only or the ordering department doesn't realize the shipping department can't read.

Still, as for the power supply. You clearly state it gave you no problems yet you dinged them for it. You also declared that it would not work if you ordered more components yet that is something you haven't proved.

Basically the review sucks because one of ya'll got a bug up his ass over the DvD decoder software or the shipping (or both) and couldn't get off of it. Hell you bring it up multiple times in the conclusion. You gave monarch the same score and they were far worse by not installing promised driver updates let alone getting the configuration you chose shipped to you whereas iBuyPower did ship what YOU ordered.

There a lot of us who appreciate a no-OS option. I believe it would not have been a big issue except for the fact you got focused on the DvD decoder and would not let go. Down here we shoot dogs with that problem.

The review ain't worth more than the score you gave them. (and no I never bought a system from them, don't know or care who they are, and would never buy from them anyway)
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First, most system builders don't disclose if a drive comes with it or not because they're smart enough to include software if the base drive doesn't. Cyberlink and InterVideo usually give away their stock "lite" decoder to OEMs and integrators because they're fishing for sales, or they charge amazingly low licensing costs. iBP was just being cheap.

And no, stock DVD decoders are not included in any flavor of XP (MC, Tablet, Home, Pro) by design. Vista (MC capable), however, will carry its own decoder for use in the Media Center application, and use a separate decoder outside of the MCA.

Also, that "bug up the ass" you refer to is called the "customer experience." These weren't small little problems, they were functionality issues and obvious process breakdowns with an OEM. They entered into an oral agreement for shipping and processing, and by breaking that, they were legally liable. [H]Consumer could easily file a claim against them through the BBB or with their state attourney general, and get reimbursement for the actions take.
 
swatbat said:
If thats the case I would have pulled even more marks off. No support and you don't even get the stuff you would have if you bought the stuff off a good online site. Sad. Anyway thanks for the prompt reply
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Yeah, I think we scored it appropriately, software was definitely a consideration. What you see is what you get, we got an OS disk and drivers, and that was it. Even Cyberpower had a "complimentary" copy (which I consider essential) of PowerDVD for us.

To be honest, the only way it could have scored lower is was if it was unstable. That was the only reason it got a 2 and not a 1.
 
dWhisper said:
First, most system builders don't disclose if a drive comes with it or not because they're smart enough to include software if the base drive doesn't. Cyberlink and InterVideo usually give away their stock "lite" decoder to OEMs and integrators because they're fishing for sales, or they charge amazingly low licensing costs. iBP was just being cheap.

And no, stock DVD decoders are not included in any flavor of XP (MC, Tablet, Home, Pro) by design. Vista (MC capable), however, will carry its own decoder for use in the Media Center application, and use a separate decoder outside of the MCA.

Also, that "bug up the ass" you refer to is called the "customer experience." These weren't small little problems, they were functionality issues and obvious process breakdowns with an OEM. They entered into an oral agreement for shipping and processing, and by breaking that, they were legally liable. [H]Consumer could easily file a claim against them through the BBB or with their state attourney general, and get reimbursement for the actions take.
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Bingo, thanks for "getting it" and thanks for your thoughts.
 
As always,very well done. Honest and complete.

Components=good
Company=bad (scratch my new case????? Id have sent it back right there, with a picture of the box)
Tech Support=huh???? never even asked you if the drive in question would function to load software or play music, then essentially blew you off. Bad,very bad.
Shiping=hello Bueller????Bueller??? Sent the box to the wrong address THREE times.

Well, Forrest, some times life is just like a box of chocolates,isnt it.
Buyer beware.
 
Wow, that was a horrid system 0-o

Good review. I honestly wouldn't have decked them points for the PSU in this case. Even though we all know it was pretty much a box full of shit, it still worked, and you had NO stability problems. I'm not sure how much that factored into the score, though.
 
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