If you could have everything from a real custom PC maker, what would be the top 3-5 things you would want. When I say custom I mean truly custom, from component manufacturers, cooling, H20 cooling, case, MB, PSU, cables, custom paint....the whole nine yards! There is a reason for this question.
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If you could have everything?
- Thread starter theseeker
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theseeker said:
Build your own.
NitrouseXpress60
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theseeker said:
interesting post, i just read it lol
cooling ~ peltier
case ~ lian li 767 with oh say a window
lights ~ you need some neon lights inside to show everything off
mobo ~ amd socket 939 btx sli
psu ~ antec true power 2.0 550w
cpu ~ fx 57
ram ~ 2gb corsair xms
hdd ~ wd raptor 74gb sata x 2 in raid 0
cables ~ any rounded ones
gpu ~ 7800GTX x 2
paint ~ i'd leave that case alone
mainly what I would have to have would be:
- 2 or 4 gb of ram
- a high end fx processor (fx57 for instance)
- a 15k hd for OS boot and 2x500gb drives for storage
- a nice, classy looking case with a good watercooling job
- as big of an lcd monitor I could get
- 2 or 4 gb of ram
- a high end fx processor (fx57 for instance)
- a 15k hd for OS boot and 2x500gb drives for storage
- a nice, classy looking case with a good watercooling job
- as big of an lcd monitor I could get
probably about 500 gigs of ram disk, 10 video cars in SLI, dual pentium V's...
Ok seriously?
Probably about 4 400gig SATA drives, 2 pairs of 2 in spanning mode. I do some video editing and 800 gigs of space would be nice, but I would hate to loose it.
'bout 2 gigs of ram to play battlefield 2 and stuff...
supah crazy fast interweb to surf the [H]ard Forum faster than the rest of y'all.
a tv tuner card that isnt a big peice of shit.
Id have a nice case, then a second big computer rack mount chassis thing thats air-tight box with sound insulation inside it, and some slow moving 120mm fans to suck air through a damn good filter, like a HEPA filter or something. Id have all the intake and air ducted to my room window, unless it was winter then id just have it dump it in here. Dust, heat, and noise sucks.
a new amplifier cause this 1970s 690W boat anchor is fuxxored up, and new speakers cause my two 1976 pioneers with 12 inchers on em arnt loud enough.
yeah, an fx-57 might be nice. Or maybe for the hell of it, a 3.8Ghz pentium IV so i can brag about my big megahurtz epenis.
OH... A dvd drive that can read cds that have a scratch or two in em. My current one shits itself if a cd isnt sparkly new.
Ok seriously?
Probably about 4 400gig SATA drives, 2 pairs of 2 in spanning mode. I do some video editing and 800 gigs of space would be nice, but I would hate to loose it.
'bout 2 gigs of ram to play battlefield 2 and stuff...
supah crazy fast interweb to surf the [H]ard Forum faster than the rest of y'all.
a tv tuner card that isnt a big peice of shit.
Id have a nice case, then a second big computer rack mount chassis thing thats air-tight box with sound insulation inside it, and some slow moving 120mm fans to suck air through a damn good filter, like a HEPA filter or something. Id have all the intake and air ducted to my room window, unless it was winter then id just have it dump it in here. Dust, heat, and noise sucks.
a new amplifier cause this 1970s 690W boat anchor is fuxxored up, and new speakers cause my two 1976 pioneers with 12 inchers on em arnt loud enough.
yeah, an fx-57 might be nice. Or maybe for the hell of it, a 3.8Ghz pentium IV so i can brag about my big megahurtz epenis.
OH... A dvd drive that can read cds that have a scratch or two in em. My current one shits itself if a cd isnt sparkly new.
Actually, what I am asking is what would you like out of PC maker. I am about to launch a true custom PC company. I know that most people here build their own systems, but I am looking for what people want from the company as far as options and customization.
NitrouseXpress60
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theseeker said:
for customization eh?
make sure you give all the motherboards that gamers want, asus dfi, uh and others
make sure you dont have generic ram offered, use corsair, mushkin, patriot, crucial, kingston.
offer good hdds, not shitty ones, use seagate, western digital
use kick ass cases that gamers and casual computer users would like to look at.
i would say nice, non generic crap cases, windowed with lights (hey, its cool), and with dust filters. (lian li, antec, chemning)
use good reputable psus, antec ozc, enermax, seasonice
ide drives, just offer dvd burners as they do all, and maybe cd rw drives to burn cds fast.
offer good monitors, speakers, mouse and keyboards.
offer cable ties and custom wiring to improve airflow and looks.
offer only new technology, 64 bit intels, dual core cpus, and only socket 939 amd cpus
offer printers.
hmm that's what i'd look for in a company, but hey i got an overclocked gateway hehe. i hope ur company does well.
NitrouseXpress60 said:for customization eh?
make sure you give all the motherboards that gamers want, asus dfi, uh and others
make sure you dont have generic ram offered, use corsair, mushkin, patriot, crucial, kingston.
offer good hdds, not shitty ones, use seagate, western digital
use kick ass cases that gamers and casual computer users would like to look at.
i would say nice, non generic crap cases, windowed with lights (hey, its cool), and with dust filters. (lian li, antec, chemning)
use good reputable psus, antec ozc, enermax, seasonice
ide drives, just offer dvd burners as they do all, and maybe cd rw drives to burn cds fast.
offer good monitors, speakers, mouse and keyboards.
offer cable ties and custom wiring to improve airflow and looks.
offer only new technology, 64 bit intels, dual core cpus, and only socket 939 amd cpus
offer printers.
hmm that's what i'd look for in a company, but hey i got an overclocked gateway hehe. i hope ur company does well.
Thanks, exactly what I wanted to see. What about warranty? And of course cooling?
NitrouseXpress60
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offer a standard 3 year warranty. believe it or not, the warranty attracts more people than you think.(dell)
if u use quality parts for the mobo ram hdd psu, there is no reason why that pc shouldnt last 3 years without a problem.
cooling i would not water cool it unless it is maintence free. stick to zalmans for the hsf and use antec or aero cool fans for case fans
if u use these components. there is no reason the pcs shouldnt last 3 years w/o a problem. this company would truely kick ass if you do good advertising and would compete with monarch
if u use quality parts for the mobo ram hdd psu, there is no reason why that pc shouldnt last 3 years without a problem.
cooling i would not water cool it unless it is maintence free. stick to zalmans for the hsf and use antec or aero cool fans for case fans
if u use these components. there is no reason the pcs shouldnt last 3 years w/o a problem. this company would truely kick ass if you do good advertising and would compete with monarch
customer support, even if your prices are a LITTLE BIT high, good customer support goes a LOOOOONG way, also consider listing warranty options clearly, like when they click "add to cart" pop up another page that has everything about the warranty on it, and then they have to click another button to add to cart.
make a few weekly or monthly or whatever deals, where they come prepackaged for a little less, and make them buyer-friendly computers (ibuypower's deals are UGLY), make them look nice with overall average options (like 512/1gb ram, 120gb hard drive, side window case, etc)
make sure you have custom case color options, unless you plan on using single-color cases. Not everyone wants that bright yellow case that some stores have.
make sure you have at LEAST 1 amd and 1 intel "extreme" pc, with all parts pretty much maxed out. some idiot with money will come along and want the best pc possible, and spend a ton of money for it. How do you think falconnw and alienware are still in business?
use the most reliable parts and setups possible, you dont want to lose a lot of money with returns.
make a few weekly or monthly or whatever deals, where they come prepackaged for a little less, and make them buyer-friendly computers (ibuypower's deals are UGLY), make them look nice with overall average options (like 512/1gb ram, 120gb hard drive, side window case, etc)
make sure you have custom case color options, unless you plan on using single-color cases. Not everyone wants that bright yellow case that some stores have.
make sure you have at LEAST 1 amd and 1 intel "extreme" pc, with all parts pretty much maxed out. some idiot with money will come along and want the best pc possible, and spend a ton of money for it. How do you think falconnw and alienware are still in business?
use the most reliable parts and setups possible, you dont want to lose a lot of money with returns.
Ultra Wide
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I'll just get a loaded XPS 600 from dell and Dual 2405FPW LCDs.
computerpro3
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As small time builder for the local area myself, the best piece of advice I can give you is to go with nothing but pc power and cooling psu's. They will give you a discount for even small quantity orders (as in over 5!!!) and with a pcp&c 510 SLI I am comfortable giving a 5 year warranty on core parts (optical drives is manufacturer's warranty because of often failure). And only do Lite On or Plextor for optical drives. My standard case is a Coolermaster Black Praetorian with an Aerogate 2 (blue) and high gloss window panel with a blue CC light inside. Looks spectacular and is quiet with Aerogate. The younger crowd loves the temp displays and rpm's too.
Also, pitch to high-end companies and dealerships; places that do business by being high tech and showy where their computers are visible. A Lexus dealership for example was very intrigued by what I had to offer (still talking about it). High end coffee shops (the ones that give free wi-fi) are another good spot.
Just remember when pitching your computer, emphazize the sheer quality of the componets you use compared to Dell, and really hammer on the psu. PCP*C compared to Bestec? Even a 85 year old who only uses a typewriter can tell the difference.
Good luck
Also, pitch to high-end companies and dealerships; places that do business by being high tech and showy where their computers are visible. A Lexus dealership for example was very intrigued by what I had to offer (still talking about it). High end coffee shops (the ones that give free wi-fi) are another good spot.
Just remember when pitching your computer, emphazize the sheer quality of the componets you use compared to Dell, and really hammer on the psu. PCP*C compared to Bestec? Even a 85 year old who only uses a typewriter can tell the difference.
Good luck
Ultra Wide
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not to sound like a party-pooper, but Dell's components are not that bad. They use brand name for everything and their durability testing labs are no joke. They also do a lot of acoustics research for their desktop PCs, so I would do my research before bad mouthing Dell, you might meet someone who actually knows about Dell's labs and your credibility would be shot out the window with that kind of negative uninformed talk.
"If you can't congratulate don't hate" - WiseWords
"If you can't congratulate don't hate" - WiseWords
bk12321 said:
I will be offering AMD and Intel with extreme editions of both. The systems will all look great as I am focusing on looks as well as quality retail parts. Of course we will be offering many custom finishes with different cases. Thanks for your input!
Chris_Morley
Former [H] Consumer Managing Ed.
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The gaming PC market is over saturated. Unless you have significant ($500,000+) start-up capital and a solid marketing plan, you will end of wasing a lot of time and money.
Just friendly advice.
Just friendly advice.
Morley said:The gaming PC market is over saturated. Unless you have significant ($500,000+) start-up capital and a solid marketing plan, you will end of wasing a lot of time and money.
Just friendly advice.
Thanks for the advice. I have the budget and I believe that while there are many players, I truly believe there is room for a true custom PC builder that is staffed with enthusiasts.
Chris_Morley
Former [H] Consumer Managing Ed.
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I took the same route back when there really was plenty of room. PCFX launched the first 64-bit gaming PC and was directly responsible for AMD releasing the FX processor.theseeker said:
We closed our doors in 2003.
But good luck!
Word of advice: You had best have a marketing budget of ~$30,000 a month for print ads and review machines. It's the only way to carve out a niche, if you can actually find one to begin with.
I really like your idea.
It sounds like you have the components nailed down. I would only offer top-line tried and tested components.
Warranty: Three years. Toll free live support. Not instant,you can promise to call back.
Service: Local people that speak ENGLISH as a first language. if you are top of the line, 24/7 support,NO AUTOMATED ANSWER MACHINES,hire some operators.
Upgrade: Please sell new stuff that could be added to the original machine,tested, with recommendations for compatability. Example: CPU/memory combos tested for your board,motherboard bundles....replace your existing MOBO with a cpu,memory combo that has been benched. Graphics cards. Get the picture. You could have a small subdivision that would do nothing but sell upgrades that complement your existing lines. People will pay an added amount for this kind of upgradeability. Keep your excellent custom painted case and add new upgraded turbo-charged components.
It sounds like you have the components nailed down. I would only offer top-line tried and tested components.
Warranty: Three years. Toll free live support. Not instant,you can promise to call back.
Service: Local people that speak ENGLISH as a first language. if you are top of the line, 24/7 support,NO AUTOMATED ANSWER MACHINES,hire some operators.
Upgrade: Please sell new stuff that could be added to the original machine,tested, with recommendations for compatability. Example: CPU/memory combos tested for your board,motherboard bundles....replace your existing MOBO with a cpu,memory combo that has been benched. Graphics cards. Get the picture. You could have a small subdivision that would do nothing but sell upgrades that complement your existing lines. People will pay an added amount for this kind of upgradeability. Keep your excellent custom painted case and add new upgraded turbo-charged components.
Customer Service - Customer Service - Customer Service - Customer Service !
Fail there and you won't stand a chance. I don't care how good the product's are that you carry, without great CS you won't do well. Word of mouth is the best advertising you will ever get and great CS is how you get it.
My family and lots of my friends do business with a place called "Lee Vally Tools" (nothing to do with computers) but I can tell you there's no other place on the planet that has better CS. Here's a few reasons we do business with them and always will.
My dad ordered a set of (5) drill bits from them and one of the bits were missing from the un-open pack. He called CS and they sent him via priority mail a new package of (5) bits and told him to keep the others for his trouble and that they were very sorry. So they made nothing on this sale but there smart enough to know it will come back to them in future sales and trust me, my dad (before he died) spend lots of money with them just because of that one deal.
I sell Real Estate and buy stuff from there Gift catalog for closing gifts. I bought a $20.00 gift one time and two weeks later it went on sale for $5.00 less. Well I got a check in the mail for $5.00 and it wasn't a check that had to be used at there store, I could cash it and use the money anyway I wanted. And chances are I would have never known about this sale either. That $5.00 dollars it cost them was worth more then any other form of advertising they could have done because I've told hundreds of people about it and I know some of them started buying from them because it.
I could go on and on about this company but I think you get the idea, and I know if anyone here has bought from them they'll say the same thing. And I'm not related to anyone at this store either, just a very satisfied customer.
Kathy
Fail there and you won't stand a chance. I don't care how good the product's are that you carry, without great CS you won't do well. Word of mouth is the best advertising you will ever get and great CS is how you get it.
My family and lots of my friends do business with a place called "Lee Vally Tools" (nothing to do with computers) but I can tell you there's no other place on the planet that has better CS. Here's a few reasons we do business with them and always will.
My dad ordered a set of (5) drill bits from them and one of the bits were missing from the un-open pack. He called CS and they sent him via priority mail a new package of (5) bits and told him to keep the others for his trouble and that they were very sorry. So they made nothing on this sale but there smart enough to know it will come back to them in future sales and trust me, my dad (before he died) spend lots of money with them just because of that one deal.
I sell Real Estate and buy stuff from there Gift catalog for closing gifts. I bought a $20.00 gift one time and two weeks later it went on sale for $5.00 less. Well I got a check in the mail for $5.00 and it wasn't a check that had to be used at there store, I could cash it and use the money anyway I wanted. And chances are I would have never known about this sale either. That $5.00 dollars it cost them was worth more then any other form of advertising they could have done because I've told hundreds of people about it and I know some of them started buying from them because it.
I could go on and on about this company but I think you get the idea, and I know if anyone here has bought from them they'll say the same thing. And I'm not related to anyone at this store either, just a very satisfied customer.
Kathy
newls1
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I dont think anyone said this yet so I will. If I was the customer looking for a HIGH END PC, I would want these couple of options:
1. PHASE CHANGE COOLING (subzero temps)
2. FX55/FX57 (single core for games)
3. 2x leadtek 7800GTX 512MB SLi combo
4. Lifetime Warrenty
1. PHASE CHANGE COOLING (subzero temps)
2. FX55/FX57 (single core for games)
3. 2x leadtek 7800GTX 512MB SLi combo
4. Lifetime Warrenty
newls1 said:I dont think anyone said this yet so I will. If I was the customer looking for a HIGH END PC, I would want these couple of options:
1. PHASE CHANGE COOLING (subzero temps)
2. FX55/FX57 (single core for games)
3. 2x leadtek 7800GTX 512MB SLi combo
4. Lifetime Warrenty
I will be offering all those options with the exception of a lifetime warranty. I will however be offering lifetime support and an urgrade program. The warranty will be different than what is currently offered and it will be better.
newls1
Supreme [H]ardness
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theseeker said:
HOLY SH*T BATMAN!, you are going to be selling PC's with Phase Change Cooling
. That is going to be awesome! I wish you luck, I just hope you dont sell to like a 16 years old punk, how thinks disassembling everything like nine times is cool, then doesn't seat the evap on the chip properly (sp?), then wants to bug the sh*t out of you, to either RMA his PC, or for his money back....... UH, I guess it all comes with the territory though. newls1 said:HOLY SH*T BATMAN!, you are going to be selling PC's with Phase Change Cooling
I doubt many 16 year olds will be available to afford it, but I have considered that nightmare.
CastleBravo
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Options I would want:
Cases with good, quiet cooling... think multiple quiet 120mm fans at low speed, instead of loud 80mm fans at high speed. Examples: Lian Li V-series, Antec Super Lanboy, Antec P180 (just off the top of my head). Or at least the option for this.
Option for good aftermarket CPU cooling, like Thermalright XP-90/90c/120 or Zalman's various coolers.
Option for aftermarket VGA cooling (e.g. NV/ATI Silencers).
Real power supplies... no 200-300 Watt crap like Dell uses. At least have an option for a "real" PSU like a Seasonic S12-500.
Between these three, you should be able to make very quiet PCs that still cool WAY better than the OEM slag out there.
Brand name components, as already noted. Have the option for high-performance RAM (e.g. CAS2 RAM for DDR400 systems, or >DDR400 rated RAM). Have the option for Raptors and/or RAID setups.
Cable management. Doesn't have to be pretty, but it does have to be functional & decent looking.
Real benchmark scores for my system. Temperature readings for the system while running stress tests (e.g. Prime 95 for CPU, RTHDRIBL for video).
No proprietary bullcrap. No shit-ton of junk software loaded and trial offers and bullcrap like that to lard up my hard drive.
Different levels of warranty service. If I just want you to replace defective parts for a while, there is no sense in me paying for 5 years of 24/7 service that I won't use. I don't expect a free ride; if I want a ton of hand-holding warranty service (e.g. buying the computer for mom), I'll pay for it.
Personally, I would pay a fairly decent premium to have somebody make me a PC if it had options for this sort of thing instead of doing it myself. More significantly, I know lots of people who like fast computers and want something truly "sorted out" without having to do all the work themselves.
Cases with good, quiet cooling... think multiple quiet 120mm fans at low speed, instead of loud 80mm fans at high speed. Examples: Lian Li V-series, Antec Super Lanboy, Antec P180 (just off the top of my head). Or at least the option for this.
Option for good aftermarket CPU cooling, like Thermalright XP-90/90c/120 or Zalman's various coolers.
Option for aftermarket VGA cooling (e.g. NV/ATI Silencers).
Real power supplies... no 200-300 Watt crap like Dell uses. At least have an option for a "real" PSU like a Seasonic S12-500.
Between these three, you should be able to make very quiet PCs that still cool WAY better than the OEM slag out there.
Brand name components, as already noted. Have the option for high-performance RAM (e.g. CAS2 RAM for DDR400 systems, or >DDR400 rated RAM). Have the option for Raptors and/or RAID setups.
Cable management. Doesn't have to be pretty, but it does have to be functional & decent looking.
Real benchmark scores for my system. Temperature readings for the system while running stress tests (e.g. Prime 95 for CPU, RTHDRIBL for video).
No proprietary bullcrap. No shit-ton of junk software loaded and trial offers and bullcrap like that to lard up my hard drive.
Different levels of warranty service. If I just want you to replace defective parts for a while, there is no sense in me paying for 5 years of 24/7 service that I won't use. I don't expect a free ride; if I want a ton of hand-holding warranty service (e.g. buying the computer for mom), I'll pay for it.
Personally, I would pay a fairly decent premium to have somebody make me a PC if it had options for this sort of thing instead of doing it myself. More significantly, I know lots of people who like fast computers and want something truly "sorted out" without having to do all the work themselves.
CastleBravo said:
Thanks for your reply. I truly appreciate the amount of detail in your response, exactly what I was looking for.
We will not offer any off the shelf PC's. Everything we build we what the customer wants, period. However, our focus is on high-end computer users who know what they want and how they want it to look and perform.
1. Cases - Silverstone, Lian-Li, Custom Cases or whatever you want!
2. Cooling - H20 and AIR with the best of the best, configured to your desire. We can cool
any component you desire ie. RAM, Mossfetts, NB and HDD's. Phase Change too!
3. VGA Cooling - Our systems will be equipped with all after market cooling, we cool
everything-standard.
4. PSU - Standard PSU's will be PC Power & Cooling, but I will offer what you want.
5. RAM - OCZ, Crucial and Corsair all LL and high performance.
6. HDD - Raptors will be standard as well as Hitachi and Seagate NCQ. Any RAID option.
7. Cable Mgmt - Standard, all cables sleeved and heatshrinked.
8. Benchmarks - All systems will be bechmarked and documented and they will be
clocked according to the customers prefrences.
9. Software - No software unless you want it. I read you loud and clear.
10. Warranty - I will warrant what the manufacturer warrants. I will also warrant our
Craftsamanship for 3 years along with lifetime phone support. Your point is well
taken, thanks for the suggestion. I like your idea about different support levels.
11. Our systems will be fast, quiet and cool. They will also be true custom PC's.