Received my Origin PC

coachjohn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
234
Received my Origin PC yesterday...and I couldn't be happier with the company. I'm not a professional reviewer, but I have a good bit of experience with PCs (teaching tech skills and managing an educational computer lab for over 20 years)...here's my take on Origin PC:

The PC: Lian Li A70F case; ASUS Rampage III motherboard; Intel core i7 930; EVGA GTX 470 video card; Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro sound card; Corsair memory; Corsair 750 watt PSU; WD Black Caviar 640GB 6GB/s boot drive; WD Black Caviar 1TB 6GB/s storage drive; two LG optical drives, Win 7 Professional.

Pre-Sales Experience: 10
I worked exclusively with Dan Shepard, and he was one of the driving forces behind my purchasing from Origin PC over MainGear or Digital Storm. Answered questions quickly and accurately...never pushed the sell...did his research with support when he wasn't 100% positive of an answer, and was willing to go the extra mile on non-standard equipment requests. Stayed in touch with after I made my order, sent pics of the build during the build process, and when we hit a snag with the video card I originally wanted he was quick with suggestions and the reasons why he would make a choice of one over the other. I've never been happier with a sales rep.

Packaging: 10
Solid wood crate...lined with styrofoam...a stand cardboard shipping box inside...with heavy, high density foam surrounding the PC...a black cloth bag enclosing the PC..."expandable foam" on the interior of the PC to keep everything in place. Overkill? Maybe. But indicative of the care they take with their product.

The Case: 9
I selected the Lian Li A70F for this build. Great case...everything is tool-less, the case is well designed (power and reset buttons on top, as well as top-mounted ports for ESata, Firewire, 4 USB and audio ports. The case is MASSIVE...plenty of room for expansion, solidly built, with lots of nice interior touches. Because of the size, however, it should come standard with the optional locking wheels.

The Interior: 10
Immaculate wiring job, with everything routed for maximum airflow. Noiseblocker Mutliframe High-Performance Ultra Silent Fans (Origin replaces all case fans with these, standard) are VERY quiet and effective. All installed components were securely installed - nothing loose, no rattles/vibrations/etc. Clean, solid build.

First Boot: 10
I had the peripherals I wanted (NEC monitor, DECK keyboard, G9x mouse)...hooked everything up, plugged it into my UPS and turned it on. Boot was fast, directly to the Origin themed desktop. The install of Win 7 Professional was VERY clean; the OS, the drivers, Adobe Reader and nothing else. No stray icons on the desktop, no bloatware...the way every PC should come unless specified otherwise by the buyer. Fast, responsive, quiet rig.

Extras:
Besides the obligatory t-shirt; manuals, CDs, DVDs, non-used parts, cables, etc., were all included. An Origin burned DVD of the system, as shipped, included as standard. All "extras" were nicely boxed and packaged for shipment.

Initial Impressions:
My last rig, now 4 years old, was built by Velocity Micro. While I had a few issues initially with the build (handled WONDERFULLY by Heather Taylor, who, I believe, is now back with Velocity Micro-GREAT individual to work with!), it was a solid PC, well-crafted with top notch components. As impressed as I was then...I am even more impressed with my initial out-of-the-box experience with Origin PC. Some of that is the sheer speed of this rig and the advances in technology over the past four years; but a LOT of it is the courteious, professional and personal attention given to me as I asked questions before my order, changed my mind on some components AFTER the initial order, etc. Origin was always unfailing courteous, always prompt, always forthright, and NEVER pushy. The PC itself just screams quality...not a flaw anywhere that I can find.

Quite simply, this is the best buying experience I've had, the most attention to quality and consumer satisfaction I've ever had (well...tied with Heather for working with the consumer) and the best out of the box PC I've ever owned. I would HIGHLY recommend Origin PC to anyone.
 
Total rip off, that or I'm missing something.

You get the i7 for 1641.00... then you choose which i7 you have to pick and you pay an additional 300-400 bucks extra. Hate to break it to you but the best intel chip out now will only cost you 1,000. but on there site you paying almost 900 dollars more.

The mobo selection is not the greatest, I love EVGA so I don't have a problem with it, but most would go with the bigger mobo names like gigabyte and asus (only provide 2 asus options)

They charge 322 dollars extra to put flames on case... Most charge 100-150 for it. and thats with any case you want.

Graphics card - not a big selection for single's, not for nvidia anyway. Pressing on some of them marks them automatically "liquid cooled" and changes the psu, cooling features, putting the price for 1k+.

So finally at the end of this long process, the base price is 1,940 dollars because "you added an intel i7" and then it charges you a 838 dollars extra because you picked a a i7 975. So you just paid twice for 1 item.

Sorry bud, but this company is pure garbage, alienware is cheaper then these people.
 
...but I have to wonder from your comments if you even read my post...for example, I DID go with an Asus board. I didn't go for flames painted on the side - or any special paint for that matter...and I priced a similar rig from Alienware when shopping (as well as rigs from Digital Storm, MainGear, Falcon, etc.)...and when it came time to buy Origin PC had the best deal, comparing PCs as closely matched as the online choices would allow. You're not bursting my bubble in the least. :D
 
Total rip off, that or I'm missing something.

You get the i7 for 1641.00... then you choose which i7 you have to pick and you pay an additional 300-400 bucks extra. Hate to break it to you but the best intel chip out now will only cost you 1,000. but on there site you paying almost 900 dollars more.

The mobo selection is not the greatest, I love EVGA so I don't have a problem with it, but most would go with the bigger mobo names like gigabyte and asus (only provide 2 asus options)

They charge 322 dollars extra to put flames on case... Most charge 100-150 for it. and thats with any case you want.

Graphics card - not a big selection for single's, not for nvidia anyway. Pressing on some of them marks them automatically "liquid cooled" and changes the psu, cooling features, putting the price for 1k+.

So finally at the end of this long process, the base price is 1,940 dollars because "you added an intel i7" and then it charges you a 838 dollars extra because you picked a a i7 975. So you just paid twice for 1 item.

Sorry bud, but this company is pure garbage, alienware is cheaper then these people.

You mean to tell me you can build your own PC for less than boutique shops sell them? REALLY? I'm so happy you are here to deliver this STUNNING REVELATION.

People don't buy from boutique builders because component prices are lower. They buy for total product/support experience from the builder.

It would take a real ignorant moron not to realize this.

Oh hi there.
 
You mean to tell me you can build your own PC for less than boutique shops sell them? REALLY? I'm so happy you are here to deliver this STUNNING REVELATION.

People don't buy from boutique builders because component prices are lower. They buy for total product/support experience from the builder.

It would take a real ignorant moron not to realize this.

Oh hi there.

Ah fanboys - hate to break it to you, I understand that you will pay 5%-10% extra for a pre-build machine, I get that. I'm not here be a hater on pre-build machines, however there are way better companies that provide the same system they offering for much less money. Now I know these guys are somehow tied with alienware and another company and troll forums here and at EOC to promote there garbage.
 
Congratulations on acquiring that beast of a machine. I hope you acquire a beefed up GPU, in the near future. The leap from GTX 470 to the next tier will produce a very large gaming performance increase. Although the GTX 470 is good enough for now, you should wait for the first real, fully enabled Fermi card.


Thank you for that. People will always argue against these "extravagant" purchases, but all they're really doing is projecting their own limitations.

Ah fanboys - hate to break it to you, I understand that you will pay 5%-10% extra for a pre-build machine, I get that. I'm not here be a hater on pre-build machines, however there are way better companies that provide the same system they offering for much less money. Now I know these guys are somehow tied with alienware and another company and troll forums here and at EOC to promote there garbage.

Example #1. And he's a conspiracy theorist to boot. That's right, folks. Every person supporting a corporation is a shill. How dare you support Dell, Alienware, Origin, Falcon Northwest, NVIDIA, ATI, Intel, or AMD. You're obviously a PLANT! Yes, that's right. Secret Alienware employees, payed under the table by the shado... err... Dell are in your [H], plotting the demise of FILTHY WHITE BOX SCUM. /s

>.> Seriously?

Some people don't have the time to make building a computer a hobby. Some people just want to buy a high performance computer that works, is reliable, and when something inevitably goes wrong, they can fix it without having to call India and sit on the phone for hours. Some people want to buy a computer solely to USE it.

Signed,
OEM
 
Last edited:
...But I don't work for Origin PC...the same build on Alienware was $200.00 more than what I spent and didn't give me the case options, the heatsink I wanted, nor a second optical drive. I posted simply to share what was an excellent experience with a relatively new company with the readers here. The build quality is excellent, the support they've offered is excellent, the components offered are excellent and the will special order components they don't carry as "standard"; in short, a company that yields a great product at a very competitive price compared to other "boutique" builders, including Alienware, Falcon, MainGear and DigitalStorm. I know a lot of gamers build their own - others, like myself, choose not to. I'm in a position to possibly help other people here who are looking to buy a system...want a high quality rig...want a good pre-sales experience as well as excellent post-sales support, and aren't finding the system they want elsewhere. I'm far from a 'fanboy" - it's my first purchase from them!
 
Ah fanboys - hate to break it to you, I understand that you will pay 5%-10% extra for a pre-build machine, I get that. I'm not here be a hater on pre-build machines, however there are way better companies that provide the same system they offering for much less money. Now I know these guys are somehow tied with alienware and another company and troll forums here and at EOC to promote there garbage.

How about you post the same exact build and then also list warrant and support. Also, show us your expertise in systems and I will show you mine to back up credibility ;)
 
Heather's back with VM? She sure does change jobs a lot!

What can I say, I get around. ;)

To more completely answer that question, for the last few years, my work with custom builders has actually been a part-time pursuit. I like keeping my hands in the industry because I really enjoy working with customers and enthusiasts, and my full-time role isn't customer facing and (unfortunately) doesn't involve PC hardware.

I get a lot of satisfaction from what I do, and I only work with companies that I respect. I've worked with Puget Systems and Maingear in the past few years, and I can recommend them without hesitation--great products, great customer service. Velocity Micro is where I began my journey, and it feels good to be back again, even in this supporting role.

So, yeah...hit me up with any questions or suggestions for Velocity Micro, because I've come home again. Coach John has been hanging with me for years now...I'm so glad you got what you wanted from Origin!
 
Someone asked if the folks at Origin weren't former employees of Alienware. My understanding is that the group founding Origin is the same group that originally founded Alienware...so not so much former employees but former owners.

Heather, as many here will attest, is one of the best around in customer service. If you're going through Velocity, go through her...she'll make sure you're treated right!

!As for Origin...the more I use this new rig, the more I love what they put together for me!

John
 
Great to hear that you are having a great experience with your new Origin PC CoachJohn.

If you havent already, check out the official origin forums if you want, you might see some of the people who built your rig on there..

http://www.originniche.com/forums/index.php
 
Total rip off, that or I'm missing something.

You get the i7 for 1641.00... then you choose which i7 you have to pick and you pay an additional 300-400 bucks extra. Hate to break it to you but the best intel chip out now will only cost you 1,000. but on there site you paying almost 900 dollars more.

The mobo selection is not the greatest, I love EVGA so I don't have a problem with it, but most would go with the bigger mobo names like gigabyte and asus (only provide 2 asus options)

They charge 322 dollars extra to put flames on case... Most charge 100-150 for it. and thats with any case you want.

Graphics card - not a big selection for single's, not for nvidia anyway. Pressing on some of them marks them automatically "liquid cooled" and changes the psu, cooling features, putting the price for 1k+.

So finally at the end of this long process, the base price is 1,940 dollars because "you added an intel i7" and then it charges you a 838 dollars extra because you picked a a i7 975. So you just paid twice for 1 item.

Sorry bud, but this company is pure garbage, alienware is cheaper then these people.

As far as I am aware, Origin will build ANYTHING you want, heck you can even ship them your own parts, like video card and cpu and memory etc and then get them to build the rest for you, or if you dont like whats on their website in the hardware dept, then you can go hunting the net for what you want, tell Origin who will then source the parts that you specified and then build it for you.

What other PC company do you know that would do that ?

The range of services that Origin offer at a good price point is Unreal, they will go out of their way to make sure that you get EXACTLY what you want.

Ok, you may say I am a fanboi, I will readily agree that I am, even though i have not purchased an Origin pc, but I do know of a few of their employees and owners and in my humble opinion, you would be alot worse off if you were in the market for a new ready made pc but excluded Origin from your list of prospective rig builders.

Seriously, basically everyone who has received an origin rig that I know about ends up giving a great review like the OP's.

That speaks for its self.

They are also not tied with any other company, they are their own company, they were formed from some of the long standing employees of the original AW company when things went sour at Alienware after Dell bought them out..

They neither have anything to do with Alienware nor Dell.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Total rip off, that or I'm missing something.

You get the i7 for 1641.00... then you choose which i7 you have to pick and you pay an additional 300-400 bucks extra. Hate to break it to you but the best intel chip out now will only cost you 1,000. but on there site you paying almost 900 dollars more.

The mobo selection is not the greatest, I love EVGA so I don't have a problem with it, but most would go with the bigger mobo names like gigabyte and asus (only provide 2 asus options)

They charge 322 dollars extra to put flames on case... Most charge 100-150 for it. and thats with any case you want.

Graphics card - not a big selection for single's, not for nvidia anyway. Pressing on some of them marks them automatically "liquid cooled" and changes the psu, cooling features, putting the price for 1k+.

So finally at the end of this long process, the base price is 1,940 dollars because "you added an intel i7" and then it charges you a 838 dollars extra because you picked a a i7 975. So you just paid twice for 1 item.

Sorry bud, but this company is pure garbage, alienware is cheaper then these people.
Wow...I cant believe some of the idiots around here, I mean why even post in this thread....I don't think the OP gives a rats ass about your opinion.

Congrats on your new PC OP....enjoy it.
 
Nice PC OP. The naysayers can go screw themselves. While at this point in time I would never purchase a prebuilt. The day may come where I will. Good to know there are still companies out there that take good care of their customers.

Enjoy your rig.
 
Gratz on the new rig OP.

pictures? inside and out pls!

I don't get all the haters. Sure it's not as cost effective as building your own but that's not for every one. If you've got the money and YOU are happy then I don't see the problem.
 
While I do completely support the purchase of systems such as these from smaller retailers like the one in question, I would prefer members of [H]ard|Forum to hire someone from the BST thread to do it for you locally and involve you in the process. It would save you money and be an educational experience.

Just my 2c.
 
While I do completely support the purchase of systems such as these from smaller retailers like the one in question, I would prefer members of [H]ard|Forum to hire someone from the BST thread to do it for you locally and involve you in the process. It would save you money and be an educational experience.

Just my 2c.

The only problem I see with that is warranty. If he buys from a quality vendor such as Origin PC, he also gets the warranty and service that accompanies that particular system. Also, he may not know the person locally and trust his work. I think he made a good decision with the company choice, and I am sure that he will love the system for many years to come. I have built hundreds of systems personally and professionally, and I just purchased an Aurora ALX and I have never been happier with it. Less hassle involved with building your own.
 
Gratz on the new rig OP.

pictures? inside and out pls!

I don't get all the haters. Sure it's not as cost effective as building your own but that's not for every one. If you've got the money and YOU are happy then I don't see the problem.

Hell yeah, that's what I came in here to see. Pictures! :D
 
Those prices aren't bad compared to what we build custom for people. If they stand behind their work, then all the better :)
 
Sorry for my delayed response...to make a long story short:

After two weeks of bliss with the new build, I encountered a problem, and the recovery DVD they had sent was faulty. The PC went back to Origin and they quickly found a defective memory chip. Replaced the chip, rebuilt the HD image from scratch to include the new NVidia drivers, new ASUS motherboard BIOS and motherboard component drivers, etc. Sent two copies of the recovery DVD, added a set of wheels to the case (the Lian Li A70F is a BEAST of a case), ran their QA tests and burned the PC in again, and the PC is now back to me...no cost to me for anything.

Nobody wants to invest in new hardware only to have to send it back, and I admit to being disgruntled at first; but I have to say that Chris, the support technician I worked with, was EXCELLENT...he kept me posted on what was happening, he was prompt and professional in all communications, and was very understanding of my initial unhappiness..and he did everything he could to make sure that I was happy in the end. Support is one of those things you hope you never need, but Origin handled the support claim beautifully; it's nice to know how they'll react if something DOES go wrong. More to come.
 
They made you send the entire system back for a stick of ram that couldve been mailed to you?
 
pc was faulty and cause was unknown... what would you have sent back? i would guess the pc but maybe you would of sent back some random piece and see if the replacement piece fixed the issue, if not then go to the next component.
 
That's some great servicing from Origin! They really go over-the-top when something goes wrong which is pretty impressive.

Have fun with the new rig Coach!
 
Great servicing is an understatement...the reason I needed to use the (faulty) recovery DVD was that the system had slowed/grown unresponsive AFTER I installed Eset's newest security program (the second time this has happened to me, different systems...as much as I like Eset, I think they've gone downhill). Origin allowed me to send the system back, their dime, to create a new image from scratch on the HD, make sure there weren't any hardware related issues, etc. They found the faulty memory stick during their stress test; they wouldn't have known prior to that that it was faulty. Great service, great people. The new rig is humming along nicely...what a HUGE difference when working with CS5!
 
Back
Top