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WidowPC WidowFX Evaluation @ [H]

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One again, a very excellent article put together by Chris and the OEM group. One thing that I liked about this review is that the owner of the company actually held positive dialogue with [H] after the review had been completed. It's very refreshing to see that as a smaller OEM company, he's taking the review to heart and hopefully going to make good on the improvements. It's a much better reaction than the company figuratively sticking their fingers in their ears and going "lah lah lah lah lah!"
 
Jason is nothing if not thorough - must be that Ph.D. candidate in him. I'm glad you appreciated our efforts - and yes, I'm looking forward to seeing how WidowPC goes forward in increasing their quality and value to customers - we will definitely be revisiting them in 6 months.
 
I a bit curious about the final score of 4 out of 10. Averaging the scores for the individual categories yeilds a 6.425 which in my mind would result in a 6.5 final score. Given that all categories are X out of 10, there must be some unseen weighting done in the background, or is the final score just subjective?
 
JethroXP said:
I a bit curious about the final score of 4 out of 10. Averaging the scores for the individual categories yeilds a 6.425 which in my mind would result in a 6.5 final score. Given that all categories are X out of 10, there must be some unseen weighting done in the background, or is the final score just subjective?
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We weight categories differently. Normally tech support and stability are our biggest factors, but in the face of such discrepency with everything else, we felt that the biggest factor in our Bottom Line should be Value - we didn't get what we thought we were to receive, and what we got was of such little value outside the price of the components, that we decided to give it a mirror score of the the Value score of 4/10 to reinforce the point.
 
This company actually scored better than I expected in some categories.... I have been skeptical about this company from the beginning, when a search on Alienware led me to their WebSite where WidowPC trashed Alienware. Not that I am a big Alieware fan, but that left a bad taste in my mouth right off- I don't like mudslinging. Later, I read some unencouraging user reviews about WidowPC.

I think their prices are absurd! :eek:

Another well done review- thanks Jason and Chris.
 
kilgore777 said:
This company actually scored better than I expected in some categories.... I have been skeptical about this company from the beginning, when a search on Alienware led me to their WebSite where WidowPC trashed Alienware. Not that I am a big Alieware fan, but that left a bad taste in my mouth right off- I don't like mudslinging. Later, I read some unencouraging user reviews about WidowPC.

I think their prices are absurd! :eek:

Another well done review- thanks Jason and Chris.
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Yeah, sometimes categories are graded in a vacuum depending on the situation. In this case the system scored high in general usage, multimedia, and gaming because you know what - once we fixed the system up, it did exactly what it was supposed to do - but it still wasn't the system we ordered. Let me make an even more extreme analogy - let's say you paid for a $2600 computer and what you received was the equivalent of a $400 bargain PC from Dell. Sure, it may operate 100% in its capacities, but wouldn't you feel a bit jipped?

I have seen those links about Alienware and even Falcon Northwest, and while it definitely can be argued as 'cheap', we didn't feel the need to address it or factor it in regarding our evaluation.

But thank you for bringing it up.
 
I enjoyed reading the review and think that it was a more then fair and unbiased review of the equipment and service that was provided, There are alot of reviewers that would have soured the review by not giving the system builder a chance to work with them. I work for a system builder and although we only sell to other resellers I can appreciate this type of review from every aspect, from boxing to final sale, this is exactly how we want people to look at and experience our systems.. from its arrival to the final out of box experience. I think that WIDOW will get there and you may have just opened their eyes a little..
 
Another good review.

I appreciate the fact you gave Josh opportunity to respond to some of your issues before publishing.
 
great review.... Really hammers the nail in the coffin for me that if i'm going to spend a lot of money on a computer, i'll build it myself.

That being said I do have to give great credit to widowPC.... its obviously a one man operation (or two or three) and Josh's extension of help was nice to see. Maybe he just needs to put together a few more PC's as practice to get the dings out. Oh wait - that was a pun wasn't it... :eek:
 
More kudos to the [H] editorial staff... You guys put so much damn work into these reviews... I'd never, ever, ever buy an OEM system, as I can do my own work and hate paying for stuff I can do on my own, but I still read these - The reviews are complete, competent, and the way you work with the reviewed hardware provider is simply awesome - It's more than just a review - You guys are looking out for these companies and their end-users, and that sort of conscience is priceless in this business, because conscience is something you seldom get from the guy selling the OEM PC.

... Just wanted to leave the compliment. Great work on the article, and great work on trying to make things better for everyone.
 
Good review. I like reading these evaluations more and more, even though I'd never buy one. I like the honest approach you guys take to the evaluation. You are quick to praise and quick to point out flaws. This is some of the more unbiased evaluations I've seen on the net.

Some things I feel are important to point out...
1. Why would you ship out a system with a dent in the top of the case? What do you just hope the person doesn't notice? It would've been cheaper for the company to ship back the defective case and start over than if the actual customer complained and sent the entire PC back to them.
2. Raidmax? What system builder in their right mind would use such a bad PSU? If I were in the business of building PC's I'd want to use the best parts I could. All you need is for that PSU to give and maybe take out the rest of the system.
3. I like Maxtor drives, but they tend to run on the hot side. Again if I'm building a PC to sell I'd pick something that runs a bit cooler and quieter.
 
TheAcorn said:
More kudos to the [H] editorial staff... You guys put so much damn work into these reviews... I'd never, ever, ever buy an OEM system, as I can do my own work and hate paying for stuff I can do on my own, but I still read these - The reviews are complete, competent, and the way you work with the reviewed hardware provider is simply awesome - It's more than just a review - You guys are looking out for these companies and their end-users, and that sort of conscience is priceless in this business, because conscience is something you seldom get from the guy selling the OEM PC.

... Just wanted to leave the compliment. Great work on the article, and great work on trying to make things better for everyone.
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That means a lot to all of us. We really appreciate your appreciation.

Hardocp.com is dedicated to enthusiasts and is made up of enthusiasts. I hope that enthusiasts such as yourselves, who build their own machines, will be able to at the very least be able to take from our system evaluations the knowledge necessary to make informed recommendations to friends and family who no doubt pester you about what computer they should buy. ;)

Also, we welcome all the recent newcomers looking for advice on what system they wish to purchase for themselves. I've seen a recent influx of members asking these questions, and I'm very glad that our evaluations are written in a way that both potential clients of OEM builders and enthusiasts can find value in what we're doing.

As we've stated before, our new website will be segmented, with our OEM evaluations falling under the branding of [H] Consumer, and will be a seperate page within Hardocp.com. I hope that this new brand identity will further welcome new readers looking for the best and most objective help they can get when it comes to choosing the right PC.
 
Major_A said:
Good review. I like reading these evaluations more and more, even though I'd never buy one. I like the honest approach you guys take to the evaluation. You are quick to praise and quick to point out flaws. This is some of the more unbiased evaluations I've seen on the net.

Some things I feel are important to point out...
1. Why would you ship out a system with a dent in the top of the case? What do you just hope the person doesn't notice? It would've been cheaper for the company to ship back the defective case and start over than if the actual customer complained and sent the entire PC back to them.
2. Raidmax? What system builder in their right mind would use such a bad PSU? If I were in the business of building PC's I'd want to use the best parts I could. All you need is for that PSU to give and maybe take out the rest of the system.
3. I like Maxtor drives, but they tend to run on the hot side. Again if I'm building a PC to sell I'd pick something that runs a bit cooler and quieter.
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I completely agree with your first two points - and while our Maxtor was a bit loud, which may also be attributed to the chassis design, it did sit in front of a 120mm chassis intake fan which would keep it cool.
 
Thanks for this two reviews guys! NOW get on with a Falcon mach V review before I buy my system from them! :)
 
TheAcorn said:
More kudos to the [H] editorial staff... You guys put so much damn work into these reviews... I'd never, ever, ever buy an OEM system, as I can do my own work and hate paying for stuff I can do on my own, but I still read these - The reviews are complete, competent, and the way you work with the reviewed hardware provider is simply awesome - It's more than just a review - You guys are looking out for these companies and their end-users, and that sort of conscience is priceless in this business, because conscience is something you seldom get from the guy selling the OEM PC.

... Just wanted to leave the compliment. Great work on the article, and great work on trying to make things better for everyone.
Click to expand...

I second that.
 
It's highly unlikely that I'd ever buy a gaming rig from an OEM, but if and when friends want to upgrade their rigs I point them directly to [H]. I don't like being customer support so I generally don't build/fix/use other people's setups, and this is a great place to start, stay and eventually (hopefully) contribute to. It's obvious that the staff here *cares* about what they do which is so rare nowadays. IMO the move into OEM reviews has been a wise choice for the [H]--you can just *feel* the value pouring out of the monitor--okay, so I'm overdoing that last bit (just a little. :D )

Good luck and keep up the good work. Thanks!
 
I think the review was good but I think you should have attempted to RMA the machine to get the issues fixed. With a dented case, wrong ram(not as good), wrong video card(really no difference), wrong power supply etc. Also if I paid for wire management and had to redo it myself becuase they put a wrong(and bad) power supply in I would have been real mad. Overall the computer screamed return for a refund for the average consumer. That being said I do like how you continued the review. We all know that part failures do happen. If they put the right power supply in and it ened up failing would have been one thing. Shipping a part ground for an error on there part is a joke. Pretty much every OEM I've ever delt with ship out parts via air. Some 2 day air some overnight. It seems that at least with your computer the company didn't put it together right(the damage to the case in both places you listed) and didn't even care to notify you when they subbed parts(even for lesser parts). While it is great that the owner talked to you all after this and wants you to do another one in 6 months you have to ask yourself one question. What good is the support if they seem(to me) to just talk without action. With them being a small OEM I hope when you review them again you use a different name. Just to make sure. Anyway the review had a lot of good information and I like the addition of the "value" section.
 
swatbat said:
I think the review was good but I think you should have attempted to RMA the machine to get the issues fixed. With a dented case, wrong ram(not as good), wrong video card(really no difference), wrong power supply etc. Also if I paid for wire management and had to redo it myself becuase they put a wrong(and bad) power supply in I would have been real mad. Overall the computer screamed return for a refund for the average consumer. That being said I do like how you continued the review. We all know that part failures do happen. If they put the right power supply in and it ened up failing would have been one thing. Shipping a part ground for an error on there part is a joke. Pretty much every OEM I've ever delt with ship out parts via air. Some 2 day air some overnight. It seems that at least with your computer the company didn't put it together right(the damage to the case in both places you listed) and didn't even care to notify you when they subbed parts(even for lesser parts). While it is great that the owner talked to you all after this and wants you to do another one in 6 months you have to ask yourself one question. What good is the support if they seem(to me) to just talk without action. With them being a small OEM I hope when you review them again you use a different name. Just to make sure. Anyway the review had a lot of good information and I like the addition of the "value" section.
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We have already made steps to insure that our follow up article will also be anonymous. Of course you can understand that I will not go into them here.

And while some customers definitely would have returned this system immediately for a refund - it would have made for a very short article. We did state that they were willing to switch out the video card if we so desired, which we noted in the evaluation. However, all of these little things point to a massive failure in QA and production - something that I think we pointed out very well.
 
Good review, although I thought 2/10 and 2/10 were a bit low since the system was ordered successfully online and arrived in more or less working condition.

2/10 doesn't leave much room on the downside. I could imagine much worse so I'd give them a pass there (4/5). If the builder left his cheese sandwich in there I would go with the 2. ;)

Kind of makes you wonder if the company is just an office with staff, phones and a rented server? When you buy a PC from company A, B or C maybe they all come from ALVIO.
 
tomv said:
Good review, although I thought 2/10 and 2/10 were a bit low since the system was ordered successfully online and arrived in more or less working condition.

2/10 doesn't leave much room on the downside. I could imagine much worse so I'd give them a pass there (4/5). If the builder left his cheese sandwich in there I would go with the 2. ;)

Kind of makes you wonder if the company is just an office with staff, phones and a rented server? When you buy a PC from company A, B or C maybe they all come from ALVIO.
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Remember, we factor in the purchasing experience, which ended up being a weird and misleading conversation. Build quality was terrible. 2/10 is justified, it didn't have the right parts, it was dented, wiring was terrible, and it wasn't a PSU failure IMHO, it was a joke of a PSU that should never have been used to begin with.
 
While I barely ever buy OEM systems, I must congratulate the [H] staff on reviews that are enjoyable to read.

now for this:
osh has assured me that some of the descriptions on his Web site will be clarified for consistency so there is no chance that a prospective customer may be mislead on just what they will receive if they order a computer from WidowPC.
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well, apparently, that sort of clarification has yet to happen:

http://www.widowpc.com/2005/06/arachnid_sli.php
http://www.widowpc.com/2005/06/arachnid_sli.php said:
The motherboard: DK8EW By IWILL

WidowPC hit a home run with the selection of the A8N-SLI Deluxe. Representing motherboard engineering at its best, the performance of A8N-SLI Deluxe is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy the latest games with most visual effects; go ahead with the most graphics demanding multimedia utilities. Don't worry, this mobo is good enough for you, the question is, are you game enough for A8N-SLI.
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Since it is a dual-socket 940 system, the DK8EW will certainly work for the system, but I do not understand why they talk about the A8N-SLI below that headline :conf: Really does not make sense (and I am not talking about the marketing mumbo-jumbo).

the page continues on to describe the features of the Asus A8N-SLI Dlx, not the IWill board.... very poor imho.
 
That's another thing I'd like to point out. Josh committed to me that he would make those changes to their website, but as of yet that has not happened.

We'll keep an eye on this and perhaps do a follow up article on just that.
 
Chris_Morley said:
We have already made steps to insure that our follow up article will also be anonymous. Of course you can understand that I will not go into them here.

And while some customers definitely would have returned this system immediately for a refund - it would have made for a very short article. We did state that they were willing to switch out the video card if we so desired, which we noted in the evaluation. However, all of these little things point to a massive failure in QA and production - something that I think we pointed out very well.
Click to expand...

O yea I fully understand why you wouldn't go into details of being anonymous. When I mean RMA the system I ment sending it back to have them fix all of the problems and seeing if they would fix everything right the first time. My statment of the system screaming refund is more of saying that I think the normal consumer would have returned the system outright do to the issues it had with it(a bunch). Something elce interesting to try would have been asking for a replacement system and seeing if the would replace the system with one that was as ordered. I'm not sure if this is fully possible but it may be an interesting way of further testing an oem that send out a "lemon" as this system seems to have been. By requesting a replacment system for one that comes with multiple issues brings up the issue of not being able to test speed of them sending out a part(which shipping a part ground would do in my book) but I think it may give a batter chance to the builder. After all it is possible you just got a major screw up that doesn't represent the normal(then again it may be).
 
swatbat said:
O yea I fully understand why you wouldn't go into details of being anonymous. When I mean RMA the system I ment sending it back to have them fix all of the problems and seeing if they would fix everything right the first time. My statment of the system screaming refund is more of saying that I think the normal consumer would have returned the system outright do to the issues it had with it(a bunch). Something elce interesting to try would have been asking for a replacement system and seeing if the would replace the system with one that was as ordered. I'm not sure if this is fully possible but it may be an interesting way of further testing an oem that send out a "lemon" as this system seems to have been. By requesting a replacment system for one that comes with multiple issues brings up the issue of not being able to test speed of them sending out a part(which shipping a part ground would do in my book) but I think it may give a batter chance to the builder. After all it is possible you just got a major screw up that doesn't represent the normal(then again it may be).
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I believe it would have qualified as a lemon if we had a) gotten the correct parts and b) didn't work. However, in our case we got the wrong parts and even though it didn't work to begin with, we got it working after they replaced our PSU. They argued with us about the Crucial RAM, but offerred to replace the eVGA card if we wanted.

The dented chassis I'm sure they would have fixed, but it would not have altered our article in any way. Furthermore, I'm not going to RMA just for crappy wiring - now, returned for a refund, that's more likely - but again, it would have made for a short article.
 
Excellent review! While I will continue to build my own systems, I really enjoy reading through the experiences of purchasing an OEM machine. So often with reviews I skip to the conclusion and break it down from there. Not so with the {H}ard OEM reviews. I'm hooked into reading each section!

Keep up the awesome reviews!

Jeff
 
I whole heartedly agree with your assesment that as the "porche of pc's" the build quality was just not where it's suppose to be.

The article itself was extremely fair and unbiased. As a former VAR, i'm very interested in seeing if WidowPC can bring thier build quality up to the expectations they tout on their website inside of 6months.

The OEM partner i went through (http://www.equuscs.com/) while a VAR, had outstanding build quality, always used the best name brand components, and had margins low enough for me to compete with dell's all-in-one systems with branded LCD's.

I think if WidowPC switched from whoever they're using now, to a better OEM partner, the customization they provide to the original product would be quicker, easier, and their endproduct would be outstanding.
 
I'm thinking more of asking for a replacement as with multiple issues a customer would have either asked for a refund or a replacement pc. I'm not saying most people would ask for a refund because of a small dent or bad power supply(some would) I'm saying that the average person would because of the dent(on top and by the video card), bad ps, wrong parts all in one system. This may be going well past what you all are trying to do(which is better then everyone elces reviews) but it may be something to look into. With all of these issues it would have been interesting to see how far they would go for customer service. Mind you with how bad yours turned out I don't see them fixing everything without a hassel but you never know.
 
While I give kudos to Widow for the direct contact with you after receiving the computer -- a company that subcontracts it's computer builds while professing the best in customer care, build quality, and value is questionable at best.

There was an obvious disconect between the folks at Widow and the folks at Alvio. "Didn't I call you about that?" Substituted components in the "Porsche of computers?" Promised software not loaded.

Selecting a similar system from Alvio's website does not come near the same price as the Widow PC was - not that I'd buy a computer from Alvio, your Widow PC showed their build quality. Getting an Alvio PC with a custom spider graphic on the case, a pivotman in the RMA/tech support process (although having a dedicated support channel is nice) and the cost of the Sharpie to change the return address just isn't worth it, IMHO.


Thanks for doing this review. I have been looking at laptops and WidowPC was a company I had looked at. I don't believe I'll consider them for the time being.

P.S. Any chance of some laptop reviews in the future?
 
i am not impressed AT all at the claims they make and dont seem to follow through - i really DO hope they take this article seriously and use it.


Their customer service people dont seem to know a DAM thing
Their so called wiring job - COME ON!

http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1130272781r63pc9KJwh_3_12_l.jpg

my grandmother could do a better job!

this company needs to learn ALOT before it stands ANY chance of competiting in an already saturated market.
 
"$2572.00 As Configured + $74.00 Shipping"

Please...that...has to be a typo.

[H]ardOCP is wayyyy too kind. My 'review' of that system would have been video of me pouring a 30 round magazine of 7.62 into its belly. What a POS. Thanks for the review though, its good to see systems like this translated from splashy full page magazine ads to reality.
 
homersapien said:
"$2572.00 As Configured + $74.00 Shipping"

Please...that...has to be a typo.

[H]ardOCP is wayyyy too kind. My 'review' of that system would have been video of me pouring a 30 round magazine of 7.62 into its belly. What a POS. Thanks for the review though, its good to see systems like this translated from splashy full page magazine ads to reality.
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Some people may not agree with our scoring (too high, too low, etc.), but we at the very least try to give you all the facts so you can decide whether you agree with our scoring at the very end.

And the price - we ordered this last Oct. Prices haven't fluctuated too much since then - I don't know - but just FYI.
 
tomv said:
Good review, although I thought 2/10 and 2/10 were a bit low since the system was ordered successfully online and arrived in more or less working condition.

2/10 doesn't leave much room on the downside. I could imagine much worse so I'd give them a pass there (4/5). If the builder left his cheese sandwich in there I would go with the 2. ;)

Kind of makes you wonder if the company is just an office with staff, phones and a rented server? When you buy a PC from company A, B or C maybe they all come from ALVIO.
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The case was physically damaged, they used the wrong parts, and they literally used the boxes THEY received the components in as their packaging. I'd expect this from the 15-year old kid down the road, but it's 100% totally unacceptable from an actual business.

They literally bought some components, put them together, shoved all of the accessories and extra wires in the motherboard box, put the computer back into the box it came from the case manufacturer in, and shoved it out the door with some packing peanuts.

If I were to build someone a custom PC out of my own house, I would never let that out the door. It's despicable.

The score of 2/10 is 100% justified. The fact that it more or less "worked" is nothing more than a consolation. The PC was the wrong PC with the wrong parts, its presentation and construction were as amateur as possible, and it was obviously damaged before it left the manufacturer's hands. There's not much more downside.
 
Damn...well that was an enlightening review! :eek: I sure am glad you reviewed this company, 'cause once I was eyeing a notebook of theirs...not anymore. :p
 
Overall a great review, as usual. HardOCP has it down when it comes to full system reviews.

As for WidowPC, they really need to get their act together if they wanna stay in business. RAIDMAX is not a "Porsche" power supply at all and the one they sent to replace it was even worse, for $2500+ I would want to see Enermax, OCZ, etc in there. I would continue but your review was right on the money. Just one more thing ... if there was dent or damage to my brand new computer when it arrived, I would not be a happy camper and would have sent it back as soon as I opened the box, how can anyone let a new computer out the door looking like that ?

Lastly, I would like to see another review of a WidowPC in 6-8 months to see if they have improved anything, if not .. I would recommend to people to just stay away.
 
eggrock said:
It's highly unlikely that I'd ever buy a gaming rig from an OEM, but if and when friends want to upgrade their rigs I point them directly to [H]. I don't like being customer support so I generally don't build/fix/use other people's setups, and this is a great place to start, stay and eventually (hopefully) contribute to. It's obvious that the staff here *cares* about what they do which is so rare nowadays. IMO the move into OEM reviews has been a wise choice for the [H]--you can just *feel* the value pouring out of the monitor--okay, so I'm overdoing that last bit (just a little. :D )

Good luck and keep up the good work. Thanks!
Click to expand...

What is funny is that about two years ago, I caught myself turning folks that were close to me to Dell for their systems, as I myself did not want be THE GUY supporting friends and family PCs anymore. Then one day it popped into my head that I had no real understanding of the marketplace. I did not know WTF I was talking about to put it plainly. Figuring that I was in this situation, I knew many of our readers had to be in the same situation, so I put together plans for what is now turning into the [H] Consumer content you guys are reading now. :) Anyway, sorry to ping in off-topic, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
 
Great review.

One thing; I didn’t really understand was why you added parts, like the sound card. We never really find out if the sounds ports are actually busted or if it is because the computer was not supplied properly to use an additional card. I like when everything is left exactly how it is and you act as if you are someone with minimal experience. Maybe DVD “experience” isn’t as awesome without the additional card. Who knows if you opted for a good sound card in the order maybe they give you something else;P

Great review overall….I have enjoyed this new addition to H very much.
 
I believe they paid for the sound card to be included in the final build.
 
LMAO.. Hyundai instead of a Porsche.

Another fine review!

It is too bad not all of the boutique builders go to the trouble that MainGear has. I was thoroughly impressed with them.

Seems that MainGear and Puget are going to be hard to beat as I would consider them the Gold Standard so far.

Are we going to see an Alienware machine anytime soon?
 
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