Smart to buy from smaller PC companies?

[Chez]

Of course we all know the big names Alienware, Falcon, VOodoo but I wanna know could I find the same great stuff and possibly a better performaning PC from smaller companies like Raptor OCX, Thunderbox PC, Tantus and even smaller companies like Cyberpower and Ibuypower? I'm very confused as there are many companies that can make a gaming PC but I can't figure out which one would actually make a PC that could last for gaming for awhile.

every store that you have mentioned is on

http://www.resellerratings.com

i have bought a machine for a friend at ibuypower.com and couldnt have been more pleased with it.

it really doesnt matter what company puts it together (that has a good reputation) it matter what goes inside the computer hardware wise.

personally Alienware, Falcon, Voodoo are overpriced and not worth the price they sell for

[Chez]

Yea, thats all I hear from those companies but the problem is other than ram, proc and videocard and sound card I dont know what quality is good or bad when it comes to other components such as hard drives, MOTHERBOARD and cd and floppy drives. This is prob. because I'm a gamer and the only parts I need to know about effect my gaming performance.

[ArcticFox]

Well they should tell you what brand and model number of parts that go into their boxes - I say if their service is good enough and the price is right, go for it as long as they don't screw up by heavily overclocking or skimp on components (like RAM and mobos).

[batmeat]

I personally prefer to build my own, but that's just me.

[Chez]

Not knowing motherboards however I wouldn't know if the company is skimping on it. I always configure with Kingston or Corsair memory no matter what system I look at.

[neofan]

Best option is, of course, building your own rig, but some people don't have time.

I've mentioned this earlier here, it's always better/smarter to buy from small, independent boutique shops, instead of paying for big company's ads, you pay just the hardware and quality. There's a difference between Alienware and other true high end builders, AW outsourced their tech support and mass produce the units, a few steps closer to big brand name PCs.

The main concern over buying from small shops is how much longer the companies would stay in business, nonetheless, you'll have a quality rig that will last a long time.