iBUYPOWER Scare

[swartzism]

I just recently purchased a custom built computer from iBUYPOWER 6 days ago, since then I've read customer reviews on this website and it seems to be split 50/50 between good reviews and bad reviews. The funny thing is that the reviews are the exact opposite of each other with only one thing in common: poor customer support. The good reviews say that they got their PC in a reasonable amount of time and everything works great, the bad reviews say that their PC took forever to ship and either components of the comp were damaged, DOA, or were not connected. It seems that most of the horror stories have to do with Microsoft problems and I did not order an OS (hopefully a good thing). Any consolation and or advice?

[michaels39]

The best advice I can think of is give the system a testing as soon as it arrives.Install the OS of your choice immediately and give it as a complete check up as you can.The faster you can find any potential problems,the faster you can get it fixed.I'd go as far as opening the case when it arrives to insure everything you ordered is installed and all cables and cards are properly attached and secure.I wish you luck.

[swartzism]

Well from the horror stories I have read, it might take a while for it to come, here's the time-line so far:

9/11/2007 4:24:23 PM Processing “Urgent Notice” We regret to inform you that this order is currently being held because there's a problem with the configuration. To avoid further delay, please call our Customer Care Representative: Steve at 888-462-3899 Ext-147.
9/10/2007 9:40:00 AM Processing Order Received/Processing
9/9/2007 11:22:21 AM Submitted Order Submitted by Customer

The problem was that I didn't add up the wattage right and I ordered a less powerful power supply than I should have. Shouldn't they have a incompatible warning system? I'm going to stick with the order even if it does turn out to be a nightmare, but the more I think about this company the less legit it seems.

[michaels39]

Actually,the fact that they caught the mistake with the PSU before assembly offers some hope that someone is paying attention,though the really good builders will list their systems with parts selection menus adjusted to fit the requirements of that system.It's in the quality of the build and burn in testing that Ibuypower seems to come up short.

[swartzism]

Yeah, I've read some stories about iBUYPOWER involving a "burn-in test." What is it?

[michaels39]

A burn in test is probably the most important part of insuring a system is working properly.After the build is finished,the system is tested by running various programs for several hours that put the computer's components and functions(video,memory,cpu,ect.) through their paces to uncover any problems.If a builder doesn't give the system a proper burn in,it increases the chance of you having problems with it when it arrives.

[swartzism]

I read that the burn-in test time does not differ whether one has an OS installed or not - is that true? Was not ordering a OS a good idea? Could they have possibly screwed that up? Do you think it will take less time to put together if they do not have to install an OS?

[michaels39]

They'll still have to install an OS to run the test programs,they'll just uninstall everything when they're done.I'd rather have the OS installed,at least if they're real professionals about it and have all the latest drivers,saves the headaches of doing it yourself,especially if you're going to use Vista.

[swartzism]

Hopefully I can bypass the Vista virus, I have a spare Windows XP Pro.

[michaels39]

That's probably the best way to go until all the bugs and driver problems are fixed in Vista.Hopefully they'll actually have it working right by the time they drop support for XP.