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| MALIBAL Customer Reviews - Page 3 |
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12/4/09 8:11 PM
If you are like me, you probably found this page because in your quest for the laptop equivalent of the Death Star, you found Malibal and said "What the hell is a Malibal?! And does it rhyme with volleyball?"
I built the requirement for a great machine into the contract for a job I have just started. I compared everyone. I looked at Lenovo and Dell new and refurbs... Read MoreIf you are like me, you probably found this page because in your quest for the laptop equivalent of the Death Star, you found Malibal and said "What the hell is a Malibal?! And does it rhyme with volleyball?"
I built the requirement for a great machine into the contract for a job I have just started. I compared everyone. I looked at Lenovo and Dell new and refurbs (both excellent, btw), Alienware (over priced my little pony for nerds), Sager, before stumbling upon Malibal.
My budget allowed me a Nine series with a 17" 1920x1200, i7-950, 12GB of PC3-10660/1333MHz DDR3, 280M-GTX, 3x500GB 7200RPM SATA in RAID-0, and a few accessories.
I chatted online with a support person prior to the purchase, and they were absolutely awesome. I had initially been looking at the Veda, but as I explained that this would be 75% for business, the rep steered me toward the Nine... smaller display, and only 1 GTX-280M vs the SLi capability in the Veda, the Nine is tops in the power category. I was unable to find any other laptop that came close, and the price was DAMNED reasonable for the ridiculous power this thing packs.
So, it was between the Malibal and a Thinkpad. Thinkpads are an engineering marvel. They are the best designed laptop chassis you can buy. Maxing out a Thinkpad W700 from the Lenovo site came up with the following: QX9300 Extreme processor, 8GB of 1067MHz RAM, 2x320GB 7200RPM HDs in RAID 0, 17" WUXGA, Quadro FX 3700M.
Now, chassis engineering aside, the Malibal absolutely devastates the W700 in every possible way*. The domination of the QX9300 by the i7-950 is staggering:
Intel Core i7 950 : 3.07GHz : Passmark Bench:6,196
Intel Core 2 Extreme Q9300 : 2.53 : Passmark Bench 3,664
(The i7 bus absolutely murders the previous generations - however, keep in mind that the Nine packs a DESKTOP class processor, so the W700 can run on battery a bit longer)
Next, the RAM... 8GB 1067MHz vs. 12GB of 1333MHz. Your call.
HDs - with the W700 you max out at 2x320GB (Obviously you can buy drives from TD or wherever, but that is beside the point) You COULD go SSDs, but in that case the W700 only goes 2x128 where the Nine will go 3x160. The 3x500GB in RAID 0 screams. Just makes sure to back up, kids.
As far as the screen goes, the Nine is beautiful, but it IS glossy. The W700 screens I have seen are very nice, and I would honestly have preferred a matte finish on my Nine's display.
On to the GFX cards - (see * above) for CAD you might be better off with the FX 3700 - I don't know. The much greater RAM capacity and speed, and the dominating i7 might make up the difference, if there is one. If you are a CAD engineer, I would definitely look into this before buying.
With all of the above taken into account, the Thinkpad is STILL almost $1,000 more. Lenovo's support service is top of the line - I have no experience in that regard with Malibal. They both come with a 1 year parts warranty - but Malibal ups the ante with 3 years of ltd labor, and free shipping both ways as well as free labor on upgrades and they have 24/7 US based support.
So, now here is the trick: I am getting this mainly for business. I WILL travel, but I don't care how heavy something is - you might I haven't tested it, but I would imagine the battery won't outlast your average NFL TV Timeout.
There remains the issue of the leap of faith in going with this brand over a established enterprise name like IBM, Dell, HP, etc. *I* had no issues with that what soever, I run Linux and it doesn't care who's machine it is on. But, what did concern me was that if this thing turned out to be a turd, it would be a bad way to start off at a new company to say the least.
So, happened upon this site and that was enough for me. What sealed the deal was the response that they had to one irate customer. I deal with people like that from time to time, and they handled it admirably indeed. (Search through here to find it). My subsequent experience with the online support staff was spectacular, as was my experience with the ordering and delivery process.
I got what I ordered and got it when they said it would get here.
This machine rocks, but you can get it from all kinds of different vendors. I will buy from Malibal because their site rocks, their ordering system is great, they integrate tracking right into your account. They don't pressure you or spam you.
Everything else aside, it comes down to this: the genuine passion that this crew has for doing what they do better than anyone else is shown through their actions instead of a flowery "About Us" page.
Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it above, this laptop is awesome. And also fast. I would say that it is one step above having your own giraffe or platypus.
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6/10/09 3:25 PM
We purchased from Malibal primarily because we felt they had some of the best pricing on gaming level laptops. Unbeknownst to us the customer service and follow through were just as good if not better. I am truley pleased with the service and pricing I received from Malibal and my son is extremely happy with his new gaming laptop. Thank you Malibal!
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4/28/09 10:37 PM
Let me start by saying that the sales department was very nice (obv sales is going to be nice but still a good thing)
I bought a brand new nine series, for about $3,600.
When it arrived it looked great, and I was excited.
However, after running my apps which require internet access I discovered there was a big problem with the on board WIFI.
The WIFI would go out for anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes, and this would happen about every 20 minutes to a few hours or so.
Normally I would think this was a problem on my end, but I am sure it was not.
I stripped down all variables, ran the same apps on my buddies $800 HP side by side, and I lost connection while they kept it. So then maybe I thought well my network might be buggy (even though I have never had trouble before.) I went to my girlfriends house and on her WIFI network I ran the same test, we had the same apps running side by side, and I would lose connection, while her very old laptop kept a crisp and clean connection.
I also noticed some things on the screen which I thought were "dead pixels." If I ran any program with a darkish screen, I would notice 5 spots that were not the color they were supposed to be! There were a few green dots, and one red dot. I was told these were actually "stuck" pixel's, either way, it was highly noticeable, not pretty at all and really took away from the laptop. I tried fixing these using some freeware programs but was unsuccessful (me working on the brand new $3,600 machine! when a quick check at the shop would have caught the problem with the screen.)
I then exercised my right to return my laptop. This is when I realized that the 100% refund, didn't count shipping, which means I would be out well over $100. I didn't totally mind this, but the sales department, while not deceptive, definitely didn't make this clear.
I returned my laptop, and used the credit of the old computer towards a new computer. Well, it was sort of a slap in the face when my returned buggy computer was repackaged and sent right back to me! There was a video card taken out, and hard drive added, which were the specs I had changed for my second purchased. HOWEVER, There were 5 stuck pixel's in the exact same places, and the same WIFI problems. I was then told that there was some sort of mix-up, and that they did a service instead of a return. NEVER did I mention anything about wanting a service on my returned laptop.
The computer ran very well, and if I wasn't somewhat OCD about bright green/red stuck pixel dots constantly on the screen, or the necessary consistent internet connection for my business, I would've kept this laptop, but unfortunately I had to return it.
I should mention the last thing that bothered me. After I contacted customer service, and told them of the return "mix-up" they were very apologetic, which was nice to hear. I got the impression that Malibal felt bad and wanted to right by me. A customer service agent assured me that "they would talk to the returns department tomorrow, and have a "GREAT RESOLUTION" for me." This was a big relief to me because I still liked the machine and needed a powerful laptop. I contacted customer service the next day a few times, all during business hours, and they gave me the impression of "well what the heck do you want?", "did you decide to keep it?, etc." This seemed pretty cold, as if to ignore the context of my situation, and frustration, and previous days conversation with customer service.
All in all I bought a laptop from MALIBAL, returned it, and got a refund for the item's price, but had to pay over $100 for shipping back and forth. However on top of all of this, there was a lot of time lost with troubleshooting, and the extra return that was mixed up, among other frustrations.
I may decide to take a shot on a new MALIBAL nine series, but really have to think twice about dishing out another $85 shipping charge (this would be my third total charge) just to cross my fingers for what I get, and then possibly be forced to pay for shipping back (a fourth $85 charge), if I had received another defective product.
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8/11/09 4:26 AM
Thank you Andrew for your feedback. I would just like to add a few words to help explain our side.
Once Andrew received his notebook, he said that he was very happy with it, but that he had issues with his wi-fi card. So, we had originally issued the RMA as a service (no fault of Andrew's this was our decision) and then provided Andrew with a prepaid shipping label, because we cover all shipping charges on warranty work.
Well, as Andrew mentioned - he decided to change some components on the system, and also wanted a new screen since he had a few stuck pixels, so we changed the RMA from a service to an exchange.
However, for one reason or another - the RMA was not properly updated in the system, so instead of fulfilling the exchange - we added the upgrades he requested (free of labor charges) tested his wi-fi card and then returned the notebook.
At this point, Andrew had only paid for the original shipping charge, because all of the shipping on this service was covered by us (to and from). Note: Andrew had been charged a 2nd shipping charge, but it was refunded after the RMA turned out to be a service instead of exchange.
Well, after Andrew received his notebook back - he mentioned that he still had some stuck pixels but that his wi-fi card seemed to be working better. Overall, he seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that he hadn't received a full exchange, so we were very apologetic, because we understood that we had made a mistake on the RMA.
So, as a resolution, we offered to either pay half the shipping costs on a new replacement system, meaning Andrew would only have to pay two total shipping charges for having two new systems shipped, or that he could return the notebook for a full refund minus shipping charges, in accordance with our return policy.
A day went by, and Andrew contacted us via chat (as mentioned in his review) and we asked him what he had decided to do. It's very easy to misinterpret someone's tone in a text chat, so if for any reason he felt we were being cold, we apologize - because that is never the case. We simply wanted to know what he had decided, so that we could oblige him in his request.
If you take a moment to read over the rest of our reviews, you can see that we are very honest people who work extremely hard to ensure customer satisfaction, as this is the first rating that we have ever received on rr.com that is less than a perfect 5 check score.
We regret that Andrew's experience was less than satisfactory, but hope that he gives us another chance, so that we can make full amends.
Thanks for reading! :] |
MALIBAL
MALIBAL
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4/20/09 2:42 PM
Malibal has a far better choice of options for laptop components than any of the other PC websites I've been to. Their prices are generally a couple hundred dollars cheaper and still contain the same components if not better than what the more well-know companies like Alienware offer. I built a gaming laptop with just about every top-end customizeable option available and the computer still arrived within 2 weeks. It works great and I couldn't be more happier. I would definitely buy from Malibal again.
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4/10/09 8:52 AM
Quick and excellent customer support. Fast delivery of laptop. Offer help even for unsupported OS. Laptop runs great!
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4/9/09 3:02 PM
Good price.
Fast order processing.
Outstanding customer service.
Why buy a high performance laptop from anyone else?
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3/28/09 9:01 PM
My laptop configuration is the lotus series with P9500 CPU, 7200RPM HDD, 4GB RAM, 4GB Turbo Memory, 64-bit Vista Ultimate.
I write a lot of software, so usually I have to compile several projects, I have to run database stress tests, and also I need to keep track of a lot of documentation so as I work I usually keep a whole bunch of programs open.
This laptop is a dream come true. Programs that used to take about 30 seconds just to launch them on my IBM-T41 with 2GB RAM now takes a fraction of a second on my lotus. It is incredible!! I am not sure if it's due to the turbo memory but it sure is awesome.
The screen is flawless and the resolution is really good. The battery life is pretty good considering the amount of power it has (about two and a half hours, probably more if I had the screen on dimmest setting).
The speaker sound is awesome as well. 3D effects are loud and clear.
I also use the SD-Card slot all the time. This comes in very handy to transfer pictures. It used to take about 15 minutes to transfer all my pictures via USB. Now it's about a minute.
I also use the bluetooth and DVD-RW. This laptop is got it all and I am sure it will be sufficient for a long time.
I have had my laptop for two months now and it's packed with all my programming languages (VS2003, 2005, 2008), Windows SDKs, Mobile SDKs, SQL Server, MySQL Server, etc. My laptop speed has not degraded a bit with all the programs I installed. I definitely recommend this laptop to anyone who needs high a performance PC fully loaded all packed in a small laptop. This is a great purchase worth every penny.
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3/23/09 9:18 AM
We purchase Satori notebooks for business. We needed notebooks that can handle extreme 3d graphic for sub-sea topography, Arc-Mapping, continuous imaging, reservoir modeling, and much more. We use a dual boot configuration of "Linux/Windows" and have been more than pleased. Top notch service. Scalability is important to us and MALIBAL even upgraded one of our older models. 5-stars for MALIBAL.
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3/20/09 6:30 PM
After much research ordered two laptops. Followed up with another order for two more a few days later for jealous co-workers. :)
Needed to call Malibal for some additional information and found their phone number prominently displayed on their website (not hidden away, somewhat a rarity these days). Call was answered quickly by a personable and knowledgeable staff member (also becoming a rarity).
Laptops arrived timely, well packaged and are performing admirably. Malibal even included a delightful unanticipated bonus with my order.
I've just now ordered a 5th laptop.
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3/19/09 1:03 PM
Fantastic computer, fantastic support both before placing the order as well as afterwards. This is my second order in two months as I'm moving my business over from the larger, name brand competitor.
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3/10/09 11:16 PM
I wasn't looking for a laptop that was too powerful, but I liked the idea of it having decent graphics capabilities and a reasonably powerful CPU. I did a lot of research and came across many gaming laptops which were appealing, but they were all too expensive. Then I found Malibal through nVidia's web site. I could customize the laptop so that it was exactly what I was looking for, and the price was better than I had seen anywhere else.
I have been looking hard for the reason for the lower price in the quality of the laptop, but I have yet to find a fault. The graphics performance is amazing and the sound quality is excellent. It is perhaps not the lightest laptop there is, and has a rather large power adapter, but that is easily overlooked when compared to the other features.
If you are looking for a powerful laptop, I highly recommend Malibal.
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3/10/09 1:45 AM
I'm a frequent traveller who needed a laptop that looks professional enough to use in a conference room, powerful enough to run virtual servers, and fast enough for the latest games at high resolution.
I looked at dell, studio xps 16, xps 15. They were priced higher than the lotus and had a lower tier video card.. I passed on that.
Next I checked Asus. They had a similar laptop with a slightly slower gfx card, and it looked like something a kid would buy to impress his friends (led's, stripes, etc) and overall it looked cheap to me. The worst part was the low res screen, 1366x768. Not accetable..
Next a quick check of alienware.. Overpriced, not business looking.. next..
Then I started researching video cards on nvidias site and saw links to malibal. I checked the site, built a fast machine at a good price.
I called malibal explaining that I needed a laptop asap, and they shipped next day with extra ram per my request.
I received the laptop and was very pleased. The laptop looks great, the build quality is top notch, and it runs everything I can throw at it at the best quality settings.
I get a base 3dmark score around 9000 which is pretty great for a laptop thats portable, the high res screen is awesome.
I can run virtual machines and play games at the same time. I play Need for Speed, Age of Conan, Dead Space, Left4Dead and more, all at maximum resolution and highest quality and they play smoothly.
Between the great service, and the best laptop I've ever seen or owned, I'd highly recommend this laptop if you're looking for a professional looking gaming laptop, or even just a well built all purpose laptop that can do it all.
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2/27/09 12:11 PM
When I originally found Malibal's site (through nvidia's) i was blown away by the price point they were offering. Upon receiving my machine (tricked-out Lotus 15") I couldn't be happier.
Appearance - I loooove the outter shell. It has a gorgeous finish, clean lines. Its an attention getter.
Performance - Amazing. With the new intel T9800 the sucker soars. It plays all the games I have stunningly, and is robust enough for me to high-end multimedia apps such as Maya and AFX.
Screen - The 1920x1200 screen on this is incredible. The pixel density is so high one doesn't have to enable A.A. in most games. The image appears somewhat smoothed due to tiny pixels.
Value - Unbelievable. A similarly equipped machine from apple or alienware would cost around $1500 more. Why waste money on brand bullshit and rounded aluminum corners. This machine can't be beaten for price-to-performance in a notebook.
GET ONE!
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2/23/09 12:12 PM
In a word: Fantastic! The Nine from Malibal is a superb machine and worth every penny. I have had zero problems from my laptop hardware.
It was promptly assembled, shipped, and arrived within a few days of the actual transaction. It came ready to go in one box with plenty of protective material. With four fans, I was expecting it to be very loud, but even under heavy load it is never loud at all. Everything works exactly as it should, if not better. Fantastic.
I feel I should add that the customer support was wonderful. Mr. Thomas Carruth was seemingly always available and willing to answer any question I had. I am quite certain that I annoyed him with all of my questions, but he was always friendly and professional.
As a previous owner of Alienware, Dell and others, I highly recommend Malibal. This review was modified by its author, carsono311, on
2/23/09 12:16 PM.
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2/22/09 6:59 AM
I choose Malibal because of their available hardware options at a fair price, and their sales staff that let me choose what best suited me rather than push me into a sale that I didn't want. The quality of the hardware is on par with any of the first tier manufacturers, and the available new hardware options like DDR-3 system memory and high end DX-10 dedicated video cards set them apart from most other notebook manufacturers. Rather than selling a wide variety of acceptable computers, Malibal carries a few very good models and makes each one shine.
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2/20/09 3:49 AM
I was extremely surprised how great of a product I got from Malibal. I was going to get a XPS at first but glad I went with Malibal. Customer Service was awesome. If I sent a email i got a response very quickly. If you are thinking about getting a high end laptop go with Malibal. You will love it!!!!!
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