Let me start by saying - I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH I COULD HAVE SAVED BY BUILDING IT MYSELF!! I'M NOT INTERESTED IN USING MY VALUABLE TIME TO BUILD MY OWN PC!! Buying a prebuilt system was great!!! No worrying about drivers, bios updates, compatibility, installation, faulty parts, setting up the O/S, etc. Plus, I wasted NONE of my time. Time, not the money, is what's important to me.  
Sorry about that, it's just that when I was searching all the forums/reviews etc. for a good high end PC builder, I was so sick of seeing someone asking who to use and then fifty nimrods had to reply with "build it yourself" or "you'll save $200 buying the parts from Newegg". I guess it's hard for some to read and understand English and also accept the fact that there are actually people out here that don't care how much some things cost. To me it's like building a really fast car. It might be faster and cheaper than a Ferrari, but it's still not a Ferrari, if you know what I mean.  
 
Anyhoo, I looked at systems from Falcon Northwest, AVADirect, Puget Systems, ABS, Vigor Gaming, VooDoo(HP), Alienware, CyberPower, IbuyPower, XiComputer, addict, Digital Storm, ABS Computers and several others. I ended up ordering a Mach V from Falcon Northwest. Here's my config:  
SILVERSTONE ICON ALUMINUM CHASSIS  
SIDE PANEL WITH WINDOW FOR ICON CHASSIS  
COLD CATHODE LIGHT KIT - BLUE  
SILVERSTONE 1200WATT MODULAR PS  
ASUS P6T DELUXE I7 X58 MOTHERBOARD v2  
INTEL CORE I7 975 EXTREME 3.33GHZ  
ASETEK CPU WATER COOLER X1  
CRUCIAL 2GB(1X2GB)PC3-10600 1333MHZ (6GB)  
CREATIVE X-FI TITANIUM FATAL1TY PRO PCIE  
LG 22X DVD+-RW BLACK W/L-SCRIBE SATA  
ATECH FLASH XM-5U V2 MEDIA READER  
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 295 1792MB PCIE  
WD VELOCIRAPTOR 300GB 10KRPM SATA  
MSOFT VISTA ULT 64 W/WINDOWS 7UPG COUPON  
(I also added two 1TB WD HD's after I received the system from them)  
 
The whole purchasing experience was fantastic. I mainly dealt with Brian Kubli at Falcon. He answered all my emails very quickly and also was very professional and knowledgeable when I spoke to him on the phone. As my job requires extensive travel, I only had a small window of time available that I could be home to accept delivery of the system. He made sure that my system arrived on the exact date that I asked for. That was priceless to me. Also, there was no high pressure sales crap. What turned me off to some of the other builders was the fact that right after I spec'd and saved a system on their site, I received an email asking me when I was planning on purchasing the system . I didn't like that at all.  
 
The system came packaged securely in a box that utilized this neat system where it is suspended between these two sheets of heavy plastic, one on the top, the other on the bottom. It kinda floats on air when it's in the box. The system keeps the PC far away from any of the sides and holds it very securely. I uncrated it, plugged it in and was immediately impressed with the backlit Falcon head on the front of the case. To me, it's one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It booted right up and has been running excellent ever since. I also like the fact that there was no extra software installed. Just a full version of Windows and basically nothing else. All driver discs, cables, programs etc. that came with the various components was also present. I honestly didn't think I would be getting all that stuff so it was a pleasant surprise.  
 
The system is just gorgeous. The workmanship is outstanding. And boy, it's f***ing fast!!!! I absolutely love it! The only issue that I had was that the cold cathode light was inop. Only half of it would light up. I emailed Brian about it and he put me in touch with one of the service techs. The new light kit will be here today. Their service is just outstanding. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was treated so good as a customer by ANY vendor.  
 
Truth is I've always wanted a Mach V. Back in the days when I was building my own stuff, I would just go on their site and drool over the old "Bragging Rights" systems. Now I have one and I couldn't be happier with it. Falcon is one of the oldest custom pc builders out there and they have stuck to their customer service tenets all along. I respect them for that and they will have all my future business.  
 
If you're looking to for excellent quality, craftsmanship and peace of mind in your next custom PC purchase, go with Falcon Northwest...you will not be disappointed. Call them, talk to them and you'll see what I mean.

The customer service people at Falcon Northwest were very helpful, patient and informative. I have had my Falcon Mach V for two weeks. The quality of the workmanship is amazing and is demonstrated by the flawless performance and incredible speed of my Mach V.

I just ordered our 2nd Falcon. My wife bought me our 1st Falcon ~6 years ago for a birthday present, and I couldn't have been happier with either the machine itself or the service Falcon Northwest provided.  
 
Recently, our 1st Falcon's motherboard gave out, so I called their tech support. About a 6-year-old machine that hasn't been under warranty for over 3 years. Not only did the tech support guy provide help when he didn't have to, he realized that I knew my way around the innards of a machine and didn't talk down to me.  
 
I can't possibly recommend a company more highly than Falcon Northwest. Their goods and services come at a premium, to be sure, but I have not once regretted the purchase or the price. They have earned my repeat business, and I'll continue to sing their praises, as well.  
 

Terrible Service!!! I have owned a Falcon NW computer now for approximately three weeks and generally love it. It's a beautiful system; well made and fast. I chose Falcon NW after seeing and experiencing some horror stories with other computer makers and deciding it was worth premium price for the peace of mind that if something went wrong, I'd have a quick resolution. WELL, DON'T BE FOOLED! Falcon NW's tech support does not have the option of holding for a rep. You leave your number and you get a call back...EVENTUALLY! Most return calls took 24 to 48 hours. And if I wasn't available because I was at work or driving or something else, then too bad. I had to call back and leave another message. For a fairly minor issue, it took a WEEK before I managed to actually speak with someone! And I was at the airport between flights! Can you imagine what it would be like to have a actual serious problem with your premium price system and wait a week for it to be addressed? I love Falcon NWs computer but after this experience, I would never buy from them again. Be forwarned!

I ordered a Mach V computer for gaming. I had bought 2 boutique computers elsewhere before this one--my last I purchased from a small online boutique. Which went out of business a year after my purchase and took the warranty with it. And then the computer's liquid coolant leaked and I had a small electrical fire in my computer case. So this time I decided to go with an established company and after doing some research, decided on Falcon Northwest.  
I had a good idea what I wanted but the Falcon Northwest sales rep helped me with some advice. In fact, when I said I was in no hurry, he even suggested I wait a month or so until some Vista driver bugs worked themselves out. I thought that was pretty nice--who knows if I would have changed my mind?  
The build time was quoted at being about 3 weeks. I received my computer in a little more than two weeks. The only problem I had with the process is I did not get the email I was supposed to get the day it shipped out. But that was of no consequence.  
So far, everything works great. The computer worked fine straight out of the box, and I have had absolutely no problems with Vista--yet. All in all, I'm quite happy with Falcon Northwest. I have not had to use really what is one of the main reasons I bought from them--their reputation for customer service when there is a technical problem. And hopefully, I won't have to!

I was in the market for a high end PC and I came across Falcon after doing some research.  
 
I placed an order on 13th Feb 2007 my PC was dispatched on 21st March 2007.  
 
PC specs :  
 
SILVERSTONE ICON ALUMINUM CHASSIS  
SILVERSTONE 850 WATT "ZEUS" POWER SUPPLY  
MSOFT WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE - 32BIT  
NFORCE 680I SLI MOTHERBOARD  
INTEL CORE 2 EXTREME QX6700  
SANYO-DENKE H2O CPU COOLER  
CORSAIR TWIN2X2048-8500C5  
8800GTX NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTX 768MB PCIE x 2  
CREATIVE LABS X-FI SOUND CARD  
WD RAPTOR 150GB 10,000 RPM SATA x2 RAID 0  
SONY DRU-830A PATA DVD+-RW  
SONY 1.4MB FLOPPY DRIVE - BLACK  
 
After emailing Falcon I was contacted by Warren Bowdoin who helped me choose the right pc. He was very knowledgeable and was very prompt in answering all my questions.  
 
The PC arrived with a folder explaining how to set up the PC. It even has a couple of pages which shows that the pc had been through testing.  
 
I have had the pc for a month or so and it performs flawlessly. Its fast, windows vista is just amazing on this PC its a major upgrade from XP. The graphics when I am doing on-line gaming are beautiful.  
 
My Mach V is the best PC I have ever owned and I will certainly order from Falcon in the future. They are a very professional company which make great pcs. I recommend them to anyone in the market for a high end pc.  
 
Thx for a great pc,  
 
J Bennett

This review was modified by its author, ace00987, on 4/24/07 11:04 AM.

From the day I ordered to the day I recieved I knew I was in for something special. My Mach V arrived in the mail, and I've had a grin ever since. No problems with FNW, computer is flawless. Will buy from them again.  
 
Jacob Thornley took me through the buy process and made sure I had all the components I wanted and needed. Made justifying the price tag easier to do.  
 
The quality is astounding... great wiring job, lots of attention to detail. All my games runs great at high resolutions.  
 
Like I said, looking forward to upgrading in the future through them.

Falcon Northwest is the premier maker of gaming pcs and their venerable reputation is well deserved indeed...  
I was forced to abandon Alienware after the "ACME" of pc makers (DELL) bought them out earlier this year. Chewing poodle crap is more fun than dealing with this vendor so I took my business to the original gaming pc company and received the fastest machine that these weary old eyes have ever seen.  
I learned what "boutique" treatment was all about as I received five star handling from A to Z. Getting decent customer support from most vendors is like finding a topless bar in Tehran but the folks at FNW are not only folksy and nice but AVAILABLE!  
I used to think that my predator case was nifty and asthetically pleasing but now it looks like a red headed stepchild next to my Falcon. Guess I didn't know cases from shinola before now...  
But what matters the most to me is that I got a raging, crack addled SCREAMER that is tearing through my games like a pickpocket at the SuperBowl. Oblivion brings most systems to their knees but my baby says, "PLEASE FOOL" and runs it like a saturday morning cartoon.  
Lastly, it has become fashionable in the gaming community to buy a certain Canadian rig that is all show and no boat, if you know what I mean. FNW gives Americans an option to keep it real as luxury pcs are made here too... Just call the good folks in Oregon and see that some of the finer things in life still read, MADE IN THE USA!!! Way to go, Kelt!!! Eat your heart out Rahul...  
I would also like to add that my rig arrived over eleven days early and despite the fact that UPS had obviously abused her, she ran like a charm straight out of the box... I have logged over ninety hours in Oblivion in just three weeks (that comes out to over thirteen per cent of my life) and my Falcon just begs for more! Murphy's Law in reverse?

This review was modified by its author, vicmas33, on 9/19/06 2:19 PM.

All I can say is this is exactly what I wanted in a new computer and exactly what I expected from a custom computer company.  
 
I am not rich, but I can afford some things extra and when I decided I wanted a top of the line AMD 4800+ dual core system with an Nvidia 7800 graphics card, I knew I wanted someone to build it for me and treat me as though I was important to their business. Sure companies build these systems all the time, but this is a special purchase for me.  
 
After a terrible experience with Alienware which I had to cancel my order, I placed an order with Falcon. They promised they would ship the system by Sept 20 and shipped it shipped on the 19th, a day early.  
 
I have it now, everything works as promised, (this thing is FAST!) I love it. I love the extra touches like the sticker with my name on it inside the case, the binder.  
 
If you are looking for a custom high performance machine look no further. You will not regret a purchase from Falcon.

Last May I ordered a fully loaded (dual video cards and hard drives, etc.) Falcon Mach V gaming computer. After spending a small fortune ($5700) and waiting 5 weeks, I was very disappointed and frustrated to find that the computer did not work when it arrived. It would not even boot to Windows.  
I waited two hours for a Falcon technician to return my call and then spent another two hours on the phone with him trying to troubleshoot the thing. When I opened the cover, I saw that a plug/connector was not attached to one of the hard drives!  
I sent it back to Falcon on a Monday, and they overnighted it to me; it was back on a Thursday. I was informed that a wire was found to be defective. This on a computer that supposedly had been thoroughly tested and checked out before it was shipped to me originally. I doubt the plug came off in shipping. Also, when I got it back, there were smudges on the aluminum case, and the cover had not been put back on correctly.  
I should compliment the Technical department employees who facilitated the return and kept me informed every step of the way. However, I wrote the president of the (small) company a personal letter, and he did not bother to respond to it. I also believe that Falcon should have offered to compensate me in some manner for the disappointment and inconvenience. They did nothing.  
The computer seems to perform very well now, and I expect that I will be happy with it. It is just so unfortunate that what I trusted would be a wonderful experience was marred by a problem that shouldn't have happened. I have always heard that Falcon was the pinnacle of gaming computer manufacturers. I wonder if their reputation is so well-deserved now.

Just got my FragBook TL from Falcon Northwest today. I also sent it back today :(  
 
It came in a nice looking briefcase. I ordered a midnight blue paint job, but when I saw it it had wax all in the crevices. Falcon NW said they use the wax to polish the automotive paint. Regardless, it wasn't removed and therefore took away from the aesthetic appeal. The LCD panel was coming apart at the bottom. Falcon NW told me to snap it back together which was easy enough, but still one had to question the workmanship. One of the programmable keys was stuck and one of the rubber feet fell off as soon as I picked it up. After the initial inspection I put it back in the box and shipped it back. Bummer  
 
This wasn't what I expected from Falcon NW considering my Mach V was great. I sent Falcon NW a letter with my return and I hope they can work something out with my credit.

This review was modified by its author, KrazeFan, on 6/21/05 5:50 PM.

EDIT - update 2/11/2008-after spending the last 2 years with various problems including lockups/freezes/spontaneous reboots, etc and sending the computer back to Falcon once for repair I'm now changing my review. Falcon employs great people but the computer I got was a flatout lemon. I'm having to use my income tax to buy a new PC despite having this expensive machine for less than 2 years.  
 
I've read on the net that the Fragboxs (small form factors) have known chipset issues and should be avoided (check out hardforums.com) for info. This was acknowledged by the Falcon president back in 2005 yet they still continued to sell the machine. Oh i wish i'd known that before shelling out $2800 on my piece of junk computer that no longer works! Kudos to Falcon for doing all they could on and off to help me out (their support staff is great but I got tired of calling them and emailing all the time) but shame on them (and especially the Falcon president) for continuing to sell a product with obvious design flaws.  
 
In summary - i'd still hesitantly recommend Falcon Northwest for their great customer service but AVOID THE FRAGBOX - IT'S A PIECE OF JUNK!!  
 
===  
 
After 4 intensive months of research (I have no life what can I say) I finally bought my computer today from Falcon Northwest. Let me tell you guys that of all the major companies they are clearly the best at least in the knowledge and friendliness, patience department. I worked with a gentleman there named Warren and he returned all my emails within a few hours and all of them were quite lengthy too. I talked to him several times on the phone at length and he exhibited alot of patience and seemed like a very knowledgeable person in terms of hardware.  
 
Another thing I liked about Warren is that he wasn't afraid to say "I don't know, I will check" on the products instead of trying to BS. I asked him if one of the drives had NCQ, a relatively new technology and he said he'd check on it. He called me back about 15 minutes later and confirmed that the drive did have the NCQ function. It wasn't like I was talking to a sales person and it was more like I was talking to a friend I knew who happened to work at the shop.  
 
Also, for those of you who may not know Falcon is the only computer company in the industry to offer overnight shipping both ways on repairs. So that means if your computer breaks down on Monday and you call them they can have FedEx pick it up Tuesday and they will fix it in a day or two and overnight it back to you so in alot of cases you will only be without a computer for a week or less. This is HUGE because most other companies if this occurs you will be without a machine for 2 to 4 weeks.  
 
As for Alienware I have found through my research that they have slipped quite alot in terms of quality and customer satisfaction. I talked to them via email and was ignored so I chatted them up on their online chat function. I found them to be quite rude and believe it or not they lost a $2800 sale because they wouldn't work something out so I could get Pro instead of XP Home. Even if they didn't want to I could see but they acted as if it was my problem I couldn't cover the $40 and didn't suggest any alternatives. Hey Alienware, I got an alternative, it's called going to wwww.falcon-nw.com !!  
 
Anyways, I am a computer tech and have sold computers for years. I have built my own in the past but never had a prebuilt from a kick@ss company so this time I decided to go ahead and spend a little more. I can tell you that Falcon has the best components. Although it may seem like they are just jacking up their prices there is alot that goes into their machines that make for a higher price that you may not understand if you aren't tech savvy. Also Warren was quick to point out some ways I could actually cut my costs and spend less so you may not have to spend as much as you think just from looking at their site.  
 
Something else that Falcon will do is they will handle special requests like they will preinstall games for you and if you want your hard disk partitioned into 2 or 3 drives they can do that for you. I got my 160 gig partitioned into a 40 gig for C drive and a 120 gig for D drive. Warren said no problem. They can also overclock your computer so you can get more out of what you buy. They test everything they overclock extensively too so you don't have to worry that it will hose up your machine or give you problems.  
 
Lastly, although it will take me about 4 weeks to get my new Fragbox, I am confident once I do it will be a great machine. I will certainly be posting my thoughts when I receive it here on resellerratings.com for all to see. So far though I don't think any company can match Falcon from my initial dealings with them..

This review was modified by its author, shaunh, on 2/11/08 3:38 PM.

After buying our previous systems from IBM and Dell and having what seemed like some overheating/thermal issues with the Dell system in an enclosed desk I decided to get a gaming-type system to see if it would solve the heat problems.  
 
On the first of May I ordered the so-called Mach 5 system in more or less a mid-level configuration and it still cost $3,518 delivered. Pricey systems, for sure. The system was shipped on May 25th.  
 
The system was well packaged and didn't have any problems out of the box. The system is seriously fast and it can handle the few games that I play (Diablo II and Morrowind) with ease. I didn't opt for any of the fancy paint jobs but the Coolermaster Wave all-aluminum case is quite a nice contrast vis-a-vis the gray and black plastic of the former Dell.  
 
Support was needed once and was a mixed bag. My video card includes a TV tuner and I sent an e-mail asking if Falcon could help me with the problem I was having with losing the video output to the monitor after about 20 minutes of tuner use. Three days later, still with no response from Falcon-NW, I gave them a call and a real person picked up the phone after a ring or two. He suggested getting the lastest set of drivers from the ATI site for my video card and upgrading my Direct X to the lastest version. I asked him if this seemed like a software problem to him and implied that it seemed like a hardware issue to me. He said it was probably hardware but you never know and he said that he had seen other similar problems solved with drivers. So I did download the drivers and Direct X and they solved the loss of signal to the monitor problem but created a new problem of not being able to control the volume setting withing the ATI application software...that I can and have lived with. So kudos for the support solution but Falcon, however, they shouldn't push the e-mail support unless they are going to answer the things in a timely manner.  
 
All in all a very good experience so far with Falcon Northwest.

Well, I've purchased a few Falcon-Northwest systems before, a couple of Talons when they first came out. I just recently purchased a Fragbook TL, and WOW. This is the cleanest, nicest, best laptop I've ever seen. The paint job they do on these are worth EVERY penny. The case they include is very nice, and everything has worked perfectly since the second it arrived at my door. Fired it up, super fast boot time. This laptop has impressed me more and more every day. I didn't even expect to be able to play Counter-Strike: Source, or Doom 3, but I installed them just to see how it would would handle it. Yet again, WOW, way beyond my expectations.

Considered several other vendors like Dell.com, Vodoopc.com, Velocitymicro.com, custom built computers from local stores, buympc.com, Abs out of california, etc.. Last two custom built computers i had built by a computer consultant turned out to have major problems like windows xp errors 'bad pool caller' & 'irq not less or equal'; these were intermittent errors where they happened about every 30 days or so at the time. Diagnosing the errors couldn't really be done as they weren't consistent.  
 
Between Dell.com and Buympc.com i like the latter as I was actually able to test the support line with some questions to see how good support was. Dell on the otherhad refused to do that unless i already owned a computer. My bro owns two dell dimension models that're about 1.5 years old and told me he got hard to understand support out of India. Vodoopc.com was based out of canada and i didn't wanna deal with shipping in back through customs under warranty. I wanted an american based company with inhouse support; not outsourced support. Well i was actually able to get a hold of falcon northwest technical support a few times before making my decision. i also, considered alienware.com as well but had read quite a few negative comments about support being based outside the united states. in pricing the computers between dell, falcon, and alienware, i found them to be all in the same price range.  
 
speaking of local stores custom building gaming machines for me. i didn't seem to find one that i felt comfortable that had had experience like falcon did with building gaming rigs. my last two systems were Amd Opteron 240series cpu with 1.4ghz, 512megs ram, 80gig ata, radeon 9800pro, asus sk8n mainboard; intel 865perll, 2.8c cpu, 512megs ram, 9600pro, 80gig ata, antec sonata case. i feel it was the consultant that built them for me as to why i had problems. well enough of that after i sold the used computers i had custom built i thought, i'm getting a falcon. i was stupid in the first place when i bought the Opteron system and plunked 1,300.00 plus into it and over 1,000.00 in my last 2.8c system; i could've well afforded falcon earlier.  
 
now onto my system. it took about one month to receive the Mach 5 system i ordered on 5/18/04 and i received it on 6/13/04. been running it since i got it almost 24/7 without any serious problems. sure i couldve built a comparable system by a local shop for half the price; however i feel falcon build quality is much better especially for gaming systems.  
 
i've had a chance to use falcon support mucho times since owning it and i give it a 10 out of 10. from simple to very complex problems they are excellent. once in a great while a person will get right through to tech support ; however, mostly you leave a message and they call you back.  
 
i'm a hardcore gamer, and business user to i use the computer a lot and require stability and reliability; which i've gotten from falcon.  
 
my system has the asus p4c800-e deluxe mainboard, radeon 9600xt, 512megs ram, seagate sata 80gig, no modem as i have broadband, zalman silent p4 cooler, xp pro, sony 16x dvdrom, plextor cdrw, audigy 2 zs, coolermaster atc-110 extended atx case, enermax 450 watt power supply, p4 3.0c cpu, coolermaster front usb/1394 adapter, sound dampening kit. only upgrade left that i have to do is the Bfg 6800gt video card from falcon and some ram. i had to pay upfront to extend the overnight warranty from one year to three years. this was the tradeoff i made ; get the extended overnight warranty upfront or get better video card, etc..  
 
falcon does have the Talon line of computers that i've been looking at as well; but i'm mostly an Intel person. although i would trust falcon to build good amd systems.  
 
i paid the premium price for falcon, but i got exactly what i paid for. excellent support that's not outsourced, full oem version of windows xp, no bloatware installed, custom dvd-r restore disc with a licensed version of norton ghost 2003 which has saved me multiple times due to various software problems that i did on my own. falcon is simply the best custom prebuilt system in my opinion.  
 
my thoughts on owning a computer system are get a decent one and do small upgrades here and there and get the most years useage you can out of it.