The pre-purchasing experience was very good. OPC took the time to answer all of my questions and helped me weigh the factors in deciding between an AMD-based vs. an Intel-based system. Their web-based system configuration form was extremely easy to use, and I was e-mailed a detailed quote immediately upon completion.
OPC kept me informed thru all phases of the system build, letting me know when parts arrived, when the system was completed, how testing was going, etc. They promptly provided me with all the necessary tracking information as the product was shipped.
Prior to making the decision to purchase an OPC system, I did some investigation on sites such as pricewatch.com, and I came to the conclusion that I could not build a better system on my own at a significantly lower expense. When you factor in the amount of time it takes to properly put together a system with all the care and the extras that OPC adds to their systems, then the do-it-yourself approach doesn't even come close.
When I received my system (early, btw), I was impressed by the packing job -- nothing, short of driving the delivery truck over the box, could possibly damage the system during shipping.
When I cracked open the case to have a look at my new system, I was amazed by the attention to detail. Absolutely no corners were cut whatsoever, from the stainless steel mounting hardware, to the spiral wrapped and velcro-bound cabling, to the innovations such as the headphone-style power jack used to power the surecool fan in the door. I support shipboard computer systems for a living, and I know that professional cable management does not come cheap. There is not a single tie-wrap in this system -- everything is either spiral-wrapped, or bound with velcro. Furthermore, there are no air-flow constricting ribbon cables, except for the cable for the soundblaster audigy -- instead, rounded ATA-style cables were used, making for a much cleaner look.
Although I've only used the support twice (both times for problems caused by my foolishness), I can say confidently that the support is top-notch (as an aside, I'd like to say that the support I get from Dell for the laptop I purchased earlier last year is totally horrible... too bad OPC doesn't make laptops).
Finally the performance of the system. 9190 on the 3DMark2001 benchmark at 640x480 (no anti-aliasing), 176.8 frames per second in the Q3A timedemo four using a high-quality config -- outstanding. Needless to say, my game has improved tenfold since I got my machine. Thanks OPC!
This review was modified by its author, joyrock, on
7/24/02 1:24 PM.
