5/5

posted Feb-08-2006

"Just wanted to drop a note about the great experience I had w/ the crew at Maingear. I placed the order online for a F131 computer, the next day one of their tech's called me to obtain verbal response. The tech asked some questions as to what I would use my system for, what kind of games that I would play and if I wanted my system partitioned in any way. He even asked if I would like some games pre-installed from factory (with my cd keys of course). I'm not a big gamer, but in my opinion, their attention to detail is pretty amazing. It's nice to see companies that actually care about their customer. Once I received my computer, I imediately proceded to poping my side pannel open to install my wireless nic. I couldn't believe how neat my system was inside. Every little wire was completely folded, tucked away, zip tied out of the way. Once again, I was just amazed how much attention they put into my $3500 computer system. I actually regreted in not choosing a side window. I would recomend these guys to anyone. Great product, great customer care and great warranty. Good job Maingear. "

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5/5

posted Jan-22-2008

"Smooth process from start to finish. Maingear provided me with a fast, stable system that has a build quality I haven't seen anywhere. Their support has been wonderful(a problem caused be vista). They delivered a clean system with no bloatware and as shown by the welcome pack (all driver disks, recovery disks, benchmark/testing info, contact info, all in a neat, organized binder) they have a great attention to detail. I was also impressed with the quality of the components and build quality for a price I could not match anywhere, be it big box or other boutiques. Overall a wonderful experience, I would highly recommend this company and their products to anyone."

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5/5

posted Jun-05-2009

"I have been a consumer for more years than I would rather admit and to this point in my life I cannot recall a better experience than the one I have had with Maingear. Not only was the sales experience a match for the blazingly fast Ephex system I bought, but when one of the drives in the RAID 5 array I bought failed (due to my clumsily hitting the RESET button while the system was powered on) the customer experience continued to be excellent. Not only was there no quibbling about fault, but the drive showed up in record time two days later.

SYSTEM: ePHEX X58P
Black Brushed Aluminum Finish
Translucent Window Side Panel w/Green LED Lighting Bundle
1200W Silverstone DA1200 Powwer Supply
2X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 3584MB GDDR3 in Quad SLI w/PhysX
Asus Rampage II Extreme Intel X59 Chipset
Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition 3.2 GHz
12GB Triple DDR3 1600MHz
System Redline (measured at about 3.7GHz)
Three (3) Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10,000 RPM with 16MB Cache - SATA II
RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)
All-in-One Internal USB 2.0 Flash Card Reader & Writer
22X Dual Layer DVD-RW Drive w/LightScribe Technology
Lite-On Blu-ray Opticla Player
SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
Onboard Dual Marvell 88E8056 Gigabit Controller
Free AntiVirus Software
Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit) SP1
Hand-crafted Wiring and Cable Management ("Flawless" is indeed the correct way to describe it!)
Lifetime Labor and Phone Support with 3-Year warranty

PROS:

1) Freaking fast. Like Ferrari/Pagani/Bugatti fast - it takes Crysis Warhead in high resolution and makes it its' ..... well you get the idea! ;)
2) Not as noisy as one would expect given all the fans and cooling systems it has in it.
3) Neat to look at - and NEAT on the inside - the finest job of cabling and system layout I have seen this side of a Cray Supercomputer lab (and yes, I've seen one!) Gustavo (Gus) was the technician whom built my system - his work went beyond craftmanship and into as close to art as laying out the internals of a computer can get.
4) Simply wonderful customer service. Never an attempt to "upsell", the emphasis is on honesty and practical advice. Raphael was first-rate in his treatment of me at all times.
5) No hassle, no quibble customer service from Giovanni when I called about the failed drive. It showed up two days later at my door. IMPRESSIVE.

Cons (more like "conlets" - just small issues: 1) Maybe the customer materials need some more fleshing out, but then again - when you have problems you can talk directly to the tech who built your system!
2) Hours - wish the hours were longer. By the time I get home from work here in Chicagoland, about 15 minutes remains to call on a regular working weekday. Again, this is balanced out by the cordiality and professionalism of the staff at Maingear and the above-mentioned perk of being able to speak to the very person who built your system.

Summary: I am VERY pleased with the system and just as happy with the professional and cordial approach of their staff. Maingear doesn't just live up to the saying "you get what you pay for", they go far beyond it.

Unhesitatingly and highly recommended - you want a fast computer backed by people who care about service - buy a Maingear."

This review was modified by Riffster on June 05 2009 09:58:08 PM

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5/5

posted Feb-18-2010

"Received my first Maingear computer today, the Shift model, and it is one massive and impressive machine!!!! The case is nearly twice as large as any computer I have ever owned and is well built. My only complaint on the design of the case is that two screws have to be removed with a phillips screwdriver to access the main peripheral plug-in panel. The system is otherwise somewhat intimidating to behold. You should read the Computer Shopper review on this model which rightly holds itself out as the personal supercomputer. If you look on their website I suppose you could easily spend a good five figures to configure this system but $2,500 to $3,000 will get you a nicely equipped model that will daunt most other systems out there. I came across their website quite by accident as I was shopping HP and Cyberpower.

The computer arrived well packaged. I connected it up to my peripherals but was so eager I did not read the one page of instructions thoroughly. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR PERIPHERALS WITHOUT BOOTING UP FIRST THEN SHUTTING DOWN. Avoiding this may do away with the call to their excellent customer service which guided me through the correction - starting with pressing the CMOS button to do a system reset. The customer service was the best I have ever experienced. Since the Maingear office is closed after 7PM, I sent them a customer service email describing the problem. Gus, the guy who built my system, called and left a message on my answering machine with his extension no. I then called the Maingear office at 9PM CT and ignored the recording they were closed and entered Gus's extension no. He talked me through the setup and it took about 5 minutes. Maingear ships the computer with the builder's personally completed checklist and signature. I am a big fan of both their Shift computer and their business and service models. My best wishes to them for continued success. "

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5/5

posted Feb-16-2011

"Maingear is truly an outstanding computer company!

I purchased my first computer from Maingear back in September of 2008. At the time, my EPHEX system was certainly state-of-the-art and cost more than $8000 (3 video cards, 4 hard-drives, fastest processor, etc).

Naturally I was thrilled with it and promptly posted a great review rating Maingear 10/10. Today, almost 3 years later, I wish there was a higher score with which to express my ongoing satisfaction with their service.

Whatever issues have arisen over the years, they have been promptly and enthusiastically solved by the Maingear team. Their entire focus is on 100% satisfaction and they always come through, without blaming the customer for anything and without making the customer feel like a tech-fool.

Maingear is a company that goes well beyond the "letter of the law" when servicing their customers with extended warranties. They are 100% reliable, refreshingly honorable and solve any issues that may arise with impeccable integrity.

Over the years, and prior to Maingear, I purchased high-end computers from most major companies. I can say unequivocally that no one is as good as Maingear.

Thank you Wallace personally and thank you to each of your terrific team members. If I was in the computer business (which I am not) I wouldn't want to compete against you as I can't even imagine how anyone could do a better job.
"

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5/5

posted Dec-27-2011

"Maingear was a pleasure to deal with. In 2008, when I was looking to upgrade from the limits of laptop to a gaming desktop, I decided to take the plunge with Maingear because they were cheaper and less flashy than Alienware. Since money was a concern, I chose what was then the Prelude (predecessor of the current F131).

Even with economy options, my builder (Giovanni)put a great deal of care into assembling and testing the system. When he thought a 500W power supply wouldn't be able to support significant upgrades, he called me and recommended I start with a 750W power supply. Three years and several hard drives and gigs of RAM later, I'm thanking him. When I needed Maingear's specialized hard drive mounts to install a new hard drive, the company mailed me a dozen mounts at no charge - after the warranty period had expired. Where other companies cut corners at every turn, Maingear's decency puts them above the rest.

Though luck is always a factor when it comes to computers, I'm happy to report that I have never had a single problem with my Prelude. Sure, you could probably get all the individual parts for cheaper if you collected them yourself, but Maingear's build quality has justified the (still reasonable) cost. My only regret is that the fans are as loud as a jet engine - but that's because I cheaped out on the cooling system. This is not to say that the cooling system doesn't do its job. In the winter, the computer warms my room while keeping itself cool.

My dad is now looking for a computer for video editing, and I'm preaching in favor of Maingear. The pleasure of using a well-made PC without any bloatware should be the property of every PC user, but unfortunately you can only get such a no-nonsense setup if you build yourself or go custom. And as far as custom builders go, Maingear represents the best value for your money - and, if we want to get philosophical about it, an ideal of craftsmanship as well.

I'm happy with my Prelude; my dad will be happy with his F131. And when I save enough money for a new computer, I will be knocking on Maingear's door yet again. Here's to an excellent builder!


"

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5/5

posted Jan-31-2007

"I ordered a computer from Maingear based on web and print reviews. Order was placed on the 6th of december and was delivered to me on december 31 by courier. System was stable with the exception of a Bios update that was needed after shipment. Maingear sent a courier to pickup my computer at a time of my choosing with no hassle or complaint. System was returned in 6 days. This is amazing for any company let alone a small business. I would recommend Maingear to anyone looking for a custom PC with name brand parts and the best customer support I have ever had the experience of being involved with. "

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5/5

posted Jun-16-2008

"I placed the order at Maingear's website. They have a simple and clean interface that many integrators should use. The only problem I could find with it was shortage of parts you could use. For instance, Creative sound cards are available, but not anyone else. Also, they do have a decent selection of processors but all processors that Intel or AMD make are not available, just the mainstream ones. A day after placing the order, Maingear called to confirm the order. After about a month, I received my new PC. Since the PC was made from retail not OEM parts, all the manuals, discs, and equipment that would be in retail packaging was placed into a nice binder to keep it organized along with an order checklist and the typical welcome materials. After unpacking, I opened the computer itself. The internals looked very well done with all the extra cabling tucked neatly out of the way. Once the PC was started, it ran like a charm without any extra bloatware clogging the system. I haven't had a single blue-screen or crash yet. Very highly recommended."

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5/5

posted Nov-14-2009

"We purchased an F131 and we will probably replace our other computer with a Maingear.

The Maingear sales model is the best I've experienced. The machine is also darned good, there being only a couple of quibbles (and they are very small): the wiring isn't quite as clean as I thought it would be and the filter on the top air-intake of the Silverstone case looks like it's going to be a pain to take out and clean.

The original version of this review was posted to the MG forums. MG quickly responded to it, asking for photos of the wiring, which I provided offline, along with a comment that the immaculate wiring that was advertised wasn't so very immaculate. After a week without receiving an answer, I posted to the MG forums, asking for follow-up to the email that I had sent. A big plus for MG is that the posting was responded to in (probably) under an hour. A not-so-big plus for MG was the reply that the photos sent had been primarily of the dirty side when in fact there were two photos of each side sent to them. The explanation for the dirty side wiring was reasonable and the explanation for the pretty side, might have been reasonable too; however, my Dell XPS is definitely cleaner and that was the baseline I used (and in my view, a boutique machine that's advertised as immaculate, should certainly beat the Dell).

That said, the MG machine is much better than the Dell and despite the slightly sour exchange, highly recommended.

We got the non-overclocked i7 950 w/12gb ram, ASUS P6T X58, 2 X 10K HDD raid 0 + 1 X 7200 HDD, a single GTX-285 (driving a pair of Dell 2408wpf monitors) and the 1000 watt power supply. With the Zalman 9500, the system idles (according to coretemp) at 35C to 40C, which given how warm the office is (we live in AZ), isn't too bad.
"

This review was modified by vinsrouges on November 16 2009 12:00:15 PM

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5/5

posted Apr-16-2010

"I spent a lot of time reading reviews trying to find the right company to build my next system. I had specific requirements, which I sent to MAINGEAR over e-mail. Within a couple of hours I had a reasonable response to all of my questions, and a pretty good idea of the system I would choose.

In fact, they even made me aware of some new products that would be available soon which would be an even better match for my requirements (passively cooled video). I waited for that to arrive and ordered my system through the online configurator.

I received my SHIFT yesterday and set it up last night. Wow. This thing is incredible in every way.

Of course I knew the dimensions going in, but you don't really start to appreciate the size of the machine until the box arrives. And once you take it out of the box that feeling doesn't go away, nor does the pain in your back when you try to lift it! Seriously, it's a monster. It's a stunningly beautiful sleeping giant. It's a shame that it sits under my desk.

The little touches included with it go a long way. I really enjoyed flipping through the binder that holds the media, the build checklist and all of the original manuals. And thanks for including the extra cabling, Crossfire accessories and mount/case screws for future upgrades.

When I first plugged it in (before actually turning it on), some red and blue LEDs on the inside of the case came on to report that they were happily receiving juice. That was really neat. It practically screamed for me to turn it on. After connecting everything, that's just what I did.

Then nothing.

Wait, no. It's running! It's so quiet that I thought it hadn't come on. I should be clear and say that it's not completely silent, but the low frequency noise coming out of the top of the box is only noticeable if you're listening for it.

And it came right up to the desktop. Fast. In fact it's so fast that the usual Windows boot screens just blink past, you can't even read them. (It has one of the new Crucial SSD drives.) And of course there was no bloat. Just an optional Office-like installation (I didn't actually run it; what is it, OpenOffice?)

There were some other nice touches here too. The wallpapers for one. And thanks for having black background options. And in my Documents folder, there are screenshots showing my systems' results from 3D Mark and several other benchmarks and burn-in tests. Cool.

Tinkered with a few games, just to see how it would take it. I opted for some "lower powered" 5750s in Crossfire to take advantage of the passive cooling. I tried Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2 and Trine. (If it's not on Steam, I probably don't play it!) It handled anything I threw at it, at 1920x1200 with all of the settings maxed out. And since these video cards are passively cooled, the hardly noticeable low frequency noise coming from the chassis never changes. The air coming out of the top of the chassis warms a bit, but nothing concerning at all. Coming from a 6 year old system with a few upgrades to this beast totally spoils me.

Another very happy MAINGEAR customer. 3 weeks was definitely worth the wait."

This review was modified by grmuelle on April 16 2010 05:07:54 PM

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