5/5

posted Jun-03-2005

"I received great support from Tantus when the boot drive failed after a few weeks. Ed (the presdent) called me on Saturday morning to find out how the restore went on Friday evening.

I may have had doubts about spending a few extra dollars to get a turnkey system, but they have been blown away with the great system & support!
"

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5/5

posted May-24-2005

"Churches have been adding video projection in exponentially increasing numbers. Along with the influx of computers has also come the need for a computer to handle the demands of worship software, PowerPoint™, digital photo editing and even video editing.
I know what you’re thinking: “A PC is just a PC. Same thing, different name.” I used to think that myself. Heck, I’ve owned HP, Compaq, Sony and Dell computers over the years. For the casual church running Microsoft Word, Outlook or Excel, off-the-shelf PC’s can work just fine. But I contend that the PC in your church service is a mission critical piece of equipment.
With that in mind, I reviewed the Tantus Rendition system. I wanted to see how stable the system ran when I pushed it to its limits, installed new software and generally did my best to make it crash! For my review, I used Microsoft PowerPoint®, Instant Effects Office FX (plug-in), Easy Worship, Media Shout, Windows Media Player 9, Cyber Link’s Power DVD 5 and Adobe’s Photoshop CS.
You can always find a bigger and faster PC – that’s just the way Moore’s Law plays out. What’s really important, as anyone who spends a significant amount of time in front of one will tell you, is how stable your computer runs. Given that many of us have the need for PC’s, since there is a staggering amount of software made for the Windows operating system, it’s not enough for serious users to simply look for the lowest price with the fastest CPU.
I can find the latest and fastest processors just by shopping online. Finding a company that will provide a system that has been tested to run best with only certain types of hardware, instead of whatever is left on the shelf, turns out to be a pretty hard thing to do. My own discouraging experiences in trying to run off-the-shelf PC’s for the demanding work of real-time, glitch-free operation during a worship service have taught me that the mission-critical application of weekend services needs more than off-the-shelf PC’s can ever hope to provide.
The first thing that got my attention when I went to check out Tantus on their website was this customer quote: “I have some amazingly speedy machines in my studio but none are nearly as fast as your box,” says Louis Broome, a Media Specialist with Microsoft. When the boys at Redmond, who have access to the best PC hardware on the planet, make a statement like that, it gets your attention.

I can tell you that I’ve now had that exact same experience.

Using the latest worship software, complete with full-screen, full-motion animations and live text overlays, I tried to punish the Rendition with the real-world tests of running PowerPoint®, worship software and graphics software - simultaneously.

The system handled everything I threw at it without an issue. All videos played back without a single stutter, even when I had the memory intensive Adobe Photoshop CS running in the background. The combination of the fast and stable Intel Pentium 4 processor along with the ATI video card proved to be more than adequate. Furthemore, when I installed new software, none of the common driver issues cropped up, ensuring that the system continued to run rock-solid stable.

When I compared this to a very similar Dell system, I found that the prices for the components were almost identical. The Dell Dimension XPS Gen4 system was a bit more expensive, coming in at $3,415. However, the Dell system only included a 1 year warranty for that price. Adding up to four years (Tantus has a 5 year standard warranty) of Dell’s warranty added another $259 to the price.


This quote from Edward Borden, the CEO of Tantus, really puts the term “value” into perspective:
“People are only going to be able to excel at what they do and reach their highest potential if their tools are built to stand up to the highest standards. We believe that this is where the general computer market has failed, as computer system builders have given into the temptation of completely sacrificing quality and service for lower prices and quick sales. We are determined to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. We will deliver no less than the best computing experience available.”
I often state that being a good steward has less to do with how much money we can save a church and more to do with how we don’t waste a church’s money on inadequate technologies.
Think of it this way: if the main PC crashes during a poignant moment in corporate worship, what kind of price would you pay – right then - to not have a major distraction to the service? If you’re like most churches, the answer is “whatever it takes”. It’s at times like these that “saving a couple of hundred bucks” comes back to haunt you. Instead, stability and peace of mind are what you need in your mission critical computers.
I can say with full confidence that Tantus is a first-choice vendor for churches looking for mission-critical computer systems."

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5/5

posted Jan-21-2005

"tantus provide an amazing personalized service both during the order process and after for support of any issue that comes up."

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5/5

posted Jan-20-2005

"It is with pleasure that I recomend Tantus Computers to anyone who wants great products with fair price and great service. I have had great service with this company on the two computer orders I have purchased from them. Ed and Brandon have gone the extra mile to help a novice pick and put togeather two computer systems. I had a problem with UPS shipping, which abused the boxed computer. The outside box looked as though it had been dropped five or six times. The inside box had no marks at all. The computer had shaken loose some of the cables inside. I got on the phone and Brandon took me thru putting the cables back on the right spots. Since that time I have had no problems and it works well. This company is the best. You can do no better. All the parts they use are top quality. I will buy again from them."

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5/5

posted Jan-13-2005

"I sent a simple e-mail to Tantus over the Christmas holiday, and no surprise, I got an automated response that they'd be in touch after they got back in the offices. What WAS a surprise was that VP Matt Hoover e-mailed me the next day anyway. By New Years, I had placed an order with Mr. Hoover personally. He walked me through the selections, made recommendations, and double checked configurations after we'd talked. My order went into production Thursday and shipped the next Wednesday (Holiday in between). I think these must be young, gung-ho folks with a lot of personal stake in the company. Why else would they try so hard? I've bombarded my own employees with stories of this experience, all in hopes that our customer service will emulate Tantus'. Thanks, Mr. Hoover and associates."

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5/5

posted Nov-17-2004

"I recently started a video production business and I spent a lot of time making sure I got the best deal without losing computer quality. I searched Alienware, Velocity, Dvline, and others but gladly went with tantus. Even without all the great extras like free shipping, 5-7 day turnaround, 5 year warranty, and more this is an awesome price for what you get. The system works great and does what its supposed to. "

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5/5

posted Oct-29-2004

"If you need a high-end system built by knowledgeable people that provide wonderful support, this is the company to call!

It took me several months to research the requirements for a dedicated video work station that would fit the needs of my company. However, I found it difficult to find a company whose staff really knew what they were doing and understood exactly what my company needed. In fact, I found that a lot of companies I had spoken with wanted us to purchase their most expensive systems but could not guarantee that they would do exactly what we wanted. Other companies never did respond to my inquiries or my bids for a work station. One company said they could build any work station, asked for my specifications, and then never got back to me. Fortunately, I found Tantus Computers by way of Wrigley Video’s web site, and have been ever so grateful that I found their banner ad.

I checked out Tantus Computer’s web site, and I was really impressed with everything about their site. So I e-mailed them with the specifications for the system I wanted built. I received a very quick response from Ed, the President of the company, who asked me what I intended to do with the system, and provided some suggestions. The next day, we were on the phone working through the details. Ed was great, and he really knew his stuff! He talked me out of some things that were a little more than we needed, and directed me towards some things that would work better. Ed and I had communicated several times, by phone and e-mail, before I decided to have our system built by his company. I was very confident with my purchasing decision, and knew without a doubt that the system would fit our needs.

I just want to add that one of the things I really appreciated about Ed was the fact that he asked what our company’s budget was for this system. Out of all the other companies I had communicated with about our specifications, not one except Ed at Tantus asked about our budget. Although I decided to purchase our monitors and printer elsewhere, Ed still took these things into consideration so I could stay within our budget. Where else can you get this kind of service?

It took a little longer to build and receive the work station than expected, but not by much and it was well worth the wait. In fact, Ed kept contacting me about the progress of the system. I received the speakers first, then the mouse and keyboard. The system was well packed and in excellent condition when I received it. The manuals and literature were easy to find in a small envelope and the software neatly rubber banded together. All I had to do was start hooking up everything to the system, but I had some minor issues.

I could not get the monitors to work properly, so I called Ed. Again, Ed was great! He walked me through the entire process, and I had two working monitors when we were finished. Tantus is very good about responding to e-mails or phone calls quickly. Another great thing about this company and the staff is that they call you a couple of times to make sure that everything works correctly. This company will provide their clients excellent follow-up on their products and sales, and they really do care! Even after they help resolve issues, they call to make sure that the solutions work.

Everything worked great until I downloaded XP SP2, and then my system would not reboot. Brandon, for whom I also cannot say enough good about, literally spent hours on the phone with me to fix this issue. In fact, Brandon has spent some considerable time on the phone with me for other issues, and he really knows his stuff too!

My company has gone through nearly a two year process to be where we are at today, with regards to technology. During that time, I have dealt with a lot of companies. I have also dealt with a lot of owners, Presidents, Heads of Development, etc. Out of approximately 50-60 companies, there are only three companies that rank at the top for their products and customer service; and Tantus sits distinctly at the top of that list. Ed, Brandon, and the rest of the staff should be very proud of what they do!

I am the Owner and Director of Operations for my company, As Your Customer Sees It! What does my company do? We provide high-tech mystery shopping services for the retail and service industries. My staff and I analyze products, services, and customer service standards. With this in mind, a company definitely earns their high praise from me. Tantus Computers would not need much guidance from my company if we were providing them with our services. I have been impressed with this company from the first moment I came across their web site, and now they are even better!

With the utmost sincerity,

Laura Bright
http://www.asyourcustomerseesit.com

P.S. Our web site is constantly in transition to better serve our clients. It still is not the way I want it, but feel free to check it out. Feel free to e-mail me too, if you are still unsure about Tantus."

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5/5

posted Sep-11-2004

"Excellent company to do business with -- both with Sales Advice and Support.

I began my search for a system by researching components and then for sites that could build the custom system for me. I had not heard of Tantus before and only stumbled upon them in my second round of search.

Ed was great in discussing the components that I wanted and in fact researched further details to aid in my comparisions. Ultimately his time and patience was the deciding factor on selecting Tantus to build my system.

Once received, I had a problem booting the system but Brandon provided excellent assitance in what was actually only a loose cable and walked me through STEP by STEP to get it resolved.

I even received a follow-up call from Brandon just checking in to see how things were going and to offer any assitance.

I simply cannot say enough about the SERVICE and SUPPORT that Tatus has provided me."

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5/5

posted May-20-2004

"Customer support was extremely responsive and very helpful throughout the ordering, shipping, and implementation of my system. I look forward to dealing with Tantus in the future. "

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5/5

posted May-14-2004

" I began researching this purchase in January. I live in California. One Saturday night I sent queries to several custom computer manufacturers, including Tantus, in New Jersey. I expected answers on Monday. Got a reply from Ed Borden at Tantus that night! We discussed options, and continued to communicate for the next three months, while I waited for a large fee I had earned, to arrive. (I am a solo attorney, involved in a lot of civil litigation.) He was knowledgeable, and prompt. I ordered a Lian Li case he did not usually stock so that delayed shipping a couple of days, but it still arrived very quickly. I am very pleased with the finished product.
The only thing I would do differently is have them pack the inside with bubble wrap that needed to be removed by me upon receipt. The cross-country shipping seemed to cause the main wire bundle to bounce around a lot, which disconnected a couple of plugs (so I had to open the case anyway). However, that is a small matter. Overall the computer was well-packed, and very well-built.
I can say without hesitation that none of the other vendors I contacted communicated as well as Mr. Borden at Tantus. I was a little apprehensive about buying from someone so far away, but after this purchase, I fully expect to buy from them again.
I bought this product for my law office, not for gaming, and it is everthing I had expected. I am confident it will pay for itself in short order. Tantus does business the way you would like to see your neighborhood computer shop do business. "

This review was modified by david hagan on May 15 2004 11:34:49 PM

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