5/5

posted May-18-2005

I wanted to wait a few weeks before writing a review of my new Thunderbox system. To give me time to test out the hardware and shake out any bugs that may exist. I'm now happy to report that my SLI XFuel arrived here on time, in excellent condition and has been working flawlessly. It was everything that I ordered and then some and most importantly, there were no unpleasant surprises.

My last computer was an Alienware and it served me well over the past 4 years. Not to badmouth Alienware because they sell a good product too, but to be open and honest about it, their computer did arrive over 2 months late and was in an inoperable state. Upon opening the case I found that the CPU heatsink/fan was dangling from the fan wires with no metal HSF retention springs inside the case. How they tested it or "burned it in" without the HSF securely affixed to the CPU I really can't say. After suffering through several hours on Alienware's tech support phoneline I finally threatened to RMA it back and "eat" the 15% restocking fee. It was shortly after that when they called me back and agreed to send out an onsite technician. They sent me a box of new replacement parts, I set up an appointment with their local contracting technician and from then on everything was fine with the system.

Personally, I have found Alienware's email tech support to be very lacking. Their online tech and customer support forum is satisfactory but for whatever reason, their email support, at least in my experience, has always been terrible. And that small lack of customer support is probably what sent me looking elsewhere for a new computer. When I first emailed Thunderbox I received a response from Jon in under an hour. And from then on, within an hour, a few hours or a day at the most. Very responsive and helpful in that regard.

My criticism of Alienware is purely anecdotal so shouldn't be taken as a blueprint of their normal technical and customer support business model. I'm sure the vast majority of their customers are very satisfied.

To be forthright about it, I also don't care for the Alienware "Predator" case. Maybe if you're young and are the type of person who reads a lot of PC gaming magazines that sort of specialty computer case may appeal to you, but I prefer a somewhat more conservative looking case. It's what's under the hood that's important to me. I'll leave the fancy paint, decals and wheel-spinners for others. Both Thunderbox and Alienware use top-of-the-line hardware in their systems so it would be difficult to make a brand for brand comparison in that area. However, I couldn't configure an Alienware Aurora ALX without purchasing a soundcard. Both companies use the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard which has decent 7.1 onboard sound but in my situation I already had a new Audigy2 Platinum soundcard that I wanted to use.

When I checked out the pricing at both website "configurators" I think I saved close to $1000 by choosing the Thunderbox. Alienware runs a bunch of specials and rebates from time to time (grrr... screw the rebates... just sell it to me cheaper!) so an accurate "head to head" comparison is time specific and IMO would need to be done by an accountant. Well, perhaps not an accountant.... but someone with more patience than me.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with my Thunderbox SLI XFuel Liquid Cooled system and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great gaming computer.

Thunderbox_PC
Xfuel Liquid SLI
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe - stock settings
AMD FX-55 Processor
1GB PDP PC3200LL 2.2.2.5 memory
2X EVGA GF 6800 Ultras - stock settings
21" Sony Multiscan E540/B
Audigy2 Platinum
74GB WD Raptor 10,000RPM
120GB Seagate 7200RPM (storage)
680 Watt Thermaltake PSU
Klipsch 5.1 Ultras
TM Cougar Uber_NXT w/ HE Sensors

Bob Clark

This review was modified by Bob Clark on May 18 2005 02:26:24 PM

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