"Earlier in the year I decided it was time to finally get a computer upgrade. In the past I didn't do my homework on current technology and missed out on better options when it came to overall performance of the system. Since purchasing my previous computer I decided to keep up on current technology and try to understand them the best I could. Over the years I feel I've managed to understand just a bit about computers though I hope to learn more as time goes on.

I like to think of myself as an enthusiast though in the end I really don't know too much about computers, so knowing about the hardware I wanted I had no way of going about installing it myself as my knowledge is limited there (laugh at me now you super users). I really wanted to choose a company that I felt would make the exact system I wanted at an overall decent price. I really felt as if I did my homework the best I could on companies, though the only company I dealt with before was Dell and that should say enough.

So, finally I settled on AVA Direct and after looking over possible configurations I realized that in the end I really COULD get the system I wanted at a price that fell into my range. The configuration of the system was simple, self explanatory, and in the end I felt as if it was a painless process configuring and ordering my system.

Ordered on August 18th and after a couple weeks I got a call one morning from AVA Direct about my system. They were calling to inform me of a compatibility issue with a certain piece of hardware, which luckily for me turned out to be something I didn't really need in the first place. That same day of getting the call my system shipped. Around 4 - 5 days later it arrived, and upon seeing the box I felt there must have been a mistake, but was I wrong.

The box came shipped within another box packed with peanuts. The larger box had shipping damage, but the computer box itself looked as if it was brand new, hardly a mark on it. The computer inside the box was packed just as tightly, ensuring no movement at all. What I didn't expect was to find some packing balloons actually inside my computer to hold components in place. This really made me feel secure that everything would work once I turned it on.

After making sure everything was correctly secured and plugged in, I turned it on for the first time and let me say, it blew me away with the performance. The system is, shall I say, perfect with absolutely no flaws as of yet. I expect that if I do encounter any issues, AVA Direct will be prompt in their service and really work with me on getting the system back to its previous conditions.

My System
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.8 ghz OC'd 3.4 ghz
8 GB DDR 800 ram
640 GB HDD
Dual Radeon 4850 512 MB in crossfire (also OC'd)
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Not an application yet that has slowed my computer down. I was able to alt-tab out of Crysis playing on high, and didn't notice much slow down :)

Anyone reading this review contemplating about going with AVA Direct, let me just say that I've had nothing but a pleasant experience with them and in the future will definitely be thinking of them for my next purchase.

One last thing...what really sold the system for me was the cabling. The cables are very neatly organized inside a meshed housing or so it looks. This blew me away as I don't recall selecting any special cabling options to make it tidy in the case, but there they are, neatly done and out of the way. I highly recommend this company as I'm positive you'll receive a quality system."

"It is rare that I would write a review .AVA deserves one for being outstanding .I am a Plt. MGR. for a chemical corp. and a hardcore gamer.I have built and use many computers .When I decided to update my gaming computer my I.T.MGR. recomended AVA.I took a tour of thier shop and placed an order ! I picked up my new computer and was very impressed with it .I had one issue with my Dell 24" USB that was Dell's problem and Tim helped me resolve that .
Joe and Tim have been very knowledgeable.

I intend to purchase all of my computer's from them / home and Corp."

"Having had experience with other custom builders I can say I was very pleased with AVA's build quality and quick response to email questions. I will definitely be ordering any future computers from them."

"I purchased a computer from avadirect.com about 3 months ago. I wanted to wait a few months before writing my review. After 3 months I'm still very happy with my purchase and my overall experience with the company. The computer was very well packaged when sent. The actually maching was in the case box, which was inside of a larger box lined with thousands of peanuts. There was even packing material inside of the case to make sure nothing was damage in transit. The job that they did on the computer was also very top class, especially the cabeling. I did not opt for any special cabeling package, however, their work on making sure everything was very nice and neat was amazing. I would've thought I had purchased the extra cableing package with as nice and neat it was. In fact, I can't imagine what bonuses the cableing package would have and I didn't receive automatically. The computer was shipped with all documentation and benchmark figures.

Now to be fair, I do have to list the single negative from the experience. I ordered the machine with the full fans package, so I would have extra fans in the two spots where they are not included with the case. When I received the computer these additional fans were not included. When I called to see why, I was told that when they tested the machine they saw no reason for extra fans so decided to not put them in and they credited me the amount of money the extra fans cost. I would have rather had the fans put in, but it was no big deal. After the second month I started having heat related issues (mostly due to my not cleaning the air filters) and I ended up buying the fans anyways to install them. I would have rather been asked if I would be fine with leaving the fans out then assuming it was OK.

Overall, my experience with avadirect.com was very pleasant and I would happily recommend them to anybody. Their customer service was amazing, and they were more then happy to answer any questions and to give me status updates whenever I called. Whenever I sent them a message to ask a question I received a response the next day. I also received a call to clarify one of the options I choose for the machine, since I would have been wasting part of the RAM I was putting into the machine. This call was very appreciated as I ended up changing my selection to get the most out of my computer. Thank you avadirect.com for doing such a great job."

"I purchased a system from AVADirect in March of 2008. This was my first highend computer purchase and AVADirect did a wonderful job of answering all my questions and made recommendations as to what I would want in the system. I cannot say enough about how friendly and helpful these guys were. Everytime I called they took the time to make sure I was satisfied and understood the answer to my questions. The System itself was everything I could have asked for. They delivered on everything they said they would and on time. I have recommended AVADirect to everyone that has asked me about my system or asked about a company to buy from. In what I think is the best way to show the loyalty they have earned from me I plan on purchasing my next system from them and all future systems. "

"My old computer died in early September so I decided to have someone else put it together rather than do it myself this time. I was impressed with AVA's wide range of choices on each machine.

I built a computer, posted it on their forums, and got some good feedback from their people. That allowed me to make some changes that I think more customized it for myself.

I'm very satisfied with the machine. I opted for a fairly simple case with no LEDs and a nice quiet fan package. Thing is barely audible if you're not next to it. It runs smooth and I've had no problems with it.

My sole complaint is how their web page lists the order once it's been taken. It stays on 'Processing' for the duration. I'd like to see it update with 'Building' or 'Testing'. That would have saved me some concern (and e-mails) since I wasn't sure what stage the process was in. Not a tragedy, but its the little things.

Thermaltake M9 Case
Intel Core 2 Duo 8500
ASUS P5Q PRO Motherboard
4GB G.SKILL RAM
eVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB Video Card
Seagate 640GB Barracuda
Samsung Super-WriteMaster DVD+/-R/W Lightscribe"

"This is the best computer I have ever owned their service is so nice including Misha Troshin, Joe Mundy,Chris Mundy and Matt. To tell you the truth I have never seen this great service or build quality anywhere else. I will definitely buy from them again it was truly a pleasure to buy from them!!! Very Satisfied!!!!! By the way cable management is free here and looks better than what ibuypower or cyberpower would do for the extra twenty dollars they charge you for cable management. I will buy again!!!!! "

"This was my first purchase from AVA. I could not be more pleased with the computer tower that I had them build for me, or the excellent customer service they provided. The computer has worked flawlessly and thankfully had non of the "bloatware" installed that the larger mass market computer companies feel the need to install on their PC's. I would highly recommend AVA to anyone look for a new PC. "

"Although this was my first order from AVA Direct, I am experienced in buying/building/customizing desktops and laptops.

I started with the ASUS Z97V Core™2 Duo Performance Notebook (15.4" GeForce® 9650M GT 1024MB Graphics). Built it out to a ~$1250 system.

Took about three weeks to receive it. It came VERY well packed.

I've had the laptop for over two weeks and it works like a champ. Thus far, I've used it mostly for word processing, web surfing, and some gaming (Civ 4). Haven't really put it through its paces yet, but I'm confortable enough to give a positive review.

I've read many other reviews and the pattern I notice is this: for those people who a) do the required research, b) have owned their own computer before, and c) have a little patience, AVA Direct is the way to go.

"

"This was my first time ordering from a vendor that was not HP or Dell. I was amazed at how nice the laptop was when I received it. I did not want a custom built operating system at first and had some initial problems with Linux installing, but I got it and have been using the machine ever since.
AVA Direct were very professional about letting me know the status of my laptop before they shipped it out and everything went smoothly.
It was always frustrating calling Dell or HP just to ask them not to include an operating system that I decided a laptop ordered somewhere else would be the best solution for me.
The laptop I purchased was so much better than the models that I could order online through a vendor that I will buy my next laptop the same way next time."

"Its been two months since I purchased my desktop PC from avadirect. So far I do not have a single regret purchasing from them. I have not had any major problems with the computer, and also have not used their customer support. I hope I will never have to use their customer support. The computer runs smoothly without any problems. They did a follow up call to see how the PC was working about 3 weeks after I recieved my PC. That phone call kind of surprised me, since it was unexpected. If AVAdirect keeps up the good work, I will buy from the again 100%! I would also gladly recommend them to anyone looking for a custom pc!

*UPDATE* 12-17-08 Computer (desktop) has MAJOR problem, started crashing with no reason and frequently. Got to the point where if it boots up it does not recognize an OS installed. Since they do not offer 24 hour tech support. I am left waiting till tomorrow morning to contact them for help...Will update later
*UPDATE* 1-3-09 Contacted them and was told to ship my PC back to them, RMA was isssued. They e-mailed me a shipping label. Packed and shipped from here on 12-19-08 arrived at their location on 12/24/08. Contacted them on 12/29/08, was told that I had a faulty power supply. Avadirect was waiting for a replacement power supply. Left them a message for an ETA on 01/03/09, awaiting response..."

"I have purchased custom workstation from AVA two months ago and ,so far, I have no regrets. Their web site allowed very nice system configuration capabilities and prices were right. I would have to pay almost twice the price for the similar configuration from Dell. There was a minor issue, where their web application listed and allowed me to select computer case which could not accommodate requested motherboard. In two weeks after placing my order, I received a call from AVA, and their representative described problem that they were having assembling my system. He offered alternative case from the same manufacturer and I have received my system in 10 days after that conversation. I will definitely recommend this company to my colleagues and friends."

"Excellent product support. Very quick in replying to my questions and concerns."

"We did a good deal of research before AVA was recommended online. The web site was logical, informative and VERY comprehensive. We were able to flesh out the bones of the system with clearly priced components and print the final specs and total cost. The system arrived before the estimated date and in good condition. AVA has kept tabs on our satisfaction with phone calls and a genuine commitment to customer service. Other than building it myself AVA hands-down gives you the choice and control of your systems final build and price.
Try that with a big box store. We'll be back."

"Customer service was very kind, and the product worked very well."