"I purchased the high eng laptop, Thunderbox MX-8, in February 2005 for over $4600. The other day it just died; will not start, will not power up, nothing. I have tried to contact them for repairs and upgades (I'll pay, I just need it fixed), but no response after many attempts. My only hope is to take it to a local computer shop, but I know they ahve never seen a paltop like this, so I may have to resort to buying a new one (but it won't be a Thunderbox)."
"Recently I upgraded my video card to a 7800GS and made the mistake of putting it on the same power line as two hard drives. One of the hard drives caught fire, literally smoke and flames. I unplugged it, turned the pc back on, and everything worked. My point is that this pc was built so well that it could keep going after having been on fire 5min prior. "
"I happened upon Thunderbox as I was searching for "gaming PCs" on the net. I read a review of a Thunderbox PC which led me to investigate their website. What struck me immediately was that I could configure a PC with my choice of many offered cases. Furthermore, the prices were significantly lower than the big name companies (Alienware, Voodoo, Northwest, etc) for a PC with equivalent high-end components. So, I called Thunderbox to discuss my requirements for a new PC. I spoke with Jon Mancil, the owner, about my needs & he took all the time needed to steer me in the right direction.
PC's are more or less a commodity these days. One can order a PC with choice of components from many boutique internet shops. What makes one shop better than another is the care & service that goes into the product as well as the price. My experience with Thunderbox has convinced me that their care & service is without equal. Since I received my PC (about 3 months ago), there have been a couple of minor glitches (eg, after shutting down the system, it would restart on its own - needed a change in the BIOS) and I have added some components (eg, a fan controller) and Jon Mancil was always available either by phone or e-mail to help me out. This is a man & company that cares about the customers - which is a true rareity nowadays.
I would highly recommend considering Thunderbox PC before purchasing a PC. You will be pleasantly surprised."
"
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 is an exceptional company and my Phantom MX-8 desktop replacement notebook is beyond all my expectations. I spent 2 months researching computer companies, called several of them and discussed their merchandise, went to quite a few online gaming forums to read reviews and opinions, in other words, I did my homework and didn't make a rash decision....and am 100% satisfied that I now own the best gamers notebook for me!"
"It was time for me buy a new computer for gaming. My plan was to build another machine, but I just didn’t have the time and energy to devote to the project.
I spent a good amount time reviewing the various gaming computer companies. I finally narrowed my selections to Falcon Northwest and Thunderbox PC.
I knew what I wanted in a new system in terms of performance and components. Using each company’s system configurator, I put together my system. I had still several questions before I ordered. I sent a question to Falcon-NW and to this day, I have yet to receive an answer. Thunderbox PC, on the other hand, answered all of my questions very quickly and even offered component advice based on what I was planning to do with my system.
I decided to buy a Savage FX – AMD64 system from Thunderbox PC. The system came in about two weeks after I placed the order. It was extremely well packaged. Upon opening the shipping box, I found the system packed in the original case manufacturer’s box with all of the component manuals, disks, and other related items neatly packed in a separate box.
By looking at the inside of the machine you can easily see the dedication by Thunderbox PC for high quality assembly. It is just immaculate inside.
The system started up without flaw and has been running great. I am also impressed by how quiet the system is. I have the Zalman HS/fan and a 6800Ultra graphics card in the Coolermaster Praetorian case.
From my experience, I highly recommend Thunderbox PC to anyone who is looking for a high-end gaming machine. Their customer service and quality has so far been absolutely fantastic.
"
"Excellent Pre-sale support, Excellent Delivery, Excellent product."
"After hours and hours and hours of studying and checking around the internet for the ultimate gaming computer, I had all but decided on Velocity Micro. That was, until, I emailed Jon Mancil at Thunderboxpc and recieved an immediate reply. When spending several thousand on a computer, I like to feel like I'm giving the money to someone who is going to accomodate ALL my needs and questions. Thunderbox and mainly Jon fit the bill. Although they were a bit more expensive than I was looking for, their customer service more than pays for it. I bought a Savage FX and recieved it a few days ago. It is lightning fast, plays doom at the highest level without a glitch and hasn't had a single problem yet. I will buy from these guys for the rest of my life."
"After researching laptops for about a full month, I happened onto Thunderbox PC and was totally shocked that I could build a system to my specs for a price cheaper than what Alienware, hypersonic and Falcon NW were offering.
I had a few questions so I e-mailed the contact e-mail address and was surprised to see all of my questions answered about 7 minutes later by the owner of the company Jon Mancil. I put an inquiry in to Alienware about 2 weeks prior to that and still did not have an answer!
Jon and I went over what I needed, discussed a custom graphic and wrapped up the purchase within about a day. I was in Baghdad at the time so time differences played a role.
Because of the great customer service I received, my friend and I both bought Phantom laptops from Jon and are thoroughly impressed with every aspect of our purchase. Jon did an amazing job with our custom graphics and all the components we wanted. He also kept us up to date and made suggestions that helped us get the right laptops for our needs.
I just recently found out I need to go overseas again and needed an airplane power adaptor. After not being able to find one, I called Jon and he took care of getting one for me in a serious time crunch and actually called me to let me know it was in at his office and that he would overnite it so I would have it for my trip.
I could not ask for any better performance from a company or a laptop. In fact, my Gateway desktop is getting long in the tooth and will be getting replaced by a Thunderbox.
So to recap, awesome company with an awesome product, run by a man who cares about what he is doing and the people he is it doing it for."
"I purchased an AMD FX-53, 2.4GHz eXFuel from Thunderbox. Throughout the process of custom configuring, orderine on-line and packaging, customer service is exceptional.
Starting with Thunderbox's site, the beautiful pictures of computer systems, lots of information, a great system builder with images that change--really helps you see what your ordering.
Ordering on-line--all my questions were answered promptly. If you don't need the hardware, Thunderbox will let you know.
Everything I ordered was packaged neatly in separate boxes.
The extra personal touch was getting a performance manual, and I was surprised to get manuals for all the hardware that went into building the computer. I have the manual for the computer case.
The setup was simple with Thunderbox's eXFuel setup guide, so Voila!--I have a sleek and elegant computer that runs fast, cool, and close to silent.
For someone who truly wants a custom built system, you will feel that the computer was made especially for you."
"In our work as a beta-testing and community-management group for online games, our office has built up a wide variety of high-end PCs from a selection of vendors. Thunderbox's PCs are the best PCs in our office, with great performance and vastly superior reliability -- during conditions when we've had 3 Alienwares, 1 Toshiba, and 1 Dell all suffer maintenance problems, Thunderbox has never had a glitch. I would recommend them to anyone, hardcore gamer or industry professional, who needs a high-performance, high-reliability machine."
"Thunderbox lives up to its name once again. It delivered an awesome gaming, mobile gaming computer that has made all my friends jealous, but at a great price. They definatly set the bar high for all the other companies out there.
Thanks again,
Gary Morrow"
"I was very impressed with ThunderboxPC from the first contact that I had with them; I sent emails to various manufacturers with some basic questions about their systems, and these guys were the first to reply (some never replied, I might add) - at midnight on a Sunday night, and by the OWNER of the company.
After I configured the system that I wished to buy (at just above the cost of ordering the parts and assembling myself), I ordered and received the system in just over a month - some of the items that I specified were upgraded and this caused a slight delay. Unfortunately, in transit, the motherboard was apparently damaged - twice... Mr. Mancil scheduled a tech (note: contracted with a local service - not a TboxPC staff) to come to my residence and replace it the second time, which resulted in the processor being incorrectly installed. Mr. Mancil rushed me a new processor, which, when installed correctly :P, made everything run flawlessly.
I have been around computers enough to know that things like this simply sometimes happen (unfortunately, it always seems to happen to me, though :) ) and have been extremely impressed with ThunderboxPC's determination to "make good" on my purchase, which they have done, and I would order from them again.
The "coolness" factor of my new computer has been increased since they added mine to their gallery here: http://www.thunderboxpc.com/gallery.htm (mine is the one dressed in red, white, and blue :) )"
"Decided on Thunderbox PC after reviewing Alienware, Falcon NW and Voodoo PC. Why? None of those companies allowed true customization and the price was outrageous. The computer I wanted was based on TechTV's Ultimate Gaming Machine 8.0 which can be found here: http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/print/0,23102,3617644,00.html
Jon Mancil was extremely helpful and willing to put the computer together that I wanted, and in the end, it cost me about $2500 less. During the wait for my computer, I would send Jon an email or two with some tweaks for my computer and no problem, he addressed all my questions. About a month later, my system arrived. Even though it was very well packed, I inspected everything and it was absolutely perfect. Jon even sent me some great pictures of my system in advance that show off his work. I've included these pictures here:
http://homepage.mac.com/swampthing/PhotoAlbum2.html
After the sale, I made a couple of software driver errors with the computer and Jon was happy to respond with patient assistance in getting the system running, even on a Sunday afternoon!
I can't say enough good things about this company. The quality of their work and willingness to put the customer first shines through in every part of the order process!
Highly recommended!!!"
"Great to work with. Put up with my constant configuration curiosities and questions with enthusiasm, and most importantly, delivered a great product. I would, and will, buy again from Thunderbox PC."