"I have waited nearly a year to write this review because I wanted to give time to check the machine and service department before making a decision.
I purchased this system after reading many reviews in mag. etc.I must say it has met every exspectation I could have ever wanted.It is powerful, affordable and what I got was a computer ready to work not an advertisment machine full of every kind of junk software.It has been easy to service with parts and configurations that are standard not propriatary.
Have I had any Problems? Yes.
Over the year I had a cd-rom begin to give problems and a modem to fail.When I contacted A.B.S. thier reply was sorry for the problem we will get those parts in the mail tommorrow,and they did.No runaround no hours of troubleshooting and passing the buck,no bull.
I would highly reccommend them to anyone who is looking for a quality piece of equipment from a company that still takes the time to talk to you as a valued customer."

"First off, let me say that I like the ABS web site. It was very easy to identify and research the name-brand parts they utilize. I ordered my "Awesome 4300" system on a Sunday, and had it in my family room five days later.

Also I researched ABS on a number of reseller rating sites, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

So... last night, I was looking inside my new PC, remarking to myself on how well it was put together, when I noticed what looked like a wire hanging off the edge of my video card. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a clear STRING or thread (kind of like fishing line) looped under the AGP slot, around the video card, and tied in a knot! I have no idea why they did this, my guess is, the card didn't want to seat properly, and somebody came up with this idea as the solution.

To put it mildly, this wasn't what I expected from ABS.

I really hate to report this on resellerratings.com, but I think it is only fair so others can check their machines for similar "construction".

I haven't yet contacted their customer service dept. Once I have, I'll update this post.

Otherwise, the computer is great. Just hope the "string" solution didn't damage the motherboard. I wonder if Asus will honor a warranty when the video card was rigged by the original reseller?

UPDATED: 12/03/2003 9:00 am
Well, I still haven't spoken to Customer Service yet, but I should mention, Al at ABS has tried to call me THREE times since yesterday at noon. I did try to call them twice yesterday, but got stuck on hold for 5+ minutes, and since I was calling from work, I couldn't stay on the line any longer.

ABS does seem to be going the extra mile to try and resolve this.

UPDATED: 12/03/2003 3:30 pm
Al from ABS called, explained that the fishing line was there to help prevent the video card from coming loose during shipping, since the a7n8x mobo has no latch to hold the notch on the card (I verified this with Asus).

All I can say is, ABS placed FOUR phone calls to me in an attempt to clear this up, and I really appreciate it. I'll be updating my review (if possible??) to increase my ranking of them.

Now, if they would just ship out that yellow binder everyone talks about... ;)"

"Things are looking better. My computer has gone from "being assembled" to "preparing to be shipped" in one day. The computer thats being sent to my uncle is being shipped "overnight priority" but mine is still "express saver" whatever that means. I don't know how it ended up that way, but I wish mine was the one being shipped overnight priority.

I'll do a follow up here when I finally receive it.

Jason Peterman"

"I ordered an ultimate X5 p4 3.0 system on 11/2, and finally received it at my door on 11/19. I'm very satisfied with the computer and price just have some minor gripes not all ABS fault. I ordered the computer on line, and never dealt with anybody on the phone until the day I received it. ABS packages the computer nicely and included all the serial #'s, and manuals from the components they used. But I did notice that they didn't include the spiffy notebook to keep everything organized like they mentioned on their site. Also when I purchased the system they were out of the free copy of Microsoft works, and since I didn't want it to delay my order I told them in the comment section of the order that I didn't want it or the other free software IE mcafee virus, and half life 1 (was free when I ordered..now $25) so please deduct them from the final price of the system. Well they must have read the comment section because they didn't include the free software but didn't deduct them from the price either.
Fed Ex looked like they drop kicked the box around and the unfortunately the computer would not start up. I was hoping that just a wire was knocked loose, so i opened up the case and starting checking the connections and couldn't find the problem. So I tried calling their office but I'm east coast, so they weren't open yet. I then called after hours tech support, and they took my name and told me they would call back in a little bit. So I got impatient and starting fooling around with the connections again. Luckily I found the loose wire and it started up like a jet engine. Tech support did call me back in about 30 Min's after placing the call, but I didn't need them anymore. So after everything was up and running, I found out that my Ideazon keyboard had dead keys! damn my luck. (not abs's fault, keyboard just seems cheesy) I would recommend to try out in a store before buying it. I found an 5yr old mac usb keyboard to use to test my system and play around. I first went to Microsoft updates and found out that it needed 13 critical security updates. I would hope that ABS would have some way to update the system before shipping. I realize that its near impossible to keep up with Microsoft updates but 13 seems high. I know dell is able to send their systems out with alot of the updates. So then I checked on my driver for my video card ati aiw 9800 pro 128 and it wasn't up to date either. I know these are just little gripes nothing to keep me from not recommending them. But after spending $2300 on a computer from a smaller company I would expect they would try to optimize the system with the best possible configuration and updates like alien ware brags about.

So once they finally opened I called them up to tell them about the missing Notebook and the ideazon keyboard. I was expecting it be a big hassle but it was just the opposite. I don't remember the lady I talked to but she was very nice and pleasant. She informed me that they ran out of notebooks and will send me one when they come back in stock. (Now I wish they sent me an email informing me it was out of stock rather than hoping I wouldn't notice but anyway...another little gripe)And when I told her about the keyboard she understood the problem and said she will ship me a new one that day (2 day fed ex). I just have to mail them back the old one and fax them the receipt and they will reimburse me the cost. And I forgot to mention about my missing software that I paid for but didn't want anyway.

Even with all my little gripes I still highly recommend them. I took a bunch pictures of computer if anybody wants to see the way its packaged or see how the neon lights look.

http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/box1.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/box2.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/box3.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/box4.JPG http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/box5.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp1.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp2.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp3.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp4.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp5.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp6.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp7.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp8.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~adamwursta/comp9.JPG
"

"UPDATE. The ATI 9800xt card that came with my system died. Tech support, Tony, helped diagnose that it was the card, and sent a new one out that I received in 3 days. Everything is fine now. The only negative is that ABS charges your credit card for the replacement - or makes you send in your card first - both solutions aren't great for the customer. But, Tony was very helpful and everything is running great.

I ordered a Awesome 5300 on a Friday and my system shipped by the next Friday. I shopped (internet) all over and chose ABS or Monarch as my two options. I am a unstaisfied Dell owner (previous). Due to a sale, and ease of the website I chose ABS. System works great, and the upgrade RAM (1 gig - Corsair) is super fast. System comes with all manuals, and a lot of boxed components (+++)

Only negatives - the 'free' game software they bundle was out of stock and they didn't give an alternate to replace. The startup poster showed a nice binder full of manuals, but I just got a bunch of manuals in the MB box. "

"I ordered an Awesome 3500 on Friday the 14th and it arrived on Wednesday the 20th. That is only 5 days! The PC came packaged perfectly and I was up and running in less than an hour. I am totally impressed by the deal I received and would recommend them to everyone. Thanks ABS!"

"I ordered a Awesome 3500 on Sunday, November 16th. I upgraded it quite alot, to a Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB, 2.8 GHz, 1024 Corsair XMS memory, and no monitor or speakers.

Billing was fast, recived confirmation on sucessful billing and shipping address within two hours. To my surprise, a mere _3_ days later, my system has been shipped, and FedEx expects it to arrive on Friday.

This makes me nervous, for it said to allow 7-10 Buisness days for processing and assembly, and I got mine done and shipped in 3. I'm not EXPECTING bad assembly/wrong parts or anything like that, and if I get everything I should've gotten without problems, I'll recommend ABS to ANYONE that seeks a Pre-built system.

I'll update when I recieve the system and have it running.

UPDATE: I recieved the system today, just 11 minutes over the time it was estimated to arrive at. :P

After work, I came home and within 5 minutes, I had my brand new PC up and running, with everything I asked for and then some. Packaging was top-notch and it is a very nicely built system.
"

"I ordered an Awesome 3500 on November 8, 2003. I changed a few of the default options, such as upgrading the video card, removing the CDRW and omitting the speakers (already had those items). I used the free shipping, and the computer arrived a mere 6 business days later on November 17. Everything was exactly as I had requested and the packing job was great. The box for the motherboard was included and contained the needed cords, keys, discs and documentation. There was also a free T Shirt and mouse pad. Set it up and turned it on in about 5 minutes and it took off. The only hitch so far is that the cathode light is not working, it had come loose in shipping. Also, there was no user manual included. Otherwise, the case looks sweet and the performance so far is outstanding.

Given the price, performance, speed of delivery and the fact that the issues encountered were small and hopefully soon to be remedied by ABS, I am very happy with the purchase at this point.

UPDATE (12/3/03): I received the manual on 11/26/03 and the new cathode light on 12/3/03. Customer service was a little hard to get on the phone, as was technical support, but in the end, the problem was resolved with a minimum of difficulty and without any argument from ABS."

"I purchased an Awesome 5300 on a saturday and received the system two mondays later. Upon receipt I was impressed with the way the system was packaged. It had an encasement of packaging foam to protect it. The way the system is put together looks very professional. Whoever built this system took thier time doing so. Its been problem free right out of the box. The greatest thing of all is that it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. These systems come completely how you want them built and are capable of being upgraded in every way. I even got the original box the motherboard came in and the manual. I will definitely buy from abs in the future."

"I found this seller at ResellerRatings.com and I am glad I did. Ordered an Awesome 3500, base machine, not many upgrades. Machine was received six working days later. Nice box, well constructed with nicely bundled cables and as an added bonus, nice to look at.
The modem was DOA and I placed a call to Tech Support. No hold time and a very helpful rep assisted in analysis. We determined in about 5 minutes that the modem was bad(it happens). A new modem was shipped and I had it in 2 days. Problem solved. The yellow binder wa also missing from my order and one is on the way.
Overall, a very pleasant buying experience and a very well made machine.
Although it is to early to talk about reliability, I have no reason to believe it will fail any more frequently than others.
I would recommend this vendor to anyone.
Keep up the good work ABS. You have a good thing going."

"I ordered an Awesome 3500 from ABS on October 26, 2003. Upgraded with bells and whistles that included 1GB RAM, ATI 9800 Pro video card and 120 meg HD. Customer service was very attentive. The cpu arrived before the monitor, but by only one day. I received the cpu on Nov. 7 and the monitor on Nov. 8. The set up was a breeze, literally plug and play. All the software was installed and I was up and running in a matter of a half hour. So far I have been very impressed. I had read that the cpu was noisy, with six fans and all, but found it to be no noisier than my son's Dell 8300 with only 2 fans. This computer puts the Dell 8300 with equivalent specs to shame. I wish I had known about ABS before I ordered my son's computer from Dell. Hindsight is always 50-50.
So far the performance is flawless. With the exception of having to change the monitor refresh rate, due to the fact that I loaded a new game and the 60hz setting would freeze the monitor, the computer is a jewel.
I commend ABS on building a quality product and being so helpful all around. Keep up the good work, ABS. The true test will be when and if I need tech support in the future. Then and only then will ABS's true colors be determined. But for now, I will give kudos and recommend this company to anyone who wants a quality machine at a reasonable cost. "

"Awesome 3500:

Very easy to understand website. Very simple to use, and easy links to component specs. Much easier than Dell's website, which I think is one of the best website for mail order of anything.

Got my pc 3 days earlier than expected. System arrived in one piece (thank goodness for decent packaging which survived FedEx). Easy quick set-up poster, everyone is working great so far. Only thing they forgot to ship was the computer manual folder for all related documents about the computer.

Called customer service about the folder, and service rep was very professional and I was told that they will ship it that same day.

Good experience so far with both the purchase and people at ABS."

"Less than 6 months of ownership and I've already encountered 2 crippling problems. First, my hard drive dies then it appears that my Motherboard is now toast. They don't want to help you fix it at your convienence, only theirs. I am now without a computer (vital to my job) for 3 weeks while they determine the problem and fix it (only would allow me to send it back, no on-site consult or repair). Before purchasing from ABS, I ran an old PII 400Mghz Dell for 6 years and NEVER had one stitch of problems. I was really happy with the price and performance of ABS, but now think I should have gone somewhere else for a new computer. Not satisfied with the final product at this point."

"After 6+ years it was more than time to get a new computer. I did lots of research to figure out what I wanted, and quickly discovered that a custom computer would get me more bang for the buck than Dell/Gateway/IBM, etc. I'm not a gamer, so I didn't need the fastest rig, but I liked the idea of getting something beyond a beige box. Spent a month or so looking at companies, including Alienware, Falcon, NuTrend, Monarch, Puget, Envision, etc, in part based on the comments here as well as reviews at Cnet & PCWorld.

I had this narrowed down to ABS and Monarch, and found that I got a slightly better deal at ABS - both aesthetically and pricewise - even accounting for CA sales tax (a drawback of living in a high tech state).

I chose the Awesome 3500 (P4/2.4, 512 ram, 80gb harddrive, DVD-ROM, CDRW, Audigy sound, Albatron FX5200 video). Came in a cool blue case, with window and six LED fans, including two "alien" fan grills. A little loud with 6 fans, but as I explore the system, I may be able to adjust that. Plus I've got lots of room for expansion.

I was very pleased with the amount of info I could gather at the ABS site, and the ability to test different configurations that I knew would work together. Without monitor and speakers, I got a great system for under $830 (and free shipping, which helped make up for the sales tax). I've had this a week, so am still exploring, but am VERY pleased with the results thus far."

"I order the ultimate m5, got it about a week ago and so far so good this is my fifth pc, I had pc's from sony, dell, compaq, and hp and my abs is by far the best system not only on price but on quality they only use the best. I read so many good things and so many bad things about this company, at first I was not sure about my order I even thought about cancel the order, but i'm glad I didn't is been the best sytem I had, not only that I'veen telling all my friends about it without at thought my next pc is going to be ABS. For all people out there that want to buy a new pc ABS is the way to go. The only bad thing takes for ever to talk to someone on the phone other than that really satisfied. "