"I was looking to buy a customized gaming computer. I saw a ad in Maximum PC and like the way the website worked with customization. I spent about $1500 on a computer.

I got it in a timly matter, and well packed. The first thing I noticed was that the cdroms and floppy were white (the case is black with window) and the cables were all a mess. I was expecting everything to be color matched and the inside nice, but there was no promise of that. Next I spent about $500 on; lcd screens, lights, nice cables and cable looms, painting the cdroms, ect...

About a month after I got it, the mobo died. I didnt know what it was at first, but I called the tech number. I was on hold for about 20 minutes till someone had time for me. I asked if I could just send in the mobo/ram/cpu for testing, they said "no ship the whole computer to us at your cost". I wasnt about to do this. I bought a used mobo off of ebay and it worked. I called back tech support, waited about 20 minutes again, and finally got them to let me send in the mobo since I verified it by buying another one. I shiped it back, at my cost.

I got another one back about 1 1/2 weeks later. It was a higher rev. number, but mostly the same. They sent it in a anit-static bag. I wish they would have sent drivers and such, but its ok.

Overall I dont think I won or lost here. Everything worked out allright."

"UPDATE: 11/20/03 - After my initial glowing reviews, I can no longer in good conscience recommend this company. About 8 months after my purchase, my computer died. Getting through to technical support was a major pain. I first sent them an e-mail but never received a response. So then I tried calling. After waiting on hold for 30 min, I got through to a tech. To make a long story short, it was eventually diagnosed as a dead power supply. So they had me mail in the dead one. Only after they had received it, did they send me a new one. So I was basically without the services of my computer for about 2 weeks while everything was in transit. One month after that the new power supply suddenly starts making a very very loud buzzing sound. It seems one of the fans keeps stalling. The sound is very loud and unbearable. My only course of action is to restart the computer... until the buzzing comes back again. Rinse, repeat. So I sent an e-mail first again. I should have learned my lesson the first time. No response. Then I called. After being on hold for 30 min, I got sent to voicemail! This was highly annoying. So I left a detailed message and 2 days later I still have not heard from anyone. Not via e-mail or phone. I'm very irritated needless to say. Support is something I've always overlooked when purchasing computer hardware. But now I'm beginning to see how important it is. At this point, I don't think I'd ever buy anything from ABS again.



I was a bit concerned at first ordering a computer from a smaller company (vs. Dell, HP, etc), but my order has been a great experience. I decided to go with them for their great prices. I highly recommend ABS as an alternative to some of the bigger names. Configured my computer online. When I had a question about some of the options, I called customer support. The first time, I was put on hold for nearly 30 min and I hung up in frustration. On my second try, I was connected to a live rep within 5 min. The rep was helpful in answering my questions. Placed my actual order online. A day later, I wanted to change some options and so I called to make these changes. The changes were fairly painless to make, but I still feared whether this would screw up my order somehow. I've heard too many horror stories. Yesterday, I received my computer, on time, and everything looks great. They put all the manuals and software in a nice, neat binder. The packaging was great and the computer runs perfectly. My only gripe was that the included (free) microphone snapped in half (on the base). Will call to let them know. Overall, I had a great ordering experience. The price was great, ordering was smooth and painless, customer service has been good (if you get through), the package arrived on time, and the product was as advertised. Highly recommend."

"I'm very happy with my ABS Ultimate X8 computer (ASUS P4T533-C mb, P4 2.66 cpu, FIC 9700Pro video card, WD 120 GB hd, Lite On 16X dvd drive, Lite On 52X24X52X cd burner, 512MB 1066 RDRAM, Audigy gamer, Chieftec Case, etc.). I researched this purchase for months and narrowed my selection to Alienware, Hypersonic and ABS. The other 2 companies just couldn't hold a candle to ABS' prices (~$300-500 higher) but that wasn't the only determining factor. ABS has a great selection of quality components and they've gotten very favorable reviews here and elsewhere for their quality systems, customer service, etc. My last PC was a PII 400 Dell so I spec'd a similarly configured Dell and it was ~$400 more (their rating here isn't very good).

I ordered my PC on Saturday morning, Feb. 22 with a 5% discount for weekend online orders (which I recommend taking advantage of). The machine arrived at my door on Wednesday, March 5. My only complaint is that the ATI video drivers were old and I had to download and install new ones. I downloaded 3DMark2001SE and got a score of 15152 for the system right out of the box (no tweaks or OC'ing).

I would definitely buy from ABS again!"

"I'm very happy with my new ABS computer, an Awesome 3250 (ASUS A7N8X Deluxe mb, AMD Athlon 2800+ cpu, ASUS 9180TD video card [nVidia MX440, 8X AGP], WD 120 GB hd, Lite On 16X dvd drive [40X cd], Lite On 52X24X52X cd burner, 1GB Corsair PC3200C2 ram, etc.). I was able to get almost exactly the parts I wanted for my new computer, with ABS putting it together for me and providing a nice warranty, for much less than I could have built it myself.

My experience and opinions are very much like those of Sam Dahir (1/23/03 review) and Sevendust62 (1/20/03 review). Since I can't spend much more time on this review, I'll summarize: I was a bit worried, I made my configuration choices by phone with a very helpful sales rep., the online order status thing worked well and kept me updated, my computer arrived the day they told me it should arrive by, nothing was damaged, everything worked well, very pleased with ABS' documentation and that they sent me all the original documentation from the makers, very happy with the price, very happy with my new computer. It, and ABS, are awesome!"

"I looked around quite a bit and found nothing that could compare to ABS's prices or quality components. I ordered a custom configured "Awesome 3250" on Feb 9th. They charged my credit card the same day. It is now Feb 18th, and according to their online tracking, the parts for my computer are still being "prepared for assembly". That status has been unchanged for the past 9 days. I called on the 14th, and was told all my parts were in stock and that assembly should have already begun. I have called several more times, and am always transferred to "Rosemary", who is never at her desk and does not return messages left on her answering service. I am starting to get nervous. I was hoping ABS would disprove the old adage "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is", but I am losing hope.

UPDATE: 02/19 Maybe they just weren't updating the online tracking before, because suddenly it went from step 3 to step 8 which is "shipped". It's on its way now, so I'll update again when I receive it. Rosemary also returned my message, it took 6 days, but at least she called back and left a message on my machine. I tried to call her back, but got her message service again.

UPDATE: 02/20 I received my computer, and had it up and running in about 15 minutes. The binders that ABS usually ships with the computer to hold documentation and drivers were out of stock, but everything else was included. The computer is truly "Awesome". The modem did not connect, so I had a chance to deal with tech support. I held for 15 minutes, which is less than I expected, and then it only took about 5 minutes for the tech to decide my modem was defective. He shipped a new one, and ABS will credit my charge card for the cost of shipping back the defective one.

All in all, I am highly pleased with ABS. I would recommend them to anyone, and will definately purchase from them again in the future."

"Update: I've had my computer over a month now, and although I can't report "perfection", I can still emphasize my continued satisfaction. When I configured my system for purchase, I had "skimped" on the modem to save a few bucks, and naturally it bit me in the ass - as the modem was DOA. Since the modem/software was properly installed and there was no obvious diagnostics errors, the only way to have known of this problem would have been to make a connection attempt. And that is not typical QC policy of any company, not just ABS, so I don't have any gripes about it. Personally, had I not chosen a crap piece of hardware, there never would have been a problem to begin with. I'll take the blame for this myself.

More importantly, it was relatively easy to fix the problem. I contacted tech support, we ran a few tests to confirm the problem, and a replacment was soon on the way - no hassles - no delays - pure and simple resolution. That's the beauty of ABS.

The computer has been operating very well, it's fast and virtually problem free. I've had some Windows XP quirks and a driver issue with my video card, but these are "normal operating experiences". All I can say is that I'm very happy with my purchase and I won't hesitate to buy ABS again in another year or so when it's time to catch up in time.
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I built my own computer a couple of years ago, but those days are long gone thanks to the pricing and quality components offered by some of today's best computer companies, specifically ABS Computer Systems. In searching for a system that would give me both the performance I need and the low price I could only afford to pay, I had narrowed my search down to 3 potential companies/systems. Ultimately, the winner was ABS. Why? Let's see...

The Bravado 2350 is not "exactly" what I wanted, but after talking to a very knowledgeable and service-oriented salesperson, I was able to make some important changes and create "exactly" what I wanted. In addition, after I had immediately purchased this system (on Friday), I saw that they were having a President's day sale over the following weekend, in which I requested the same deal. No problem. Upon my request, they adjusted the sales price and gave me the 5% discount.

I haven't yet received my system, so I can't comment on quality and technical support just yet, but I most certainly will at the appropriate time.

For now, let me sign off by saying that from my experience thus far, ABS is a company of high integrity and exercises good will towards its highly valued customers. I have great respect and appreciation for this company."

"I love this company. They do have excellent products at great prices and good customer service. When I received the computer, the acrylic window on the side panel was slightly cracked, they immediately sent out a replacement no question asked. "

"DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! They sent me a defective computer (it re-booted continuously upon startup). When I sent it back for a refund, they DID NOT CREDIT MY ACCOUNT. They received the faulty machine Feb. 1st, and it is now Feb. 14 and my account has not been credited. I have called them five times, and no one there knows what is going on and no one is willing to resolve the issue. SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME AND BUY ELSEWHERE!

Update: finally got through to a manager. They say that my account will be credited today. I am skeptical, but will update this.

Update: 2/16 Refund was finally credited to my account. The General Manager sent me a very courteous e-mail apologizing for the problem. Moral of the story: I guess to get proper service one needs to rattle some cages and make some noise, but the company does (after some head/heartache) finally live up to its promises."

"Ordered a TBred-A 1700 for $50, an excellent price. Much to my delight I received a TBred-B 1700 on time. They have an excellent website and everything is automated. Unfortunatly the CPU just died so I'll keep you updated on how the RMA goes."

" I'm a hardcore gamer, and have placed an order for an Ultimate M5, AMD 2800+, asus nforce2 mobo, 1024 DDR3200 Corsair ram, ATI 9700pro, Creative Audigy XGamer, 2 80gig HDs in RAID 0, LiteOn DVD & CD-R. The price is great, and the web site is easy to use to customize your PC. So far so good. I will update this review when it arives.

It came on time even with 2 ft of snow on the ground. The packing was great and the PC was in very good contition. I hooked it up and it ran with no problems all the components were correct, and worked properly. It is a very fast machine all my games run on the highest settings,and at the highest frame rates. I am very satisfied with ABS PC.
I had my first experience wth customer service and it was a pleasent on. The problem I was having was a Windows XP system boot problem caused by there update. The rep at ABS was very helpful and it only took a minute to get him on
the phone. He walked me through what to do and was on the line until it was fixed. There customer service is great.

I would tell anyone I know to buy an ABS PC without question. I know they would be as happy with there ABS experience as I am with mine."

"Great product, great price. Highly recommended. A great replacement for home built systems - I was very impressed that all original documentation for parts was included."

"I had been lusting about a new box for some months and wanted top notch components and some choices in one I could afford. I got an Athlon 1800+, ATI Radeon 8500 LE (128MB), Pioneer DVD rom, SoundBlaster Live, 40 gig HDD @ 7200 RPM, baseline case w/ USB upfront, (I know this is becoming the standard, but 6 months ago was more luxurious). I have used my box daily, for hours at a time, and have never experienced any problems. I paid $660 for it, and really don't think I could have built it for that or at least not any cheaper. I play America's Army, Day of Defeat, Stronghold, Crimson Skies, daily and have never seen the temp rise aboe 122 deg F. This with only one case fan. My chipset fan (AMD 761 chipset GigaByte mobo)is noisy and a call to tech support got me a new one on the way, no hassles or questions asked. I am very impressed with my system, and if I don't build my own at a later time, I will buy my next one from them. "

"i am very satisfied with my system. i bought the 8400 multi media system and i am very happy. just a few minor problems but i called tech support and they solved problems right away.
"

"Wont find a better computer company to buy from, period."

"My family had bought a computer from ABS about 5 years ago, an old PII by today's standards. Now though, I ordered the Bravado 2230, with AMD XP 2200+, 256 MB DDRAM, ATI Radeon 9500PRO, etc.

Ordered it on the 10th, a Friday; Got it on the 27th, a Wednesday. Part of the slight tardiness (and a cause for my impatience) was that there was a credit card address issue, but that was resolved quickly.
It's now the 3rd day I've had this comp, and it is purring like it's ready to take on the world. The first 'big' game that I want on this comp would be Star Wars Galaxies... besides that, this comp should be able to handle anything I need to use it for.

"