Can you recommend a "Custom PC builder" for me?

[JiBrady 20]

I am interested in investigating having a company build me a new PC. I am looking for someone that has a large selection of mother boards, cases, processors etc. to pick from. Company's like HP do not allow me to select mother boards, just packages. Have any of you any experience with such a company? Any recommendations please.Thanks,Jim

[Guest costone]

Check out Digital Storm (www.digitalstormonline.com). 3-4 year warranty on any build.Very satisfied customer here. I average 60fps (FS9 maxed out) and haven't tweaked yet.

[Guest Jeffhew]

Hi Jim,I did alot of research before having my system built about six months ago. I chose AVA direct for a number of reasons. http://www.avadirect.com/They have great customer service, a standard 3yr warranty, and free lifetime tech support. One thing I really liked is that in addition to game systems, they have a number of business and government contracts so I know they'll be there if and when I need them. They wont upsell you either. They'll listen to your needs and suggest what you need, not whatever is the highest price. They saved me about $500 over anyone else.I can't recommend them highly enough.Regards,Jeff

[Mace 1,896]

Jeff you have the same case I do. How are your temps doing with that 3.9 ghz overclock?RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[michal 44]

>I am interested in investigating having a company build me a>new PC.I strongly suggest that you proceed cautiously. It makes you no good if they offer you "3 years of free technical support and/or warranty" if you have to ship them the PC at your own cost across state boundaries. I had gone with a similar company as those two recommended above and it has been an absolute nightmare - sure I got all the help over the phone but I myself had to swap motherboards, CPU's, power supplies, etc. Never, never again. Now I would rather pay more and buy from someone reputable like Falcon Northwest or Alienware that specialize in high-end gaming machines who could also send technician to my home or at the very least had a representative nearby. Another alternative - check in your own neighborhood - for example I was able to find just a few blocks away a very vibrant, old, low-key computer store that could build me gaming PC with whatever specs I desire and if something goes wrong I can take this PC back to them and have it looked at in matter of minutes rather than weeks ...Michael J.http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9320/apollo17vf7.jpg

[Guest Jeffhew]

Hi Rhett,Temps are great. I posted some screenshots here. http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=43305&page=Take a look on the left of the second pic. Also notice that I have a few fans running in there. The one fan that isn't listed is the PSU fan so there's actually eight of them. They're all 120cm so you wouldn't know I have that many running just by sound levels. It's pretty quiet. With the GPU fan set to 80%, I can hear it over all the others.I've made a few changes to my mem timings since these pics were taken but everything is about the same. I'm still running at 3.91 GHz but I pulled the mem speed back to about 900MHz so I can run at 4-4-3-10 timings. So, I'm running just a tad cooler with the FSB pulled back a bit.Under load, I'll see core temps no higher than about 53c and my CPU temp has never gone above 39C. The northbridge temp on the hottest of days never exceeds 68c under load. Normal is closer to 62c and about 53c at idle in a room that stays around 70f.Hope this helps.Best Regards,Jeff

[Guest Jeffhew]

Michael,I can appreciate your nightmare scenario. I agree that the wrong company can really be a problem. That said, I do not make recommendations lightly. AVA direct has been around for better than 9 years. If you research them you'll find that they have a number of longstanding DOD and other government contracts. This suggests a high level of quality, experience and at good prices. They have expertise in gaming PC's as well. They have a very good reputation.In my experience, the only thing you get with the companies you mentioned is a higher price for the name. The quality of my build was impeccable and I have had ZERO issues.I don't recommend you take just my word. Take a look here:http://www.resellerratings.com/store/AVA_DirectEvery company will have issues from time to time but, if you do your research, and have an idea of what you want going in, I think you would find them an excellent company. Their customer service alone blows away any other company I have dealt with.Regards,Jeff

[irocx 292]

Hi Jim, I'll simply add: if you haven't already, why not consider building a rig yourself. It's not that difficult and can be a very rewarding complement to your simming experience. And, ya know what they say - if you want it done right........ Should you decide to accept this mission :-kewl ..... and should you require it, there's a wealth of info and people to assist right here.Regards, Kendall#1: E8500 @ 3.95 - HyperTX2 Gigabyte P35-DS3L 4GB Ballistix Tracers PC6400 EVGA 8800GT - XG's 174.74 Seagate 250GB 7200.11 CH Yoke/Pedals/Saitek Throttle Dual Monitor: Dell 2405/1905 #2: Dell 8400 3.2 H.T. 3GB PC4200 - X800XT Diamond Xtreme/Logitech X-530's

[Guest davidalmada]

Hi Jim I dont know where you live but if its near NYC let me know I can help you with the purchase and the getting started with your new computer I should be soon doing the same myself I m just waiting for the famous bloomfield to come out to do so.Daviddavidalmada@taylormadecomputer.com