Companies that do custom PCs -- that can be justified for organizational purchase

[TrackSmart]

I'll be starting a new research job in the coming months. A new computer is part of the package. I'm not interested in the standard computer they typically offer (i.e. 15.6" laptop with 1366 x 768 resolution screen, spinning hard disk, and weighing in at 6-7 lbs).

What I want is a desktop computer with reasonable specs. I can justify this based on my computational needs. HOWEVER, it is increasingly clear that I'll have to choose from a "major vendor" with appropriate warranty support, etc.

I've been building my own systems for quite some time, so it was a rude awaking to see what has become of the customizeable desktop PC market. What the heck happened to the Micron/Gateway/Dell and other companies of yore? Custom configurations don't exist anymore beyond very limited options. And anything beyond the commodity price range appears to be an outrageous ripoff. Upgrade costs for SSD storage, extra memory, decent-sized drives, etc, are ridiculous and quickly put me beyond a justifiable price bracket.

I don't need (and can't ask for given the price) expensive Xeon processors and workstation GPUs. The applications I use would see no benefit. A core i5/i7 system with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 2 x 1TB HDDs, and mid-range non-workstation GPU are what I need. That should be possible. But it is not possible when configuring desktops from Dell/Lenovo and the usual suspects. Either you get overpriced workstation systems (way out of the price range) or consumer systems without any significant configuration options.

So, what companies still provide custom configurations at reasonable cost, but are big enough brands (with proper warranty support) for me to make a case for going outside of the Dell/Lenovo options currently in front of me?


Thanks in advance to anyone who has useful advice! As a reminder, building my own is not going to fly here. Your typical gaming-oriented custom-build companies are going to fly either.

 

[BrightCandle]

I know how you feel. If I could get someone else to build my PC and deliver a working package with the parts I wanted I certainly would. But none of the big ones seem to offer what is the sweet spot of today's kit at all. Its really annoying and a lot of the reason why they are mostly loosing market share.

 

[Cerb]

I'll be starting a new research job in the coming months. A new computer is part of the package. I'm not interested in the standard computer they typically offer (i.e. 15.6" laptop with 1366 x 768 resolution screen, spinning hard disk, and weighing in at 6-7 lbs).

They being...?

What the heck happened to the Micron/Gateway/Dell and other companies of yore?

They died. Well, mostly. Gateway got bought, Micron got out, and Dell is a shell of what it once was.

Upgrade costs for SSD storage, extra memory, decent-sized drives, etc, are ridiculous and quickly put me beyond a justifiable price bracket.

That they are. I can understand customizing being expensive, but it baffles me why, when that's the case, they don't offer solid midrange computer options without needing to customize. Dell will have some good XPS configs here and there, but kind of randomly, and I generally don't see that sort of thing in the business machines.

In any case, unless you luck up, I doubt you'll find what you want for much under $2,000, without getting a base model and customizing it. I couldn't get a suitable config from Dell, HP, or Lenovo, at all (I probably could have using Dell Premier, but that wouldn't be fair). Not at a reasonable price, but simply not possible, without taking a base model and adding components after the build. Dell didn't have the options at all, Lenovo was expensive on some, and required going to $2500+ Xeon boxes to get the SSD, HDD, and a decent video card together, and HP's website I just gave up browsing.

The closest I found was This Optiplex, which is lacking in GPU power, if you need midrange, HDD space, and may not have enough SSD space.

 

[goobernoodles]

I get the feeling you won't be doing the purchasing, but you might want to try to go through a value added reseller such as CDW, Zones or SHI to see if they can offer additional components to base systems and still retain warranty coverage on everything.

 

[TrackSmart]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the replies so far, which unfortunately echo what I had feared. So, there are no major players that serve this market anymore?

It's painful to hit the "customize and buy" button on Dell's website and find out that almost nothing is customizeable outside of purchasing accessories like power strips. Seriously, I can only choose a single 500GB spinning disk for storage and the RAM is fixed at 8GB? [Just one example I saw]

 

[fralexandr]

maybe try puget systems?
http://www.pugetsystems.com/business.php
not exactly cheap, but tons of customization and not ridiculous like lenovo ($500 for 8gb of udimm?)

anandtech's review on puget systems warranty/support
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2174/8

historically, custom built pcs have always been on the pricey side though.
it's just lately there's been a ton of inexpensive prebuilts.

 

[oynaz]

Try Fujitsu-Siemens. I haven't had dealings with them in a while, but they were very good 3 years ago.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

I used to use these guys for a TON of builds, I bet i had them build thousands and all of them had great reliability and support. I havent used them in about 7 years since my current job is a Lenovo only kinda shop, but if they are anything like they used to be you cant go wrong..


http://www.equuscs.com/

 

[piasabird]

Sometimes I look at this site:
www.directron.com

This is a pretty basic computer but they let you change some things like RAM, CPU, etc.
http://www.directron.com/haswell-trader-computer-1.html

If you add SSD and an i7 then the cost could be a little high.
Summer Saver PC System Components:
•Processor: Intel Core i5-4670 Haswell 3.4GHz LGA1150 Quad-Core Processor
•Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600 [2x4GB]
•Motherboard: ASUS B85M-G Socket 1150 mATX Motherboard, Intel B85 Chipset, Supports Intel 4th Generation Socket H3 Haswell CPU, Dual DDR3 1600, SATA 6Gb/s, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, HDMI, DVI, VGA, 8-Ch HD Audio, Windows 8 Ready
•Video: Intel Integrated HD 4600 Graphics. Support for up to 3 Monitors with onboard video. Perfect for Network Administrators.
•Audio: Realtek ALC887-VD2 8-Channel High Definition Audio
•Storage: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive
•Optical: 24X DVD-RW Drive
•Case: Black CompuCase / HEC MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case, 0.6mm SECC Steel, w/ 80mm Fan and Side Air Duct w/600W PSU


A little more expensive but their prices are not too bad. I don't know what kind of budget you have but you could bring up something like a Workstation build which usually has a better processor and more RAM and more HARD DRIVES/RAID.

Directron Summer Saver PC 3 : Intel Core i5-4670 Haswell 3.4Ghz LGA1150 Quad Core CPU, Asus B85M-G mATX Motherboard, 16GB DDR3 Memory, 2TB HD, DVD Burner, 3 way Monitor support!
Part Number:SYS-Haswell-SUM-PC-1Regular price:$744.99On Sale: $709.99

*Assemble System?: Yes, assemble the system [Allow 1 to 2 Days for Assembly]No, I will assemble myself and take a discount(+-5.00)
*Change/Upgrade Change/Upgrade Processor:
Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz 22nm(+-29.00)Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz 22nm(+-22.00)Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz 22nm(+-19.00)Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz 22nm(+0.00)Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz 22nm(+26.00)Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz 22nm(+89.00)Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz 22nm(+131.00)
*Change/Upgrade DDR3 Memory:
One 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997026(+-138.00)One 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston HyperX KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G(+-130.00)One 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston KHX1333C9D3K2/4G(+-128.00)One 4GB 2x2GB DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX(+-127.00)One 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1866 Kingston HyperX KHX1866C9D3K2/4GX(+-123.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz Patriot PSD38G1333K(+-101.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 Patriot PSD38G1333KH(+-100.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997002(+-100.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PSD38G1600KH(+-99.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston KVR13N9S8K2/8(+-96.00)One 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 1600 Patriot PV38G160C9K(+-94.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PV38G160C9KBL(+-94.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997006(+-92.00)One 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX(+-92.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin Blackline 996988(+-91.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin Blackline 996995(+-90.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Kingston KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX(+-88.00)One 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 1866 Patriot PV38G186C9K(+-87.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot PV38G186C9KBL(+-86.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C1K(+-85.00)One 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 2133 Patriot PV38G213C1K(+-84.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C0K(+-75.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C0KBL(+-75.00)One 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Crucial BLT2KIT4G3D1869DT2TXOB(+-67.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1333 Patriot PSD316G1333KH(+-32.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PSD316G1600KH(+-31.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PV316G160C9KBL(+-16.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot PV316G186C0KBL(+-16.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G186C0K(+-16.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G160C9K(+-15.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Kingston KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G(+-14.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2133 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G213C1K(+-4.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV316G240C0K(+30.00)One 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV316G240C0KBL(+30.00)Two 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997026(+-96.00)Two 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston HyperX KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G(+-80.00)Two 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston KHX1333C9D3K2/4G(+-76.00)Two 4GB 2x2GB DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX(+-74.00)Two 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1866 Kingston HyperX KHX1866C9D3K2/4GX(+-66.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz Patriot PSD38G1333K(+-22.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 Patriot PSD38G1333KH(+-20.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997002(+-20.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PSD38G1600KH(+-18.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 Kingston KVR13N9S8K2/8(+-12.00)Two 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 1600 Patriot PV38G160C9K(+-8.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PV38G160C9KBL(+-8.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin 997006(+-4.00)Two 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX(+-4.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin Blackline 996988(+-2.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mushkin Blackline 996995(+0.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Kingston KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX(+4.00)Two 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 1866 Patriot PV38G186C9K(+6.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot PV38G186C9KBL(+8.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C1K(+10.00)Two 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 2133 Patriot PV38G213C1K(+12.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C0K(+30.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV38G240C0KBL(+30.00)Two 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Crucial BLT2KIT4G3D1869DT2TXOB(+46.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1333 Patriot PSD316G1333KH(+116.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PSD316G1600KH(+118.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot PV316G160C9KBL(+148.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot PV316G186C0KBL(+148.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G186C0K(+148.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G160C9K(+150.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 Kingston KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G(+152.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2133 Patriot Viper 3 PV316G213C1K(+172.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV316G240C0K(+240.00)Two 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 2400 Patriot PV316G240C0KBL(+240.00)
*Add SATA Hard Drive:
One 500GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA050(+46.99)One 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Hitachi 0F10381(+48.99)One 250GB SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2500AAKX(+49.99)One 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST500DM002(+51.99)One 320GB SATA 3.5in OEM WD WD3200AAKX(+52.99)One 250GB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST250DM000(+53.99)One 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5in HGST HDS721050CLA362(+54.99)One 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5000AAKX(+54.99)One 1000GB SATA 3.5in OEM Toshiba DT01ACA100(+58.99)One 1TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD10EZEX(+62.99)One 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in Seagate ST1000DM003(+64.99)One SATA 3Gb/s SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2503ABYX(+73.99)One 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5003ABYX(+74.99)One 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD10EFRX(+75.99)One 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA200(+85.99)One 250 GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD2500HHTZ(+88.99)One 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Seagate ST2000DM001(+89.99)One 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in WD WD20EZRX(+89.99)One 1TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD1003FBYX(+93.99)One 2TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD20EURS(+93.99)One 1TB SATA 3.5in Bare Drive Seagate ST1000NM0033(+94.88)One 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD20EFRX(+104.99)One 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA300(+115.99)One 3TB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST3000DM001(+118.99)One 500 GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5000HHTZ(+129.99)One 3TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD30EFRX(+136.99)One 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM WD WD2002FAEX(+149.99)One 2TB SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2000FYYZ(+159.99)One 1 TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD1000DHTZ(+219.95)Two 500GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA050(+93.98)Two 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Hitachi 0F10381(+97.98)Two 250GB SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2500AAKX(+99.98)Two 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST500DM002(+103.98)Two 320GB SATA 3.5in OEM WD WD3200AAKX(+105.98)Two 250GB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST250DM000(+107.98)Two 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5in HGST HDS721050CLA362(+109.98)Two 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5000AAKX(+109.98)Two 1000GB SATA 3.5in OEM Toshiba DT01ACA100(+117.98)Two 1TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD10EZEX(+125.98)Two 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in Seagate ST1000DM003(+129.98)Two SATA 3Gb/s SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2503ABYX(+147.98)Two 500GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5003ABYX(+149.98)Two 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD10EFRX(+151.98)Two 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA200(+171.98)Two 250 GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD2500HHTZ(+177.98)Two 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Seagate ST2000DM001(+179.98)Two 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in WD WD20EZRX(+179.98)Two 1TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD1003FBYX(+187.98)Two 2TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD20EURS(+187.98)Two 1TB SATA 3.5in Bare Drive Seagate ST1000NM0033(+189.76)Two 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD20EFRX(+209.98)Two 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Toshiba DT01ACA300(+231.98)Two 3TB SATA 3.5in OEM Seagate ST3000DM001(+237.98)Two 500 GB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD5000HHTZ(+259.98)Two 3TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD30EFRX(+273.98)Two 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5in OEM WD WD2002FAEX(+299.98)Two 2TB SATA 3.5in Western Digital WD2000FYYZ(+319.98)Two 1 TB SATA 3.5in OEM Western Digital WD1000DHTZ(+439.90)
*Add Operating System:
Microsoft Office 365 University Subscription R4T-00042 (NO MEDIA)(+72.99) Microsoft Win7 Home Premium 64-bit OS GFC-02733(+95.99) Microsoft Win7 Home Premium 32-bit OS GFC-02726(+95.99) Windows 7 Home Premium w/ SP1 32bit GFC-02021 OEM(+95.99) Windows 7 Home Premium w/ SP1 64bit GFC-02050 OEM(+95.99) Microsoft Office 365 Home Pre Subscription 6GQ-00024 (NO MEDIA)(+99.99) Microsoft Win8.1 32-bit OS WN7-00659(+99.99) Microsoft Win8.1 64-bit OS WN7-00615(+99.99) Microsoft Office 2013 Home / Student 79G-03550(+119.99) Microsoft Win7 Professional 64-bit OS FQC-08289(+137.99) Microsoft Win7 Professional 32-bit OS FQC-08279(+137.99) Windows 7 Professional w/ SP1 32bit FQC-04617 OEM(+137.99) Windows 7 Professional w/ SP1 64bit FQC-04649 OEM(+137.99) Windows 8 Pro 64bit FQC-05956 OEM(+139.99) Microsoft Win8.1 Pro 32-bit OS FQC-06988(+139.99) Microsoft Win8.1 Pro 64-bit OS FQC-06950(+139.99) Microsoft Office 365 Small Business Subscription 6SR-00009 (NO MEDIA)(+149.99) Windows 7 Ultimate w/ SP1 32bit GLC-01809 OEM(+170.99) Microsoft Office 2013 Home / Business T5D-01575(+179.99) Microsoft Win7 Ultimate 64-bit OS GLC-02389(+179.99) Microsoft Win7 Ultimate 32-bit OS GLC-02377(+179.99) Windows 7 Ultimate w/ SP1 64bit GLC-01844 OEM(+179.99) Microsoft Office Pro 2013 269-16094(NO Media)(+339.99) Windows 7 Professional w/ SP1 64bit 3PK FQC-04725 OEM(+424.99) Windows 7 Ultimate w/ SP1 64bit 3PK GLC-01909 OEM(+534.99) Windows 7 Ultimate w/ SP1 32bit 3PK GLC-01878 OEM(+539.99) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard With SP1, 64-bit, 5 CALs, 1 Server(+689.99)
*Add Office Suite:
Microsoft Office 365 University Subscription R4T-00042 (NO MEDIA)(+72.99) Microsoft Office 365 Home Pre Subscription 6GQ-00024 (NO MEDIA)(+99.99) Microsoft Office 2013 Home / Student 79G-03550(+119.99) Microsoft Office 365 Small Business Subscription 6SR-00009 (NO MEDIA)(+149.99) Microsoft Office 2013 Home / Business T5D-01575(+179.99) Microsoft Office Pro 2013 269-16094(NO Media)(+339.99)
Quantity:

 

[DaveSimmons]

Puget Systems is well-respected but expensive.

CyberPower is flexible, cheap and less well respected for quality -- they're more of an assembler while Puget is a luxury boutique.

 

[Morbus]

I find that small companies are usually more trustworthy and friendly for this kind of market. I never assembled the motherboard/CPU of my rigs myself, and I always send it to the shop, a small shop nearby, small company that does mostly IT support for other companies, and they are fast, cheap and friendly, and I have only ever had good things to say about them on the support department. They even went as far as fixing my computer for no cost, because it only took them 15minutes and 25 cents worth of hardware...

That's my suggestion anyway. Human connection is priceless in these things, I'd say. Forget big brands and buy local.

 

[TrackSmart]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the recommendations from folks who have personal experience and/or credible knowledge about particular vendors. Do any of these companies have online configuration tools aside from Puget systems?

Fujitsu does not appear to sell desktops in the US. And "sometimes I look at this site" is not a recommendation that I trust for Directron, unless you have further knowledge of the company.

The idea of searching for a local builder might be a good one and a point that could help justify "adding a new vendor" to the system and get me around the typical "fill out this form and wait for a surprise computer to arrive" system that is currently in place over here. I can talk to the local builder about what I need and avoid surprises. Surely they can't be any more expensive than Puget systems.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Directron.com is legit, as vendors go. I've never ordered a custom system from them though. Ewiz.com / Superbiiz.com I believe also does custom systems, but they tend to specialize in budget stuff.

Edit: Have a Microcenter nearby?

 

[TrackSmart]

Directron.com is legit, as vendors go. I've never ordered a custom system from them though. Ewiz.com / Superbiiz.com I believe also does custom systems, but they tend to specialize in budget stuff.

Edit: Have a Microcenter nearby?

I am a huge fan of Microcenter. If they do custom configurations, I wasn't aware of it (and would never have looked for it, either, in the past).

If that is the case, and they let you purchase components directly from Microcenter (at their low prices) and just charge a build fee + warranty, that would be perfect -- and should be justifiable to the purchasing folks (i.e. a major retailer with a local presence).

 

[VirtualLarry]

I am a huge fan of Microcenter. If they do custom configurations, I wasn't aware of it (and would never have looked for it, either, in the past).

If that is the case, and they let you purchase components directly from Microcenter (at their low prices) and just charge a build fee + warranty, that would be perfect -- and should be justifiable to the purchasing folks (i.e. a major retailer with a local presence).

I've never done it, but I've heard that you can pay their techs' a fee, and have them build your complete system. Whether Microcenter will offer a warranty on the complete system then, that's another question entirely. They might assist in claiming mfg warranty on products sold through them though.

 

[lehtv]

I've never done it, but I've heard that you can pay their techs' a fee, and have them build your complete system. Whether Microcenter will offer a warranty on the complete system then, that's another question entirely. They might assist in claiming mfg warranty on products sold through them though.

http://www.microcenter.com/site/content/instore-service-complete-build.aspx

 

[Knavish]

Where I work we need special justification to buy a non-Dell or Apple product. Quite a few people here are buying Alienware systems because they are Dells with good performance and none of the Xeon / Quadro / FirePro price premiums of their workstations.

When I needed a system (for work) that required a smaller case, I've purchased through Puget Systems. I am only familiar with them from on their Anandtech review. It is a nice system -- basically a really high quality home-built system: good parts, clean construction, RTV-type-glue on connectors, etc...