Falcon Northwest Upgrades the Mach V With AM2

[pschmid]

With the new socket AM2 platform from AMD, consumers can expect faster systems from the guys who really know how to build them.

 

[torque79]

No mystery where my money would go if I had that much. what a dream.

 

[chuckshissle]

Yeah, I have configured a pc on Falcon NorthWest and I got $7K for a X2 62 SLI 7900GTX. Wow, that is some crazy prize and with the performance is very good as well. But I would still prefer to build my own pc.

 

[Whizzard9992]

As a regular reader of Tom's Hardware, you might wonder why we get as many systems as we do from Falcon. To dispel any thoughts of conspiracy theories, we don't have anything to do with Falcon on any level. The answer is simple: the company is the role model that many other enthusiast PC builders look up to; they are considered the elite of the elite.

Why did I always think that was Dell? Oh yeah, they push 100x the inventory...

I've been building computers since hard drives had black faces, green lights, and you could hear them clear across the room. I know a decent number guys who build systems who have only heard of falcon recently. Seems like a bunch of marketing to me.

Companies like AMD, Asus, ATI, Intel and Nvidia all strive to have Falcon Northwest on their lists of partners when they debut a new enthusiast product.

lol. I'm not buying that one bit.

Owning a Falcon is reminiscent of what Ferris Bueller had to say as he turned to the camera after picking up his girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, in a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB: "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Wow. Are you serious? This phrase won't hold water against the crowd here lol. Why would ANYONE who watches this site religously buy a system more marked up than a dell when they can build the same thing, NOT have it DOA, for like 2/3 the cost?


I dunno. The whole article seems fishy to me. It doesn't appeal to the THG reader base, so why are they even posting it?

 

[clue69less]

I dunno. The whole article seems fishy to me. It doesn't appeal to the THG reader base, so why are they even posting it?

Falcon's products look to be excellent quality. Clean build, beautiful case. All you gotta do is fork over the big bucks. But I'm not dissing them for building pricey custom PCs - if they can make a living doing it, more power to them. Why post it here? Who knows, maybe not every Toms reader is a DIY'er? Maybe just to provide info for you to use to compare to what you do? I see no harm in Toms reviewing anything that's available. It's just data and I like data. But I wouldn't buy a Falcon even if I got run over by the money truck.

 

[Whizzard9992]

I dunno. The whole article seems fishy to me. It doesn't appeal to the THG reader base, so why are they even posting it?

Falcon's products look to be excellent quality. Clean build, beautiful case. All you gotta do is fork over the big bucks. But I'm not dissing them for building pricey custom PCs - if they can make a living doing it, more power to them. Why post it here? Who knows, maybe not every Toms reader is a DIY'er? Maybe just to provide info for you to use to compare to what you do? I see no harm in Toms reviewing anything that's available. It's just data and I like data. But I wouldn't buy a Falcon even if I got run over by the money truck.

No, you're right. I see why they posted it. With Dell's quality suffering so badly, I don't think "Dellienware" is enough to hold the enthusiest space.

Even so, for $4,500 I can build a nice Dual-SLI system with vapor phase cooling.

For THG, if you want to convince me that Falcon is as good as you claim, then pit it against a custom system. Show me that my extra 2000 duckets buys me more than a fancy name tag on the side of my case.


NOTE: To call a Falcon the Ferrari of computers is way off. Every Auto-enthusiast out there knows what a Ferrari is. There are still a LOT of people that will give you a blank stare when you say, "Hey, I got a new Falcon!" If anything, it's more like an Esprit. It's fast, but not faster than other cars in its class, and only people with money to burn will have one

 

[clue69less]

Even so, for $4,500 I can build a nice Dual-SLI system with vapor phase cooling.

Sure, you COULD do that, but instead go DFI3200/XFire...

 

[bum_jcrules]

I say you call them if you have so many questions to their costs.

As for being first to launch... let me put it this way. Do you have a 3DFX motherboard or Voodoo5 6000? What about having a Conroe 2 months ago? Hmmm. Whenever you are called by the engineers of companies, beta test hardware, are called by Asus to design a motherboard, have Silverstone build custom cases or power supplies, or by Nvidia and ATI to discuss next generation hardware I think you would have an edge on the average Joe and especially some other custom system builders.

As for cost these can get up there quickly. Their custom paint jobs can add a few thousand as the person that paints them can charge $5,000 just to paint a Harley gas tank. Then take a computer with its parts and this could get astronomical. The paint on that case we had in was very expensive.

Another expense it the warranty. Being assured that you can have your system back in your hands overnight two and a half years later after purchase is great. If you have tech support issues you can all them the rest of your life and they will be glad to help. You cannot say that about many companies.

If you have questions I can answer about them fire away... they are a company all to themselves. They get stuff before we do sometimes and that has to say something.

 

[clue69less]

They get stuff before we do sometimes and that has to say something.

Actually, that says very little. I've got contacts that get stuff early too. I got to piddle with AM2 something like 6 weeks ago, with Conroe 3 weeks ago, etc, just because I could go to my friend's labs and play around. Many people in the industry get engineering samples well ahead of commercial release and companies like Falcon can get in the queue to have commercial units early. Just go to AMDs web site or ATIs and work your way through the commercial side, fill out the forms, get supplier status, it's all standard bidness.

 

[Whizzard9992]

I have a Voodoo 5500 if that means anything That thing was a BEAST.
"Wow it has 2 cooling fans!" (If you remember everything up to the voodoo3 just had a big heat sink).

I agree that the price adds value beyond a DIY system, so I stand corrected. Falcon-ware isn't aimed at the DIY tinkerer (though I think they're trying with vendor-limited Quad-SLI).

I don't see George Clooney popping open his case when he blue-screens in World of Warcraft, so Falcon-ware is good for those that want the power of a custom-system without having to know anything about it.

At any rate, it still feels like marketing to me. Maybe it's just the way the article is written. (Maybe it's that the second page reads like a Falcon-ware brochure )

There are 2 sides to Falcon-ware computers tho, and on the one hand you have the DIY'er, reminiscent of the grease monkey and his big-block in garage, and you have the corporate CEO willing to spend money to get something almost as nice without all the maintenance. The target market is the CEO (or "Barry" as some retail chains refer to them).

It would have been nice to really show and compare these 2 sides in the article. Instead, it feels like you're trying to sell everyone on how great the Mach V is. It would have been nice to see the Mach V pit against a white-box FX-62. Even if the Mach V fell short, I think most would understand if you explained the real differences. Tinkerers know that you can't do a wicked OC without opening the case every now and then (We all want to, but it's never the case ), or knowing exactly what's wrong when you hear 6 beeps from the AWARD BIOS.

All and all, I think Falcon is going places. Dell is opening up the market by shortcutting quality with Maxtor hard drives, custom-motherboards, and the horrendous tech support. Falcon has recognized this and recently (and obviously) started dumping more money into marketing (not referring to the article: I see their ads popping up all over now).

I think other enthusiasts would agree with the statement that Falcon is up-and-coming, and has the potential to be a serious player in the enthusiast world in the next few years. They're not exactly established with enthusiasts yet. When you say they're the "Ferrari of computers," it seems very exaggerated. I would say Alienware has been the Ferrari of computers to-date. They're very well-known for providing high-quality, tweaked computers.

Now put an Alienware versus the Mach V versus a White-Box FX-62, and you have yourself a killer article

*edit* I'm not sure why I insist on spelling enthusiest with an e.

 

[nukemaster]

Come on...it just a review....sure anyone can build one for cheaper...but like said....it's for "non-self building" gamers....they do exist...and they pay for it....

-------------------------
on the article
WTF did they put the 2 raptors out of the fans airflow for? why not move them up and separate them? The still could have ran the cables along the bottom of the case to keep it nice and not give the drives a reason to get so hot..

 

[BaronMatrix]

With the new socket AM2 platform from AMD, consumers can expect faster systems from the guys who really know how to build them.

That's a good review. The thing i like best about it is htat it shows the 20% increase over FX60 I was expecting. Looking at the 1024 nubers you can see the juicy increase.

I knew once builders started putting out systems you would clearly differentiate AM2 from 939.

I do have a suggestion though. Would it be possibele to putout a stress test review for those folks that use their computers like psychos (I regulary have 1-2GB of programs loaded including Virtual Server and VS 2005 and then start up Q4). Thsi will show how new processors handle those heavy loads

I can't imagine doing what I do with a 4400+ with a P4 anything. I'm using one now and as soon as you get to the limit of physical RAM it gets "tedious."

My Athlon 3200+ was better at 2GHz.

 

[Heyyou27]

The performance looked nice, but not worth the $7000. With that much cash you could get an FX62 with 4GB of the best DDR2 and dual 7950GX2s. :?

 

[bum_jcrules]

"The downside is cost, as Falcon Northwest systems do not come cheap: the total price tag for the system we received was $4,558."

This system was not $7,000.

 

[parkerkane]

Just because you haven't heard of them before doesn't mean they haven't been around a long time. If I remember correctly Alienware started in 1996. I remember when I was looking for my first computer (386 sx 16, when the turbo button was on) I was seeing Falcon ads. For the Mach 5, no less. I'm just going off memory here but i know for a fact that Falcon has been around a lot longer than Alienware. And Falcon has always had the top end parts for a premium price. On the other hand I have never heard a bad word about them and the performance of their computers.

And, no, I don't work for them nor do I own one. Not that rich.

*edit* Well, shows how bad my memory is. Falcon started in 1992, so I was still right but not by a whole lot. Only 4 years before Alienware.

 

[prolfe]

What a great article! I understand why some readers wouldn't understand how this article has a place on THG but I have the answer!

TA-DA

I think a lot of people (myself included) spend time on THG to dream. That is, we could never afford a 7900GTX Platinum Plus Extreme Edition Hyperclocked graphics card(or could never justify the cost to our wives). I'm just using the GPU as an example but you get the idea. The concept of a $4500 computer system is beyond our reach, but we get to live vicariously through articles like this.

By the way, If I got hit by the money truck, I'd sue!

 

[gm0n3y]

Just a note, I priced this system (or as close as I could get to it) on newegg and came up with the following prices:

Components:

AMD FX-62 - $1390
ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe - $146
2 WD 150GB Raptors (OEM) - 2 x $219
Creative X-Fi (cheapest one) - $87
2 BFG 7900GTX 512MB cards - 2 x $485
BFG PhysX Card - $275

Similar Components (couldn't find exact)

PSU - Decent 650W - $150+
Corsair XMS 2x1GB (cheapest) - $171
Liquid Cooling - Decent cooling system - $150
Case - $200+

Software:

Windows XP Pro OEM - $140

This brings the total price to: $4117

As for the similar components: the corsair ram in the falcon system is likely better than the cheapest 2GB corsair (non value) that I could find, the PSU is custom, so it is likely better than a 'Decent' $150 one. Also, while you can get a good case for less that $200, this one is a custom case, with the falcon paint. I don't really care about this, but it does add value.

So if you take the following into consideration:

- Minimum component price of $4117+
- Free software, cables, mug, coffee, etc.
- Pre-built system (labor), professional cable management (it is pretty)
- Overclocked CPU (some people don't like to do this themselves)
- Installed software (free labor)
- 3 year warranty (beats the crap out of any warranty the manufacturer will give you
- Super-duper technical support
- Presige at owning a premium 'Falcon' system (if you are into that sort of thing)

The Falcon system is definately worth the $4558 sticker price. The extras, especially the warranty and technical support, more than make up the difference in price.

Of course, that being said, I would still rather take my $4000+ and DIY my own system. But, many people don't want to do this and for those people, this system is not a bad deal (i.e. the price is not overly inflated).

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

Very good point. You have to factor in all of the stuff they include with the computer for "free." I could live without it, but it's nice to be able to wear, drink, chew, and slide your mouse upon the company from which you bought your ~$4500 gaming rig. It's the little things.

Plus, the DOA was taken care of very quickly, and I'm 100% sure it wasn't Falcon's fault it came that way. Are you aware of how stringent their quality control is? And their warranty is basically the greatest thing since the invention of the on-die memory controller.

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

Very good point. You have to factor in all of the stuff they include with the computer for "free." I could live without it, but it's nice to be able to wear, drink, chew, and slide your mouse upon the company from which you bought your ~$4500 gaming rig. It's the little things.

Plus, the DOA was taken care of very quickly, and I'm 100% sure it wasn't Falcon's fault it came that way. Are you aware of how stringent their quality control is? And their warranty is basically the greatest thing since the invention of the on-die memory controller.

 

[Luscious]

It is a very nice system, performs well, built professionally and looks good.

I have always preferred to build my own for the same argument of price, and I still do. But considering the meagre difference of only a few hundred dollars here, and all the extras that you're getting, it really is money well spent.

I can remember many times I spent hours/days/nights tooling away at things I shouldn't have - just so that I could save a few bucks here and there.

Time does not have a price, but I would gladly pay $400 to somebody who can take care of all the headaches that come with building a rig and not take away my time.

 

[ryokinshin]

builders are for the mainstream, pretty much everyone in here isnt the mainstream, or u hav a lot of money dont want the hassle, if anything goes rong, jus let them fix it

 

[old_times]

You people sometimes forget Tom needs to feed his stomach too.

,,

 

[torque79]

thank you so much to the person who actually investigated the cost difference! Honestly, what is your time worth to you? Think of how much time it would take to assemble all those components, especially the water cooling! Even if I had the money, I have never touched water cooling myself, it would take me forever to figure out!

I bet if I called Falcon right now I could have a system in shipping to me tomorrow or the day after, and when it got to me I could hook up a few cables, power on, and start using it!

consider paying yourself $20 an hour in chasing down all those individual components dealing with newegg, then the time it would take you to assemble it. Sure, if you've built 20 similar systems in the last month you could probably do it in a couple of hours, but most of us would be mega careful and paranoid assembling $4g's worth of hardware. the savings are not even what they would seem from the earlier post.

that service of pre-installing your games and tweaking them etc is an AWESOME idea. Then, your recovery dvd which comes with the pc means that every time you format (we all know it is necessary from time to time), just pop in the dvd and walk away. Come back from lunch and you can play games again! I'm sure they would charge extra for it, but talk about amazing service.

 

[Whizzard9992]

It takes me about 3 hours to assemble a new computer, and I usually have to take a cold shower afterwards

 

[gm0n3y]

After pricing the PC out on newegg, I didn't even think to go to falcon and check out their pricing, but I decided to go take a look at this today. I have no idea how TH got their price as low as $4500, i tried to price out the same system they got from Falcon and once you add on the fx62, SLI 7900GTX, 2 x 150GB Raptors, it is already almost $6000.

Maybe I am not looking at the right page for this, but I just went to their site and went through their automated system to build a Mach V. They are charging $444 for each of the 2 raptor drives which in my previous post I quoted at $219 each from newegg. Now I can understand a bit of a premium on the upgrades, but that is ridiculous. It would be nice if the author of this article could give us the details on the invoice for this machine.

I found an article (linked to from the Falcon site) about a similar PC review by pcmag.com.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1965699,00.asp

In this article, they built an FX-62 system with 2 7900G2s it came out to $7595. I checked Falcon's pricing and the difference in the higher vid card cost is only $263. But their system was still $3000 more that the TH one. The only other point of price difference I could find was that they mention 2x160GB 15000 RPM drives, but I think this is just a type-o since they also list the system with 300GB total (and I don't think they even make 15k SATA drives). Also, the other article, while not giving complete specs for the system, did not mention a Phys-X card (almost $300) or any water cooling. Nor did they mention if they got their system overclocked (not likely without water cooling).

So, in short, I am taking back my previous comments about how building a PC with Falcon is a good idea until somebody can tell me how to get the price point under $5000. Maybe there is some special on the exact specs that TH bought? Right now, as mentioned above, this article sounds a little fishy.