Conclusion
If nothing else, Solaris showed us that they can provide solid, speedy hardware at almost the same price it cost us to build our System Builder Marathon PCs.
Once again, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that the System Builder Marathon PCs we assembled a couple months ago have probably gone down a tad in price due to falling component prices, and that our builds offered more overclocking-friendly touches compared to the Solaris PCs. Having said that, I don't think the price of our system-builder PC components have gone down all that much, and our mid-range system actually cost more than the Nebula system we pit it against.
Regardless, based on the quoted price and the performance we witnessed, I think the PCs Solaris sent us are fine builds for the money, especially when you consider that Solaris builds them for you and offers a warranty for their hardware. For Tom's Guide readers who don't have the time or inclination to build a system, Solaris might offer a fine alternative.
Our only reservation is that Solaris isn't yet up and running, and they still have to prove their commitment to their customers. Only time will tell if Solaris can deliver, but we certainly hope they find their fair share of success while maintaining a focus on customer satisfaction.
Author's Opinion
Frankly, I was surprised to see that the cost of these pre-built PCs matched our marathon-PC prices. I'll be interested in comparing Solaris' prices to future marathon builds.
