Fall Extreme Gamer System Shootout Part 5: Falcon Northwest Mach V

AWP - Accessories, Warranty, & Price

Accessories

With our system we received three boxes filled with items. Of course, the largest was the system. A second, slightly smaller box contained a mouse pad, t-shirt, coffee mug and a bag of Falcon Fuel coffee, which was a special high- caffeine content blend for gamers and hardcore caffeine addicts.

Lastly, our system came with a Logitech Cordless Desktop X3100 mouse and keyboard set. Like all of the feature components and everything else on this system, you can choose the level of devices you want in your system. If you already own the best peripherals, the customer can select the "none" option.

Warranty And Price

The Mach V is the most expensive machine in the group weighing in at around $6,400. The next question you will probably have is "How do they justify the cost?" This is where Falcon likes to prides themselves: customer service and support. As mentioned before there are a lot of extras to make the purchase that much more enjoyable.

Falcon has excellent telephone support. Going above the norm of what most companies call customer support these days, you will never get a robot spouting a labyrinth to navigate through if you decide to call Falcon Northwest. No pressing zero for the operator or a series of forwarded calls in order to get a live human being. The first time we called Falcon, we also were surprised at the knowledge of their representatives and ease of conversation.

From all of telephone conversations with different people at Falcon, there was never any pressure to purchase a system. All of our questions were answered immediately. This is how it should be. To make sure their telephone personnel are up to the task, before an employee can go on the phones for support, they must be in manufacturing and assembly for at least one year. They also attend regular meetings to stay abreast of technology changes, problems and solutions.

Their commitment to dependability comes through their standard warranty on Mach V systems. If a customer were to have an issue with a system, first the customer would contact tech support (a live human). Then when the problem is diagnosed, one of two things will occur: If there is a simple solution such as replacing an add-in component, they will ship you the replacement and help you install it over the phone. A return label is sent for the returning defective part so you never have to worry about an added cost for the services.

If there is an issue of a serious nature, Falcon will pay for shipping in both directions for the first year. We were told it will generally take between three and seven days to return it to the client. They take a minimum of three days to retest the system and ensure it works the same way as it did when it originally left the first time. After the first year, the client will pay for shipping to Falcon and the company will pay to return the system for the remaining two years of the warranty. We were impressed with this level of service and hope more high-end builders offer this caliber of care and commitment to their "serious-about-gaming" customers.