Power for the price, and bonus if you live in CA
Written: Nov 14 '99
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Pros: FAST, great value for the money
Cons: None that I can find yet ...
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| cbason's Full Review: ABS Supreme DVD System 3 |
I looked long and hard for a new computer. I own a Dell Inspiron laptop for business use, and previously owned a P133 from Quantex Microsystems. Dell has the best laptops in my opinion, and Quantex, when I lived in PA, gave me great value for the money at the time.
But ABS, especially if you live in CA, is a great deal. I did some modifications to the DVD 3, to bring it up to about $2400 with tax and shipping, including
- bumping to a 27 gig drive (more on that later)
- getting the nvidia TNT2 32
- upgrading to the Optiquest 19"
- picking up the ADA70 speakers with subwoofer
- including the Epson 740 printer
- Microsoft Natural Keyboard
First, ABS was great as a company. They took the order, then phoned me back within a day to confirm each item. I know computer stuff fairly well, so I didn't have the opportunity to question them on any of the items, but they were helpful and pleasant all the same.
Delivery time, even with the custom options, was about 10 days, and they sent me an email when the items shipped. The items came Fed Ed (thank god - I hate UPS), and were delivered in perfect condition. I didn't use it, but ABS provided a quick setup sheet that looked pretty good. There was an itemized packing list, and the computer started right up.
Now, why should you buy from ABS? Well, first, they're cheap, and the system is well built and FAST. For this part of the country, the value you get is second to none. Also, the shipping for the 19" monitor was really reasonable, given that I'm in CA. (they're down near LA)
I would advise NOT upgrading the memory (I was thinking of going from 128 to 256) at this time because RAM is a little more expensive now than it has been historically. I would suggest upgrading the monitor. The Optiquest is rated highly by ZDNet and CNET, (while you can't get any information at all on the "no-name" standard monitor) and isn't that much to upgrade. I also think that now is a good time to invest in lots of disk, thus the 27 gig. The system includes MusicMatch, so you can start ripping MP3s from your CDs, and then playing them directly from the computer. The speakers and the subwoofers are just so-so. They're better than the Altec Lansings that I had on my old system, but the touted "surround sound" just doesn't do it. Yes, the sound is great, but it doesn't match what you can get out of a good stereo system. If you have the money and the inclination, get the Epson 740. God the thing prints well (winner of numerous awards - see ZDNet again) and it is so, so quick. The footprint is pretty small as well.
Regrets? So far, I have but a few.
The natural keyboard was a dumb idea. I guess it's ergonomically better, but boy it's hard to switch between that and a laptop keyboard. Your hands just have a hard time adapting to two totally different layouts.
ABS also pre-installs the Creative Labs Playcenter. I find this program pretty annoying, but have yet to find a nice way to uninstall it and keep all the functionality. In general, the user interface sucks, the thing tries to usurp other apps that run from your DVD, and it crashes things every so often. In general, it's a bother, and I'm going to get rid of it soon.
Note that I have yet to call tech support on this computer, so have no basis for evaluating ABS. They're front page lists them now as being a support leader, however, so if you want to go with expert opinion, it looks like you're safe.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2400
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 12
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Epinions.com ID:
cbason
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Member: Clement Bason
Location: Berkeley, CA
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 8 members
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