I was looking around for a laptop at an affordable price as I had just started my phd degree and felt I needed something high-spec and "powerful". My search in the internet eventually led me into the world of Custom-built PCs and PCSPECIALIST in particular. I could have gone for a HP or a Sony Vaiao you know, but I wanted something different. The website ordering and the customer support went very smoothly and I was able to get my machine within 2 weeks. You can see my specs here: http://bit.ly/16j4vck.
The good news probably ends here.
The first problem I encountered was the rather unresponsive power button: I occasionally had to press the button twice (and a bit more forcefully than one should) to get the system started. After a brief period of use, I started encountering the dreaded BSOD. I believe I must have had no fewer than 40 BSODs till date. I exchanged several emails with the technical support, whose only solution it seems was to ask me to keep reinstalling the OS. That didn't solve the problem until...
One fateful day, about 3 weeks ago, the computer just wouldn't boot. I kept getting a PXE cable error on a black screen and fiddling with my BIOS settings wouldn't help. The tech guys requested I re-sit the SSD drive, which I did, but this wouldn't solve the problem. It appeared, they reasoned, that my SSD was nuked. Maybe that's why I kept getting those BSODs, I don't know.
Anyway, I sent my SSD by post to PCSPECIALIST. Thankfully, PCSPECIALIST is one of the few companies around that allow you to "install your own components without voiding your warranty".
It's been more than a week now since I got confirmation from PCSPECIALIST that my SSD had been safely received. I sent a follow-up email a few days ago, but haven't got any response (as at the time of this writing).
In a nutshell, I haven't been able to use my computer for close to a month now; I do not know the progress of my return or when to expect a new SSD and of course the small matter of how safe my personal data is in the hands of complete strangers.
So where do I go from here? There's no guarantee that a new SSD would solve my problem or that I wouldn't get BSODs anymore after I am able to get my computer up and running. At the moment, I am inclined towards selling the system and going for a system being sold by the more popular brands. You can't pick and choose with these brands, but at least they're more reliable! Anything that would allow me to work in the evenings and during weekends.
Thanks for reading.
The good news probably ends here.
The first problem I encountered was the rather unresponsive power button: I occasionally had to press the button twice (and a bit more forcefully than one should) to get the system started. After a brief period of use, I started encountering the dreaded BSOD. I believe I must have had no fewer than 40 BSODs till date. I exchanged several emails with the technical support, whose only solution it seems was to ask me to keep reinstalling the OS. That didn't solve the problem until...
One fateful day, about 3 weeks ago, the computer just wouldn't boot. I kept getting a PXE cable error on a black screen and fiddling with my BIOS settings wouldn't help. The tech guys requested I re-sit the SSD drive, which I did, but this wouldn't solve the problem. It appeared, they reasoned, that my SSD was nuked. Maybe that's why I kept getting those BSODs, I don't know.
Anyway, I sent my SSD by post to PCSPECIALIST. Thankfully, PCSPECIALIST is one of the few companies around that allow you to "install your own components without voiding your warranty".
It's been more than a week now since I got confirmation from PCSPECIALIST that my SSD had been safely received. I sent a follow-up email a few days ago, but haven't got any response (as at the time of this writing).
In a nutshell, I haven't been able to use my computer for close to a month now; I do not know the progress of my return or when to expect a new SSD and of course the small matter of how safe my personal data is in the hands of complete strangers.
So where do I go from here? There's no guarantee that a new SSD would solve my problem or that I wouldn't get BSODs anymore after I am able to get my computer up and running. At the moment, I am inclined towards selling the system and going for a system being sold by the more popular brands. You can't pick and choose with these brands, but at least they're more reliable! Anything that would allow me to work in the evenings and during weekends.
Thanks for reading.
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