Review for user karaktu from tjmaxwell

  • tjmaxwell (95)

    "Sold" back a system Joe sold me in the spring that never worked quite right and he sent me a new x2 4400+ system with all the bells and whistles.

    Cross-traded on October 31, 2005 AnandTech

    To put things simply, Joe is the absolute best trader I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Several months ago, he sold me a full-on gaming rig with a nice overclocked processor, dual Raptors, the whole shebang. Throughout the process, I had several changes I wanted made, and he was always happy to oblige.

    The system showed up and I was having some problems with random crashes and reboots. Joe spent countless hours trying to help me troubleshoot these problems, but I'm not extremely knowledgable about building computers, so I was hesitant to try some of the things he recommended.

    After trying numerous things, I never could get the issues to stop until I finally decided to tone it back down to stock settings. The machine ran reasonably well after this with only infrequent crashes, and I was happy for the most part. But these problems never quite sat right with Joe. He knew the machine was stable when he built it, and he couldn't live with the fact that I had problems with it. Even though the issues would probably take him five minutes to correct, he understood that I wasn't savvy enough to troubleshoot them myself.

    So that brings us to a few weeks ago. Joe contacts me and wonders if I have any interest in trading back most of the parts I bought for a new build. For a while, I've been wanting to upgrade to an X2 rig, but just couldn't justify it. Joe ran some numbers and agreed to buy back my old parts and build me a new rig with the parts I wanted. I jumped at the chance to get a very nice upgrade for very little money.

    Joe's dedication during the build was simply amazing. He gave me advice on parts, made software recommendations, and kept me updated constantly on the status. When he accidentally installed a different motherboard than I had requested, he ran out that day and bought the motherboard retail and installed it the same day. When he realized he didn't have the I/O panel for that motherboard, he called Asus and arranged to have it shipped to him overnight on his dime. While some of his family members in Florida were dealing with the hurricane and he lacked sleep because of his daughter's insomnia, he kept building the machine. He was so dedicated in getting it to me that I felt guilty about it. I kept telling him he didn't have to rush and his family was much more important, but he still got it to me as fast as he possibly could.

    So, the new computer arrived yesterday, and I just can't describe how awesome it is. Everything from the tweaks he installed, to the beautiful case and wiring job, to the nearly inaudible operation, to the sheer speed of the rig is just unbelievable. Though Joe gained basically nothing financially from this transaction, he went way above and beyond to build this machine with the utmost care and precision.

    I have to admit that for years I've always wanted to buy a boutique PC. I wanted the fast, personalized service, the impeccable wiring, and the unique designs, but I could never bring myself to spend all the extra money. I can now say without hesitation that I would no longer consider having anyone besides Joe build me a PC. He is the most helpful and consciences person I've ever met, he answers emails within minutes or hours, and he'll do absolutely whatever it takes to make the transaction go smoothly. He earns my highest recommendation, and I will refer all my family and friends to his goods and services from now on. Thanks Joe, you're the absolute best!

    November 2, 2005