New Voodoopc

When can we expect an update to the Voodoopc line to Santa Rosa?

 

Probably late. Voodoo is a boutique brand and they are going to be working on the style before the substance

 

Unless you have your heart set on buying a Voodoo, Hypersonic is sporting the new Clevos with Santa Rosa as well as Falcon NW. I would go with Hypersonic though. Much more competively priced (just barely above Xotic for an identical system). Voodoo, Alienware and Falcon are just ludicrous when it comes to mark up.

If this is old news, forgive me, I am slow sometimes.

 

I wouldn't say ludicrous there ashveratu, but yes they are more expensive. But undeniably there is a different build quality and higher quality expectations with the more expensive companies like Alienware, Voodoopc, Falcon NW, and Widow PC.

 

Hmmm, never knew Widow PC was known for high quality!

 

Um...are you being sarcastic or serious? I just can't quite tell. lol

 

Totally sarcastic!

 

So maybe ludicrous was a strong word where ridiculous would have been better suited. Basically this is how I see it. If you are a mobile gaming enthusiast and have the money to afford a high-end system, you are smart enough to build and maintain your own system. It really is not that difficult. (but after seeing some posts in the forums, it's obvious some can't even read or write too well)

These are prices from the different vendors for identical systems built on the Clevo D900C and Alienware's closest equivilant on an Arima chassis

Parts chosen are;

CPU: E6700 2.6GHz (Alienware: T7400 2.1GHz)

RAM: 2GB (2 x 1024MB) @ 800MHz (Alienware: 2GB (2 x 1024MB) @ 667MHz) (Voodoo: 2GB @ 667MHz)

GPUs: 2 x Nvidia 7950 in SLI

OS: Vista Ultimate

Hard Drive: 2 x 160 GB 7200rpm Raid 0 (Falcon NW: 2 x 160 GB 5400rpm)

Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n (standard in all others except Alienware)

No TV tuner

No custom paint jobs

And the prices are!

Voodoo = $6,765
Falcon NW = $5,631
Alienware = $4,113
Hypersonic = $3,631
Sager = $3,631
Xotic = $3,597

So please tell me, what are you paying for?

The name? Yes, you are paying for the name.

Customer service? Hey, being the mobile enthusiasts we are, you should be able to service your own system. That's what these forums are here for!

A better system? Not in Alienwares case, and the others are identical, so no, not a better system.

You are paying more because some people just like to pay more. Makes them feel better. Sorta like jewlery. Serves no other purpose than to look pretty. Don't get me worng now, I am for looking pretty, hence my ownership of a Asus G1, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it.

So if a $2,000 plus mark up for Falcon NW and Voodoo or paying more for a striaght up lower class machine from Alienware is not ludicrous, please forgive me. I have seriously misjudged peoples intelligence.

 

The Alienware m9750 isn't a lower class machine, its the only unique Laptop of the lot,. And we don't know what chassis it is either, its based of the Arima W830-DA (which is the AMD model) but it appears that Alienware has modded it with a new mobo to support the C2D by itself - Arima has nothing on the C2D model. People pay a premium for the Dell XPS 1330 just for the XPS name and the extra portability. I think that the price of the Alienware justifies the added portability (8.5lbs vs 12lbs, 1.5inch vs. 2.5inch).

What I do hate is that people put Alienware in the same bucket as Voodoo and Falcon, which is clearly not the case.

 

You are right Phritz, and I do apologize for grouping Alienware with Falcon NW and Voodoo, those 2 truely are in a class of their own. I hadn't really thought about Dell. I consider them a mainstream vendor while I was looking at the more gaming oriented boutique vendors.

Cool name by the way, Phritz.

 

Yes Alienware cannot be compared to the Falcon-NW or VoodooPC since it's the "ricer car" of the PC world!!

 

Hey guys,

Sorry I usually stay in the Sager forum and just saw this one about Voodoo... Ludicrous is quite gentle when you see Voodoo prices. When I was looking for my Clevi m570u I stared looking for canadian distros. Then I stumbled on Eurocom and Voodoo.

I'm still surprised Voodoo are still in business. Dammit, they sell for 2x the price of other reseller.

And don't get me started on build quality lol... These are the same freaking barebones and probably the same freaking components.

So tell me; you're left paying an extra 3 grands for what? A paint job and a name? no thanks!

 

So right p_boucher. Overpriced for the same machine you can get from Sager or any of Clevos resellers

 

I was lucky enough to buy a couple of voodoo laptops on ebay that were almost new with 3 year extended warranties for less than 1/2 the list price. They were the m360 model based on the compal cl56. I was so impressed by their performance, stability and good looks that when it became time to oget a newer laptop I ordered one from Voodoo. I paid 3400 for it, it was an hel80 they called the 534. A similarly equipped one could be gotten from PNB for about 2200. The voodoo took 60 days for delivery then it went back for problems, it returned a week later, supposably fixed, and went back again, and again. After the 4th time I asked for a refund for the lemon. They eventually gave me a refund minus 10% restocking fee. Their customer service was great when they were open. They have bankers hours. If they made their own laptops or at least boosted the performance above the other available ODM models then their increased price may be rationalized, I do not feel that their paint job is worth the premium they are asking.

 

wow, i did not realize that voodoo got a sub-section here... lol...

ok, i own one... i paid full price and got the works...

1) i did realize that there were cheaper versions of it... hell, i travel to china 10x a year and i could actually purchase a clevo direct from one of their shops in shanghai if i wanted to.
2) i did realize it was not the most bang for the buck
3) it did not affect my decision...

hmm... where to begin...

folks buying into these premiums are buying into the brand and ownership experience of the machines rather than the "value" hence comparing part by part and/or dollar per dollar does not really work here...

a honda civic will get you around as well as a ferrari...

car is not the best comparison... ferrari can appreciate in value vs any other car... but you get the drift?

it's about owning something that's catered "specifically" for me. and yes, it probably means just the color of the paint that i've selected, the style of tattoo i've selected...

perhaps owning a '69 camaro meant something back then... and to hold on to it still means something now... but a car is just a car these days... consumers are not given any "ownership experience" these days...

perhaps this is one way to get that satisfaction...

just my thoughts and opinions as to why i bought into a boutique pc...

 

Having bought a custom built gaming rig from a famous PC Boutique company about 3 years ago, I have to admit that it was a waste of good money (4K to be exact). I could've bought a decent system for about a grand at the time and upgraded or bought a new system every year instead of being stuck with one boutique system for 3 years.

The concept of buying a boutique system worked really well back in the late 90's and mid 2000 because at the time pc components were very expensive and technology wasn't changing as fast as it is nowdays. So you could justify investing in an uber gaming system that hardly anyone could compete with at the time.

These days I wouldn't ever spend that much money to get a boutique pc like VoodooPC, OverdrivePC, Falcon-NW since companies like Sager etc are building 17" laptops that are a great value for what you get compared to what you would be spending with the above mentioned companies, not to mention performance that will give them a run for their money alongwith good customer service.

We all make mistakes and fall for the hype which is what I've learnt the hard way and thats why in the future I will never again go for the top boutique PC companies as far as gaming PCs are concerned.

 

I've had experiences with computers from the 3 levels, and I have to say that while Voodoo may be 1000 bucks more for paint, Falcon isn't. What your paying for is ease of service and insurance. I've had to deal with computers from the equivalent of Tony's Computer and Blender Shack, Dell, and the Falcon desktop that I have now.

The cheapo computer ended up crapping out pretty quick, and that resulted in me being bounced from one manufacturer to another, being told it was none of their faults, for days on end. This experience is why I never ever buy computers from stores any more.

The Dell was not bad customer service, but still, not great. Phone queues, having to re-establish the story with each rep, having to go through 4 levels of support to find someone who knew what they were talking about... then having to do that 3 or 4 times before they would accept the fact that I needed support.

Finally, I got my Falcon. They gave me free upgrades twice for having problems. I call them for support, I talk to the same rep, he knows me and my problem, he spends as long as I want tracking down the problem, and he will take care of all the back end hassle for me. Yeah, I could do it all myself, but you know what, I really don't want to. Maybe for a backup system, but for my primary system, I want it up and working, and I don't want to have to worry that I might be left with a giant paperweight.

Also, take in to account that the boutique builders all include as part of the base price things that most manufacturers charge for. Go on Xotic, and the 1 year of next-day shipping for support issues and the 0 dead pixel policy that comes with a Falcon or Voodoo will run you up another 300-400 bucks at least.

That said, I do have to admit that I'm probably going to go with Xotic for my new laptop. With Falcon's system starting above the price that I'd be paying for the systems I'm looking at as configured from Xotic, I just can't currently financially support another Falcon purchase.

So to all of you disparaging boutique buyers, realize that it could mean they just value their time more for other things than dealing with computer problems, or that they like security that comes with having a no-worry warranty. Yes some people do buy on purely emotional considerations, but there are basic value judgements that can convince someone to go with a boutique builder. In other words, its less like comparing buying a Honda to a Farrari and more like comparing buying a used Civic from the guy down the street or a Certified Used Civic from the dealership.

 

As a Voodoo owner, I agree.
Unfortunately Voodoo will always be at the top of the tier in the price category, cause Voodoo and Falcon have the nicest looking systems.
The difference between a standard desktop and a falcon/voodoo is that the falcon and voodoo are a work of art. They are carefully crafted in order to maximize interior organization. Both systems may cost more, but they come with a to die for paint job, and a very clean and organized interior.
A base line computer will come with a standard case, a mess of wires, and generic brand parts. The boutique computer brands use names like asus/corsair/pcpowerandcooling/bfg/dangerden/koolance/hitachi and the like, cause they are crafted out of excellence from the start.

You have to post up a pic of your falcon desktop
Did you get a mach V or a Talon?

+1 rep for owning a falcon

K-TRON

 

I got a mach V, but I don't really care about looks. I just got the standard case with the black brushed aluminum. If I had rediculous sums of discretionary income, I would bother to get some crazy paint job, case window, etc, but mainly, I went with Falcon for the sercurity that if anything went wrong short of me being an idiot and breaking something with a hammer, I could call one phone number and know that everything would get fixed.

 

The thing that will end Voodoo imo is that u can get the custom paint jobs with your own logos etc... from Sager now for 500 and under. So now u get a Sager decked out for about lets say 3200 then another 500 for paint job so 3700. Which is alot but if you tryed to even match the spec with Voodoo you would be looking at easy 5k+. Now i don't think build quality matters in this case because both are great makes but it still comes down to the fact that even if my Sager lasts 3 yrs i can buy another one and still be under the price of 1 voodoo lol.

Dont get me wrong i like both makes Falcon and Voodoo but is far as bang for your buck no way.

Only way i could justify spending that much was if i was able to continue to use the shell over and over again and just change the guts like a Desktop

 

JG, the thing is it is more than just matching spec. To match the support package as well, you have to add on all the bells and wistles available through Sager/Xotic/Etc as far as warranties and protection plans go. When you do that (and imo the level of customer support still won't match, but will come close), the price differential comes down alot. It's purely a value judgement. With Falcon/Voodoo, you trade price for peace of mind and ease of support. It's like a built in insurance policy.

Your not paying only for what you get when everything works right, your paying for what will happen if things go wrong.

 

i understand they might voodoo and falcon have outstanding customer support etc but its still 2000 more than what you would normally be paying. I don't know about you but my car insurance isn't even close to that so i hope with a voodoo or falcon if you get a scratch they will replace the entire thing.

Also how much customer service do you really need. I know having it as a back up is great but i wouldn't spend 2k to get it lol. Its personal choice i know. Ill say this that if money wasn't a factor then why wouldn't i get a laptop like this.

But now that Voodoo is owned by HP how is their CS. i only glance these pages but i think i read K-tron saying that its no where as good as it was. This kinda kills their selling point no?

 

yup, at this point in time, the Blackbird has been released with major design flaws. Customers all over the world are complaining left and right about gpu incompatibility, bios crashes, system meltdowns, and disappearing cd drives.
Well all of the problems with blackbird has distracted all of the voodoo techs, adn has caused tech support to plummet.
If you call voodoo, you get stupid hp personnel, so I dont bother calling anymore. I personally call ryan, luc, and tyrell on their cell phones, cause they know what they are talking about.
The Voodoo website has taken a huge hit from the hp acquisition. No more shirts/mousepads can be shipped, nothing has been updated, and the voodoo mutthaboards/forums have been a mess for quite sometime. The time devoted to fixing the blackbirds problems is really destroying the company. Hp sucks in my opinion, and they are destroying another great pc manufacturer, like they did to compaq in 2001-2002.

K-TRON

 

Your car insurance costs less than $2000 over 2 or 3 years? You must have some pretty low rates.

As to the price, like I said, that's why I'm going with Xotic for my next computer. I wish I could afford another Falcon, but its just not possible right now.

 

Im sure Xotic has as good, if not better support than Vodoo.

They also doo AMAZING paintjobs, just for 400 bucks.

 

I sure hope their support is as good as Falcon's, since they are where I'm going for my next machine. heh

As to Voodoo's support, I have a feeling that them being bought out by HP is going to end up having the same effect as when Jaguar was bought out by Ford. If they are smart and lucky, they will split back off again, like Jaguar did. Otherwise, I expect them to go down hill.

 

Falcon in my opinion didnt have such great support or sales although this may be because I am living in the UK.

For example I wanted to enquire about some of their systems and talk to a real person but the sales guy wouldnt even return my calls or respond late to emails.

Voodoo on the other hand acts like a TRUE Butique where no matter where you live, they will call me and discuss things hand in hand and then when something goes wrong, they get a designated technician to get in touch with me etcetc. It is amazing. I was very impressed.

I doubt HP will bring Voodoo down and if anything, things will improve. This is because Voodoo can now leverage alot of HPs competencies and benefit from economies of scale and also management techniques that has helped propell HP to being one of the biggest PC guys in the world.

And unlike Dell and AW which just operate like independent firms, which i think is pointless, HP and Voodoo has been trying to fuse together and bring the best out of each other and that synergy will bring out better things out of both firms and will be an amazing experience. At the start it is always rocky as was seen with the blackbird, but things will only get better as there are committed people behind the team.

Hail Voodoo!