Should I pre-order the GX640?

Hi,

Anyone have any experience with pre-ordering computers? Also, can anyone share their experience with buying computers from Amazon? Will there be warranties, returns, RMA's, etc.? I am really interested in making the GX640 my next computer.

Thanks in advance

 

i suggest xoticpc.com to buy it from. great company with great service, and you can customize the laptop to what you want. you can pre-order if you want, but i like to wait for reviews to come out first, just in case there is some design flaw, or there are heating issues.

 

I just don't like pre-ordering anything without a set in stone release date. Inefficient use of funds

 

I agree with the 2 previous posts, plus the waiting for a laptop to arrive is more painful then trying to decide which laptop to get.

 

Do it, bite the bullet, we all wana know more about this powerful book .

I think amazon can be quite reliable, but then one is always open to things going wrong.

 

So I preordered it on amazon. I can cancel it anytime before it releases basically. I'll just leave it there though, and check constantly.

Anyhoo, the xotic pc one is $1124, while amazon's is $1100. The xoticpc one comes with "Matching MSI backpack", and amazon doesnt state so. Also, xoticpc has an MSI 3year warranty. Will amazon include those two things?

Thanks

 

That warranty comes standard I'm pretty sure so you get that no matter what. As for the backpack, depending on the reseller if you may/may not get it. Can't really be sure unless u contact them to ask

 

Aye, but xotic is very, very reliable from what i hear, they are constantly reccomended around the forum.

 

Will GenTechPC sell it soon?

 

Today got a shady phone call from a middle-eastern/indian fella at 7am from amazon, to confirm my order of a laptop on 3/29. I said yes, and he asked if I wanted to finalize the order, and I told him not yet, I just pre-ordered it understanding that it is cancellable. He asked if I was sure, and I said ya cuz I'm still shopping around.

Dont you find it odd that they're calling me? I found it kinda sketchy and shady at the same time. Or is that what amazon does for pre-orders (similar to gamestop's game advisors calling to remind you to pick up your preorder games)?

hmmmm

 

sounds pretty shady... i'd watch your credit card if i were you.

 

The advantage Amazon has is if you aren't customizing the laptop and you're a new Amazon customer, you can get the Prime trial for free and get 2 day shipping for less than $3 I believe.

 

xoticpc with 9-Cell battery, amazon 6-Cell

 

So I called amazon today, and spoke to a customer service rep, as well as a supervisor to tell them about the shady call I got. They confirmed with me that the call was suspicious and it was not them, as they communicate solely through email, unless the buyer calls amazon. They took some information regarding the incident and will forward it to investigations and do their best to follow up with me regarding the issue. my credit card seems fine so far, so I'm not too worried. I just feel very weary about my actual credit though, since the shady man who called me did ask to confirm my addy and phone# (which he obviously already had).

Anyways, my main question is: Should I continue with my purchase of the GX from amazon, or should I switch to xoticpc? Cuz with xotic, I can phone in my order and also price match, right? Whatcha guys think?

 

While Amazon is generally quite reliable, in this case I'd probably go elsewhere because they're advertising the 6 cell battery instead of the 9 cell. It also seems that Gentech have the same $1099 price advertised.

 

I hope your phone logged what number that shady guy called from, in case Amazon or you wish to turn it in to the police. If he knew your phone number AND knew the specific laptop model that you placed your order on, then I'd be very concerned as to how he got that information - since, you know, you had to have placed the order via Amazon's website.

You should go with one of the respected resellers so that you have more knowledgeable people to act as intermediaries with MSI should something arise. Even if every thing else was the same, that in itself is worth the small premium. However, in your case, the resellers seem to be offer you extra items (such as backpacks and larger batteries) as well, so it's pretty much a no brainer.

 

It did. I wrote it down, and gave the number to both the amazon rep and supervisor (they're both from the Phillippines, which I found in itself to be shady too for amazon customer service). Should I file a police report?

Also, with regard to xotic or gentech, are there shipping costs and/or tax and/or the CA LCD fee (and how much are they)?

One more thing: what's the website for gentech? I couldnt find it, and I'm unsure of gentech=1toppc.com .. could you type for me the correct url, cuz I've grown even paranoid of that.

Thanks guys

 

Amazon is great for returns if there is a problem. I've ordered everything from laptops to desktops to big TV's to cameras. Never a hassle.

The one thing I don't like is that sometimes they will send a laptop in its original packaging, meaning no outer, nicely padded box. If you look at the page for the MSI, you will see that it says, just under the main header for the item, "Ships Separately in Original Packaging: To conceal its contents mark it as a gift." That means it will not have any extra shipping carton, which sucks. Does this mean it doesn't have the backpack? Hard to say, because the youtube video showing the unpacking of an MSI G series shows an MSI box with the laptop and the pack inside, and the laptop is in its own smaller box with a handle.

In fact, I got a Toshiba A505 shipped just in the laptop box. I almost refused it, but really wanted the computer. Guess what, it had a bad CD/DVD drive that vibrated and sounded like an old lawnmower. I sent it back and got a full refund, no problem.

Now I am very wary about any item that says "original packaging," cause it means practically bare naked.

The MSI you are talking about happens to be in my cart right now, not as a pre-order, but just sitting there. No sweat. Why not just park it in your cart and decide later? Once they have more info on the item page, you will see if it comes with the backpack. If it does, it also comes boxed properly for shipping.

Ok, hope some of this helps!

 

http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT

theres the gentechpc url, good reliable reseller. Contact Ken Lee if you need help over there, by all acconts he's great to deal with and has returned my emails within 24 hours most of the time.

 

i think gentech has it at 1100, which is a VERY good price.

 

OMG...Just realized. That shady guy called you AFTER you posted on this site. Uh oh...

 

???

<too short>

 

means maybe he hacked through the site and got some personal info.

 

either that or you're sharing too much public info publicly

 

Actually, I was just joking. Of course, I got my sense of humor off of ebay.

 

Good luck getting a refund...

 

Yeah, anybody who asks you to confirm your address and such is a scammer. They have your info, they just need to you to say "yes". Then they'll charge you and send you something. Or they might even send you that laptop but then charge you 5 thousand bucks.

 

So whaddya suggest I do to protect myself? Should I cancel it ? I'm really concerned obviously.

 

Yeah, just cancel the Amazon order; Gentech has the same price and supposedly a 9 cell battery instead of Amazon's 6 cell.

 

I'm thinking about getting this computer in the next few weeks. How long do you think it'll take to get a nice review on it? (it comes out Monday? or when?)

 

I cancelled it. Do Gentech or xoticpc charge sales/lcd tax in Cali? Also, do they charge for shipping?

 

you could ask the specifics to ken lee (gentech) OR Justin (xoticpc).

as far as i know, shipping should be free.

 

gentech charges tax for cali
xotic is in nebraska so ur free of taxes there

 

aw shoot. gentech has the better price for that notebook. and xotic states that it includes a backpack.

I went to bestbuy today, to get a feel for the asus notebooks. the g60vx (and jx) feel really nice. also the ulvt50 was pretty nice. I like their sizes. they had the g72 and it was a monster truck size, jeez. too bad their g73 wasnt on display yet. the sales associate said that it'd be on display tomorrow though.

by shopping today, and gettin' a feel for the laptops, I've decided its better to just wait till when the game comes out. my rush was impulsive, cuz I got excited--wayy excited lol. I think I should wait though for the actual release of the GX to buy it, unless a good 15-16" Asus comes out. The G72 17incher, and also the G73 are too large for me. The dimensions: G60VX (prolly JX also) : 1 5/8"H x 10 7/16"W x 14 3/4"D. The G72GX was 2 1/6"H x 11 13/16"W x 16 3/16"D, a monster of a computer.

I wish they had some MSI's or Alienwares on display though. Does anyone know where they might?

Thanks

 

the only place i know of is a local store... they build laptops off of the barebones.

 

yea it seems like it's pretty hard to find MSIs (or at least the gaming series) on display in stores. The GX640 is shipping next week so you don't have to wait long.

 

Sounds good mang. Hopefully someone else will jump on it soon heheh, and not give a bad (sucky, not negative) review like the dude on youtube haha.

If not, I'm going to have to wait another paycheck or two to be able to afford it, and I'll do the first review using my point-n-shoot camera.

But have MSI's been known to have issues (e.g. heat, BSOD, hardware failures, crappy construction) ?

 

they had a couple construction issues with the earlier gaming series (screen bezel cracking, bad keyboards, but as far as i know, they have all been fixed. MSi seems to be a pretty reliable brand. (Cata has dropped his... twice? anyways, still works)

 

Yea I believe the only problem with the previous generation (GT627) was keyboard flex and that got fixed in later production of that model so theoretically all the known problems are fixed. Hoping a new one doesn't pop up

 

The only problem i see with the Gx640 is it's bland styling, they have been using the same chassis for years now.
I mean it's not bad but it could use a update, backlite chiclet style keyboard, maybe new touchpad and buttons, nothing crazy but it would be nice.

 

Finally someone who sees things the way i do ...

 

I really like the fact that gentech is offering ICD7.

*edit* gentechs site always feels shady though, they have strange URLs that change a lot, and typos everywhere.



Is that a subwoofer on the bottom front? If not then what is it? Maybe an air intake? (the silver circle)

 

That round thing is the sub and 2 speakers on each side.

Altogether 4 speakers and 1 sub

 

Awesome! Really starting to want this thing!

Edit: Is it 2 satellite speakers near screen base, then 2 in front? nvm... that's pretty much what you just wrote.

 

Is it wide or full screen?

 

its a 16:10 aspect ratio if thats what you're asking

 

Like my old 1280/800?

 

yes it will have the same dimensions. Both 1280x800 and the 1680:1050 (in the GX640) are both 16:10

 

It's 16:10 wide screen. AKA tall widescreen. For everything except blue-ray movies 16:10 is better. (for computers, not TV)

"full screen" is 4:3 aka 16:12 I don't think any laptops come with these anymore, as they SUCK at multitasking, and there is no demand.

 

So do you really think playing games is nicer on 16/10 than on 16/9?

16/9 look is definitly nicer though :/