XoticPC vs. Mythlogic

[LostLuggage]

Hello all. I will soon be taking online classes from a visual effects college in pursuit of a career in 3D animation and game design. Thus, I need a good computer. I already have a build pretty much, and I had actually already placed an order with XoticPC, but then after roaming the interwebs I found a thread that someone had posted saying that he received a defective 7970 in his Sager laptop from them and that his computer would crash within 10 minutes or so each time he tried to use it. This made me a little nervous, seeing as XoticPC claims to test all of their machines heavily before shipping them out, yet a problem that severe got through? Yes I understand that errors happen all the time with things like this, but why would that get by? 10 minutes and it crashes? That's pretty heavy.

Anyway, he also mentioned that he then switched over to this site called Mythlogic. I had never heard of them, so I checked them out. Re-made my build on there, and the price came out to be considerably cheaper, although much less so when I had them give me prices to change to the case I wanted and add a fan controller and some fans. Maybe $150-200 difference or so from Xotic. I have yet to really have much experience with people at Mythlogic, although their Pheonix Upgrade Plan and warranties and whatnot sound great, but I have received nothing but timely responses and polite and good service from members of Xotic so far. Still not sure who to go with.

Main concern is about whoever I buy from testing my machine...something I want done and I want it done well. Should I just not worry about that person's experience? Which company would you suggest I go with?

 

[FastGunna]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

 

[LostLuggage]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

I'm getting a desktop, but I am not building it myself. That's out of the question.

Anyway, yeah I know each company has it's horror stories. I originally planned to go with CyberPowerPC, but decided against it because of the hit and miss feel of the reviews I read. XoticPC has MANY more reviews than Mythlogic, but both seem equally well reviewed. I suppose it is just one occurrence with that guy and his laptop from Xotic, but I just wonder...if they fully tested their machines like they claim, why would that defective card have made it through?

As far as customer service, the people at Xotic are always very quick to respond, sometimes taking only 20 minutes to respond to an email, and have been very helpful over the phone with suggesting components as well. As I said, haven't had much experience with Mythlogic.

 

[FastGunna]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

I'm getting a desktop, but I am not building it myself. That's out of the question.

Anyway, yeah I know each company has it's horror stories. I originally planned to go with CyberPowerPC, but decided against it because of the hit and miss feel of the reviews I read. XoticPC has MANY more reviews than Mythlogic, but both seem equally well reviewed. I suppose it is just one occurrence with that guy and his laptop from Xotic, but I just wonder...if they fully tested their machines like they claim, why would that defective card have made it through?

As far as customer service, the people at Xotic are always very quick to respond, sometimes taking only 20 minutes to respond to an email, and have been very helpful over the phone with suggesting components as well. As I said, haven't had much experience with Mythlogic.

Many companies say that they stress test their systems, but how can every company also send out DoA systems if that were true? That really only leaves the possibility that they either don't test EVERY system, or some systems get damaged in transit. The only computer company that I haven't heard anything negative about so far is digital storm, you could check them out and compare them to Xotic and then just hope whoever you go with tests your system and it arrives working. But remember, the majority of people do not review products they buy because they are either waiting for something to break or they recieve a good product and dont care/have the time to review. On the other hand people who have a problem are much quicker to spread the word. The best you can do is order exactly what you want, and wait for it to arrive and hope for the best. Also keep in mind that if a majority of products from a company didn't work, they wouldn't stay in buisness.

 

[LostLuggage]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

I'm getting a desktop, but I am not building it myself. That's out of the question.

Anyway, yeah I know each company has it's horror stories. I originally planned to go with CyberPowerPC, but decided against it because of the hit and miss feel of the reviews I read. XoticPC has MANY more reviews than Mythlogic, but both seem equally well reviewed. I suppose it is just one occurrence with that guy and his laptop from Xotic, but I just wonder...if they fully tested their machines like they claim, why would that defective card have made it through?

As far as customer service, the people at Xotic are always very quick to respond, sometimes taking only 20 minutes to respond to an email, and have been very helpful over the phone with suggesting components as well. As I said, haven't had much experience with Mythlogic.

Many companies say that they stress test their systems, but how can every company also send out DoA systems if that were true? That really only leaves the possibility that they either don't test EVERY system, or some systems get damaged in transit. The only computer company that I haven't heard anything negative about so far is digital storm, you could check them out and compare them to Xotic and then just hope whoever you go with tests your system and it arrives working. But remember, the majority of people do not review products they buy because they are either waiting for something to break or they recieve a good product and dont care/have the time to review. On the other hand people who have a problem are much quicker to spread the word. The best you can do is order exactly what you want, and wait for it to arrive and hope for the best. Also keep in mind that if a majority of products from a company didn't work, they wouldn't stay in buisness.

Alright well it's down to Xotic and Digital Storm, and I am at a total loss between the two... Both can build me the same thing, same warranty, and both say they test their machines. Digital Storm is a bit cheaper, but I still have worked more extensively with Xotic and know their customer service is great. I contacted DS saying I had questions about my build, and I got a very short, careless answer that sort of put me off. Not judging the whole company on that one experience, but really.

A lot of people have had their great experiences with both companies. Xotic has an A- with BBB, while DS has an A+, but a lot of people have problems with Sager products from Xotic, and they blame them on Xotic when a lot of them are Sager's fault, so the amount of complaints there is likely a bit inflated.

But yeah. Totally at a loss for which one. I'm horribly indecisive when it comes to things like this...

 

[FastGunna]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

I'm getting a desktop, but I am not building it myself. That's out of the question.

Anyway, yeah I know each company has it's horror stories. I originally planned to go with CyberPowerPC, but decided against it because of the hit and miss feel of the reviews I read. XoticPC has MANY more reviews than Mythlogic, but both seem equally well reviewed. I suppose it is just one occurrence with that guy and his laptop from Xotic, but I just wonder...if they fully tested their machines like they claim, why would that defective card have made it through?

As far as customer service, the people at Xotic are always very quick to respond, sometimes taking only 20 minutes to respond to an email, and have been very helpful over the phone with suggesting components as well. As I said, haven't had much experience with Mythlogic.

Many companies say that they stress test their systems, but how can every company also send out DoA systems if that were true? That really only leaves the possibility that they either don't test EVERY system, or some systems get damaged in transit. The only computer company that I haven't heard anything negative about so far is digital storm, you could check them out and compare them to Xotic and then just hope whoever you go with tests your system and it arrives working. But remember, the majority of people do not review products they buy because they are either waiting for something to break or they recieve a good product and dont care/have the time to review. On the other hand people who have a problem are much quicker to spread the word. The best you can do is order exactly what you want, and wait for it to arrive and hope for the best. Also keep in mind that if a majority of products from a company didn't work, they wouldn't stay in buisness.

Alright well it's down to Xotic and Digital Storm, and I am at a total loss between the two... Both can build me the same thing, same warranty, and both say they test their machines. Digital Storm is a bit cheaper, but I still have worked more extensively with Xotic and know their customer service is great. I contacted DS saying I had questions about my build, and I got a very short, careless answer that sort of put me off. Not judging the whole company on that one experience, but really.

A lot of people have had their great experiences with both companies. Xotic has an A- with BBB, while DS has an A+, but a lot of people have problems with Sager products from Xotic, and they blame them on Xotic when a lot of them are Sager's fault, so the amount of complaints there is likely a bit inflated.

But yeah. Totally at a loss for which one. I'm horribly indecisive when it comes to things like this...

What are you planning on getting? As far as parts go?

 

[LostLuggage]

Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop? Every company has its horror stories, all you gotta do is type in the "(insert company name) review" and you can find them. If a company has a significant amount of horror stories that would be a good reason to avoid them. In the world of electronics anything can go wrong, I would choose the one with the better warranty and most positive feedback.

If your going for a desktop, save some money and build it yourself. Not only is it cheaper but many parts often come with better warranties than you could get from a prebuilt and you can make sure every part you use is of the best quality.

I'm getting a desktop, but I am not building it myself. That's out of the question.

Anyway, yeah I know each company has it's horror stories. I originally planned to go with CyberPowerPC, but decided against it because of the hit and miss feel of the reviews I read. XoticPC has MANY more reviews than Mythlogic, but both seem equally well reviewed. I suppose it is just one occurrence with that guy and his laptop from Xotic, but I just wonder...if they fully tested their machines like they claim, why would that defective card have made it through?

As far as customer service, the people at Xotic are always very quick to respond, sometimes taking only 20 minutes to respond to an email, and have been very helpful over the phone with suggesting components as well. As I said, haven't had much experience with Mythlogic.

Many companies say that they stress test their systems, but how can every company also send out DoA systems if that were true? That really only leaves the possibility that they either don't test EVERY system, or some systems get damaged in transit. The only computer company that I haven't heard anything negative about so far is digital storm, you could check them out and compare them to Xotic and then just hope whoever you go with tests your system and it arrives working. But remember, the majority of people do not review products they buy because they are either waiting for something to break or they recieve a good product and dont care/have the time to review. On the other hand people who have a problem are much quicker to spread the word. The best you can do is order exactly what you want, and wait for it to arrive and hope for the best. Also keep in mind that if a majority of products from a company didn't work, they wouldn't stay in buisness.

Alright well it's down to Xotic and Digital Storm, and I am at a total loss between the two... Both can build me the same thing, same warranty, and both say they test their machines. Digital Storm is a bit cheaper, but I still have worked more extensively with Xotic and know their customer service is great. I contacted DS saying I had questions about my build, and I got a very short, careless answer that sort of put me off. Not judging the whole company on that one experience, but really.

A lot of people have had their great experiences with both companies. Xotic has an A- with BBB, while DS has an A+, but a lot of people have problems with Sager products from Xotic, and they blame them on Xotic when a lot of them are Sager's fault, so the amount of complaints there is likely a bit inflated.

But yeah. Totally at a loss for which one. I'm horribly indecisive when it comes to things like this...

What are you planning on getting? As far as parts go?

Here are the builds I would be ordering if I were to pick the respective one:

XoticPC build:

SCOURGE v2 Stage 2 "Sovereign"

- NEW! - Corsair Obsidian Series 900D
- No Chassis Display / Controller Enchancement
- Stock Chassis Fans
- Noise Suppression Package (Stage 1) (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
- White Neon Internal Lighting Kit
- Stock Chassis Finish - No Custom Exterior Finishes
- No Desktop Laser-Sketch™
- 1050W Corsair Pro Gold 1050HX Power Supply Unit (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
- ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (ATX Form Factor, 4 DIMMS, 4 PCI Expansion Slots) (USB 3.0 + SATA 6GB/s) + TUF Thermal Armor/Radar
- Intel® Core i7-4770K (3.50-3.90GHz) (22nm, 8MB cache) (Quad-Core CPU) (Z87 Motherboard Required)
- NO CPU Overclocking
- SINGLE - NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 780 (3GB) GDDR5 (Includes PhysX) - NEW!
- No thanks - I do not want to add a 2nd Graphics Card
- Want TRIPLE or QUAD GRAPHICS CARDS? - Contact a sales associate for direct pricing!
- No thanks, Do Not Overclock My Video Card(s)
- 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD (Read 540MB/s - Write 520MB/s (SATA III - 6GB/s)) (SKU – SSD018)
- No Secondary Hard Drive
- No 3rd Hard Drive
- No Raid HDD Settings
- No Raid Controller
- No Optical Drive
- Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) [ODD Bay 2]
- AIR: (Stage 2) Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3xSLI)
- No H20 Tube Color - I do not have a FROSTBITE Liquid Cooling System
- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz (8GBx2 DIMMS) Corsair Vengeance Series (High-Performance)
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock/Boost My Memory
- No Bluetooth
- TP-LINK (TL-WN881ND) Wireless N300 PCI Express Adapter (300Mbps, Supports 802.1b/g/n)
- Integrated Motherboard Audio
- No Add-On Card
- No Memory Card Reader
- No Expansion Bay
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
- No thanks, I Do Not Want DUAL BOOT Operating System Option
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- No OFFICE Software
- No PC Game
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Keyboard
- No Mouse
- No Headset
- No Monitor
- No Speakers
- No Mouse Pad
- No External Hard Drive
- No Rush Build - Standard Production Time is 8-16 Business Days
- 3 Year Limited Platinum Warranty [LIFETIME Labor Warranty / 1 Year Parts] w/ LIFETIME 24/7 Domestic Technical Support
- Included XOTIC PC Binder & Certificate of Ownership – take pride in your system with a hand-signed personalized XOTIC PC certificate!
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 24-72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- XOTIC PC's White Glove Premium Packaging is standard on all Desktops!
- No Wood Crate Shipping

There isn't any mechanical harddrive because they didn't have an option on their site for a 2TB one, so I would have them order a Western Digital Black 2TB drive, which I was told would be max $180.

Digital Storm build:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Hailstorm II Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1866MHz Corsair Vengeance Pro (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: ASUS Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) (Model: BC-12B1ST)
Storage Set 1: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 Pro Series)
Storage Set 2: 1x (2TB Hitachi (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: Wireless USB ASUS N13 (Supports 802.11n/g/b)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (White)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Both are about the same price, with XoticPC being more expensive with cheaper shipping, and Digital Storm being less expensive with more expensive shipping.

 

[FastGunna]

I would say if they are both equal in all ways that matter, choose for a reason that doesn't. Otherwise you would be stuck. Obvious choices would be, do you want a shirt and custom case or a piece of paper and the corsair 900? Maybe you could go by the PSU, Xotic has a Gold rated PSU and Digital Storm has a Silver.

I can't think of any other fair way to decide which you choose. I could think of a few unfair ways though...

Well good luck in your choice, if you need any other help feel free to ask.

 

[LostLuggage]

I would say if they are both equal in all ways that matter, choose for a reason that doesn't. Otherwise you would be stuck. Obvious choices would be, do you want a shirt and custom case or a piece of paper and the corsair 900? Maybe you could go by the PSU, Xotic has a Gold rated PSU and Digital Storm has a Silver.

I can't think of any other fair way to decide which you choose. I could think of a few unfair ways though...

Well good luck in your choice, if you need any other help feel free to ask.

The main thing I'm concerned with at this point, considering the builds are essentially the same, is how my computer will perform after I receive it. I need it to perform well (perform as it should with how much money I'm spending), and do so for a decently long time (few years). I know both places have lifetime tech support (that I would actually like to not HAVE to use, if you know what I mean). I'm more confident that Digital Storm tests their stuff, plus they send a hand-signed checklist of the performed tests. I'll be calling Xotic today to ask about their testing process.

Both places give me the "certificate", and both have the Corsair 900D. I did notice that about the PSU. Also, Digital Storm doesn't have 16GB RAM in 2x8GB -- only 4x4GB. They have 1866MHz RAM in 2x8GB, but I don't want to have to pay extra for that speed when I want to add more. I want to do 2x8GB so that I can simply add more RAM when I want to, rather than having to replace the RAM that's there when I want more.

What "unfair" ways of choosing are you speaking of, hehe.

 

[LostLuggage]

Alright well I called Xotic and spoke with Derek (whom I actually spoke with when I placed my earlier order, that had to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances), and he said that they do stress testing of every component, and test every machine that goes through their doors. Now they're pretty much the same as Digital Storm... Didn't help my decision choice as much as I thought it would.....

 

[FastGunna]

I would go for the 1866 RAM, it goes for the same and sometimes less than 1600. Right now you can get 2x8 1866 for $120, there are only a couple 1600s cheaper and those are mostly sale prices. I have 8GB G. Skill Sniper 1866 which I got because it was one of the cheapest 8GB kits available when I ordered.

Both systems are built using top quality parts, it should last for quite a while regardless of where its from. Silver vs Gold isn't really that big of a deal bit it could save you a couple bucks on the electrical bill. Maybe...

The best way to solve this may be to contact both with the situation and ask why you should go with them instead of the other. I'm not 100% positive what I was thinking of when I said "unfair", fliping a coin maybe because neither has a chance to say pick me. My mischief switch is off today so I'm not coming up with anything entertaining...

 

[LostLuggage]

I would go for the 1866 RAM, it goes for the same and sometimes less than 1600. Right now you can get 2x8 1866 for $120, there are only a couple 1600s cheaper and those are mostly sale prices. I have 8GB G. Skill Sniper 1866 which I got because it was one of the cheapest 8GB kits available when I ordered.

Both systems are built using top quality parts, it should last for quite a while regardless of where its from. Silver vs Gold isn't really that big of a deal bit it could save you a couple bucks on the electrical bill. Maybe...

The best way to solve this may be to contact both with the situation and ask why you should go with them instead of the other. I'm not 100% positive what I was thinking of when I said "unfair", fliping a coin maybe because neither has a chance to say pick me. My mischief switch is off today so I'm not coming up with anything entertaining...

Alright well I was going to go with Digital Storm finally. Got through all of the order processes and everything. Got to the very end of checkout, and they slap a $300 tax onto the price because I live in California. Are you kidding me? I remember hearing that they charge a 10% shipping tax on orders in California, but I thought that meant shipping+10% of the shipping, not 10% of my entire order. That pushed way past my scope of the price, so I ended up having to choose XoticPC. Placed the order last night.

Why does Digital Storm charge such a ridiculous tax on people in California?

 

[FastGunna]

I would go for the 1866 RAM, it goes for the same and sometimes less than 1600. Right now you can get 2x8 1866 for $120, there are only a couple 1600s cheaper and those are mostly sale prices. I have 8GB G. Skill Sniper 1866 which I got because it was one of the cheapest 8GB kits available when I ordered.

Both systems are built using top quality parts, it should last for quite a while regardless of where its from. Silver vs Gold isn't really that big of a deal bit it could save you a couple bucks on the electrical bill. Maybe...

The best way to solve this may be to contact both with the situation and ask why you should go with them instead of the other. I'm not 100% positive what I was thinking of when I said "unfair", fliping a coin maybe because neither has a chance to say pick me. My mischief switch is off today so I'm not coming up with anything entertaining...

Alright well I was going to go with Digital Storm finally. Got through all of the order processes and everything. Got to the very end of checkout, and they slap a $300 tax onto the price because I live in California. Are you kidding me? I remember hearing that they charge a 10% shipping tax on orders in California, but I thought that meant shipping+10% of the shipping, not 10% of my entire order. That pushed way past my scope of the price, so I ended up having to choose XoticPC. Placed the order last night.

Why does Digital Storm charge such a ridiculous tax on people in California?

I don't think the tax goes to digital storm because it is a tax. Newegg has one for states that have warehouses in them. I ordered all my parts from them and they have a warehouse in Cali so I had to pay 70-90 in taxes on my 1300ish system. I learned later that I could have ordered from somewhere else and not been taxed. It might be a California law, I'm not really sure but 10% does seem extreme. I spent my budget on my PC, 40+ more in taxes would have broke it.

Also we are Californians, we all live in Hollywood and drive Tesla's. Haven't you seen the postcards?