If you are considering a purchase from CYBERPOWER PC, please read this first!
I finally saved enough to buy the ultimate Photoshop workstation, and decided on a PowerMega 1600 Workstation PC from Cyberpower largely based on their great reviews and the specs. Paid top dollar through B&H Video in New York. This is a well equipped machine with fast processor, four expansion bays, liquid cooled, ASUS Motherboard., nVidia Quadro 600 Graphics Card. Primary use: photo editing and storage.
My first mistake was not testing everything as soon as I received it. I waited a month for the new Photoshop release and Perfect Photo Suite 7 to be released. At this point, I was beyond the timeframe for returning a DOA system to B&H Video.
First problem was the machine shut off, the power just died. Then repeatedly turned back on and off, potentially damaging the hard drive. Major electrical problem. I thought it was the plug not fully inserted, so I restarted it. After several hours of installing over 100 Windows 7 updates and three hard drives in RAID Configuration, the power died again.
Also noteworthy, is there is no place to plug in the USB 3.0 ports onto the motherboard. B& H advertised this machine as having 6 USB 3.0 Ports and 6 USB 2.0 Ports. Reality is: the only active USB Ports are ALL on the back of the PC, A MAJOR DISADVANTAGE.
I mailed it back to Cyberpower. Upon return, I opened it immediately, and the power would not come on! I walked away in disgust, almost in shock. Extreme distress, especially when it powered up by itself, a few minutes AFTER I had given up. Hand to God, it came on with no one even near it.
They did install a cable for the inactive USB ports, but left it hanging inside the machine, not connected to the MB. Note that the build is so poor that the hard drive cage is less than 3/4" from the side panel, and the drive connectors are all straight line. This puts ALL of the hard drive cables against the side cover, so it is very hard to put the cover on. They added to this problem by routing the new USB connecting cable through this path, not the internal motherboard side.
Then I discovered that the WIRED Internet Adapter looses it's driver EVERY TIME the machine is shut down. If you RESTART, it the driver is retained. I tested this seven times. Spent more than six hours on the phone with customer service the day I received it (after they "fixed" it). They blamed it on a bad Windows installation. Basically, they tried to walk me through repairing my own machine, over three hours on hold, had to keep calling back after each step, to reinstall the operating system, motherboard, blue ray etc.
All of this fixed nothing. Now they want me to double box it and send it back. I wrote in wide red marker on inside flaps of the box to please save both boxes and original packing material. Cyberpower PC had the machine for only two business days, but couldn't hang onto my boxes? They totally is regarded the request, threw away my original box and the LARGE B&H box, loosely packed it with foam rubber in a light box, with the right side panel cover unhooked. My $1,400.00 workstation came back with black grit all over the inside (behind the right side panel, thankfully not on the motherboard).
Now I have another RMA, but they "won't be responsible if it is not properly packed for return shipment" They told me they NEVER REFUND MONEY if you don't buy direct from them, something B&H needs to be aware of.
When I asked for a supervisor to speak with, they put the same Tech Repair person back on the phone. "Ismar" offered no refund, no solutions, only to send it back again. This could go on forever, an endless cycle of mailing it back and forth, 3,000 miles from VA to CA. Especially since I've been unable to recreate the power failure, which you know, is going to happen again because they never found the source of the electrical short. The machine took two weeks for shipping and repair, and THEY FIXED NOTHING.
Bottom line, this is a terrible company to work with, the worst buying decision I have ever made. To top it off, I paid $300.00 extra for an Extended Warranty, and B&H 's answer is to send it to SageMax instead of the manufacturer.in other words, B&H isn't paying attention and apparently doesn't care what happens. They got their money, that's all they care about.
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