By Jason Palmer
Date Added: Saturday 02 September, 2006

Well - they all say you get what you pay for! In this case, it is true... It all started with the need to buy a new PC to play Everquest. My old P4 2.2Ghz, with 1Gb of Memory and a FSB of 400Mhz, was constantly blue screening which meant going link dead during gameplay and my poor old character getting a right old kicking as a result. I had been saving £2 coins and kept browsing for new machines to buy, with the guys in the office (my boss being the worse culprit) egging me on to buy the biggest, best, and as a result the most expensive bit of kit on the market. The machine which we had all named 'The Beast' had started out as a £3,800, AMD FX62 machine configuration with Quad SLI from 'another' manufacurer, but then Intel released the Core Duo Extreeme. The 'other' manufacurer could not deliver Quad SLI with the Core Duo (Some motherboard restrictions with the one model of ASUS they were using), so my search was back on for the ultimate machine... they say it could not be done... then I found Vadim! It was late afternoon in my office in London, the guys were all egging me on, saying 'you're not going to buy it' and 'you are all talk!' I had showed the the spec that I wanted, and I had been given the green light by her in doors to buy it... Now, I'm no stanger to spending a lot on my PC habit (I guess it is a lot healthier than drugs or drink), my last little machine mentioned above cost £2,500 without monitors about 3-4 years ago, when I bought the components and built the machine myself... but for just over £5K (again without monitors) I was starting to get a little concerned... is this going too far ? Should I indeed turn to drink or drugs as a cheaper alternative ? I left the office later that evening after pressing the 'Submit order' button on Vadim's site with a big grin on my face ! I had mailed the guys in the office with a copy of the spec, and on the train on the way home my phone was ringing... 'you didn't did you ?' was the common asked question... and my answer was 'I sure did!' And then came the wait... Now, it's my view that if you want something good, it is worth waiting for. And indeed I said this in the order comments dialogue. For those reading this that do not have an account set up with Vadim, I must say this is a brilliant feature on the site. You can ask questions, and shortly after an engineer from Vadim will answer or post updates on the build as it progresses. I received the machine a couple of weeks later - I did say do not rush, and there was a bank holiday in between. I am still unpacking it, and looking through all the enclosed parts and documentation. To say I am happy is an understatement. The machine is a work of art ! I have only just unpacked it and turned it on (am writing this on it now). I can tell it is right by the way it has just kicked into action. I work with systems for a living, and I have seen some pretty good set ups. I always said I would not go for one of those silly machines with lights all over it... it is a bit like one of those cars with neons, blacked out windows and a loud sound system. But I must say, the inners that all light up are a work of art. I have just this afternoon likened it to an Aquariam, which is soothing and relaxing to look at - the bonus is you don't have to clean it out every week ! As you can probably work out I am still excited. The Vadim machine may not be called 'The Beast' on their site, but the name has stuck. The wife even refers to it as 'The Beast', and from what I have seen so far earns that title by just looking at it. It feels good to have the fastest, baddest kick ass PC out of all my friends and peers - Thanks Vadim ! Money well spent - just got to start saving to treat the wife now :o)