Velocity Micro Edge Z30 user reviews (Intel Core i7)

2.5 stars

"Good but not great" on January 5, 2010 by shawnb212

Pros: Nice to have no bloatware. System looks great and is fast.

Cons: Computer came with faulty power supply. Makes a low pitched rumbling noise when hard drive is working--this is annoying. I can stand some humming fans, but not the constant rumbling of the hard drive working. I expect a flashing light, not noise.

Summary: So far I'm dissapointed. I bought because of VM's rep and the CNET review. But so far I've had a faulty power supply and even when the computer is running it is noisy when working (when the blue light is flashing). Even when idle and no applications running, the computer is rumbling through processes and making noise. My ZT affinity at work is silent (except for a humming fan) and it probably cost half as much as this computer. Based on the foregoing, I wish I had bough something else.

Updated on May 3, 2010

I bought this computer in December of '09. Immediately after set-up I was getting BSOD or white screen almost every day. Complete shutdown of the machine. VM tech support was horrible. I sent the computer in for repair, they tested it and couldn't reproduce the problem. Well, now I know, the reason was because it was a problem with the mouse and keyboard causing the BSOD and white screen shutdown. So now I have to pony up for a new keyboard and mouse aftern about 5 months of this computer giving me headaches. I bought VM thinking their build, quality and service would be second to none. Now I totally regret the decision. Sure, it's a fast computer, but if it doesn't work, then that's not much help. VM was totally dismissive of these concerns. They are not willing to make any refund to make this right.

Updated on May 3, 2010

btw/ the keyboard and mouse causing the problem were the VM supplied mouse and keyboard.

4.0 stars

"Good value, but limited upgrade options" on February 8, 2010 by xray_spex

Pros: Clean installation; no bloat
Stable
Good quality components

Cons: No eSATA
Limited upgrade options
a bit noisy, no fan control

Summary: I purchased my last desktop from Velocity Micro about four years ago, so when it was time to upgrade, I considered them again. I configured a Z30 with an i7-860, 8 GB of RAM, and a nVidia GTX 260 for about $1500. I priced the individual components at about $1350 retail, and a similar system from HP at $1400.

Performance is great, so far. I've had one crash in the three weeks I've owned the system, but that was probably due to me updating multiple drivers without a reboot.

Note: the system as shipped did not include an eSATA port like the one reviewed. The motherboard is a very basic Intel model that only has one legacy PCI, two PCI-e x1 and one PCI-e x16 slots. So, SLI isn't an option. Further, a bulky video card (like the GTX 260) blocks one of the PCI slots and two of the SATA connectors. Still, they managed to fit a large video card and a large CPU cooler in a mid-sized case which is no small achievement. The power and disk cables are neatly bundled and kept out of the way.

One other (minor) concern is the noise level. There are two case fans, but they're wired directly to the power supply rather than the motherboard, so the fans run at full speed at all times. It's not terribly loud (it's quieter than my old system), but I'd prefer to have the option to control the fans.

In summary, I'm happy with the system I received.

0.5 stars

"ABSOLUTLEY HORRIBLE PRODUCT AND SERVICE - DO NOT BUY VM" on March 9, 2010 by rsmolen22

Pros: I wish I had been able to use the machine enough to say something positive, but I can't, since the machine is still not working after almost 90 days and being shipped back for repair twice.

Cons: The product does not work, the customer service wait times avg over 70 minutes, and when you do get through, they are not able to efficiently diagnose the problem. Even the repair technicians can not fix the machine and return it in working order.

Summary: I have only limited experience using the product, because it has not worked properly in the 75+ days that I have owned it. I purchased the Z30 in December for my business due to the excellent ratings from CNET and others. The first three days I tried to use it, I got seven different blue screen errors. The customer service reps all put me through a different diagnostic routine each time I called. After a week (about 30 hours of my time spent running diagnostics and waiting on hold to talk to CS) they decided to send out a new power supply, which did not fix the issue. The machine was then sent back to be fixed (they refuse to send you a new machine if they deliver you a defective one). When it was returned to me not only was the same blue screen problem occuring, but now there was no audio. After another 75 minute wait, a new CS rep diagnosed it as a hardware failure and told me the motherboard needed to be replaced (one day after I got it back from them). They had me ship the machine back a second time, and this time they apparently replaced the hard drive, the RAM, and did a fresh install of Windows, but the motherboard was not replaced as the technician instructed me it would. I received the machine today after their second repair, and now there is no video display (managed to get one monitor to work for an hour after about 12 reboots), the DVD drive is not being recognized by the system, and when they reinstalled Windows on the new hard drive they apparently forgot to reinstall the version of Office that I paid for. BOTTOM LINE - SI WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE CONSIDERING A PC PURCHASE STAY AWAY FROM VELOCITY MICRO. THIS IS THE WORST PC PURCHASE & SERVICE EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD.

5.0 stars

"Great highend system for the price!" on September 25, 2009 by HippyNerd

Pros: Great looking, good components, fast, very good price for such performance

Cons: I wish it had an even higher end graphics card, but can be upgraded

Summary: It's a very fair priced system considering the performance, quality, and VM is known for great support. I'm also glad to see they still make this in the US.

Updated on Sep 25, 2009

I was able to configure the system exactly as it is in the review for the same price, and now it has a $50 off coupon, so it's an even better deal. The review proves the value - it crushed the more expensive Dell.