F131 Questions

[DarkStar]

I am planning on ordering a new gaming rig in mid January and due to all the shining reviews of Maingear systems in the last several months they are on the top of my very short list of companies I have been considering.

I've been spending some time on configuring systems on the site but one thing is missing, how about some pictures on the F131 case in different colors? The only ones I've found are the same blue color that's on the main pages and unfortunately the reviews on the F131 I've seen been of blue ones as well, and as I don't really care for the blue I'd REALLY like to see it in the other available colors.

[Plan1x]

Hello DarkStar and welcome to our boards.

I am sorry that our picture database is not up to par. However, we have been working on our website for the last few weeks and are updating each page one by one. We have recently taken our rigs to a professional photographer and are developing a new web page to display our new rigs. I have seen the proto-type page and it looks great, 360 views and all.

But this does not help nor here or there. So what I am going to do is go down to our facilities tomorrow. I am going to personally take pictures with my digital camera of what ever rigs they are currently working on and I will post them up immediately.

If you have any other question at all please don't hesitate. I also recommend you call MAINGEAR and talk to one of our great staff members because they can help you immensely.

Keep posted because I am going to get those pics to you as soon as I can.


Thank you,

~Peter~

[DarkStar]

Thanks, I'd really appreciate it.

On other manufacturer's boards I've seen similar questions, on numerous occasions, and this is the only time I've seen anything beyond promises that some pictures would appear and some unknown date in the future.

+1 for Maingear

[wallace.santos]

Hello,
Welcome to our forums. We're working on our gallery page, which should be completed shortly.

Here's some extra pictures:
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r294/maingear/IMG_0214_589x600.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r294/maingear/IMG_0222_458x600.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r294/maingear/IMG_0223_489x600.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r294/maingear/IMG_0225_445x600.jpg[/img]

[DarkStar]

WOW!

Thanks, IMHO that's much nicer then the blue, although I wish Maingear would paint the drive covers and faces.

Also is there any chance that I would be able to get a Logitech MX518 color matched, as I much prefer it to the newer mice Logitech offers?

On an unrelated topic, how loud would an F131 be with an E6600 and a 8800GTX? My rig is set up in my living room and normally runs 24/7 and we like to be able to talk and/or watch something on tv with it running. I've had a Voodoo EGAD (1.33GHz Athlon with a Herc GF3) that had 13 fans in it and was almost as loud as our Pollenex air cleaner, although my current Voodoo Rage is extremely quiet and I would prefer my next rig is as well.

[Plan1x]

WOW!

although I wish Maingear would paint the drive covers and faces.



If that is what you prefer we can have it done for you. Remember we paint our products in house! We can do what ever you would like. The reason you see the rigs painted the way you do is because that is just our personal preference on how we like the rigs painted, but if you prefer it all painted, that would not be a problem.




On an unrelated topic, how loud would an F131 be with an E6600 and a 8800GTX? My rig is set up in my living room and normally runs 24/7 and we like to be able to talk and/or watch something on tv with it running. I've had a Voodoo EGAD (1.33GHz Athlon with a Herc GF3) that had 13 fans in it and was almost as loud as our Pollenex air cleaner, although my current Voodoo Rage is extremely quiet and I would prefer my next rig is as well.

On that note, I don't believe our CEO Wallace, would allow such a noisy product out our doors. We strive to make the quietest machines possible. I would say you will have absolutely no problems with noise factor when choosing anyone of our configurations.

[DarkStar]

Glad to hear that (no pun intended! LOL!)

Sorry to be a pain but I do have a few more questions if you wouldn't mind. Firstly can you shut the interior lights off or are they always on?

Next do the wheel comes off? I ask because I have my rig on sitting on bench seat (it actually went to an organ that was in our house when we bought it) and I don't like the idea of a $3500+ computer sitting 18" off the floor being on wheels.

Is the Zalman quieter then the stock HSF or does it simply cool, and look, better?

Would it be possible to order with a pair of HDs but then have it wired to have a third installed by me when it arrives? The reason for this is that I have two 74GB Raptors in my current rig and I might want to pull one out and use it as the OS drive on my new rig.

Finally at what point should I be able to order a system and request that it come Vista installed?

[cLwN]

well i recommended freind of mine to MainGear back in october and he purchased an F131, and maingear if im not mistaken had just started using there new chassis & questioned him if he wanted the current chassis they offer now or the older model they were offering at the time. Maingear sent him some picks of the new chassis and he ended up going with there new chassis. So the day he got his F131 in he called me up and i went over with my x-cube and we set up the rig, installed Quake 4 and had a little LAN party goin on :P well any way back to what you were asking :lol: when i was looking at his comp i actually was wondering my self if it was a hazard having wheels on a rig and it ended up being just as safe as it would be with out wheels since the rear wheels have a lock button which keeps the computer pretty sturdy ..

the wheels if you wanted remove them its as simple as unscrewing acouple of screws amd the the wheels and the wheel attachment come right off. so if your worried of it sliding off or something.. dont be it stays put.. just dont put it on any slope of any kind .. :]

[Plan1x]

Firstly can you shut the interior lights off or are they always on?

Normally, we install the lights to go on and off with the machine. However, if this is a vital concern to you and you would like the option to have a switch in order to control whether it is on or off, it would not be a problem. Again, I would recommend calling into MAINGEAR and specifying what you would like done. 1-888-MAINGEAR or 908-624-9050


Next do the wheel comes off? I ask because I have my rig on sitting on bench seat (it actually went to an organ that was in our house when we bought it) and I don't like the idea of a $3500+ computer sitting 18" off the floor being on wheels.

I completely understand you. I wouldn't like the idea either. Actually, Clwn was right on point. The wheels are very easily removable with just the turn of a screw. However there is a very secure locking pin on the wheels that makes them more of a peg then a wheel.


Is the Zalman quieter then the stock HSF or does it simply cool, and look, better?

Again, this depends on the complete configuration. Sometimes we find it that the stock HSF will work just as well or better then the Zalman therefore, not needing to upgrade and spend the extra cash. However, the Zalman is normally better and quieter and the effects on cooling when working well are substantial.



Would it be possible to order with a pair of HDs but then have it wired to have a third installed by me when it arrives? The reason for this is that I have two 74GB Raptors in my current rig and I might want to pull one out and use it as the OS drive on my new rig.

I do not see the problem with this. Again, I would definitely talk to the tech taking your order. Specify what you want and they will make it work. They are there to make your life easier so if we can accommodate, we will.




Finally at what point should I be able to order a system and request that it come Vista installed?

This is a good question. Many people have been calling in asking to have computers set up to be Vista compatible. However, we have been recommending waiting for the real thing to come out, as you are. That is the smartest bet. As of now Vista is going to launch broadly on January 30th. I would say it would be safe to order yours as early as two weeks before that.


I hope that I could have helped you in any way possible. I again, recommend you to call into MAINGEAR if you are serious about ordering a machine, in order for you to get exactly what you want.

Thank you again for your interest,

~Peter~

[DarkStar]

Thanks Plan1x, I really appreciate your help.

I have to work the next couple days but I'll call and talk with someone later this week.

[DarkStar]

The more I look at these pictures that more I begin to feel that while painting the drive plates is the way to go I also think it might be "to much red" if you know what I mean.

With that being the case, no pun intended, I am trying to figure out what I could have done to help that situation. At first I tried to think of something paint wise but short of a completely custom paintjob, like your nVidia case, I am unsure what exactly would work. Beyond that all I can think of is an LCD screen of some type, either a simple single bay temp monitor or one of the multiple bay LCD displays.

I guess the reason I am posting this is see what the thoughts of people from Maingear on this issue.

[RottynDawg]

I'm curious to hear what ideas they have as well. Personally, I think that black on red looks sweet and I don't even like red :)

[CiN]

I have seen the case in person and all I can say is WOW..... The color combination just the whole package is great. :lol: I would love to see that case in like a graphite color. :twisted:

[whoops]

Are the colors listed in the configurator the only colors availiable? If not, what is the charge for custom painting?

[qbawl]

I'm curious to hear what ideas they have as well. Personally, I think that black on red looks sweet and I don't even like red :)

Well, I can say that I've just discovered that I definitely like red! That machine looks great.

[Plan1x]

When you see the machines in person, much like Cin has said, the color combination hits you. The black on red or black on blue are my favorite. If your into yellow that looks great too. As for what we can do for the face plates, to be honest it really is up to you. Depending on what you get those face plates can be used up quickly. I personally don't like LCD monitors and gauges in the face plates, to me it looks gaudy. I like simplistic smooth sexy designs. And I know Wallace is the same that is why he has designed the look to be that way. However, were not saying we won’t do anything for the customer. We are completely about meeting every one of your desires as long as it is possible for us to do so.

We are also going to be considering replacing our basic color sku. The Graphite color I believe would look sick on one of our machines with neon white lights in the case. Man, I can picture it now.

We also offer just about any color you can come up with. We can color match your favorite huffy bike as a kid, if you get my drift. As for a color that is not one of our basics, it really depends on the work and color. As you might know or not know, paints can be very expensive. I have seen custom paint jobs come out of MAINGEAR ranging from $100-over $1,000. I don't want to give you a specific price because it really does depend on the color you’re thinking about and or if you decide to get any additional work with it.

[DarkStar]

Damn you both! I think Graphite would look sweet on that case also!

[DarkStar]

Well since I haven't had a chance to call sales yet I finally just broke down and emailed them today, although I don't even know if they are open today so I wont be surprised if I don't hear anything for a few days.

[Plan1x]

We are open.... office hours are from 9am-7pm Mon-Sat

[DarkStar]

Cool thanks!

Edited to add: I didn't hear anything back tonight (it's about 1930 right now so they are closed.)

No big deal I had justed hoped to hear back before they closed for the long holiday weekend. Oh well, I'll probably hear back by mid week.

[HCA]

Tomorrow I will be placing my order and I'm still contemplating drive covers painted (Blue) or not. If the covers were Silver it wouldn't be needed. What to do... :shock:

[TallWhiteDude]

doesnt their configuration page say they have a standard silver and black aluminum case? If that is the case, no pun intended, just ask them to paint a silver case blue. I dont know if that will work but it sounds like a good plan.

[HCA]

In theory it's a good plan. The optical drives and media reader would also have to be silver for the idea to work. Maybe Plan1x or another rep. will post an idea before I order. Time to sleep on it. :wink:

[Plan1x]

Hello HCA,


First, let me say, let us lay to rest your query. We have drive cover plates that come in brushed aluminum black and silver. They hide the actual drive behind the plate and leave a clean finish. We can also do a silver optical drive plate, so in the words of the great Giovanni, "You are straight."

[HCA]

Hello HCA,


First, let me say, let us lay to rest your query. We have drive cover plates that come in brushed aluminum black and silver. They hide the actual drive behind the plate and leave a clean finish. We can also do a silver optical drive plate, so in the words of the great Giovanni, "You are straight."


Thanks Plan1x! It's good to be straight. :wink:

[DarkStar]

Still no reply from sales to my email, which surprises me.

My schedule is unusual in that I work nights, 14+ hour shifts actually, which requires that many of my contacts with companies I deal with being via email, so when I don't get responses I get concerned (when I bought my Voodoo Rage I had actually been interested in a Hypersonic rig but 4 emails went unanswered so I decided they weren't for me.)

[Plan1x]

DarkStar I am very suprised too. I am willing to bet there was some sort of mix up with the email, for all emails are usually responded too. Check your email if you see this first, I have sent you a message.

Sorry for any inconveniences,

Peter

[DarkStar]

Got your email, and replied.

I appreciate your help.

[DarkStar]

Does anyone have a picture of a red F131 with silver bay covers?

As I said, I like the red but don't care for the black bay covers but I suspect that the bay covers being red as well would make for to large a red surface.