Prebuilt PC companies should take notes...

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks so much for the kind words Jay! For 31 years now we've been trying to build PC designs you won't find anywhere else, and to impress you is an honor! For anyone wondering if Jay covers sponsored videos any differently than non-sponsored: I can tell you from this experience, he doesn't. Just check out his coverage of our Tiki & FragBox systems - that were not sponsored- earlier this year and see if his scrutiny on build quality or thermal performance was any different. We wanted to support the folks that create this great channel we've watched for years, and knew Jay would still call the balls and strikes where he saw them. We've still got our work cut out for us trying to convince him our 280mm rad will match a 360mm though! 😆

[@fredhopratama9835]

Nice.

[@proscriptus]

We were just talking about Falcon NW being one of the OGs on a Dawid video

[@DecayedPage]

I gotta say I love the design of your website too. It's just not as boring and plain, and buttons actually have a ''Personality''. And how long did it take to perfect these animations and transitions?

[@DecayedPage]

Hey falcon! Would you consider making budget (cheap) builds at some point? Because not everyone can / wants to pay 3k on a pc. It would enable more people to afford your products. Keep it up!

[@skyhawk21]

Thanks guys, keep up the honor and pride that goes into your company and customers!!!

[@aaronfrance6760]

Falcon Northwest is what Alienware aspired to be before giving up and selling out to Dell.

[@BBC.Customs.2]

I would argue they're more VooDoo -> HP than Alienware -> Dell.

[@LatitudeSky]

Look at it from Dell's perspective: outfits like FNW, Alienware, and others were getting ALL the hype and magazine coverage, for good reason. Dell was deathly afraid of being so uncool, gamer customers would just ignore Dell. So they had two choices: spin up their own boutique build operation, something Dell had no experience with. OR they could try to buy an existing boutique and ravage, sorry, I mean leverage it. Dell had no choice. Gateway was in the same trouble and opted to not do anything and went extinct. So Dell did what they had to. Alienware was not top tier. More high mid with a lot of branding hype. So Dell offering cash for everything was the right choice to take. In other words, both Dell and Alienware took the only choice they had. It wasn't a total disaster. But also wasn't a total success.

[@BBC.Customs.2]

@@LatitudeSky this is in a way also what killed VooDoo. After Alienware had the 'backing' of Dell both financially as well as the association with a household name in computers, VooDoo lost a large amount of enthusiast market share. Pair that with AW/Dell's lower production costs to provide a *gag* 'premium' product, VooDoo struggled even harder to compete. ~2008 I think, a VooDoo laptop was roughly 12-1500usd, top tier components sure but not in any way cheap. At that point HP had already completed the acquisition but I'd say the original quality stayed until ~2012/3 when the VooDoo name was chopped for Envy. By that point HP had already started to do what they always do: ruin a good thing.

[@1slotmech]

@@BBC.Customs.2 HP was never going to run Voodoo as an enthusiast shop (I still a piece of Blackbird swag - the flash drive I got at the promo kiosk at the Westfield Mall in SF - I told those guys they'd be out of jobs in a year, and I was right); they had no clue what to do with Voodoo or how to keep the brand going.If I remember correctly, the was a point at where you could buy Blackbird cases and put your own hardware inside; Dell did that with Alienware for a while as well.

[@slayertx]

@@LatitudeSky Are you kidding me Alienware was so baller before they sold out to dell. Like I dreamed of having a FNW or Alienware when I was a kid in the 90's. I learned so much from just studying how and why they did things. Now I build custom rigs that are way beyond what any SI can sell.

[@tomwaller6893]

Wonderful stuff Jay and Northwest. I am a 74 year old former Acorn Risc PC (UK Arm based) Retailer and still build my own rigs. But never to that quality and cable neatness. Made my day.

[@Sweetskis]

Falcon NW are the OG high end system integrators. Glad to see you never sold out and remain the gold standard.

[@Aaron-zl5gq]

Never imagined Falcon Northwest would hold out this long , I remember when they came out when I was a little kid getting into computers , I used there builds as ideas and parts to use and years later they quietly made PCs with little to no exposure on KZbin and to see them pop up on your channel is awesome

[@lgndk11r]

I remember when they advertised in PC Gamer and other computer magazine, and wanting to get one of their systems. Glad to see they're still doing good.

[@dudehuh5491]

wow print media yer agein yer self but hey man decent

[@Ldunk]

Remember when they decided to use car paint. They were so slick and beautiful.

[@joesyrnichenko8156]

I feel like those were the glory days of PC gaming. I remember standing in the magazine aisle at Target, drooling over the 8800 GTX and later the Titan

[@joesyrnichenko8156]

Digital Storm is still around as well. Jay should do an OG prebuilt showdown

[@LatitudeSky]

​@joesyrnichenko8156 that was my era too, and it's why I will never part with my 8800GT. Obsolete as heck. Can't game. But people today just have no idea how much the earth shook when the 8800 series hit the market.

[@ph33lix]

Their ads on early 2000s PC magazines have always been eye-catching. I first learned, from the way Falcon NW built PCs back then, that floppy and IDE cables could be folded flat in a way that keeps the bulk of them on the same plane as the MOBO and thus stay out of the way of airflow. Even as sleeved and rounded IDE cables became the norm, I still preferred the flat IDE ribbon cables since round cables could never get tucked out of the way. Glad they're still doing well!

[@mtmccornack]

One of my client owns one of these Falcon NW builds and it is NICE! didnt realize all the quality of life advantages till this video, they speak very highly of the customer support and overall pride in their machine.

[@deadmanschest4322]

the "anti sack mount" of the 4090 and the "carpet protecting" are really impressive and especially the "carpet protection should be more in common on all cases (simple solution for a big problem!). there are far too many computers not placed on the table / a small bench / side table next to the table above the carpet.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

The anti sag for the graphics card isn't all that impressive to me. But I worked at a PC tech back when the IBM AT was the new hot. Back then all expansion slots had "anti sag" retention. But it want' called just that. Thing is there were a lot of expansion cards that used up all the available space up to the maximum length and height. So the standard cases had plastic guides that the cards slotted into so they were held in place both at the slot end and at the back/front... Back of the card, front of the case... Why not make it more complicated by trying to describe it... But YT doesn't allow for pictures in comments so... Many cases even had a bar going across all the expansion slots about two thirds towards the back of the case. There they had mechanisms that would press the card down, making sure it couldn't be dislodged from the expansion slot. So the cards were very secure in these machines. But with improvement in electronics the full size expansion cards got fewer and fewer. Where a serial I/O card, a floppy controller, hard drive controller and graphics cards used to be full length expansion cards the half length and shorter cards got more and more common. At the end of the AT era a SER-PAR FDC HDC card would be barely longer than a 16-bit ISA slot. Even graphics cards were usually shorter than half length. And yet cases kept the full length card supports. The overhead retention was usually skipped on desktops and office computers but was retained for workstations and servers. But then some time late 90's the case manufacturers started omitting the full length expansion card supports, and over time they skipped the full length slots all together. For workstations they were still a thing as professional graphics cards almost always had an extension that came with them. I installed a lot of Nvidia Quadro cards in workstations used by designers and they all came with a extension that screwed into the end of the card and matched up to the full length card retention in the workstation cases. But time marched on and now you only see the full length supports in servers and some very expensive workstations. Look through the cases available for the hobby and consumer market and there are few, if any that will fit a full length expansion card, and ever fewer that have the standard card supports. So should we really be that happy about a builder inverting a new card retention method when they created this mess by first scrapping the old standard? For a long time it seemed graphics cards were just getting smaller and smaller, and with the ATX standard most everything you needed tended to be integrated on the motherboards. But then the 3D card market became really competitive and the cards started to grow. Cards with three fans are more or less standard today and some of them are almost as long as the old full length cards were. And yet the manufacturers didn't feel it was pertinent to make sure they could use the standard supports. All they would have needed to do was include a metal or even plastic bracket that could be used to make the cards secure to the standard supports, and case manufacturers would have started offering cases that had the supports for at least the first two or three expansion slots, and we wouldn't have had this problem.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@blahorgaslisk7763 My politics have remained centre-left; the parties have all gone loony though, so my politics are now seen as "extreme right-wing", LOL! Falcon Northwest haven't altered; the rest of the industry has gone south.

[@Bajablast_scuba_cat]

This might have been my favorite video all year from you, jay! Wow! I absolutely love seeing the GOOD companies like this getting the respect and coverage they truly deserve. For Someone like me who is getting to the "more disposable income, but less time" part of my life and gaming, I love seeing that I do actually have options for a prebuilt in the future. Not only a PC I can trust, but one I could truly be proud of owning. Seriously, thank you for this content.

[@That_Dude88]

we need an undercover buy from them and compare the two builds.

[@l0ki4321]

Ask LTT for next secret shopper series

[@That_Dude88]

@@l0ki4321 Jay would do it better. Js

[@normified]

knew a lad who got a FN system a few years ago. he showed me the whole thing and it was basically just as shining gold as the system jay has lol

[@slayertx]

They are legit. I been building rigs for 25+ years and FNW is one of the only company's I recommend to someone if i'm not building the machine. Pretty much every other company I have done service calls on and they just skimp somewhere. PSU , AOI, but FNW really has been doing this as artists for a long long time.

[@TheFamousP]

I own a 2022 Talon and am nobody. I can confirm the build quality is exactly what you're seeing on his machine. It's absolutely immaculate and has been rock solid from the day it arrived. Could I build it myself cheaper? Absolutely! Could I build it this well? No way. I don't have the time, tools or expertise/patience. Definitely not the time. I also can confirm their tech support is fantastic. I'm swapping out my 3080 FE for a 4080 and have been going back and forth about the switch as I had a push/pull config on the AIO and need to lose one side to get the 4080 to fit. Knowledgeable. Friendly. Patient. Their techs are an absolute joy to work with. I paid a lot of money (it was a present to myself for a promotion) but I am getting every penny's worth of the price. 10/10 would buy again.

[@gregridings9962]

My old boss, when I worked for a pc repair shop had a one of there pcs and it was pretty amazing for the time. There case was well thought out and some companies still struggle with that.

[@afelias]

8:30 GN Steve's actually always said that you don't need a mesh front if you have roughly inch-wide side-skirts and that should be enough. Looks like Falcon Northwest came to the same conclusion on that.

[@valensi1988]

I was 10 when I first saw a PC made by Falcon Northwest on an Italian PC Gaming magazine, I just loved their custom paintjobs, when there was a thing called “modding” and PCs were just grey boxes. I’m glad they are still around and they still hold tight to their values.

[@atari1994]

I wish I had seen this video a while back. Jay's explanation of the GPU going to 100% fan speed and no video output would have saved me some time (luckily no money) knowing that cables get loose during usage of the GPU. Finally figured it out that the PSU I had had a bad connector which was causing my GPU (3060Ti) to do this as well.

[@Falcon561]

4000 dollars for a 4060 i5 system is an absolute joke.

[@swallowedinthesea11]

Is you mad? Have fun missing out!

[@lifespanofafry1534]

Why would he be mad at an overpriced system that he is not purchasing? Are you OK?

[@spranzini29]

@@lifespanofafry1534 Completely agree and I'm not a build it yourself snob. This is way overpriced but very cool at the same time lol.

[@1Phase1]

They're charging $4200 for a system with a 7800X3D and a 4070 Super. You can build that same system on PC Part Picker for less than $2000. I don't know what the hell they think makes their prebuilts so good that they can charge more than double the price of the components, but this is just ludicrous. Nothing Jay showed in this video looks like it's worth a more than 50% premium, and I see no reason why that custom case they make would fill out the rest of the cost. A couple of little gimmicks on the case and an intake fan on the back for a 2 degree temperature difference on the GPU is not worth two thousand dollars, and if I wanted these components put together for me, I could just pay Microcenter a hundred dollars to get it done. Seems like just another PC for people with more money than sense.

[@bulufish8208]

Amen ✨️

[@BoxBoxBoxGaming]

I remember wanting a FNW computer back in, like, 2002. they were the best back then and I'm not surprised they're still the best.

[@bradleychafin672]

This was a great review. Thanks for doing this video. It’s so awesome to see a prebuilt that has quality and organization. I can actually point out this to my buddies who are not interested in building their own.

[@notgonnahappen7899]

That little fan in the back validates a mod I get on my own system years ago. I built my current system 5 or 6 years ago when 8700K came out. And it's built in the original cooler Master H500P. Which before the mesh version had plexiglass on the front and top panels. I bought it based purely on the fact that I liked how it looked but when reviews came out it was obvious it had deficiencies. So I actually purchased a BeQuiet 80mm fan that I mounted to the lower PCIe slot covers using zip ties to help bring in fresh air to feed my GPU.

[@killer01ws6]

I would love you and Steve to discuss this, as you said I could see him having a fit.. but I feel good that you tested it to the point of it proves success.. I have to say while I have been building my own for many years, I would consider this SI at this point in 5yrs when my recent build gets long in the tooth. Well done Jay, Phil and congrats to FNW.

[@bennettt4404]

Falcon Northwest is hands down the top of the top. I use my Talon for finance work, and tax the machine pretty heavily. Basically the machine hasn't been off since it arrived 3 years ago, driving 4 monitors, while eating 32gb of ram at workload idle and 12-25% CPU at workload idle (markets and charts are always moving). The case alone is a work of art IMO. You can thank Kelt Reeves the owner for the 4mm thick aircraft grade aluminum body. He's also into aviation as you mention :) As for the 280mm vs 360, they have reasons for that. I forget where I saw the article or listened to the interview about it however... I'm so glad you finally reviewed the Talon btw. I made a comment about it awhile back on one of your SI video reviews...

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks so much for posting your Talon experience with us Bennett! Yep 280mm and 360mm are equivalent in all few apples-apples comparisons out there, usually within 1C of each other and 280mm's larger fans about 1dB quieter for a given temp. But SO many more variables like radiator thickness, fin density, pump strength, and especially the fans used make much more of a difference then 280mm vs 360mm. Someday, we'll convince Jay of that! ;-)

[@garrettsmith6549]

Well Jay, I am 100% getting a build from these guys because of you shouting them out with this incredible video. I just called in to ask a couple questions and let them know you brought me there. The gentleman on the phone laughed and said you were very nice to them. Keep up the stellar videos.

[@michaelkoncz2943]

Falcon Northwest was my first pre-built PC WAAAAAAYYYY back in the day. Needless to say it was a beast for a long time. Only the inevitable(and welcome) advances in technology had me shelve that unit. I'm sure it would still work today(at least two decades) if I still had it. About to make a new Falcon NW purchase!

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks Michael!!

[@rweeeds5994]

Listen up guys, theres a KZbinr with 4M subscribers wanting to make a video about a prebuilt, let's make the best prebuilt possible

[@STEPHENLAWLER2010]

25:31 "We need to speed up the chassis FLAN flow"

[@dxjxt7571]

I had a Tiki Falcon NW custom-built with all the bells and whistles back in 2015 - it was a 6700k with a 980ti. That PC served me like a champ for over 6 years without any problems, until I simply upgraded to a 5900X 3080 due to 2k gaming and modern game demands. Honestly one of the coolest and one of my favorite PC companies out there!

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks so much for your business!

[@SternLX]

In my 30 years of building my own PC's I've only ever bought 1 off the shelf. It was a Falcon NW about 10 years ago. It still sits on my moms desk now and still works and looks good.

[@SeanOMatic]

I used to talk to Kelt Reeves back when I was a rep at OCZ. Really smart guy. Falcon has been top notch for twenty+ years, now.

[@Guitar4life99]

This is such a nice build, sleek, stealthy, has a small purple glow to it. If I could get one I would.

[@danielturunen7237]

Wow! A good prebuilt! It's like seeing a unicorn! 😁 And look at the cable management! 😍

[@petemuddafuggincarvo9284]

23:59 I have found that my cases with either top fan or, even better, a few strapped to a radiator, keep you from having to dust off the top of the case as often.

[@Cosmic1998cs]

Just purchased my talon today after seeing this video can’t wait till it arrives.

[@velocity5741]

Any complaints or is it as good as they say?

[@SharkBoy87]

I'm also curious on an update on the Talon. Did he miss any talking points you like on it?

[@buzzsaw5]

Back when I first got into the PC gaming scene(1999) Falcon NW was my first machine. It was a great machine to get into things. I moved on to building my own on the next machine. Glad to see they are still around.

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thank you for your business!

[@rabb1tjones921]

I've bought four Falcons over the years and have never been disappointed. Yes, they are extremely expensive. All the other system integrators fall short somewhere, either in warranty or parts used. With falcon you know exactly what parts you are getting and that the system is thoroughly tested before shipping.

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate you coming back to us again and again!

[@stevewatson6839]

Tru dat. I'd query "expensive" though; I've idly done their configurator several times before now and they've always stacked up.

[@theglitch312]

⁠​⁠@@stevewatson6839 Stack up how exactly? A bare bones Talon 4080S paired with a 7800X3D is over $4600 dollar… That’s pretty much a perfect 100% markup. Yes. Building to such a high degree of detail costs money. But… Dude. Cmon, at least be honest. That’s one hell of a markup.

[@iLegionaire3755]

Falcon Northwest justifies their high price the same way NVIDIA does, having zero competition in build quality and execution of their product lines.

[@ejvargas23]

I’m 36 and remember being 13 years old and seeing Falcon NW builds. I really loved the art they always did with their PC builds. They are like the Ferraris of prebuilt systems

[@HeffboomKonijn]

I have a soft spot for Falcon NW because when I was 16 (im 36 now) their “frag box” original got me into building computers. At 16 there was no way in hell I could afford a prebuilt from Falcon NW but the case they used was a very slightly modified version from another company that sold the case+mobo as a “barebones” PC kit and on Xmas day I put together my own “fragbox” using a pentium 4, 256mb of ram, and a Nvidia fx 5200. that was my 1st PC I ever built and it looked awesome! I even managed to stuff in 2 neon blue cold cathodes for that sweet pre-led/rgb lighting we had back in the day All this is to say that Falcon NW has a special place in my heart for getting me into the world of computing I enjoy today

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks! Check out Jayz recent review of our latest FragBox design. It’s still going strong after all these years.

[@jd-py5nm]

Back in the day I lusted after these along with ALienware and voodoopc. Voodoo was the most bling and my fave the lamborghini of pcs falcon was ferrari and alienware the BMW/porsche-I owned a few of the alienwares and some voodoo stuff after HP bought them. I still need a falcon

[@Subaru_God]

Amazing People at Falcon-NW. Great video, Jay. Thank you

[@fossjonc]

Thanks Jay, this was a cool and interesting episode - I like seeing the different airflow designs and also the way they kept the GPU mounted properly unlike other manufactures and that wiring job - good stuff, liked!

[@jeffscott3186]

I love the hinges. So is so much more to like about this, but the hinges are a dream.

[@colieholman3452]

I would like to see more videos of the higher end SI’s. It’s entertaining to me personally.

[@XDM_Studios]

It shows how much precision engineering and research they do for their computers. Definitely a great company.

[@timestamppatrol]

00:00 Introduction to Falcon Northwest and system integrators 02:37 Details about Falcon Northwest's unique chassis design and manufacturing process. 06:33 Chassis Airflow and Thermal Design 08:00 Insights into thermal considerations, fan speeds and fan placement. 14:43 Running the Cinebench R23 stability test to evaluate CPU performance and temperatures. 17:50 Monitoring temperature changes, CPU wattage, and performance during a 10-minute test. 19:27 Exploring the impact of an air filter on system cooling and performance. 19:46 Removing the CPU cooler 20:36 Explaining Intel's thermal velocity boost feature and its effects on CPU performance. 21:27 Analyzing the impact of a filter on CPU performance and discussing whether it's worth using. 22:16 Highlighting impressive CPU performance using a AIO cooler. 23:19 Examining GPU temperatures during 3D Mark tests. 24:34 Adjusting power limits for the CPU 26:54 Detailing Falcon Northwest's impressive warranty and lifetime technical support for their systems. Support me? Link on my channel's descriptions

[@BudgetGamer92]

If I could afford it I would totally support Falcon. The only thing that differentiates companies in a saturated market is their customer service. I hate when a big company doesn't stand by its products, never mind giving the run around when it does get warrantied. I love the overnight shipping. They know that we probably want to be using our computers rather than tracking a shipment all around the world. Good on them, one day I'll be able to afford one of their builds 😂 😂

[@acen486]

Falcon Northwest makes PCs that i gawk at like the Porsche GT3 i swear to myself ill have one day. Absolute beauties of engineering and craftsmanship.

[@bothellkenmore]

I take some pride knowing 2 of the most respected SI's are based in the Pacific Northwest with Falcon in Medford OR and Puget Systems in Auburn WA.

[@StephenGadberry]

3700$ for a i5 and a 4060. No. We talked bad about the people price gouging a few years back? They *still* are.

[@FlippyDipDipper]

Exactly! Their builds are WAY too expensive.

[@MindstabThrull]

Falcon Northwest reminds me of what Alienware used to be like back in the day (pre-Dell) - an SI who cared about a great experience with your PC compared to what the specs would say. Can we tune this for more performance? Can we do an great cable management so it's easy for the end user to do things like add or replace drives? Stuff like that.

[@boeubanks7507]

Jay needs to send this to Steve for airflow testing.

[@IrnMaiden304]

The fans in front are pulling air through the radiator, taking the heat ..... Into the case 🤔🤨.

[@Niosbis]

He's rolling in his grave evidently. Not sure he can test. xD

[@jedenzet]

and what the fuck is your comment supposed to mean? it's a normal configuration @@IrnMaiden304

[@IrnMaiden304]

@@jedenzet A radiator is a heat exchanger by means of convection, why would you want to pull that heat back into the case ?

[@stevewatson6839]

@@IrnMaiden304 Jay goes over this IN THE FECKIN' VIDEO; Steve has gone over this numerous times. It is like gravity: it is only relevent when there is no stonger force to overwhelm it. I'd go with the respected, profitable, S.I. of thirty years standing over Some Knob-End On The Internet everytime.

[@LordShad0w.162]

I have been jealous for years of my friends' Falcon Northwest PCs. Incredible quality and attention to detail. Definitely worth it if you have the cash.

[@AlphaMensae1]

I remember too seeing their first ads appear in Computer Gaming World around 1994-1995 or so. $4,000+ then got you a Pentium 100 Mhz "Ultimate Gaming Rig". The price today hasn't changed much, but the hardware sure has!

[@Madalaskan01]

I've kept my eye on Falcon Northwest ever since my first desktop back in '07(?). Never could afford it, and now I'm about to have a kid. If I could though, would have 100%.

[@dianaalyssa8726]

Nice looking prebuilt, didn't think I would say that.

[@Angelofdeath-lz6kb]

one of the nicest pc iv ever seen well done

[@jm7468]

i still remember all the years back trying to figure out will i go alienware/voodoo or Falcon its great too see Falcon still going and still having nice clean case finishes and the tiki was always a cool design.

[@ThePlaydohWarrior]

My last two PCs were from Falcon. They're fantastic from start to finish. Can't recommend them enough.

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thanks for your business Kyle!!

[@ziegfeld4131]

Why would you pay that high of a premium lol they charge double what its worth in most cases

[@sumtincrazy1]

Well that is a $5800 dollar computer without any of the additional upgrades only the 14900k and a 4090 gpu and thats before taxes! I would rather go to micro center and have them build it for a little cheaper and get exactly what I want! But thats me.They are using some really good parts for prebuilt. I will say it does look somewhat nicer than most prebuilts too.

[@Ruiso7]

Not everyone can just drive to a Micro Center for that... buying the parts is always cheaper, but to each their own, Maingear and Falcons looks really nice.

[@l0ki4321]

Lifetime (!!!) support... custom cases that were tested over years.. quality of life features etc. etc.. jay made it clear why this PCs cost what they cost.. gat a similar spec dell and i garantee if u have problems they try and wont help you unless you bug them really hard on it

[@emilyshabang]

​@@l0ki4321ya it's a "custom" case but it's not like that case is anything special. It essentially looks like a standard Dell/HP case you'd see in an office...just with a glass side panel and a decorative back panel.

[@Enakaji]

Holy moly, that sound when you knocked on the back panel at 03:56, thats one solid piece of metal. Color me impressed, the last time I've been truely impressed about the build quaility of an aluminium chassis was back in the early 2000 with the all aluminium Lian Li cases like the PC-6010 or PC-6077. Those where some really solid hunks of metal.

[@Overbuilt.Gaming]

Why didn't you show the price as configured? How much extra $ is it to have a sata cable bent with a heat gun? Why not use a correct cable so you don't have to do that? Or mount the ssd sideways so you don't have to? Since you make the case come up with something! The one I priced identical to this one as close as I could get it, was $5500. How does it perform in games with all this fancy cooling and intel power profiles? My guess is 2%. Is $2000 worth 2%? idk you can argue semantics all day long. Also, the way the AIO is mounted it's going to be gurgling air in a couple of months unless that is one of the AIO models that has the pump at the bottom. IDK Jay didn't cover that much and only ran cinebench loops.

[@bikedoc4145]

These guys are really good at building PC's and the tuning is top notch which explains the pricing being so high I guess. I was amazed at the time they put into the tuning and small stuff like cable routing. Great job explaining it all Jay 👍

[@culinarykid92]

No offense but they charge a huge premium for what you want Jay. A 15th gen i5, 32GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, and 4060 for $3600 BEFORE shipping and tax is insane. Go to literally any legit computer store, pick out the parts, and pay the $100-200 assembly fee. You will save $2000 easy. That's enough to buy another whole conputer.

[@fredhopratama9835]

I would agree with you.

[@DecayedPage]

15th gen. Umm what? And what about PSU, case, custom printing, staff and so on?

[@culinarykid92]

@@DecayedPage sorry 14th gen. That was a typo. PSU was 1000 watt, which is overkill for the min spec. Can't say the exact case since it is custom, but remember that there are a huge variety of good cases under $150. Most people care about cost for performance. Otherwise, why have Tech reviewers been saying don't buy Nvidia high end GPUs unless you have a specific use case?!? Your other stuff is called the cost of running a business. I appreciate they may pay more fairly, put in special work, etc. But Dell, HP, and MicroCenter all have staff and other expenses too. Notice how those are the competitors that offer options at the $2000 cheaper price range. I don't think most people would pay a $2000 premium for a custom case and some custom printing. At $3600, you are looking at mainly business people and people like Jay (but unlike Jay won't or can't build the desktop themselves). People like Jay would probably build their own desktop and might tinker in 3D printing or whatever to fix the issues or custom print what they want.

[@scooter73-i2]

They are right about thermals. My brother, while working on computer equipment for satellites told me that an open testbench was actually worse than having a closed case with airflow. When I took my heat transfer class in college, we designed heat sinks and found out he was right... in the heat transfer formula, velocity (of air over the heatsink) is kinda important, lol. When you have an open case with too many holes, your velocity is decreased as the air escapes and therefore you can't dissipate the heat as well.

[@RobertRidgley]

I bought a Talon system this spring. It’s my third, or maybe fourth, Falcon. They are absolutely fantastic.

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thank you Robert!! We really appreciate you coming back to us time and time again!

[@fredhopratama9835]

​@@Falcon_Northwest👌

[@MrM-mt4bv]

I built a PC for half the price of yours that performs better lol

[@archduke0000]

@@MrM-mt4bv the kind of people that can throw money at a PC from a SI like this really don't care.

[@fredhopratama9835]

@@MrM-mt4bv Nice.

[@Matt43]

I'm pretty sure the skid plate on my 550lb adventure motorcycle is 4mm or 5mm thick aluminum! So is this chassis overkill...? Yes... But is it absolutely sick...? Yes...

[@B1ZZnice]

20:59 why are you not concerned with the 100c max? Not sure the thermal limit on the14900k but on AMD 7950x or 3D is usually 95c, with AMD the spikes from voltage can go above the thermal limit like what you are showing; I think regardless of the cooler, is that considered normal or acceptable?

[@Scarlet_Soul]

Top end Intel being basically impossible to cool sufficiently has been the normal for a while but I personally still wouldn't be comfortable with hitting the thermal maximum, especially in a system you've paid an extra 2k premium on over building it yourself. Would have loved to see it tested without the front panel on because that's a lot of restricted airflow on this case.

[@B1ZZnice]

@@Scarlet_Soul yeah I think both manufacturers are tough to cool, which I guess may make it the norm or acceptable. And why PBO undervolting or thermal limit reduction helps keep it cooler or more comfortable for users like us. Maybe we need to adapt that 100c in 5nm chips is okay, I guess then what should our perception change to 110 or 120c?

[@MrM-mt4bv]

@@Scarlet_Soul I agree, the markup their charging for that fuckin thing hitting 100C is completely unacceptable. I cringed when it got to that point, because J was clearly glancing over that.

[@zoozlezonegames]

I love my Talons. It was really interesting to watch your video and understand what goes into these amazing machines!

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thank you so much for all your support!

[@ryanschanfish279]

THE one SI that I could recommend. I always steer friends and family away from pre-built. But I must say I’m impressed.

[@ogChaaka]

Its nice to see a company that takes what they do so seriously. Good work FNW!

[@yolad]

I would hope a $4000 pre built pc from a boutique SI be high quality. But how much better is it when compared to any other brand is debatable

[@Scarlet_Soul]

Oh you're not even close. Add an extra 1800 to that 4000

[@MrM-mt4bv]

This PC costs north of $6,000 on their website lol

[@washedjon]

@@MrM-mt4bvJesus Christ

[@earthtaurus5515]

The primary reason I think why the airflow works well in the case is that unlike most cases the falcon case is solidly built with very little nooks and crannies which hamper overall performance. Additionally, the flow through design of the GPU is ultimately makes this case work imo. That Intake fan below the GPU will also come in handy for motherboards with clusters of M.2 slots in use. It would be interesting to see how most GPUs with downward facing fans perform in the case.

[@JeskidoYT]

damn if i was a millionaire i would go with Falcon. Only if all other companies didn't exist locally.. But damn this is the next Apple of PC building

[@caljcam]

The build quality is almost too nice! I feel like most people that would appreciate all these little details would want to source and assemble the components themselves. I love to see case manufactures put actual work into airflow routing. Top notch work from FNW

[@Byonnnn]

I don't know if I could jusifiy paying $2k extra on a $2.5k pc if I went with Falcon.

[@fredhopratama9835]

So, it's around $4.5k? God, that's expensive.

[@xxOutkastedxx]

yeah they are easily 5 grand if you start building one out @@fredhopratama9835

[@UniqueTechnique29]

@@fredhopratama9835 it’s actually 5800 before tax…..

[@MrM-mt4bv]

@@fredhopratama9835 This specific configuration is in the $6K range before tax. Their "luxury" markup is insane. But to get a base model that comes with a 4060, 32GB of RAM and an i5-14600k is $3,600 before tax. Absolutely ludacris. For context, I just built an equivalent system on newegg (exact same GPU, CPU, MoBo, PSU, RAM, SSD, PSU) with a high end case, cooler AND fans for around $1,800. Thats literally half what theyre charging FOR THEIR BASE MODEL. Their prices are out of touch and extremely arrogant.

[@Scarlet_Soul]

​@@fredhopratama9835 5800 on this one

[@Metaljacket420]

Hot air rises so the GPU and rear exhaust are fine above an intake, if anything the hot air rising pulls more fresh air from below to provide a constant supply directly to the GPU. This configuration is high positive pressure so it should collect less dust too.

[@ruaaneugenev.rensburg6512]

Love the videos Jay your my go to when I struggle with a pc

[@WilliamCheung-h2c]

Beautiful craftmanship, respect.

[@vampiricsoul]

I configured a PC with the same specs and what I currently have and it was $3k more and it was only the CPU being a 14900k and I have a 13900k. So thats a hell of a premium charge. Also my PC is a prebuilt from a good SI

[@KenOtwell]

I've had two of these... a Talon and a Fragbox. Unbelievable quality. The best pre-built you can buy, and better than 95% of you could build on your own.

[@Falcon_Northwest]

Thank you Ken! We really appreciate that!

[@Scarlet_Soul]

I still would have liked to see the temperatures with the front panel off with the dust filter on. I know it's intel but 100c isn't something a lot of us would be happy with

[@l0ki4321]

Its supossed to go 100c even if it isnt confortable with you.. one of intels or amds engeneers said once they designed new cpus to go as far as temps allow which is 100c.. older cpus dont do that.. they have a set target of xy power, temp, ghz.. newest cpus OC themselfs to the max safe limit.. its designed and wanted to be like this hot and to be honest.. you will NEVER hit this temps outsite of benchmarks.. like NEVER NEVER... go and test.. it wont happen in gaming and productivity

[@skyhawk21]

You would be surprised if you tweak the CPU load voltages that the temps come down… I have a 13900k good bin at stock and with mild overclock, load voltage drops down to 1.17- 1.2 volts 5.5ghz all core, 5.8 ghz boost, e cores at 4.4ghz, ring at 4.8 and ram xmp at 6800 speed on z690 msi board. Temps 80c or less full load with Corsair h150i 360mm rad

[@visoroverwatch3247]

NW Falcon is the best, my last 3 Desktops were NW Falcons and I'm planning on buying another around 2025.

[@pywakett350]

Jay! What about the AIO position specifically the pump? The water flow is not going to work well. You have talked about that before?

[@TheTrulyInsane]

Am I the only one that saw all the lighting flicker in the case at 14:45 when Jay messed with the GPU power?

[@robmoab3410]

Every year i go on their website and customize a build to look at something i greatly want but will never afford. Best pre built you an buy.

[@TheMichael2019]

That case is amazing and they have thought of all the little details. We don't see that now a days. Would like to see the case only on sale.

[@noheader]

It should be incredible for for $4,000 and up

[@CokeCheese]

Yes, that doesn't get mentioned much. They are expensive as hell.

[@elviscera4661]

Out of curiosity, I configured a similar Falcon/Talon system, it came out to about $6000. If you can afford that and you don't want to build your own box then it could be be a very effective choice -- you don't spend your personal time and you do get a warranty. Myself, I like DIY; not so much because it is less expensive, but because it is entertaining. However, if something in your DIY breaks (e.g., CPU) you fix it yourself. But that's DIY.

[@taleg1]

That facon system is hell impressive.. I've wondering if they have done magic on the system or something because it's borderline mindblowing what they have done. And it clearly work as intended, that's what everyone should take notice off. Sadly I'm half a world away, so getting something from Falcon NW will not be easy or cheap, if there had been a place like that within reach, I would have ordered and gone there to pick up asap. But the one we had in my country went belly up over 15 years ago and there's nothing even close now, sure Facon NW is expensive, but holy hell can they really build a good system and just seeing it down opens new ideas for my own next build as I almost get why they chose to do it this way. It's brilliant and impressive and the fact that they managed to do so with that high specked hardware is mindblowing. Good work Falcon NW and thanks for showing us this wonderful build Jay. :D

[@deptofcarstereorepair]

i love the intake fan under the GPU. My only concern is how much noise a smaller fan like that makes under load.

[@deadmanschest4322]

i would think that the supporting fan does not need to spin that high under heavy GPU load. Let it spin at 600RPM and the cool, direct induced air will still have a good impact

[@formdoggie5]

Most modern fans sub 1200 you'll barely even be able to hear over ambient noise floors.

[@jondonnelly3]

I like it too, I will stick on one and see what it does for temps.

[@deptofcarstereorepair]

@@deadmanschest4322 agreed, 600 should totally be fine. It looks like they might be using a 90 mm fan there and I just remembered I have a 90 mm in my system. I did some speed/noise tests and my sensitive ears could handle 1500 RPM while gaming

[@elviscera4661]

I'm sure that I could blissfully game on that system. The case design is very well thought out. I'd certainly consider buying a case stand-alone if available. I agree that the cooling solution works surprisingly well considering that the CPU has a 280 Rad. But on the other hand the test was done with an ambient of 21C, as opposed to my S. Texas den where the ambient is a Dante-like 29C. Even with that ambient, I get 40K R23 numbers and my temp maxes are 90C or less (i9-13900kf). Incidentally, the JTC channel is consistently at the top of my playlist (tied with Sabine Hossenfelder).

[@NickVu1]

I grew up being a tinkerer, the pure joy of building something myself is unforgetable, also the $ where never plenty. But as a grow up and free time is scarcer and scarcer, I appreciate more and more someone doing it for me if he has something more to offer. And seeing this build, that ok, I know I can do it myself, I would be happy to pay the premium for the support, DOA avoidance, custom parts and cables, and cablemanagement alone!

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

That fan arrangement makes sense. It's a really short direction from the intake fan to the GPU to the exhaust fan. No long distance from the front for the air to diffuse, lose velocity, and pick up heat before reaching the GPU.

[@dembro27]

If I overpaid for a pre-built, I'd do it for Falcon Northwest. Better than something like Alienware!

[@samisonline99]

👽indeed !

[@emilyshabang]

Just about anything is better than Alienware.... however pretty sure Alienware, as overpriced as they are, are likely a lot cheaper.

[@formdoggie5]

​@@emilyshabangnope. Their cases dont even allow you to use the product properly due to all the thermal throttling.

[@powderedwater67]

Falcon Northwest has always been the tops in boutique pc building in my opinion. High $$$ but the work is incredible.

[@billgulker6187]

Those do seem like great computers

[@Twokeeshonds]

More Falcon Nw! Yes. I was hoping for a Talon review.

[@intoxicode]

I don't know falcon Northwest has been shocking the public since the '80s so I seriously doubt it'll stop anytime soon... Just wish I could afford it and they ran AMD laptops..

[@kingofstrike1234]

I agree that the top fan not needed at most, but if it's on the back I think it'll helps, the other ones are the problem ( middle and front of the top panel ) causing air circulation and also instantly exhausting the intake air

[@Greenalex89]

Ive always build my own systems since I was a teen and pre builds never were of interest to me. Most pre builds seem to be more focused on the appearance, some shiny RGB and the general theme of the build (like red dragon theme: everything red or whatever). But this one is seriously impressive cause its not only focused on functionality but with all those little extras, you can tell that they conceptualized the design as a whole. One thing leads to another and there is a certain reason why something is where it is. That is what impressed me.

[@gh0stp1rate]

Falcon Northwest OG (way back when Alienware was their only competition before they got purchased by Dell, and the only prebuilt company still as far as I'm aware hasn't sold out.

[@sTEALtooth]

Jay, considering all their systems start at $3500, they better blow you away! And you might think, "well 4090s are expensive, makes sense" but you'd be wrong! That price only gets you a 4060!!! 🤣🤣🤣 There's obviously a demand for their work since they've been in business for so long, but that's a hard pass from me 😊

[@drae_gon1369]

I thought about getting prebuilt since my disability makes it hard to build one myself. I built my current PC so i'm familiar with how to do it but a stroke left me with some fine motor skill issues. I already researched and know the parts i want and have my build saved on PC part picker. Went to the Northwest website and was heavily disappointed. I expected FAR more options to choose from. I could not get the parts I wanted with only CPU and GPU matching. They are VERY limited on substituting/available parts. It forces you to pick higher priced parts that serve no real purpose. For an AMD build you don't need a 670e MOBO when all your doing is gaming and a b650 will do the same/better job at 1/2 the price. Same with M.2 SSD. Grab a 990 pro 4TB for 1/2 the price of the 4TB Kingston they offer. A PC that is as close to the build i wanted was over double the price of DIY. I can understand paying for expertise/ease but that is sadly far too much. My build is ~$2500 DIY and over $5000 on Falcon due to forcing you to use unneeded overpriced parts... I could get 2x the RAM, 2 x the storage, larger AIO, and even upgrade to a good 670e MOBO and STILL be over 1000$ less.... They need to be a LOT more cost effective and flexible in their parts to even remotely be worth considering especially in this economy.

[@MindsMouth]

I've seen chimps on KZbin banging parts together into gaming rigs, take the leap and try it yourself, paying $3,4,500 or more to a "builder" is the stupidest and laziest route you can take. And you know nothing about any of the components or how to fix or replace them yourself, there's another $400 sending the PC in to get checked and fixed, when you can learn and empower yourself, stop being scared.