Highly recommended!
I have nothing but praises for Aftershock through my entire buying experience with them. Understand in reading the forums, that there are many existing testimonials to both their service and products,I will present my own recommendations through a summary of them and include any personal accounts where applicable.
1) Great Service (not just good.. but GREAT!)
Aftershock is a local brand that stands upon its awesome service.
From pre-sales (prompt replies to online enquiries, great advice to the needs of the customer at times even at the expense of higher profits), to post- sales (any gaming issues or hardware encounters, they would be there to assist. Just call them and bring your laptop down.), their service is way beyond those that I have seen even from the biggest brands and is a quality I reckon that any Singaporean can finally be proud of.
My personal encounter is nothing short of the above. Had a great chat with Marcus, Joe and Zen through the selection, built and collection process for my X15. I even had after-sales experience first hand (not to say their built quality is bad, just that some inevitable issues do happen. Most imptly is the way they had managed the aftersales service) when I encountered some built and software issues after collection. And I must say, they are over the top!
After bringing in my X15 for some lighting issues on the keyboard, they had promised to look into it immediately and constantly apologising over it (Zen had also promptly called me at New Year's Eve just 5min after I dropped them an email on it on the same day!). They were also willing to change the entire keyboard at no additional cost! Most customers can testify that in purchasing products, the grievances and angst are usually not over the fault of the product but the after-sales experience they had. Aftershock have provide such an amazing experience that had earned themselves many faithful customers.
2) Good product built
I must admit that I have my doubts initially towards a custom gaming rig that has almost "no known brand name" especially when I have been eyeing Alienware for the longest of time. However, this changed when I went to the shop/showroom to witness myself the products available there. The quality is nothing short of those you can imagine getting from big brands. And seeing the commitment of the aftershock team in building the rig gives you assurances that quality control is top notch. I would strongly recommend anyone who have doubts on the built to go to the shop/showroom for a look. It may or may not convince you, but I must point out that pictures do not do the rigs justice. Visiting the shop is also a pleasant experience for me, as I encountered no pressure nor obligation forced upon me by the Aftershock team.
For those who like aesthetics, the current shell may be "plain" at sight. But Aftershock has already established some alternative shells for the X11 and is looking into these alternative shells already for the X15. Thus it is only a matter of time when the designs will be updated. Having said that, it does not mean that the current shell is weak aesthetically. I actually like the simplicity of it as it does not attract too much attention. Loving the rubberized feel as well. Cant really imagine if I am to make a presentation to my clients with an Alienware if I am ever force to give a presentation on my gaming laptop.
3) Amazing product gaming capabilities @ affordable prices
Even though I gotten myself a X15 which is truly a gaming beast (all my games are running finally in the highest settings!!), I was blown away actually when I saw their X11. For an 11" laptop to run pretty recent games requiring pretty high requirements is truly amazing.
Just go to the shop/showroom to have a look.. When I saw several gamers playing at the LAN shop area, I was imagining big desktop rigs for the gaming machines.. Boy was I pleasantly surprise when I found all of them were X11s hooked up to external monitors! And the gameplay was smooth like crisp.. With the X11 being that powerful, the bigger rigs will truly be even more powerful (of course variation comes also with the items chosen for the customization). For such gaming prowess, the pricing is certainly much more affordable than big brands. I can guarantee that with the same built they are offering, bigger brands are commanding 10-20% more on the price.
4) Refreshable parts
Prior to setting into my order for the X15, I had contacted Marcus a few times in HWZ asking about possibility of upgrading parts in the future. I was thinking mostly of the graphics card given that they are quickly overtaken by higher gaming demands. Marcus gave assurances that these parts are certainly upgradable and if it permits, even the entire motherboard and screen can be swapped. Thus I did not just gotten myself a customized gaming laptop, but one that offers renewability over the long run at affordable prices. I am certainly looking forward to swap a display that is touch screen to enhance my experience with windows 8 (hope to hear more of it soon Marcus!)
Disclaimer: I would just like to say that I am completely not affiliated to Aftershock nor do I gain any benefits from them for providing recommendations. Like most forumers, I gotten to know them largely from praises and recommendations in the forum as well as their facebook page.
The actual game changer that made me settled with Aftershock is my personal experience I had throughout the entire pre-sales to post-sales process. On this note, I would also like to express my personal thanks to Marcus, Joe and Zen for such a pleasant experience (oh thanks for the mouse too! My gf is loving it!). You guys are certainly amazing. Kudos to all of you! You have certainly gained another satisfied and faithful customer!