AVADirect, Inc. is an American computer

Computer

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...

 manufacturing company located in Twinsburg, Ohio

Twinsburg, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,006 people, 6,641 households, and 4,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,366.7 people per square mile . There were 6,871 housing units at an average density of 552.2 per square mile...

 near Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

. They specialize in highly customized computer systems including Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 and Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

 servers, high-end workstations and gaming systems, business PCs, and notebooks.

AVADirect is a GSA Schedule contractor, and has partnered with some of the hardware industry's largest suppliers.

They are Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, Premier Intel Channel Partners, and are one of the few small computer manufacturers to be fully compliant with the requirements of ANSI/ ESD 20:20 standards.

History

AVADirect’s parent company, Freedom USA, Inc., was founded in 1998. The company originally specialized in building computers and selling them at trade shows. In 2001 the company changed its business model from retail to web based.

Awards

In November 2006, AVADirect was awarded an Editor’s Choice Silver Award from HardOCP

HardOCP

[H]ard|OCP is an online magazine that offers news, reviews, and editorials that relate to computer hardware, software, modding, overclocking and cooling, owned and operated by Kyle Bennett, who started the website in 1997.- Product Reviews :[H]ard|OCP is known for reviewing products and...

, which typically not only reviews systems, but also the buying experience. AVADirect scored an average across the board of 8.8 out of 10, with high marks in technical support, presentation, and value.

AVADirect is also an active participant in the Reseller Ratings community, and has the designation of an Elite merchant. (In order to have a Reseller Ratings Elite badge, a company must have a minimum 8.00 rating over a lifetime of customer reviews. Currently, they have a customer rating of over 9.9 out of 10.)

In April 2009, AVADirect was awarded an Editor's Choice from CNET

CNET

CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...

 on AVADirect Custom Gaming PC. Rated Excellent, with overall score 4 stars.

Competitors

AVADirect’s major competitors include large manufacturers such as Dell

Dell

Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...

 and HP, as well as boutique vendors Alienware

Alienware

Alienware is an American computer hardware subsidary of Dell, Inc. It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing...

, Digital Storm, Velocity Micro

Velocity Micro

Velocity Micro is a privately held computer manufacturer located in Richmond, VA , specializing in custom high-end computers. Its high-performance product line includes gaming systems, notebooks, netbooks, home servers, digital media creation workstations, home and home office PCs, home...

, and Falcon Northwest

Falcon Northwest

Falcon Northwest is a personal computer manufacturing company located in Medford, Oregon, USA which was founded in 1992 by its current president, Kelt Reeves. The company began its existence focusing on high-end systems for Flight Simulation...

.

Reviews

On September 26, AVADirect had a system reviewed in the premiere episode of Wreckology for machinima.com. The system was stated as being "One of the fastest computer we have ever tested!" and was then sawed entirely in half. In December 2008, AVADirect received 8 out of 10 from MaximumPC for their Core 2 Crossfire DDR 3 Gaming System, with reviewer Gordon Mah Ung citing the system as “a nice machine and sensibly priced, given the amount of hardware it packs”.

PC Perspective’s reviewer told readers in November 2008 that AVAdirect is for “those of you that don't have time, or really like the idea of having someone to call when things go wrong, AVADirect looks to be a great company to look for your next gaming system”.

In March 2009, AVADirect's Core i7 computer was reviewed alongside two other boutique manufacturers, Alienware

Alienware

Alienware is an American computer hardware subsidary of Dell, Inc. It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing...

 and Cyberpower, on Tom's Hardware.