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Novatech
by Huomenna
Having finally decided to bite the bullet and turn my spare bedroom into a proper office for my photography business, I found myself in need of a fairly high specification desktop computer (I already have a nice laptop, but it's not ideal for editing due to issues with screen angle, calibration etc). A number of people I know recommended ... Novatech and having found PC World not particularly helpful in the past, I decided to give the Portsmouth branch a try as it's not too far from home. As such please remember when reading that this review is based on my experiences of the Portsmouth store specifically rather than any other branches or web purchases.
Opening times:
Maybe a bit strange for me to mention this so high up in the review, but when visiting Portchester castle a few weeks ago (very close to Novatech) we decided to drop by on the way home and have a look - it was then we discovered they aren't open at all on Sunday's. I have to say I was fairly surprised considering the size of the company - my boyfriend said maybe it's because they have a large number of business customers so Sunday would unlikely be a profitable day for them. Either way it made things more difficult for me as I tend to work every day bar Sunday's!
On the plus side they are open until 6pm every other day of the week so by leaving work a little early one day we made it there in time to have a browse and make a purchase. In the mornings the open at 8.30am, except Saturday when they open at 9am.
The store itself:
I found the store lovely and modern - it reminded me of images I've seen of Apple stores, with lots of gleaming surfaces, light airy spaces etc. There was plenty of floor space around displays which I thought was excellent, that way you don't feel hemmed in like many other stores where too much is crammed in. A large counter is placed opposite the doors with a number of tills equally spaced, again this means you don't feel like other customers are right on top of you listening to your conversations. There's a waiting area and drinks machine on site, which I also thought was a nice touch as it makes you feel more comfortable.
Stock, staff and in store experience:
I will admit to not knowing very much about computers - I know very basic stuff when it comes to good specification, but luckily my ex (who I'm good friends with) is a real computer geek who has built all his own machines so I looked on the Novatech website, found what I thought I needed and asked his opinion (he's also into his photography so he knows the demands of editing and the like) which was in the affirmative - nice to know I can make some half decent decisions! The website showed this particular model in stock, which was an NTA12 so we made the trip over to go and see one in person.
The store wasn't busy when we arrived and no staff approached to offer assistance, however I wasn't bothered by this as I prefer having a browse with no interruptions. Once we'd had a look around we approached the counter and spoke to a younger lad there - I told him what model I was looking at, what I wanted it to be able to do and my overall budget. He said that I'd picked a good one - I could go for a cheaper computer that would do the job, but maybe wouldn't last as long/be as fast, and if I went over my budget then obviously the computer would be amazing, but also probably overkill.
At this point I told him I wanted to have Windows 7 as my operating system as I had no interest at all in Windows 8 from what I've seen of it, he said he didn't blame me and many others are sticking with Windows 7 too. He did then bring up the dreaded extra warranty, but he was very nice about it and not at all pushy, I explained I thought I may be covered under my business insurance and he said that was fine and if I do want to take up the service I could do so by calling them within 30 days of the purchase - that was a big plus for me, no pushy sales tactics at all.
With all the paperwork concluded and an A4 receipt to prove it, we were guided to the sofa to wait while my purchase was put together and were asked if we'd like a drink (we declined, but again a nice gesture). About 5 minutes later the chap returned with a large box containing the tower and carried it outside to the car. We then realised it wasn't going to fit in the boot (that's what you get for having a mid engine sports car) as the box was very big containing a lot of packaging around the tower, so he then unboxed it in the car park, we secured it into the boot and that was that.
Pricing:
Having previously bought all my computers from places like PC World, I somewhat naively assumed that all computers (unless you're building your own) came with some sort of basic operating system, so I was quite surprised when I realised that with Novatech you have to pay for this on top. This is something you really need to take into account when looking at computers within a budget - for example the NTA12 I bought is priced at £529.99 inc VAT, which then jumps another £90 when you add Windows 7 home onto it (ouch!). Also remember that you don't get a screen included for these prices (this was fine with me as I had my eye on a nice large one to buy from Argos with vouchers I had), but you do get a very basic own brand mouse and keyboard. For what I want to do a basic keyboard is just fine, but I will be upgrading to a higher spec mouse sometime soon as the one you get is just not sensitive enough for fine movements.
Overall:
I have to say that I was very impressed with my experiences at the Portsmouth branch - the store had a pleasing atmosphere, the staff were friendly, attention to detail was good, there weren't any pushy sales tactics and there was a wide range of choice. It is a slight pain they don't open on Sunday's, but at the same time I don't think we should be encouraging a 24 hour shopping culture.
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