Headquartered in Tucker, Georgia, Monarch Computer Systems has been building systems for the enthusiast market since 1991. Over their 15-year history they have build tens, if not hundreds of thousands of systems for gamers as well as volume builds for government, educational and Fortune 500 clients. As we mention above, there are different breeds of system vendors out there. Where does Monarch fit into the scheme of things?

On one hand, there are the hard core gaming builders who live to assemble the next monster machine and wish to make it available to everyone they can. The other extreme is the large system builder who wants to cash in on the gaming market by offering cookie cutter systems. These system builders either once were the hardcore sellers who got too big and business-like, or started as generic, usually-mass-volume vendors that want a piece of the high-margin enthusiast market.

Monarch President Trey Harris sorted this out for me. I got the clear impression that he is an enthusiast through and through. Of course, you would have to be in order to build a hands-on chassis like the one he designed for the Hornet. However, his talent as a businessman has also landed him some supplier relationships that allow him to bring specialty items to the market, such as overclocked graphics cards from EVGA - those you can only purchase through Monarch. With Monarch gear you thus benefit from the company's custom-build know now and high-level supplier relationships.