BAM!

And now that I have your attention ...

Nothing is more powerful and rewarding than teaching yourself how to do something and then actually doing it. It makes you feel good about yourself, it makes you feel proud, and it gives you bountiful material to show off in front of your friends. ( Oh come on, you know you like to do it! )

Introducing Computer Jacker

Anyone who has considered purchasing a computer knows that their choices are limited to 1) buying each component separately and putting it together themselves or 2) buying a fully configured computer from the big name brands. If you are not lucky enough to understand the enigma of modern computers, you are stuck with the latter choice. You know that, I know that, and the evil big names ( OK, they are not that bad ) also know that. So how are you supposed to get a high performance computer, customized to your exact liking, without having to break open that poor piggy bank?

Introducing Computer Jacker, an alternative option for those willing to take on a challenge. How cool would it be if you could build your own power computer and then show it off to your friends or clients? No longer will that skillset be reserved for nerdy people like us. We would like to make it possible for everyone by providing DETAILED STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO TUTORIALS on how to put a specialty computer together. Check out these neat little infographic that we've put together...

OK, but how does it work?

Awesome! I haven't lost you yet. The Computer Jacker process is broken down into four steps ...

1) Research - We spend days upon days upon days ( you get it ) talking to tech experts, comparing performance benchmarks, reading computer forums, and looking for the best price to quality ratios. This is by far the most difficult of the steps and we don't wish it even upon our worst enemy ( if we had an enemy ). Every computer project we put together is uniquely constructed from the best components we deem necessary. Since we don't markup prices or services, you can guarantee that every little piece of the project is there because it needs to be.

2) Building - Have you ever worked on a do-it-yourself project at home? If you have, you know that everything is always more difficult than it claims to be and takes 10x longer than that guy online said it would. Let us do the grunt work. Now, I'm not saying that I enjoy debugging into the wee hours of the night, but there is no reason you should have to. OK ... maybe I enjoy it a little.  :)

3) Testing - I've worked as both a development and test engineer and I can vouch 100% that neither job is more important than the other. Anyone can put together an awesome concept, only to have it fall apart days later. Proper testing is an absolute must for a quality product. At Computer Jacker, we will run overnight stress tests designed specifically to break the system. Not only that, but we will trial run applications specific to the project field to make sure that the results we post actually mean something to the person buying it.

4) Filming - This is the best part, even though I have to admit I am still a little camera shy. Instruction manuals are useless! They are written in a way that only the person who wrote it understands what's going on. So instead of having you decipher schematics to the mother ship, Computer Jacker provides DETAILED videos on every single step in the build process. Didn't quite understand something? No problem, just rewind and watch it again. Isn't the internet awesome?

Money, Money, Money

I don't know about you, but one of the questions I always ask first ( and then usually walk away ) is how much will these videos cost? Are you ready for this? NOTHING. We want to make the videos available online for FREE. These videos will have EVERYTHING you need to assemble your own computer. Additionally, we will retail an extended version of the videos on our site for $19.99 each with BONUS MATERIAL and much more detailed explanations behind the components. Perfect for those with a bigger appetite to learn.

• Cost of your parts = Not a penny more than they should be
• Price of the step-by-step videos = FREE
• Value of learning and actually building it yourself = PRICELESS

Planned Computer Projects

Below we’ve listed the details on the five computers we plan on tackling. We thought long and hard on what would be a good representation of what you guys might want to see! We spoke with several people within our circles and this is what we came up with...

• The Active Gamer - From running into battle rifle in hand, to casting fireballs in every direction, this is THE computer for active gamers. Play anything, anywhere, anytime!
• The Stock Trader - Minutes could mean millions! Dedicated day traders need a powerful computer capable of displaying multiple real time stock charts without a second’s delay. Oh, and did we mention 9x monitor goodness?
• The Multimedia Master - You film because it’s your passion, your expression. More importantly, it’s your business! There is nothing more taxing on a computer than multimedia editing. This powerhouse will prove to eat up anything you throw in its way.
• The Extreme Gamer - Not only do you enjoy gaming, you REVEL in it. You need the latest games at their peak resolutions. Every pixel makes a difference in the overall experience. We’ve figured out just how to do that.
• The Media Center - Imagine turning your TV at home into an entire experience! Save all of your movies on hard drive and get rid of those DVD’s. Stream all of your favorite shows from the Internet onto the big screen. Even watch cable TV while recording two other channels at the same time! Give us a chance to show what a goodie this can be.

Tech details are scary for some but we’ve listed all of the exact components on our website should you want to know more. Now it’s time to build and finally learn what all of this means!

Help!

In the great words of the Beatles, "Help! I need somebody!". Our vision of greatness for all humanity has only been deterred by the slowdown of resources. High performance computers run in the thousands of dollars and as much as I would like to fund, build, and use 5 computers all for myself, a little money would definitely go a long way. Being 100% transparent, this is what we really need to boost our rockets...

• Enough funds to properly purchase 5 computers worth of components
• Test equipment (handful of monitors, cables, adapters, etc)
• Professional benchmarking tools and industry applications for better testing the computers
• Proper recording equipment and video capture software
• TOTAL COST = $15K

Included in that $15K target is ONE MORE ELEMENT to take the Computer Jacker experience to the next level. Should you enjoy the video tutorials and choose to build your own computer, we would like to provide a one-stop shopping cart on our site to make it as easy as possible for you. We have researched existing software capable of pulling multiple items from the web onto a single e-cart for quick and painless checkout. This means you click one button and all of the different distributors will mail the components directly to you! No more bargain hunting, let Computer Jacker do that for you!

Rewards

Kickstarter is really all about the backers, not the creators. We've put careful thought into all of our rewards, trying to think of what you guys and gals might want. In the end, it will be your awesomeness and support that will help us lead our dream idea to fruition. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

- Liz & Lucas

P.S. - If you haven't watched our video, please do so! We are not nearly as boring on camera as we are at typing. Also, check out our website to see our completed PROTOTYPE, codenamed Emily!