written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . june 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message velocity micro type privately owned industry computer hardware founded 1997 headquarters richmond virginia usa products desktops servers laptops workstations subsidiaries overdrive pc website www.velocitymicro.com velocity micro is a privately held computer manufacturer located in richmond va usa specializing in custom high performance gaming computers pro workstations and high performance compute solutions . its extended product line includes gaming pcs notebooks cad workstations digital media creation workstations home and home office pcs home entertainment media centers tesla based supercomputers and business solutions . products are custom assembled by hand as well as supported in the company s headquarters . contents 1 history 2 retail 3 awards 4 competitors 5 references 6 external links history edit velocity micro traces its origins to 1992 when founder randy copeland began designing and producing high performance computer systems to run cad software and other demanding applications . these computer systems were custom built to facilitate the design process and tailored to the extreme needs of each client . velocity micro was officially founded in 1997 as an extension of this highly individualized high performance computing philosophy . in 2001 copeland accepted the opportunity to appear in maximum pc s boutique roundup article entitled minor league major performance . the quote which appeared in that feb 2002 issue put together with the kind of care and craftsmanship the behemoth manufacturers can t offer propelled velocity micro forward and is still used by the company today . 1 in may 2007 velocity micro acquired former competing boutique builder overdrive pc known for their extreme overclocking capabilities they term hyperclocking . since the acquisition velocity micro has incorporated hyperclocking into many of its extreme gaming systems . overdrive pc remains a separate brand under velocity micro ownership . 2 in 2010 velocity micro entered the ereader and tablet computer markets with the release of the first cruz products the cruz reader and the cruz tablet t100 . these android based devices featured 7 full color screens . the cruz reader utilized a resistive touch screen whereas the cruz tablet made use of the more advanced and responsive capacitive touch screen . five product generations of cruz tablets were produced and sold in 7 8 and 10 screen models 3 with close to a million units in the market by 2012 . as of 2013 velocity micro no longer supports or offers these or any other android based devices for sale . in 2011 mr copeland was named a tech icon by the pc magazine staff in an article celebrating 30 years of the pc for his contributions to the industry . he continues to have an active role at velocity micro as president and ceo . 4 retail edit cruz reader in august 2005 velocity micro began offering pre configured high performance desktops in select best buy stores across the country followed by bestbuy.com that september . in july 2007 velocity micro began offering notebooks and desktops in circuit city stores across the country . 5 in november 2008 velocity micro announced they were also moving into the online retail outlets amazon.com newegg tigerdirect and staples . in january 2009 velocity micro announced they were moving into frys stores nationwide . in 2010 the cruz reader 6 and cruz tablet 7 went on sale at borders books as well as their other numerous other retail partners . as of jan. 2016 velocity micro continued to sell desktops and laptops through newegg.com and amazon.com . awards edit velocity micro has won over 60 industry media awards for performance and craftsmanship 8 including 19 editor s choice awards from pc magazine . cnet maximum pc pc world hardocp computer gaming world and computer shopper have all awarded velocity micro machines high marks . 9 10 11 12 in sept. 2007 velocity micro won pc magazine s reader s choice for service and reliability award . 13 in a july 2008 review from pc magazine the company received an editors choice award for its vector campus edition model . 14 in november 2008 core i7 based systems from velocity micro won editors choice awards from maximum pc 15 and cnet . 16 more recently in april 2013 the velocity micro vector z25 won and editors choice award from pc magazine stating the z25 is a midtower pc with all the goods . 17 pcmag.com later went on to name the velocity micro vector z25 as best mainstream desktop of 2013 after consideration of all mainstream desktop computers covered during the entire year 2013 . 18 in august 2014 velocity micro followed up on that award with another editors choice from pcmag.com this one for its edge z55 gaming pc . said the editors the velocity micro edge z55 blows away the competition ... and costs 3 000 less . we wholeheartedly award the edge z55 our editors choice for high end gaming desktop pcs . 19 competitors edit velocity micro s major competitors include high end boutiques such as alienware by dell maingear origin pc and falcon northwest . references edit small business ; standing in the niche trying to hold your own new york times velocity micro acquires overdrive pc gets hyperclocked engadget 1 tech icons reflect on pc s 30th anniversary velocity micro desktops and notebooks coming to circuit city gearlog borders books cruz reader pc world cruz tablet computer with android http www.velocitymicro.com reviews.php thinkcomputers.org the place thats all about computers velocity micro vector gx campus edition overclocked core 2 duo e6320 desktop reviews cnet reviews sweet desktop deals velocity micro vector gx campus edition 2007 reviews by pc magazine h consumer velocity micro gamers edge pcx is tech support getting worse desktops news and analysis by pc magazine powerhouse multimedia pcs velocity micro vector campus edition 2008 at a glance reviews by pc magazine maximum pc velocity micro raptor z90 velocity micro edge z55 overview & user reviews desktops cnet reviews http www.pcmag.com article2 0 2817 2417736 00 . asp http www.pcmag.com article2 0 2817 2426479 00 . asp http www.pcmag.com article2 0 2817 2462634 00 . asp velocity micro edge z55 external links edit official website velocity micro blog velocity micro acquisition overdrive pc retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title velocity micro & oldid 704142551 categories computer hardware companieshome computer hardware companiescomputer companies of the united statescompanies based in richmond virginiacomputer companiescompanies established in 1997hidden categories articles with a promotional tone from june 2015all articles with a promotional toneuse dmy dates from january 2011 navigation menu personal tools not logged 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