First Comp Online :) Good Config?

Budget:
About $2,000. My current is 2,300 which is fine.

Expectations:
I would like it to be somewhat quiet, my current is very loud and hate it... So something fast, slim, and quiet. Not planning on Dual Monitoring.

Usage:
I do a lot of work with After Effects and Sony Vegas. I also like to play games a lot. Some Games I enjoy are Gmod, BF3, COD (sometimes), and Crisis 3 as well. I'd like to be able to Record these games with a VERY solid framerate. And as I said before I wan't After Effects performance to be amazing as well :)

Special Needs:
I guess I'd be happy with Overclocking, but not really NEEDED. Again, I wan't it to be somewhat quiet, but it doesnt have to be COMPLETELY Silent. Performance is probably my Key Factor in this build.

Config I made: 941941

Specifications:
(Check the System Above)

Welcome to the DS Forums. You did mention that you would like a quiet computer and your original configuration was in a small form factor case. The quiet build offered by DS is the Slade which is built in the Corsair 550d mid-tower size case.

My review of my DS Slade might give you some idea of the size of the case and whether it would work for you.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/slade-the-quiet-one-tidf20578/

Originally posted by AshesDen Well I looked at the slade actually. But I really wanted a window on the side of the Tower. And I don't know if I explained it really well. I wan't it to be somewhat quiet. I don't want it to be LOUD is what im saying. As I said my Current All-In-One is very loud. While playing any game or with After Effects open you can here it 2 rooms down... It doesn't have to be SUPER quiet, but something that wont get annoying or loud. Also my projects are about 20 Seconds to 1 Minute long (maybe a bit longer sometimes). Editing games like Counter Strike is always fun to mess around with, but I will be doing some bigger projects soon (Movie Making, Ext.) But I'm going to get a New Computer if I ever get serious about it. So I need it to be able to run games GOOD, and recording without lag. I also wan't this to last a good amount of time. Maybe 4-5 years if possible? ~ On another Topic ~ Ive never bought a computer online like this, and I actually ordered one from iBuy (didn't see any other sites) but I canceled the order after I read up on peoples experiences... Although this site had A-LOT less, it still had some recently. With The BBB rating, it seems like a good site, but i'm really not the type of person whos good at fixing things myself (computer wise). And I hope I don't have to send it back. I didn't want to ask anything about Digitalstorm on the Digitalstorm Forums.. But I might as well go for it. Should I buy from this site? Like I said, I really don't want problems, and I don't want it to last only a couple years. Iv'e always been a person who's bought computers from Best Buy and those places. I wan't a good experience with this Website, and if not, I would just get my money back the Second I had problems. Thanks,

Digital Storm is an excellent company to go with, if you have any problems Digital Storm will always take care of you. They build solid computers, have good customer service and the warranty is awesome. You won't go wrong with Digital Storm, sure people may have issues with Digital Storm but its rare. I have had no issues with my computer since i bought it.

Edited by ArkansasWoman777 - 31 Mar 2014 at 3:44pm

Originally posted by AshesDen Yea, well anyone can say that lol. People Say that about -------- all the time, but I can tell its not true anymore. I expect problems occasionally, but I would just hate for it to happen to me. And how long have you had your computer, and how good is it working from when you bought it? Just want to make sure i'm making the right choice this time!

All those bad reviews from ------ and what not is the reason why i chose Digital Storm in the first place. I bought my computer late december of 2012 but didn't get to turn it on until February 2013 since i had to wait to buy my peripherals. Its been working amazingly good since i bought it, i had one minor hiccup where i had to reinstall windows 7 due to the Sims 3 game screwing me up so bad in June of 2013 but since then i've had no issues. Other people on here can share their experience with Digital Storm and tell you that they are happy and satisfied with their choice in choosing DS.

EDIT: Competitor name removed - Alex

Edited by Alex - 31 Mar 2014 at 4:24pm

AshesDen,

Welcome to the community! We would love to have you as a Digital Storm customer!

Not all companies are 100% perfect, companies do make mistakes and some people will have issues with their systems and a majority of the others won't, its how the company handles the complaints and issues solves them in a timely manner is the main thing. Like i said from what i seen since i have been a member here Digital Storm has always helped the customer with whatever issue there has been. Not sure if you checked out - Outside Link Removed - Digital Storm is on there and all I've seen is numerous good reviews and I've seen some bad ones but i am sure Digital Storm worked with the bad ones to get the issue whatever it was solved.

AshesDen, hello and welcome to the forums. If you're concerned about DS' reliability as an online seller, please go to "- Outside Link Removed -" and take a look at that site. DS has one of the highest boutique computer builder scores with many reviews.

Another thing: The BBB doesn't just hand over A+ ratings. They have to be earned and maintained. DS' willingness to work within the BBB structure and the fact that they take complaints/issues as seriously as they do was one of the major factors in drawing me into this site as well.

Sure, things go wrong... that's a given. Go buy a $200,000 Ferrari and a bad starter will kill it within 100 miles. The point is not how good your luck is with the machines, the point is how good the company is in taking care of their customers.

Everything I've seen with DS has proven to me that they actually care for their customer's machines and experience.

Just my 2¢.



**Edit... can't link the site. But it has "ratings" for "resellers"   

Edited by Snaike - 01 Apr 2014 at 12:14am

In my opinion i think its an ok config, although for the extreme cooling you might want to change to the H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator since thats what DS recommends in the notice deal. Also where is your storage set 1? Trust me Digital Storm won't rip you off, none of us would be here if they ripped people off.

The cooler requires zero maintenance, and is pre-filled with thermal conductive fluid improving cooling performance and efficiency.

All the radiators are pre-filled and require zero maintenance, the h60 could work just as well but who knows how quiet it will be compared to the 120mm

Edited by ArkansasWoman777 - 01 Apr 2014 at 2:21pm

Yea i think you need email them either that or call them idk but awesome that you ordered

Question, AshesDen... I have a great system in mind for you but how worried about you about future expanding? Do you want a system that is rock solid that will last you several years without much worry, or do you want a solid system, but want to be able to add more GPU's in the future... etc?

Sorry man but I choose what I was ganna get Your Build was pretty nice, but everyone was suggesting the Slade Case + Build for Silence. I also somewhat like the case I have now better, it looks cleaner, which with the desk and floors I have, it would look very nice. All Polished Wood and stuff. Not looking for any fancy case :P Also I won't be doing much more expanding in the Future. I may upgrade the RAM in future years, but the main thing i'm wanting is Life Span. People say my current build will last me about 3-5 years no problem, and in the future I could replace anything. One main thing is I really dont do HARDCORE gaming. COD is probebly the most hardcore game I will play. Maybe BF3 in the future (which I probebly wont). So I think that will effect the lifespan a bit as well. The hardest thing i'm going to put on this thing is after Effects rendering. And my current HP Touchsmart as lasted 5 years (about 3 of editing) and it still runs amazingly. Obviously its not what I wan't anymore, as i'm getting a bit more serious about it! But I would like to get the 770 because if any new games come out, they will require better and better cards in the future. The current Graphics card you had selected in the build requires a 600+ psu, but the PSU is only 500. In that case the PSU will have to be above 600, and I choose 750 incase I do any real upgrade, which I don't plan on unless I have to replace a broken part. If I do I might as well take it too a professional, or send it back to Digital to fix. Also if you read, I really don't care for an SSD. What I chose in my new comp is x100 better than my current computer. My current is only 4GB ram, which is the minimum for After Effects!!! So the performance will be 100% fine without it. Also I don't have a router or anywhere to plug in a router near my computer, so I need a PSI (cant with that case). I do need a monitor as well, the one I plan on getting is $150 from amazon. So that would make the computer 2,465 with shipping. I don't plan on spending that much. Thank's for the Build dude!!! But im afraid its just to much and theres some major things that I need that it doesn't support.

Current Build (ordered): https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=942955

and the major things that effect performance with after effects are the same :)

PSI for Wireless Internet, the Case Doesnt Support it. Also The PSU won't be enough for the Grahpics Card Selected. The slade is ment for silence, and if its not 100% silent, then im fine with that, its just my Current one is HORRIBLE. lol! I don't need an SSD anytime soon. Maybe in the future (MAYBE), but ive never used one and ive been completely fine. Yea, it may make the performace better, but I can work with what I got, cas there not cheap! But thanks for the suggestions man :)

Originally posted by AshesDen PSI for Wireless Internet, the Case Doesnt Support it. Also The PSU won't be enough for the Grahpics Card Selected. The slade is ment for silence, and if its not 100% silent, then im fine with that, its just my Current one is HORRIBLE. lol! I don't need an SSD anytime soon. Maybe in the future (MAYBE), but ive never used one and ive been completely fine. Yea, it may make the performace better, but I can work with what I got, cas there not cheap! But thanks for the suggestions man :)

I know an SSD isn't strictly necessary, but I have to say, in terms of improving your computing experience, it's probably the #1 innovation of the past five years. CPUs and Memory have been plenty powerful for snappy UI performance for a long time now. GPUs too, though they're obviously in a never-ending race with game designers looking to push visuals to the extreme. But storage speed had kinda stagnated for a long time, so it's been a big bottle neck for achieving a truly snappy system.

There's a big, big psychological difference when your work programs (not games) start up in a second and your system starts up in twelve. There's no longer any waiting around to use the tool you need at the moment you need it. And restarting your computer feels a lot less of a hassle. SSDs make your computer feel much snappier than the same amount of upgrade dollars spent on any other system component. When you have some cash to spare, I highly, highly recommend getting one and running your system and programs on it, if not your games and media libraries.

Sorry, I've been a bit of an evangelist ever since I stuck an SSD in my 2010-era laptop and found it performed better than any modern computer without an SSD.

Well I'm pretty sure I say a requirement of 600 watts in a computer to use the 770. Check for yourself... I'm 99% sure

Well im just going of the NVIDIA website for an NVIDIA product. Were it says they highly recommend 600+ PSU to power the graphics card. I mean, I would rather trust the official website other than Digitalstorm. Maybe the PSU could hold it for awhile, but im not sure it would be a good idea to do... But yea, not trying to start a fight or anything.

Hey AshesDen, welcome to the DS community! I have a DS Slade and I couldn't be happier. This is my second desktop computer from DS. My first DS computer (almost four years old) is still running great and is my secondary computer because I do time sensitive work that can not be delayed by my primary computer going down. (plus my girlfriend uses this older DS computer for work and play also)  Before I bought my first DS computer I searched the internet for the best desktop computer builder. My 3 month search brought me to Digital Storm. I needed to replace a 3 year old Voodoo (a high end boutique computer builder) Blackbird computer that could not be upgraded to high end components because the motherboard had become outdated. Over the years I had changed out every part of a computer except for the mb. I'm sure I could do it but I just did not want to put all that effort into it and have to deal with all the frustrations if it did not work properly. This Blackbird computer (It still works even though it is over 7 years old but it won't run any current games or some software) would break down every once in a while and until I got it fixed I would have to use my backup (secondary) Dell computer. If I can't do the part of my job that I need a computer for than I can't submit my work and if I can't submit my work than I don't get paid. Not once has this first DS computer failed me (As I said it is still going strong and being used on a semi-regular basis.) One day last May I  happened to just want to take a look at the features of the new DS desktop computers. My first DS computer was running fine but I did notice that I had to turn down the settings in the the newer games I played. I became fascinated with the possibilities of the Slade. I won't run down all the pros but there were a lot of them. One thing I did want was expandability which the small form factor Bolt does not have. I really do not mind getting my hands dirty once in awhile so that I can upgrade a component to get better frame rates in a newer game. My first DS computer was getting to the point where I would have to install a new mb to play newer games at high settings. I ordered my Slade a few days later and it has been great ever since. Both DS computers work great right out of the box and neither has had down time outside of virus and malware attacks. The very small problems that I had with the computers were handled by DS immediately. I go into more detail about this in my posted review:

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/slade-the-quiet-one-tidf20578/

This computer is my first with a SSD and I love it like the others that have posted but I also understand what you are saying about not needing it. If you don't need it and want to save the money than I say go for it! You can always add one at a later date.

I can't really tell if expandability is really that important to you but with a few timely component upgrades you can extend the usefulness of a computer. This is the main advantage that the Slade has over the small form factor Bolt. The Slade is in a mid-tower case that is not that much larger than a Bolt.

Once you receive your Slade please write a review about your DS buying experiences and post it here on the Forums. And include plenty of pictures. We DS guys and gals love to hear how great your experience was (and I am sure it will be) with buying your Digital Storm computer.


Edited by Dakota Red - 02 Apr 2014 at 7:39am

Originally posted by AshesDen YEA! I will for sure write a review. But i'm most likely going to put an unboxing on my youtube channel. It just sent into Stage 7! If things that take 3 - 5 days are taking hours, im unsure how long something that takes 0 - 1 day takes. Well hope tonight or monday. It's very late though, so im assuming monday! I'm a bit confused though, because I ordered monitor and speakers through amazon... And its ganna be here april 10th. If this ships monday, then the monitor will be late, as well as the speakers. So I won't be able to use the computer for a couple days!? I wish they would've told me it would go like this, I would have done a Trial of Amazon Prime, and gotten 2 day shipping for free :P How long would Ground Shipping to Nebraska take? (Approximately)?

Not sure but i would say probably a week at the most because it took a week for me and i live in Arkansas