My Bolt 2 Review (Thus far)

Just received my purchased Bolt 2:

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Pre-built Digital Storm Bolt II
Exterior Finish: Onyx Black Matte Finish
Trim Accents: - No Thanks
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Mini-ITX) (SupremeFX Impact, Sonic Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 700W Digital Storm Bolt II Edition
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) (Slim Slot Loading Edition)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Enterprise Edition)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: High Static Pressure - Corsair Air Series SP120 Fans (2x 120mm)
Internal Lighting: Front Panel + Internal Chassis (RGB LED Lighting System)
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-Bit Edition)

Stage 1: 8/5/14
Stage 2: 8/5/14
Stage 3: 8/5/14
Stage 4: 8/8/14
Stage 5: 8/8/14
Stage 6: 8/11/14
Stage 7: 8/12/14
Shipped: 8/13/14
Received: 8/20/14

As you can see very fast processing, building and shipping which was great!.

Thus far I have just reviews from the unpacking and setting up perspective, and thus far it is a mixed bag. I'm hoping once I get my games installed and start pushing this thing I'm more impressed.

Packing was well done with the accessory box and welcome binder being a great welcome to the system. All the packing materials were solid and in place. After that things go downhill a bit.

Out of the box I had two cables loose (one I later figured out was the lighting connector from the intelligent airflow control), and when I first powered it on I heard a very loud whirring noise from the GPU fan which ended up being the temperature probe which I assume came loose from shipping.

After talking to tech support (all very helpful and friendly!) and trying to access it to put it back on I was unable to get one of the access screws on the "removable" tray loose that was too tight and had started to become stripped (thankfully I have a screw extractor somewhere). We ended up having to run it through the other side and connect it to the board that links the GPU to the motherboard, which thus far appears to be working.

And one final thing where the ports are covered and labeled on the back (USB and such) appears to not be fitting the best and warped out which leaves several slots slightly ajar from where their openings are. Minor, but detracts from perceived quality of product.

Thus far I have to honestly say I'm disappointed I don't know if this resulted from shipping however due to the level of quality testing I saw it going through I wish I didn't have to deal with these shortcomings.

Like I said at the beginning I hope once my games start putting this through its paces I'll be happier. It is a gorgeous box with lots of power packed in a seemingly impossible space, everything else is solid and I don't want people to view this little workhorse negatively it's just hard paying over $3k and having to deal with these little things. We'll see what the next few days bring.   

Update:

Thus far running

Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn - Maxed - 128 FPS avg and near silent.

Now I'm feeling better!

Update 2:

After extended use I have now noticed a Removable Drive is randomly mounting and unmounting, I thought it was related to my external hard drives being plugged in but all the rear ports work fine. I have discovered it is either related to the front USB 2 port connected to the drive reader (which doesn't mount external hard drives) or to most likely the Intelligent Airflow Control that when it is put under load (120 degrees or higher on GPU) it starts mounting the unmounting a "Removable Drive" with G: specification.

It will randomly do this and not mount any drive I have plugged into it. Also when I plug a USB into a port for syncing an accessory (this case a Basis fitness band) it will kill the USB Com detector disabling the heat management software from working until I restart. Also as soon as this sound starts playing (when the graphics card is under any kind of load) the temp utility if open will stop functioning until I open it again.

Sigh . . .

Edited by Enronias - 21 Aug 2014 at 7:48am

@Enronias,

Thank you for posting your review:

1. In regards to your USB issue with the device getting removed and coming back, can you try plugging that same device in the back of the PC to see if it's just the front port causing the issue?

2. The Control Center software works via USB, and some devices could throw it off. We suggest plugging in any devices you need to use first before running the software. If you're trying to monitor temperatures over an extended time period, instead of using that software, we recommend that you use "Hardware Monitor" which can give you even more data.

Please contact our team so we can help you with any issues you have. We would like you to fully enjoy your new PC!

I'm not a DS tech, but it sounds like a lot of those issues are related to the broken/ exposed wire and the plug they had you unplug.  Might be all USB and its communications related.  Even the psu coil whine, if thats what it is, can be related to stress on the psu or voltages, etc.  Just a guess of course.

Hopefully, fixing one issue will take care of a few. 






Edited by bprat22 - 25 Aug 2014 at 11:44am