Quacking System Second Round

Thanks again for your help so far.  I've been comparing the system config suggested with similar rigs from other makers and find that DS's price is very competetive.  For example, 1competitor system is $500 less, but its monitor is lower resolution than the suggested DS configuration; does not come with a keyboard; and won't let me choose a 1 TB WD caviar HDD.  "Adjusting" for those differences I'd put the competitor's system at around $200 less.  Another competitor is $200 less but has no keyboard (since I want a mechanical board, that about eats up the $200 anyhow).  A third is equal to DS's price, but will only specify a generic HDD.  None of the competitors offer 30 no-questions asked returns or tout a BBB rating (which is a big selling point with me).

So I'm back, with two final questions.  First, what does "major brand powered by NVIDIA" mean?  I suspect it means something like, "made by somebody we've called 'major' whose NVIDIA tech license is available for inspection in the main office" or something similar.  IOW, its not 100% made by NVIDIA.  Is that right?  Or do I have it all wrong?

Lastly, has anybody explored using a 32" LCD TV with HDMI as a monitor?  Does it work as well as a dedicated computer product like an ASUS monitor?  If it does, what brands should I look for and what pitfalls are there? 

Thanks again for all your help.

 

Major brand means just that - a well known company that makes products and not some no-name brand. From what I've seen, DS uses mostly EVGA & ASUS. From customers who have posted their builds here, I haven't seen anything else. It is possible for them to use PNY or MSI as they are major suppliers for nVidia cards as well.

As far as gaming on a TV, they have input lag as it has a lot more video processing than a monitor does. There are some specialized TVs out there that have a gaming mode that bypasses this processing to reduce input lag. Honestly not sure how much the general public would notice this difference but perhaps a hardcore gamer would...

Really no difference. Rads use fans to keep cool, also.