Quiet gaming PC & DS premium

Hi:

Budget : $2 - 2.5K for PC alone.

Primary use case : gaming. FPS (crysis 3 ) & RTS (COH 2) on 27" 2560 x 1440.  Also want quiet PC

Chassis Model: Corsair Obsidian 550D

Config # 1004406

Core Components
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-PRO (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Features 802.11ac Wi-Fi Connectivity)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM850 (Optimized for Silence)

Storage / Connectivity
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Cooler (240mm Radiator) (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)

Digital Storm TwisterBoost Technology
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz

Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)

Accessories / Goodies

Customer Care
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)


Any thoughts on above config?

Now, I priced out similar config on PC Parts picker and all from new egg came about to be about $500 less.  So DS has a ~25% premium .   I am not here to troll but sincerely want to better understand the DS premium.  I get that with DS, I am receiving labor, workmanship, warranty , convenience, and extras like CPU overclocking.   Does 25% premium sound about right for a "mid end" PC like the above?    There was a recent Forbes article that profiled the Vanquish II where the premium was more like 10% .  So i guess i was kind of taken aback when I compared the numbers on my config.

Thanks!

Plus, I think 72 hours of stressing the computer is an amazing thing that is often overlooked. They really care to make sure your pc is spot on to what it is advertised to be!

Just to add..... You can definitely build your own for less money and a lot of us have. Hiring, so to speak, DS to build it for us is more money because they're in business to make money, give their employees a decent living and the Support and R&D they have does have a price.

Vanquish is less profit, hence closer to buying your own parts, and is designed that way. DS with Vanquish is trying to give customers less incentive and less benefit to building their own. Of course, building your own is a lot if fun and a great experience but the savings isn't what it was before the Vanquish line.

DS is still primarily a custom builder and for those with a more flexible budget, their other systems give you a huge selection and a wide range of performance and cost options. Vanquish is their to give tighter budgets real nice gaming and the other systems give everyone else anything they need.

Edited by bprat22 - 04 Jul 2014 at 3:16am

For a system that is mostly being used for gaming, you could knock the CPU down to a i5-4690K. Also, to drive a 1440p monitor I think you would be better off with the 780 Ti, but with your games, I expect the 780 should be ok.

If you need the wifi, it would be best to stick with the motherboard you choose, otherwise, I would suggest you give a look at the Gryphon, Sabertooth and Hero. The other option would be to use an external WiFi adapter or adding a PCIe one to your build.

Yep, you can pick it up.   Just have to call first.    Big savings in shipping and piece of mind transporting it yourself.

What I have seen for the 800 series is fall with 28nm Maxwell parts. So from October-December of this year. One article suggested October or November, so it maybe a bit on the early side of that range. Apparently, TSMC is having issues with yield for their 20nm process for high performance parts, so probably be a bit for those.

 

Congrats, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY.   

I have to chime in here. I feel like the support I have received from both digital storm and this community has been more than worth the small premium. Everyone I have dealt with all around has been customer service oriented, very friendly and well informed.I am almost shocked each time at the level of service I have gotten.For me this is everything as I work in this field and it is so refreshing.

The community here is also excellent and helpful and always quick to respond. I have asked lots of questions both before and after the purchase and if my questions weren't answered by a community member Alex always jumped in to assist.
I also chose Digital Storm to build my PC as it had been since 2004 since I built my own gaming PC and started PC gaming again.
Since I have received the computer and been using it I really feel as though it was worth every penny and then some.
My passion for PC's and PC gaming has been renewed.

Originally posted by bprat22 Congrats, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Thanks bprat22.  July 7 is actually not my birthday .   I'm not sure how that came about.  Appreciate the thought anyway.

AMD R290 looks like a good alternative.  For the games I am interested in playing, performance looks to be even better than 780 !  and almost the same with the R290X but the R290 seems to be roughly $100 cheaper than both 780 & R290X at retail.  But I don't see R290 offered by DS.  Any reason why?  I did see on another DS thread that DS can special order for $45 ?  

The R290X change from GTX780 is $25 more.

I can't tell if there will be any meaningful savings by asking for a R290 and I read that i will only get Manufacturer warranty with a special order and not the DS warranty?   Still, I might call DS to price both options and understand the warranty.

Also why aren't AMD cards more popular here on DS?


Edited by baconandeggs - 09 Jul 2014 at 11:32pm

DS will acquire and install any part you want, they do add a special order fee and that part isn't covered under their warranty.

DS is a smallish company and I expect they stock what they feel are going to be the most popular parts.

Originally posted by danjw1 DS is a smallish company and I expect they stock what they feel are going to be the most popular parts.

I wouldn't say it's small .. when I picked up my machine I could swear it was Nav was taking an order on the phone while in Shipping AND Receiving and Alex was building machines with his "Receptionist" badge on...

I think the conference room, in the parking lot, had 3 chairs and Asangard was using an etch-a-sketch.


(Kidding of course. The guys back in shipping are really cool and helpful! /happy customer wave/     )

Originally posted by baconandeggs AMD R290 looks like a good alternative.  For the games I am interested in playing, performance looks to be even better than 780 !  and almost the same with the R290X but the R290 seems to be roughly $100 cheaper than both 780 & R290X at retail.  But I don't see R290 offered by DS.  Any reason why?  I did see on another DS thread that DS can special order for $45 ?   The R290X change from GTX780 is $25 more. I can't tell if there will be any meaningful savings by asking for a R290 and I read that i will only get Manufacturer warranty with a special order and not the DS warranty?   Still, I might call DS to price both options and understand the warranty. Also why aren't AMD cards more popular here on DS?

Right now, your basic trade-off is like this:
NVIDIA
- Less Raw Power per Dollar
+ Better Heat/Noise (on reference-cooled cards)
+ More "ecosystem" benefits (Shadowplay, G-Sync, etc)

AMD
+ More Raw Power per Dollar
- Worse Heat/Noise (on reference-cooled cards)
- Fewer "ecosystem" benefits

Currently, there are plenty of custom cooled AMD cards available, which generally eliminate the heat/noise issues of the 290/290X on a case with sufficient airflow, so it's basically down to whether you want to pay a little bit more money for the extra NVIDIA features. I'm guessing most people who buy Digital Storm Systems are comfortable with that trade.

Incidentally, it looks like you're assembling a system quite similar to the one I bought back in January, so you can check out my review here:
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/slade-professional-powerful-quiet-tidf21957/
My Slade continues to happily chew up every game I throw at it, but I'm using a 1080P monitor and haven't tried Crysis 3, so it's possible you'd benefit from stepping up to the R290X. As you've figured out, a reference-cooled R290 is just not a good option for quiet gaming, and the special order fee would likely eat up much of your savings anyway.

We either use the ASUS or XFX model for AMD cards.

I assume you could call during the week to order and have them indicate you want a specific one assuming both are in stock.

of course Alex could confirm my gut feeling on what would work with what they would actually do.

I just pulled the trigger.  Now the wait    Same config as in OP but with AMD R290x.  DS confirmed that the GPU will have the newer cooler implementation and not the early stock reference coolers which greatly put me at ease with respect to noise and temperature.

Many thanks to you all for sharing your experiences and perspectives and helping me to be more aware of the different options.

Welcome and congrats on an awesome rig!