First Gaming Computer from Digital Storm - How'd I do?

[lucKykev]

After one week, my build is in Stage 4 of 7 (basically being assembled). So, I'll have it in about a week.

 

My expectations:

Game at high fps on 144Hz 1080p monitor

Handle two monitors multitasking seamlessly

Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. while multitasking (even simultaneously gaming)

Quick load times

System able to handle upgrades

Never fully loading the system

Plenty of storage space

Reliable

 

BEFORE YOU INSTANTLY GRILL ME FOR NOT BUILDING IT MYSELF, I have no experience building computers, or even knowing what parts make a computer "good", let alone "AWESOME!". I play games for fun and graphic design for dispensable income. I am a recent graduate from an engineering school, starting a new job with a large aerospace company - so money is still tight. I wanted a computer that could hold up with my needs for a few years, and be easy to upgrade in the future. 

 

The Vanquish 5, level 3 (click here) would have cost me ~$1,367 to build myself with the same parts. For only ~$54 more, I get the confidence of (reportedly) great build quality and compatibility, a warranty, customer service, their community, and the closure that DS will choose premium, stress-tested parts (they really do).

 

Here's the build:
Chassis Model: Corsair 230 Mid Tower Case
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700 3.4GHz (Codename Skylake) (Quad Core) 
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-K
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (Corsair)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA (Most likely 80+ Bronze)
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Internal) 
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (240GB Digital Storm Certified Performance Series) - not sure what brand yet
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate / Western Digital / Toshiba) 
Internet Access: Wireless PCI-E ASUS PCE-N53 (Dual Band Performance) (Supports 802.11n/g/b) 
Graphics Card: 1x GeForce GTX 970 4GB
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio 
Cooling: Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler)
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management - Didn't pay extra for this
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans (Two in front)
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System 
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking 
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition) 
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD) 
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (on a disk, not preinstalled)
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

 

So, give it to me straight.

[Alexcalibur]

Pretty alright, only thing really is the McAfee lol

[GTechGeorge]

Just now, IskanderEXC said:

Pretty alright, only thing really is the McAfee lol

I agree with IskanderEXC. I'd recommend Malwarebytes. You get the full version free for like a week but can use the free version forever without paying for it.

[lucKykev]

3 minutes ago, IskanderEXC said:

Pretty alright, only thing really is the McAfee lol

It comes on a disk - NOT preloaded. Yay  It's free I was like sure, y nawt

 

Thanks for the feedback man! Good to hear I'm in the green

[Kryptic BladeZz]

Yea get rid of that McAfee and you're golden. I'm not the one to judge people for buying pre-builts. Have fun with it!

[lucKykev]

Thanks for the comments guys, really! I can't wait to have it - I've got a nice 144Hz 1080p monitor to pair with it

[Guest]

@ free McAfee... Free crap is still crap. Ask them not to install.

[lucKykev]

2 minutes ago, Dutch-stoner said:

@ free McAfee... Free crap is still crap. Ask them not to install.

It comes as a disk, not pre installed!

[Kryptic BladeZz]

1 minute ago, lucKykev said:

Thanks for the comments guys, really! I can't wait to have it - I've got a nice 144Hz 1080p monitor to pair with it

I've also got a 144hz monitor and there is NO going back to a 60hz monitor. Kinda wish I wouldn't have switched because now I'm used to 144 and don't like it when my games don't run at 80+. x'D

[lucKykev]

3 minutes ago, Kryptic BladeZz said:

I've also got a 144hz monitor and there is NO going back to a 60hz monitor. Kinda wish I wouldn't have switched because now I'm used to 144 and don't like it when my games don't run at 80+. x'D

Guess you'll just have to order a geforce 1080 founders edition...  

[Energycore]

24 minutes ago, lucKykev said:

After one week, my build is in Stage 4 of 7 (basically being assembled). So, I'll have it in about a week.

 

BEFORE YOU INSTANTLY GRILL ME FOR NOT BUILDING IT MYSELF, I have no experience building computers, or even knowing what parts make a computer "good", let alone "AWESOME!". I play games for fun, graphic design for dispensable income, and model/work with 3D rendering software. I am a recent graduate from an engineering school, starting a new job with a large aerospace company - so money is still tight. I wanted a computer that could hold up with my needs for a few years, and be easy to upgrade in the future. 

 

The Vanquish 5, level 3 (click here) would have cost me ~$1,367 to build myself with the same parts. For only ~$54 more, I get the confidence of (reportedly) great build quality and compatibility, a warranty, customer service, their community, and the closure that DS will choose premium, stress-tested parts (they really do).

 

Here's the build:
Chassis Model: Corsair 230 Mid Tower Case
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700 3.4GHz (Codename Skylake) (Quad Core) 
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-K
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (Corsair)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA (Most likely 80+ Bronze)
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Internal) 
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (240GB Digital Storm Certified Performance Series) - not sure what brand yet
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate / Western Digital / Toshiba) 
Internet Access: Wireless PCI-E ASUS PCE-N53 (Dual Band Performance) (Supports 802.11n/g/b) 
Graphics Card: 1x GeForce GTX 970 4GB
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio 
Cooling: Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler)
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management - Didn't pay extra for this
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans (Two in front)
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System 
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking 
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition) 
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD) 
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (on a disk, not preinstalled)
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

 

So, give it to me straight.

That actually doesn't look like a very good build imo. The build proposed here has the following advantages compared to that one.

- A processor that you can actually overclock (you can OC the i7-6700 non-K if you hack the BIOS and do some shenanigans, I don't recommend it).

- Faster RAM. DDR4-3000 is a couple dollars more expensive and actually performs better in some games (Witcher 3 for instance).

- A great quality PSU instead of an average-to-decent one (if it's the B2, it'll be alright). It's also fully modular.

- An 850 EVO instead of a no-name SSD although I don't doubt they put at least something decent in there.

- A much better and quieter cooler.

 

What it doesn't include:

- A copy of Windows 10 (you might be able to get one over at /r/microsoftsoftwareswap for cheap, although it's grey market).

- Assembly and troubleshooting done by their team. This is perhaps one of the big boons of buying a prebuilt although I personally wouldn't dare give my computer to someone else to fix.

- A McAfee disk.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($72.45 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($141.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($69.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($167.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.28 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($61.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($135.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter  ($11.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1329.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-11 22:20 EDT-0400

 

I don't mean to give you shit. The prebuilt is OK value for its price (honestly I wouldn't dare buy a 970 right now). But building a computer isn't too too hard and honestly it's pretty fun. I enjoy it.

[lucKykev]

3 minutes ago, Energycore said:

That actually doesn't look like a very good build imo. The build proposed here has the following advantages compared to that one.

- A processor that you can actually overclock (you can OC the i7-6700 non-K if you hack the BIOS and do some shenanigans, I don't recommend it).

- Faster RAM. DDR4-3000 is a cou

 

So, you're saying the Z170-K is useless unless you're overclocking? What does the next step of RAM do for me? I'm going to be a moderate gamer and graphic designer (no video editing, etc.)

[GTechGeorge]

Just now, lucKykev said:

So, you're saying the Z170-K is useless unless you're overclocking? What does the next step of RAM do for me? I'm going to be a moderate gamer and graphic designer (no video editing, etc.)

DDR4 is just overall newer with a higher clock speed. If you get the i7-6700K, that allows for overclocking where the i7-6700 does not. The Z170 chipset is an unlocked chipset which aids in overclocking.

[Energycore]

2 minutes ago, lucKykev said:

So, you're saying the Z170-K is useless unless you're overclocking? What does the next step of RAM do for me? I'm going to be a moderate gamer and graphic designer (no video editing, etc.)

Hi! I edited the post since it posted itself D=

 

Here's a video that shows faster DDR4 performing better.

 

 

I also put a ton of comments in my last post. Cheers!

[lucKykev]

35 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Hi! I edited the post since it posted itself D=

 

I also put a ton of comments in my last post. Cheers!

Thanks man! Good to hear some genuine insight on what I thought was pretty good. I'll give you my two cents on what I was thinking as I bought this build, so let me know what you're thinking after.

 

So, I'm in the red for:

1. Not having the ability to overclock my CPU, with an unlocked mobo

2. Going with 2666MHz instead of ~3k MHz RAM

3. Getting less storage

4. Getting a plain ol' 970

5. Getting an average cpu cooler

6. Getting an average PSU

 

Here's my rebuttal, hear me out:

1. Honestly I know so little about computers, or even processors, that if I were to come into any trouble because of the OC I'd have no clue what to do, and be pissed more than anything. Maybe this just me being naive on how reliable OCs can be. I understood before my buy that the Z170 was capable of OC, but doesn't it have any other advantages over the H110? Sound? Connectivity? Speed? Ability to upgrade, for example, to a 1080 in the future?

2. You've got me on this one. Looks like the non-OC i3 in that video is getting a solid 6-8 fps better in GTA with the lower end RAM, so hopefully not as big of a difference with mine. I would assume this is only evident in more CPU-heavy games where big worlds are being rendered?

3. Here's where I guess I'll apply the tradeoff for "having someone professionally build it for me and make it look pretty". I've had my current computer for 4 years and have only used 200 gigs of storage. I've got everything from movies, music, games, photoshop files, etc. I really don't see me needing that much storage. But, fair point in your build

4. Hey, at least I didn't get a 980. So I didn't want to pay extra for a better GPU when I'm going to eventually want the 1080. By this I mean a lot of prices are going to fall soon (much longer for the 1080 to fall however) and I'll want the 1080 once it does fall. Honestly, my main game is CS:GO which isn't very GPU heavy at all. I think I'm good for now, especially because this is my first real "gaming" computer, I'm not trying to get silky smooth 2k/4k gameplay

5. Sound won't be an issue - as long as the computer is performing well at the temperature it should. Think this may be an issue for me? To give you an idea, the Corsair case I got is pretty big, lots of empty space leftover once its filled. Two fans on the front, one on the back, vents at the top and bottom, and the cpu cooler of course

6. I know nothing about PSUs. I don't necessarily care about the difference in energy efficiency, but will mine crap out on me quicker? From the recent builds (of the exact computer) I've seen on Digital Storm's website, they give you a evga supernova nex750b bronze 80+

 

Sorry for so much text, but if you get the chance to read it, let me know your thoughts

[Energycore]

11 minutes ago, lucKykev said:

Here's my rebuttal, hear me out:

1. Honestly I know so little about computers, or even processors, that if I were to come into any trouble because of the OC I'd have no clue what to do, and be pissed more than anything. Maybe this just me being naive on how reliable OCs can be. I understood before my buy that the Z170 was capable of OC, but doesn't it have any other advantages over the H110? Sound? Connectivity? Speed? Ability to upgrade, for example, to a 1080 in the future?

2. You've got me on this one. Looks like the non-OC i3 in that video is getting a solid 6-8 fps better in GTA with the lower end RAM, so hopefully not as big of a difference with mine. I would assume this is only evident in more CPU-heavy games where big worlds are being rendered?

3. Here's where I guess I'll apply the tradeoff for "having someone professionally build it for me and make it look pretty". I've had my current computer for 4 years and have only used 200 gigs of storage. I've got everything from movies, music, games, photoshop files, etc. I really don't see me needing that much storage. But, fair point in your build

4. Hey, at least I didn't get a 980. So I didn't want to pay extra for a better GPU when I'm going to eventually want the 1080. By this I mean a lot of prices are going to fall soon (much longer for the 1080 to fall however) and I'll want the 1080 once it does fall. Honestly, my main game is CS:GO which isn't very GPU heavy at all. I think I'm good for now, especially because this is my first real "gaming" computer, I'm not trying to get silky smooth 2k/4k gameplay

5. Sound won't be an issue - as long as the computer is performing well at the temperature it should. Think this may be an issue for me? To give you an idea, the Corsair case I got is pretty big, lots of empty space leftover once its filled. Two fans on the front, one on the back, vents at the top and bottom, and the cpu cooler of course

 

Sorry for so much text, but if you get the chance to read it, let me know your thoughts

1) Z170 has a couple features that aren't present in the H110. Besides overclocking the CPU, there's RAM OC, RAID (which is a way to setup multiple storage drives to be more reliable or perform faster), and more USB / SATA ports if you'll use them (H110 has 4 SATA ports IIRC anyway). The H170 chipset is basically Z170 without overclocking.

 

As for CPU OC, there are entire servers (linus's rendering farm for instance) that are run 24/7 on overclocked CPUs without a problem. If you're not familiar with overclocking or computing in general, the 6700K is still a good value since you're gonna wanna overclock once you're familiar with the hardware you're using. When that time comes, it's as simple as looking up a guide and doing the steps. It will take about 90 minutes of active work and 8 hours of stress testing (just do it overnight). You can do the same with RAM.

 

2) Sounds like the difference isn't as big when you don't have an overclocked Titan X, but what you should really do is try and sell your GTX 970 as an as-new product, get $250 from it, then buy a GTX 1070 for $380. The 1070 is 70% faster.

 

3) If you don't need more than 200GB of storage, it's as simple as ditching the hard drive and saving on those $60 which would probably go into the abovementioned upgrade

 

4) See 2). If you play CS:GO, you can max it out on a $200 card. And a GTX 1080 is way overkill for 1080p 60Hz (it's getting 100-150 fps in the most demanding games at 1080p, but any amount of fps over 60 is useless if your monitor only refreshes 60 times a second). I stand by my 1070 recommendation

 

5) It's not just quieter, it's also better in the cooling side so you'll be able to overclock higher without having to worry about temps. Quiet is just icing on the cake.

 

Just my comments here. Since you've already bought it, I recommend you do point 2). And get a NH-D14 so you won't ever have to monitor temperatures on your overclocked chip (you might be able to sell the i7 for $300 as well, and get a K version. Or do the BCLK thing with your non-K).

[lucKykev]

7 minutes ago, Energycore said:

1) Z170 has a couple features that aren't present in the H110. Besides overclocking the CPU, there's RAM OC, RAID (which is a way to setup multiple storage drives to be more reliable or perform faster), and more USB / SATA ports if you'll use them (H110 has 4 SATA ports IIRC anyway). The H170 chipset is basically Z170 without overclocking.

 

As for CPU OC, there are entire servers (linus's rendering farm for instance) that are run 24/7 on overclocked CPUs without a problem. If you're not familiar with overclocking or computing in general, the 6700K is still a good value since you're gonna wanna overclock once you're familiar with the hardware you're using. When that time comes, it's as simple as looking up a guide and doing the steps. It will take about 90 minutes of active work and 8 hours of stress testing (just do it overnight). You can do the same with RAM.

 

2) Sounds like the difference isn't as big when you don't have an overclocked Titan X, but what you should really do is try and sell your GTX 970 as an as-new product, get $250 from it, then buy a GTX 1070 for $380. The 1070 is 70% faster.

 

3) If you don't need more than 200GB of storage, it's as simple as ditching the hard drive and saving on those $60 which would probably go into the abovementioned upgrade

 

4) See 2). If you play CS:GO, you can max it out on a $200 card. And a GTX 1080 is way overkill for 1080p 60Hz (it's getting 100-150 fps in the most demanding games at 1080p, but any amount of fps over 60 is useless if your monitor only refreshes 60 times a second). I stand by my 1070 recommendation

 

5) It's not just quieter, it's also better in the cooling side so you'll be able to overclock higher without having to worry about temps. Quiet is just icing on the cake.

 

Just my comments here. Since you've already bought it, I recommend you do point 2). And get a NH-D14 so you won't ever have to monitor temperatures on your overclocked chip (you might be able to sell the i7 for $300 as well, and get a K version. Or do the BCLK thing with your non-K).

Thanks for all the feedback - I really appreciate it! Seriously.

 

My thoughts with the GTX 1080 were - in the long run, I'll most likely get a 2k/4k montior. When that comes, I'll most likely need a better GPU, and might swing for the 1080. I guess what I'm caught up on most is getting the Z170 when I'm not overclocking. That really just boils down to my own fault of not being able to configure to get an H170 instead, as I really don't think I'll have the usage to benefit from overclocking.

 

Other than that... I think I'm happy with the build. Think about it this way - Digital Storm sells another line of computers with the EXACT same specs for about $400 more because of the "cool" case/cosmetic features inside. 

 

Thanks again man!

[Energycore]

2 minutes ago, lucKykev said:

Thanks for all the feedback - I really appreciate it! Seriously.

 

My thoughts with the GTX 1080 were - in the long run, I'll most likely get a 2k/4k montior. When that comes, I'll most likely need a better GPU, and might swing for the 1080. I guess what I'm caught up on most is getting the Z170 when I'm not overclocking. That really just boils down to my own fault of not being able to configure to get an H170 instead, as I really don't think I'll have the usage to benefit from overclocking.

 

Other than that... I think I'm happy with the build. Think about it this way - Digital Storm sells another line of computers with the EXACT same specs for about $400 more because of the "cool" case/cosmetic features inside. 

 

Thanks again man!

Overclocking will benefit gaming performance

 

But otherwise you won't hate the build. It's just not the top of the line best price / performance of today, but that's only achieved with hours of planning and building and stress testing.