Finally pulled the trigger....

 

First, here's the build:

 

- Digital Storm Desktop 156667 Quantity: 1 $1,978.00

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - No Thanks
Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Factory Overclocked to 4.0GHz
Motherboard: EVGA P55 FTW (Chipset: Intel P55)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair/Mushkin (Digital Storm Certified) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: 7.1 24-bit / 192kHz Decoding High Definition Integrated Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 1: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler
Liquid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Yes, Factory Overclocked i5 750 from 2.66GHz to 4.0GHz with 100% Stability & Reliability
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks
Memory Boost: - No Thanks
Windows Boost: - No Thanks
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: Ship Within 72-Hours After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

This machine was the best i5 prebuild on 9/8/09; I placed the order 9/9 and later that day they changed the prebuild specs on that level (lowering the pricepoint) to the specs currently listed as of the time of this posting.

 

Now, since I have a 27" monitor at 1900x1200 I should be more or less good for quite some time - and I know I sacrificed a little for the 4 lane i5 950 over an 8 lane 17 920 but I hope that a later version of the 15 core may be able to u/g to the 8 lanes when this becomes an issue (not much of one now, I am given to understand)

 

The machine is used strictly for gaming and entertainment, no useful purpose otherwise (I could use my excel spreadsheets on my old p2 machine still, if that's all I needed the machine for!)

 

There seems to be a bit of a problem tho according to DS with getting the OC stable to 4ghz, and the problem seems to lie in the 6gbs of memory rather than the 4gbs offered on the current pre-build posted literally hours after I placed this order.

 

DS is so far working to try to overcome that, and I've given them a couple extra days to try to do so, within the config purchased above. I'm hoping some of our forum community can offer suggestions that might explain why the 6gbs memory would make the core more difficult to o/c where the 4gbs seems not to have a problem.

 

I really want, and feel I will need, that extra 2gbs, and don't want to drop down to a 3.6ghz O/C which is what they could give me easily with the 6gbs memory - with the loss of the extra 4 lanes of processor traffic the the i5 cores suffer over the i7's, I'm afraid that the machine would become outclassed to quickly - and those who've helped me before on these forums know I'm concerned with the longevity of the machine...

 

SO - is there a consensus as to what add ons I might be able to suggest (and pay for, obviously) to DS that might help get the oc to the 4ghz? I thought the memory fan kit as an obvious first, but maybe u/g to frostbite also (or instead of the fan kit)? They are trying to do it strictly within the limits of the original prebuild config, so I want options to consider to discuss with them if that proves imposible (other than just cxling that order and replacing with a i7 920 pre-build). Not understanding how the memory would be the problem with the core o/c, but is there a brand of memory that runs noticably cooler that I might suggest as an option (assuming that memory heat is indeed the issue)?

 

Any input would be appreciated! I need a working machine back soon! :) This work laptop is just NO FUN!

 

Regards to all!