looking for advicePost Date: 2015-11-30 |
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brytag
Newbie Joined: 30 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Topic: looking for advice Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 9:15am |
Budget:
2500 Expectations: quiet system that ill last several years without needing upgrades Usage: mostly gaming Special Needs: none Saved Ticket #: 1328777 Specifications: Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo (Black) <br><strong></strong> Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: DELAY: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (DELAY OF 5-10 ADDITIONAL DAYS) <br><strong></strong> Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices) System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA (750 B1) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO) Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition) <br><strong></strong> 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 980 Ti 6GB (Includes PhysX) <br><strong></strong> Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio HPC Processor: - No Thanks Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition) <br><strong></strong> H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Airflow Control: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.4GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard) <br><strong></strong> Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (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) Office: - No Thanks Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks Portable Gaming: - No Thanks Branded Gear: - No Thanks 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) will be using a 1920x1080 monitor few questions i have are: whats the difference between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (Includes PhysX) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (ASUS Strix Edition)? is it just different companies and thats it? is the 40 extra dollars worth getting it? the default processor for the system i picked was Intel Core i7 6700 3.4GHz (Codename Skylake) (Quad Core) (Not Overclockable) with saying it isnt overclockable but has the skylake tag. the one i picked the Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (DELAY OF 5-10 ADDITIONAL DAYS) doesnt say skylake but it is overclockable. is the "skylake" more important? (sorry im very ignornat on these things). is my cooling system enough? right now im at 2482, pretty much right on budget so id like to stay around that. im willing to pay a bit more if it is needed and/or will make a big improvement / extend the life of the computer. quality is important to me. thanks |
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bprat22
DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 9:40am |
Hi brytag..... I tweaked your build a little to give you more quality for less.
Config # 1328797 Cost $ 2375 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo (Black) Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices) System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO) Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black 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 980 Ti 6GB (ASUS Strix Edition) Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio HPC Processor: - No Thanks Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i GTX - 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Airflow Control: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.4GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard) Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (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) Office: - No Thanks Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks Portable Gaming: - No Thanks Branded Gear: - No Thanks 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) I dropped the 6700k cpu for the 6600k. For gaming, the i5-6600k is all you need. The added money for i7 does give you hyperthreading, the difference between i5 and i7, which is useful for multi tasking, etc, but not so much for gaming. If you want to keep the i7 for any future needs, its never a bad idea. Depends on budget. These are all Skylake and the K after the 6600/6700 means overclock-able which I would suggest. The money saved going to i5-6600k I put in a better quality power supply with double the warranty..10 years. I changed the DS Vortex cooler for the Corsair H100i. The Corsair has a 5 year warranty. Not sure about the Vortex, but its warranty might expire with the DS parts warranty..2 or 3 years. Either unit will give you excellent cooling. I also went with the Strix 980Ti. For your single 1080p monitor either will play everything you want at max, but the Strix is a custom Asus board, vs generic, that has higher overclock, better components and the more stable power circuitry and better cooling. For less you get more, unless of course you want to stay with the i7-6700k. i would add some internal lighting. The side window cries out for it. Hope this helps and good luck. Edited by bprat22 - 30 Nov 2015 at 9:41am |
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Master Hildy
Newbie Joined: 13 Apr 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 10:00am |
I agree with bprat22's modifications. However, I do have one suggestion regarding the CPU cooler.
I too have the Apollo and one thing I wish I had done differently was swap the 240mm cooler for the 120mm cooler. The reason being that DS mounts the 240mm cooler on the top of the case (due to size), which makes the Apollo louder and more dust-prone. I think that the Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition) would do you just fine for cooling, while also keeping the top of the case covered and less dust-prone. Other than that, your build looks solid. Happy gaming! |
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brytag
Newbie Joined: 30 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 10:03am |
thank you bprat22.
i guess ill stick with the i7 as a "just in case" measure. never know what my future will bring and id like to be prepared. i did change the power supply though as u suggested. 10 years is nice amount of time. how do u know about the warrentys? i didnt see that info anywhere. i switched to the asus video card as well. so total came to 2550 - 150 for the promotion..2400 even. 100 under budget yay! so im going to see about getting this paypal credit for the zero interest for 6 months. if that all works out, ill buy today. Master Hildy - oh i had no idea. ya that may be an issue for me too then...should i switch chassis then? or is the 120 plenty enough for cooling? i want to avoid any and all overheating issues as possible. is the Corsair H100i GTX - 240mm Radiator Liquid smaller to avoid that issue? Edited by brytag - 30 Nov 2015 at 10:10am |
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Master Hildy
Newbie Joined: 13 Apr 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 10:38am |
The Corsair H100i GTX is a 240mm cooler, so it is the same size as the Digital Storm Vortex 240mm. So either way, they will both end up in the top part of the case.
I wouldn't switch cases because the Apollo has excellent thermal performance and airflow. If overheating is something you'd like to avoid, then this case will work great. For the cooler, it all depends on how serious you are about overclocking. If you are an enthusiast and will be putting some serious pressure on your CPU (and your system to that extent) then go with the 240mm cooler. If you plan to overclock a little but nothing serious, then I would go with the 120mm cooler. The 240mm cooler is fine if you are very concerned about overheating and want the peace-of-mind that you have the best possible cooling setup, so long as you can put up with the increase in noise and the potential of more dust entering the system. Regular cleaning should make the dust part a non-factor though. |
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brytag
Newbie Joined: 30 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 10:43am |
ok. ya i usually "dust out" my machine every month or so give or take a week. the noise sort of concerns me. i know "loud" is subjective but are u bothered by the noise hildy? my system now is within 2 inches from me and i barely hear it which is awesome.
i only plan to do the stage 1 over clock and that is it so maybe the 120 will be enough. however, i dont know what ill be doing a year from now so i always like to have a bit extra to compensate. |
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Master Hildy
Newbie Joined: 13 Apr 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 10:59am |
The noise did bother me for a while. At idle, the fans were audible enough to distract me. I did get used to it though. I can't hear the system while I game because I wear a headset. So if you have a headset, no need to worry about the extra noise while playing. But if I leave it on at night to download a game from Steam, the noise is a little annoying.
I have to mention that before buying my Apollo, I was a Mac guy, where my computers made practically no noise. You are correct about "loud" being subjective, so maybe the noise may not be as loud for you as it was for me. I do believe that closing the top of the pc and using 120mm cooler would help a bit with the noise. In the end, spending more to compensate for the future is something I do too when building, though you have to be very honest with yourself. If you believe there is more than a good chance that you'll be taxing your pc in the future, then going with the 240mm cooler now would be fine. But if you find yourself doubting the upgrade to the 240mm cooler, then I'd go with the 120mm cooler. The Apollo has lots of room, so upgrading the cooler later on to a 240mm wouldn't be very difficult. Good luck! |
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brytag
Newbie Joined: 30 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 11:26am |
ok thank you guys.
well i feel im just splitting hairs here worrying over the cooling system. i dont usually use a headset when i game. i do sometimes if on skype and whatnot but typically i dont. i cant imagine it being so loud that id be bothered by it. ill have to look at what other users say about it. does anyone else on here have an opinion on the noise level? |
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bprat22
DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 11:33am |
The H100i can be easily adjusted for noise. Corsair Link siftware, Asus Fan Xpert, etc can all be used to adjust the rpm, even have them auto adjust with temp. The H100i can be noisy on High settings, but for a moderate overclock, you can adjust them down, keeping an eye on temps of course.
Another solution is to just get my favorite, The Noctua D14 or 15. An air cooler that cools great at those settings, is very quiet and super reliable. Nothing to adjust, download, tweak, just works for years. It is huge and some hate the looks, but I like it. Tops in reliability and quiet. |
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brytag
Newbie Joined: 30 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 11:47am |
interesting...ok the noctua is only 20 dollars more..maybe ill go with that then. i wish i could see what the finished system will look like. u are saying it is huge but if it inside the chassis and not in the way of anything, that wont bother me.
just finished looking at the invoice for my current system. im using the Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler right now. i bought this system back in 2013. as mentioned above, i barely hear my system atm. it is very quiet. i have a case that i dont see offered anymore, the HAF942. wish they still had that one so i could just barely get an upgraded version of my computer now as i know what this one looks like and how it functions. Edited by brytag - 30 Nov 2015 at 11:48am |
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db188
DS Veteran Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 12:52pm |
i thought DS had an "upgrade service", if it's worth it to you to ship your old system to them and have them build inside the old case you might give them a call about it, or email Alex directly to set it up/go over the cost with you.
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Aventum 3
I7-6700K Gigabyte G1 Z170X Gaming GT 16GB Corsair Dominator 3000MHz Corsair Hx1000i 1000W Samsung M.2 980 Pro 2TB;Samsung 850 EVO 1TB MSI RTX 3080 Ventus OC 10G LHR Gigabyte M28U 4K |
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ArkansasWoman777
DS Veteran Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4314 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 12:53pm |
here is the noctua in the Corsair 760t which is the apollo http://pcpartpicker.com/b/YH3Ff7 |
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"Captain Sirius Black"
Storm Trooper i5 3570k Ordered: 11-27-12 Stage 1: 11-29-12 Stage 2: 12-2-12 Stage 3: 12-2-12 Stage 4: 12-4-12 Stage 5: 12-4-12 Stage 6: 12-10-12 Stage 7: 12-12-12 |
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Alex
Admin Group Digital Storm Supervisor Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16312 |
Quote Reply Posted: 30 Nov 2015 at 1:40pm |
Yes, that is possible. We can have the unit come in for service and perform upgrades. Please note, we do not offer credits or buy back old hardware. |
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