Not Sure What I Need

Vanquish 5 at 'Better' config will be around the price of the C********** and far better, with you being able to pick your own monitor. It can play Witcher 3 on Ultra in 1080p at 60 FPS which is about as demanding as it gets right now for most people. Great budget system.







Competitor's name removed.

Edited by Snaike - 12 Aug 2016 at 10:32am

First thing about pc parts to understand is that they are not all the same, two power supplies for example at 750w could be totally different in performance and reliability, the same with ssd, not all ssds are the same, for example if you offered me an ocz ssd 2tb for free I would not take it, no thanks.

So obviously the good ssd cost better then it cheaper less reliable counterpart, and that pretty much goes for a lot of parts, so just because c********* has a system for $1400 with this and that, its does not mean diddly to me, what matters to me is exactly what parts are being used? If its good parts ok but 99% of the time a cheap pc has cheap/cheaper parts and 80% of the time cheaper parts have a higher failure rate.

so now having said that, for witcher at 1080p(1920X1080 full HD):

(little quick explanation for you, here you are looking for 60 frame per second(fps) or which then indicates that your gaming will be smooth, below that it won't be the best experience that it could be)




so as you can see above the sweet spot is the 1070 gtx with 83fps, why more then you need, but it will cover you basis with other games also, another route is to over clock(oc) the 1060 gtx so that you get close to 60 fps from it.

And you can see the 960 gtx will get you 33 fps which is not good at all IMHO.

now that we know we want a 1070 gtx lets build a system around that:

Apollo

Click Image To Go To Configuration Page

I promise you that this config will beat the c************ left and right in every way with its eyes closed.

We could build you a cheaper one in the vanquish line but that line does not allow much to be configured and I like to know what I'm getting and picking so it not my first choice, I always like to put myself in the other person's shoes, and in this case if I had your needs I this is the system I would get for me/my family.






Competitor name removed.

Edited by Snaike - 12 Aug 2016 at 10:34am

I gave you what you need, my builds are geared around giving you the max performance for your money without wasting any of your money.

those setting make the game look a lot better


Have a look here for witcher 3 settings, here you can compare the difference between certain settings off and on.

aa = Anti-Aliasing Mode click here to learn more

af = Anisotropic Filtering click here to learn more

SSAO = Screen Space Ambient Occlusion click here to learn more

You should have all the settings covered between those 4 links.

Edited by DST4ME - 11 Aug 2016 at 8:50pm

Just to be clear db188 is not talking about the 6700k in my config, he is talking about the 6700 cpu and not 6700k

This poor guy is gonna get so confused.

@BreezyOne if you are ok with the cost of my build stick with that, I would not go to vanquish since most of the parts are not customizable. The vanquish is for somebody with very little budget that wants the bottom line pc.

But if you have questions about the cpu discussion of 6600 vs 6600k vs 6700 vs 6700k please do ask, just to simplify, the differences are that the "k" means they can be overclocked (oc) and ocing is one the changes that brings forth the most performance gain. The other difference is "hyperthread"(ht), feel free to read about it and then make a decision, I always pick (ht) and oc whenever possible I find that even tho the pc is for gaming, its a pc first and cpu with ht tent to stay a bit more powerful down the road vs the non ht counter parts, so if budget allows I always go with ht and oc. Now here is where it gets confusing, if I'm forced to do so, aka I have to pick one or the other then I would pick oc over ht since oc performance gain is beyond the performance gain of ht. Again keep in mind that is if I'm forced to pick, aka budget is so low I'm forced to pick even tho I much rather not.


Anyways my point is that now you have all the game setting to look at plus the info db mentioned. So if you feel like you are getting confused or overloaded with info just ask.

Edited by DST4ME - 11 Aug 2016 at 11:09pm

If I don't even know what brand/model mobo/ssd/ram/psu/cpu cooler I'm getting then I'm not getting that pc, and I would call that pc bottom line for sure.

yes we can argue ram there is no big difference, mobo could be ok depending, the same with psu but then there are things line the cpu cooler which for the oc is pretty big deal and that in turn will make a good difference in performance.

So no there is no way I would call my config and a vanquish pretty much the same setup just because the vanquish has a 1060 in it.

Let just separate and clarify.

1. Yes I agree that the price jump is a bit unwarranted for that extent but I rather pay the extra then go with the headache of no name parts if I had to pick one or the other. To each his own but my experience has shown me that even with ram if you cheap out and not go with the right brand model you can run into headaches and I can't think of anything that has little difference between them than ram, so if you can see it there then the rest is easy to figure out. Also some companies bin their memory and some don't. We could argue that DS uses ok ram but at the end as I said for me it has to be something I know and can checkout before purchase/use.

2. Just because there is a price premium here in DS, it does not change the fact that certain parts are just a better choice than others due to reliability or warranty or quality or performance.

Again I agree the price difference in the two builds are higher then expected, no argument there, but I config/build pcs as if I was doing it for myself and my loved ones and I would not do a vanquish type of a build for myself or my loved ones, you want me to use a part, you need to tell me exact brand/model so I can check it out and see what kind of a failure rate / performance I'm dealing with.

Needless to say I think we both agree my config without the so much extra premium is the best choice. What we both agree on is the the premium is a bit high but where we disagree is that if I had to pick I would pay the extra and go with names I know and you are saying you would not, you would go with the vanquish. Unless I'm misunderstanding something.

to each his own.

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 12:20am

I agree with the price premium no argument there but as I said at the end I want to know exactly what ram I'm getting, which ssd is it etc, so that I can check the failure rate so I know what I'm getting into, the vanquish line for is more like closing your eyes and jumping and hoping that all with go well and end well. And with a 1 year part warranty from DS there is not much to fall back on either.


Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 1:04am

My build has nothing to do with a power user. What does failure rate and warranty have to do with being a power user? the only difference between what db and I are recommending is failure rate and warranty.

My config is based on track record of the parts I chose and their reliability based on that track record. I can't do the same thing with parts that I have no clue what they are. for example the 1tb wd black edition, me, db, bp, everyone tells others to get that drive because of its proven track record, for me the same goes for other parts.

I'm not saying vanquish is a bad system or anything like that, I'm just saying whenever budget allows, its smart to chose parts based on their track record instead of jumping blind and hoping things will be fine, specially when you have a 1 year part warranty, if all the parts had a 3 to 5 year part warranty from DS so the user can just send pc or just the part back and deal with DS instead of a 21 day rma from manufacturer, then we would not be having this discussion and I would be ok with the parts in vanquish since if something went wrong its way faster to get a replacement from DS then it is to rma thru manufacturer.

to each his own

If BreezyOne does not care what parts he is getting then we will config him a vanquish no problem. and the end we are here to help him get what he is comfortable with   

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 4:25am

Like I said if its not we will go vanquish but lets let him know the info as we have and then let him decide.

Thanks for the info and the links.  For me gaming (at least the few I've played) is for fun.  I didnt realize it was so serious and technical.  I'm sure going to enjoy learning this stuff. 

Originally posted by DST4ME I gave you what you need, my builds are geared around giving you the max performance for your money without wasting any of your money. those setting make the game look a lot better Have a look here for witcher 3 settings, here you can compare the difference between certain settings off and on. aa = Anti-Aliasing Mode click here to learn more af = Anisotropic Filtering click here to learn more SSAO = Screen Space Ambient Occlusion click here to learn more You should have all the settings covered between those 4 links.

i just wrote a novel and then deleted it because it's just more of the same.  the bottom line is this:  this customer really seems to me the kind of buyer who can greatly benefit from the aggressively priced, relatively high performance>price ratio that the Vanquish line offers.  more specifically, the Vanquish, level 2 with some modifications in the configurator (8 GB more ram, brand name ssd&hdd changes, an I5-6600k, an EVGA GTX 1060) .  here is my final build recommendation:

System Configuration:Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm VANQUISH 5
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/GIGABYTE (Intel Z170 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 600W EVGA/Corsair
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Internal)
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 GeForce GTX 1060 6GB (EVGA ACX 2.0) (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: High Performance Cooler with Large Fan and Copper Pipes
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System (Multiple color options and lighting effects)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
OS Boost: - 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
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)

$1,321.00

all Asus and Gigabyte mobos are 3 years limited warranty from what i'm aware of.  as for the ram, your build had generic DS ram in it as well, so not really getting the distinction.  but from the last i heard DS was using ADATA ram (unknown which models) for their generic builds.   they say they're using Corsair/EVGA psu for their generic 600W unit in the Vanquish, not sure which models, but they should carry 5 and 6 year warranties if i'm not mistaken. 

as for the cooler, i'm not a big fan of the Zalman unit, but it is sufficient/capable of handling the cooling duties.  or he could just buy a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ at roughly the same price ($29), with performance only slightly lower than the Noctua and install it himself.  however, i'm not going to recommend someone spend hundreds more just to get the Noctua.  

Problem here are two folds.

1. the noctua gives us better oc thus the cpu is faster if you want to disagree please show me the benches, otherwise its here say.

2. you keep acting as if we are configuring the pc for you, we are not, the user is not gonna put any cpu cooler on this pc, I'm not sure how much more clear he can make the fact that he is very new and not interested it messing with the parts.

As I mentioned I will pay $280 for better parts/warranty or performance. in this case it would be performance. IF I have the money why wouldn't I want a faster cpu and oc?

Now again don't get me wrong I agree the price difference is a bit high, but again I rather get the extra perfomrance but more importantly we have gone back and forth on this about what you like and what I like, what I'm waiting on and we should be waiting on is what BreezyOne likes and is willing to do.


Otherwise why don't we just tell him to order it without the cooler nad etc and then he can buy and install all of those himself if we really want to save him money.

So again I agree on the price being high on the apollo vs vanquish, no argument there, so I'm not disagreeing with you on that at all.

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 7:40pm

When you asking a person who has no idea what aa is to install his own cooler, then you are building a pc for somebody who knows how to do that then you are advising as if its you the pc is for and not somebody who has no idea what is what.

you did show him a pc for $1400, which is around the same price as the competitor he listed, whether it was vastly better we don't know since we don't all the parts like the cpu of the other build. So it can't be a fact till we know all the facts.

you have your recommendation and I have mine, to each his own as I said before lets see what he likes.

db188 I want you to know I respect your a lot and I completely understand your argument and agree with the part where apollo has overhead that is higher than it should be, all I'm saying is that I'm not a hypocrite (not saying you are either), thus I can't advise a build to somebody that I would not get myself if I was in the other person's shoes. IN this case all I'm saying is that if the person has the budget I would go my config apollo, but if budget is an issue then I would go vanquish, but only if budget forced me. It seems this is were we disagree, and that is fine, perhaps you are ok with going vanquish if budget was not an issue and you could go apollo, all I'm saying is that I'm not and I would feel like a hypocrite telling somebody to do something I would never do myself unless budget was an issue, then its perfectly fine cause that is what I would do to if I had no knowledge of pcs.

I think at the end here if we don't agree, then we need to agree to disagree and let th op decide.

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 10:26pm

I agree with the fact that there should be a cooler like cm or something a little better performance. I also wish they would say what mobo is being used but I take a better cooler over that if I had to pick.

@Breezy, my advise is if you have the budget go with my build, if you are tight on the budget and are only interested in a pc that is great in gaming and not so much cpu speed and oc then go with db's build, that is my opinion, you make up your mind.

As db said if you have questions for either of us let us know.

Edited by DST4ME - 12 Aug 2016 at 10:04pm

Originally posted by ShadowXOR Lame that they censor competitors names here...they should be confident in their product and not worried about comparisons.

I think its a courtesy they all decided to extend to each other.

Originally posted by BreezyOne I'm still going over the options that you guys have given, and trying to come up with the best one for me.  I am restricted by budget, but not so much that I cant go a little higher than the $1400 I listed for the cp unit.  That system included the keyboard and mouse for $1143, and I added monitor and hdmi cables.  One issue is that with this new DS system those things aren't included in the price.  I'll probably need to get a monitor, and possibly a keyboard and mouse as well.  My current monitor is a 19' 1280X1024 60hz purchased in 2009 which I would be fine keeping, but am not sure it would work with the new system. Questions: 1. Will my current monitor work with the new system?it'll work, but i'd advise a new 1080p monitor in the 120-144Hz range to take advantage of all that new hardware you spent money on 2. Is a gpu upgrade as easy to do as a ram upgrade?it's very easy-just plug the required number of power cables into the psu, insert the gpu into the pcie slot, plug in the power cables to the gpu, tighten the screws in the expansion slot bracket and dl/install the latest gpu drivers.   3. Are the systems that both DST4ME and db188 suggested good for gaming, and the typical home user stuff like surfing the internet, email, word & excel documents, storing photos, watching youtube videos, etc?i might be biased but i think my advice is prophetic 4. Why is the air cooler recommended over the liquid cooler in both the Vanquish and Apollo systems?you can always get a Vanquish level 4, which comes with a 120mm AIO LC and then config it like a level 2 or 3 for a moderate increase in price if you prefer a LC option over air for the cpu.  as to why it's recommended, i can only speculate, but the Zalman air cooler is definitely weaker compared to the LC option i spoke about already.  I'm looking at maybe going with either a Vanquish lvl 2 or 3, or Apollo lvl 1. Do I need to place my config in the cart in order to be able to post it here?or have it emailed to yourself and then post it.