$4,000 Bolt 2 Build - Concerns Before Purchasing..

Hi everyone,
So here's what up...

Budget:
$4,100(CAD) or 3714.10(USD) current rates with standard delivery

Expectations:
I need stable and long lasting performance.
Needs to fit in a carry-on suitcase/bag:
23 cm x 40 cm x 55 cm (9 in x 15.5 in x 21.5 in) [DxWxH]
Capable of fitting*: Quadro K6000, Titan Z, or R9 295x2
*Planning on changing the card in 2 years or so.


Usage:
Alias Design, Photoshop, Games, Premiere Pro, Cubase, YouTube

Special Needs:
Good durability and OK portability


Saved Ticket #: 955550

BOLT 2 BUILD
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5GHz Stage 2: Overclock CPU
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VI Impact
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2400MHz Corsair Vengeance Pro
Power Supply: 700W Digital Storm Bolt 2 Edition
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer
Storage 1: 1x SSD 256GB Samsung 840 Pro
Storage 2: 1x HDD TB Seagate
Graphics Card: Titan Black 6GB (Couldn't find OC option...)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Cooling: 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler + Airflow Control
Lighting: Front Panel + Internal Chassis (RGB LED Lights)
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit Edition
Warranty: 3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Repalcement
Free Extras: NVIDIA Bundle - "Daylight" Download Code
             + Airflow Control
Build Price: $3,641(USD) [$125 Discount Included]
Delivery: 10-15 Business Day Shipping|$72.42(USD) Canada Standard
Final Price: $3,713.42(USD) or $4,099.24(CAD)

So here's my situation in detail...
------------------ I am officially sticking to the Bolt 2 but not without a few concerns:

Ever year, I spend 5 months in Canada (home), 5 months in the UK, and 2 months in America. I will order the Bolt 1st of September but because I'm flying to the UK, 4th of October, I will need it delivered by 30th of September to Toronto. So, from the second I click the "SUBMIT ORDER" button to the second it arrives on my door step, will that be enough time?

How can I apply the warranty to all 3 countries?

Will the 3 cards I mentioned fit and perform stably with 700W?

I'll be rendering 3d models in VRED quite frequently. So, how loud and hot(ºC) is the Bolt 2 at full load? How many decibels?

I'm currently carrying 3TB. I have a full 3TB external drive and another 2.5TB but it will fill up fast. I originally wanted this build to have 2x SSD 256GB Samsung 840 Pro and 2x 4TB Western Digital Black. If I want to purchase those cards at a later date, do I buy from here or somewhere else? What if I were in the UK?

While my other choices had the option to OC their Titan Blacks, I couldn't find the option on this site. Is it still possible to order a superclocked Titan Black? And I'm not sure if it's obvious but I want THE fastest Bolt 2 build I can get. Primarily for modeling but games as well.

Sorry for this long post but I just want to make sure of everything before purchase. I'll appreciate any input I can get it.

Cheers.

[EDIT - Competitor names removed - Alex]

Edited by Alex - 28 Apr 2014 at 10:23am

Thanks for the reply,

I'm currently saving up for the Bolt 2 and I've calculated if everything goes as planned, I'll have the full amount on the 29th of August. So, that's as early as I can order it. Would it be possible to put those on parts on reserve few weeks before my order date just to make sure that they'll be in stock?



   

Unfortunately, we can't reserve any parts. We usually have tons of stock on hand but it's those odd-case scenarios where a GPU might be out of stock for 2-4 days delaying your build. Highly unlikely, however.

And besides the Titan Z, will there be any new parts expected for the Bolt 2?

Intel's next generation desktop, Broadwell CPUs are unlikely to ship until at least the 4th quarter. Intel is expected to release the extreme Haswell-E CPUs in the second half of this year.

As far as GPUs, your guess is as good as anyone else. Though, Nvidia did just release the GTX 750 Ti with a Maxwell GPU. When they will offer higher end parts with Maxwell GPUs isn't clear. But, with EVGA talking about a Titan Z, I am thinking it maybe a while.

Edited by danjw1 - 26 Apr 2014 at 2:10pm

Originally posted by bprat22 If Titan Z is a 2.5 slot wide card, it probably won't fit in the Bolt anyways.

It will fit

Alright, I'll be waiting for Alex's reply regarding my warranty situation. I'm guessing though if the Bolt 2 will get new parts before Sept.1st, it may go over my $4100(CAD) budget. Only time will tell though but good to hear that the Titan Z will fit. How about the Quadro K6000?

Originally posted by Praszewski Alright, I'll be waiting for Alex's reply regarding my warranty situation. I'm guessing though if the Bolt 2 will get new parts before Sept.1st, it may go over my $4100(CAD) budget. Only time will tell though but good to hear that the Titan Z will fit. How about the Quadro K6000?

]

The K6000 will definitely fit.

Also, I just read through the "Digital Storm Bolt II - CES 2014" entirely and wondering, what do the 7 stages mean? When I order a Bolt 2, will it go through these stages before leaving the factory? If so, does this mean I have to add another week to the 10-15 business days it will take to arrive in Toronto?

Yes.  The build stages average about 10-15 days, starting with payment processing, parts assembly, building and testing.   The Vanquish pre-built are the exceptions and ship in 72 hours or so. 

 

Great minds think alike ...and at the same time.  

Originally posted by Praszewski Cool, I'll send an email to Alex then and good to know 'bout the K6000. I'm now all set on this configuration as it's dead on my budget. However, I'd really like to see more Bolt 2 reviews as there are so few. It's great that I can ask as many questions as I can about the PC here but I'd like to see some benchmark numbers especially with a Titan Black configuration. I've seen numerous CES videos on the Bolt 2 as well as Rick Malambri's YouTube review on it but all had the reviewers just talking bout the PC without a chart or anything. Also, just a day or 2 ago, PC Magazine reviewed the latest version of --------------. Just search, "-----------------" and it's the first result. It's these kind of reviews that the Bolt 2 should be getting more of. If they'd get their hands on the Bolt 2 with the same specs, I'll bet anything it'll replace the -------------- for highest rated PC. EDIT - Competitor removed - Alex

We haven't sent any Bolt II units out for many reviews yet. But, we are doing that now. Stay tuned, it's going to dominate.

Originally posted by Nav Originally posted by bprat22 If Titan Z is a 2.5 slot wide card, it probably won't fit in the Bolt anyways. It will fit

Isn't the Titan Z a decent amount longer than your stand Titan though? Will it be too long to fit. I seem to remember you saying the R9 295x2 (or whatever the number is) wouldn't fit... though that could be due to the cooling solution attached.

Originally posted by Meller Originally posted by Nav Originally posted by bprat22 If Titan Z is a 2.5 slot wide card, it probably won't fit in the Bolt anyways. It will fit Isn't the Titan Z a decent amount longer than your stand Titan though? Will it be too long to fit. I seem to remember you saying the R9 295x2 (or whatever the number is) wouldn't fit... though that could be due to the cooling solution attached.

The Bolt II fits the TITAN Z with no issue. It also powers it fine as well with our 700W option.

Originally posted by Corvosin I am picking up a Bolt 2 soon. Have a few things to ask as well. From what I''ve read the GTX 800 series will be released in the near future. That and the new Intel CPU's are making me want to wait a little longer. How soon do you thing these new processors will be released?

2nd Half for sure...I would guess August. Which is a ways out...and they will be expensive on the first run.

There has been speculation that 14nm has hit some bumps in the road, which could mean a delay on Iris...but this fellow specifically thinks it hasn't.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/2091473-intel-14-nanometer-production-looks-like-a-go

I question his logic though based on the volumes on that list. Shipping 50 units at a time tells me the guys in India don't need much, or few are available. [I've still got 5 Pentium II's that were just lying around work from the launch back in 1997] One wafer holds around 250-350 chips (with yields typically improving over the life of the processors line). They can move hundreds of thousands of them in a year. So, if they could move only 10 in a day, they'd have thousands to play with.

Mostly FedEx from the postings, but location could change that.  Mine was FedEx to the East Coast.  No issues, arrived in perfect form. 

I will be ordering mine in a week or two. Just waiting for the ROG Swift 1440p G-Sync monitor. A overclocked 780 Ti should from what I've seen and read get my around 60-70 FPS. Once the 900 series is available I can upgrade. I can always sell it as well.

What I don't understand is the performance fluxuations. Digital Storm's YouTube channel states the GTX 780 Ti only gets 50fps at 1440p. Yet others get 70-80fps. Why is this?

Digital Storm's build for the benchmark is a 4930 or 60x and they get 50fps in BF4 at 1440p. While a few with a i7 4770k at 4.5Ghz and a GTX 780 Ti achieve much higher frame rates at 1440p. My build is basically everything maxed out. The advanced CPU boost, GPU boost, GTX 780 Ti, Intel i7 4770k, VI Extreme motherboard, SSD and HDD hybrid etc. All the best parts basically. I'm wondering if I'll get the frame rates I've seen with the same GPU and CPU or what DS got.