A Couple of Pre Order Update Questions..

ok, i'm back from vaca and ready to order my pc.....my build is built for storage and speed for raw image and video manipulation, not gaming. i've run the configuration again, and again the price has gone up. there are a couple of new 'apples to oranges' changes that are making the difference and i have a couple of questions on the build...detailed below. thanks in advance, hopefully will order in the next couple of days.

1. is there any reason to get the i7 950 vs 930? i know the price difference is only $11, but if there's no discernible difference i'd rather keep the change since my build is a tad over my budget as it is.
2. did ds upgrade the base mobo for the haf 922 systems? the current baseline mobo is this:

  EVGA X58 SLI 3 Edition (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) (Model: 131-GT-E767)

in my old build it was the evga x58 micro....i presume the new one is more expensive, and if there are performance or upgrade reasons to go with it then i'm happy to spend the extra.
3. seems like everyone prefers the 470 to the 5850 for video, just want to confirm this is still the view.
4. is it safe to assume ds is not having a labor day promotion of any kind?

any other comments are as always appreciated. i'm looking forward to coming down to ds to pick up my machine soon.

Ticket Number: 437481

Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,105.00

 

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=437481

 

Specifications:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish

Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)

Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI 3 Edition (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) (Model: 131-GT-E767) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series  (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended) Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) (NOTE: Disables 2 Front USB Ports) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (80GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks

Enhancements: - No Thanks

Chassis Mods: - No Thanks

Noise Reduction: - No Thanks

Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - 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 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks

Office: - No Thanks

Benchmarking: - No Thanks

Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card

Display: - No Thanks

Surge Shield: - No Thanks

Speakers: - No Thanks

Keyboard: - No Thanks

Mouse: - No Thanks

External Storage: - No Thanks

Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed

Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Edited by cohenfive - 01 Sep 2010 at 1:16pm

mostly for digital image and some video storage/manipulation, hence the ssd and big hdd space. i've been thinking whether i really need 2 tb of storage, but i'm planning on keeping this pc for 4 yrs or so and would prefer to buy the capacity i might need since hd storage is so cheap these days anyway. as an example, i went to africa a couple of years ago and took more than 3000 images. back then i was shooting jpeg, but now i'm shooting raw and each image is about 12mb. so on a trip like that i'll use 35-50 gb of data just on the originals. you add in a processed version, probably a jpeg version for printing, maybe a smaller version for sharing, and that one trip might use up close to 100gb of storage in the extreme....if i start storing movies and/or doing some hd video it could really add up over the years i plan on keeping this pc.


Edited by cohenfive - 01 Sep 2010 at 1:53pm

Would using a NVIDIA tesla gpu be more use than a gaming video card if you are going to be manipulating?

not if hes doing it as a hobby, a 4gz i7 can handle a workload like that but if he goes for a workstation he wont be able to play games on it

last question--does the new base mobo offer any performance improvements over the micro that i originally configured (which has been discontinued) or is it just a more expensive baseline option?

hey the labor day sale was just posted, extended warranty as you predicted..wow you are good!

just in time for me to order...



Edited by cohenfive - 01 Sep 2010 at 3:24pm

Originally posted by cohenfive last question--does the new base mobo offer any performance improvements over the micro that i originally configured (which has been discontinued) or is it just a more expensive baseline option?

No performance improvements per se, though it does have USB 3.0 now and better PCIe lane placement. Luckily it's almost the same price the LE was.

hey the labor day sale was just posted, extended warranty as you predicted..wow you are good! just in time for me to order...

Success!

i just ordered my pc this morning, yippee!!

ended up with the above config. this has been a fantastic process so far and i'm really looking forward to coming down to get the machine in a couple of weeks. i ended up spending a bit more than i wanted to but ended up with a pc that i think will more than serve my needs for years to come. for me the big selling points have been the great support i've seen both from the company as well as the online community of owners right here on the site. also, as a bay area resident the fact that ds is local to me is also a big plus in terms of support if i have problems as well as just being able to support a local business.

thanks again for all the help over the past couple of months. it has been a really fun learning curve so far. i'll keep things posted as they move along.

the bummer is going to be migrating from my 4 1/2 year old dell when the ds pc arrives...i hate that process, it's like moving to a new house.....


Edited by cohenfive - 02 Sep 2010 at 9:53am

Congrats

i don't think so as the cost of my build has increased and the only difference is the mobo which has gone from micro to the new one...i guess things like ram, case or the psu could have increased as well, but all the higher cost options are the same price as they were several weeks ago and the overall build cost is up by about 2-2.5%....so i think the mobo is higher. i'm fine with that as it sounds like a teensy, weensy bit better board, but it comes at a higher price in my build. 

Well on evga.com they are both $199.

lol being a "butt" by charging more for new and popular items

i agree and disagree, since i took the jump and built on my own, i find it really hard to justify a lot of things in the retail/botique world pricewise, even retail prices are tough to swallow withe the constant onslaught of sale after sale on sites like newegg and tiger, this is a great time to build a system

Prices for new items generally are always a little more expensive due to supply and demand. There aren't enough new boards in the market yet. If the difference does matter to you, the price should update within a month or two down the road.

Edited by Alex - 03 Sep 2010 at 6:24pm

Id, sort of like to do that too Cohenfive, unfortunately a 3000 mile plane trip is a bit hard to justify  ;)   Why is everyone interesting located on the west coast?  Taxes and Business costs are through the roof compared to many east coast options.

Hey Alex, you guys thinking about opening a second branch on this side of the country?? 


Edited by MagiK - 14 Sep 2010 at 11:16am

Umm I was talking about DSO  

OK, C5 ya got me..I yearn for you 


Edited by MagiK - 14 Sep 2010 at 5:18pm

one question...i wanted to start posting pix of the unpack leading to a review...but i am not permitted to post to the review forum...anyone have a clue why not?

gotcha, hopefully will start on the migration plan tomorrow. likely will be several days before the new machine is up and running. i want to have everything i need to load up ready to go first.

one dumb question--other than removing the super special foam packaging that was inside the case, is there anything i need to do before turning the pc on for good? thanks