Black Friday Deals?Post Date: 2015-11-25 |
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Hapop 
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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 Topic: Black Friday Deals?Posted: 25 Nov 2015 at 5:05pm |
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Long story medium: I bought my first DS rig (the Ode!) back in January 2012 - everything worked flawlessly from the get-go and its been smooth sailing for the past 4 or so years. Fast forward to today and everything except the graphics card is still working pretty well. I was about to just replace the graphics card and call it a day, but now I'm considering giving my current rig to my dad, let him get a new graphics card if he wants, and I can go ahead and hunt for my next DS rig!
Sooooo I've been kinda stalking these forums all month for the latest deals for November/Black Friday/Holiday season - - - any status on it? Oh, and I'm leaning towards a more compact, slimmer design this time around like the Bolt or something 
Thanks -Hapop |
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DS Veteran 
Joined: 28 Oct 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1674 |
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Posted: 25 Nov 2015 at 11:57pm |
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Yeah, Alex confirmed there will be a Black Friday deal in another thread up here. Last year they added an additional year of warranty to the special, as well as doubled the discount for all of the price points. We don't know if it will be the same this year, though.
What's your monitor and what programs/tasks will this computer be used for? We can help you figure out what to build before Friday when you can pull the trigger with the deal they offer. |
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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 2:03am |
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My current monitor is the Samsung SyncMaster S24B300 and I want this new rig to carry me through the next 5 or so years of "next gen" computer gaming. I've been purposely holding out on titles like Fallout 4 and Battlefront to experience with a new rig (and for bug fixes, mods, etc).
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db188
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Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 2:48am |
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that's a pretty old monitor and low end to boot with limited connectivity (no DP) and pretty slow (for TN panels) response time (5ms)/refresh rate (60Hz). i'd seriously recommend upgrading your monitor first/at the same time. spending over $2k for a gaming rig to run on a (no offense) low-end budget monitor is self-defeating imo, considering your stated goals.
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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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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 4:30am |
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Haha yes, my monitor is pretty much as old as my current rig, so I'll definitely be looking for a monitor upgrade as well!
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Alex
Admin Group 
Digital Storm Supervisor 
Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16314 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 8:51am |
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Black Friday is now live!
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Roykirk
Senior Member 
Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 951 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 10:07am |
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Yup, got my email this morning. If only I could afford or even really need a Banshee right now. It looks so sweet.  |
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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 2:47pm |
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Awesome ~ I'll be heading over to Best Buy later today to check out some gaming monitors. In the meantime, I'm trying to decide between the Bolt 3 and the Eclipse: both have that compact, slim design that I'm seeking this time around. What are the major differences between the two? Any owners of these rigs had similar questions?
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DS Veteran
Joined: 28 Oct 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1674 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 3:18pm |
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The difference between the Bolt 3 and Eclipse is primarily aethetics. The Bolt 3 does, however support water-cooling from DS, which I would recommend if it is in your budget (looks like it will delay the build until January, though). The representative for EK Water Blocks did recently do a build where he took a chassis that has the same internal structure as the Eclipse and managed to cram in a couple radiators in a full custom loop: http://www.overclock.net/t/1575102/sff-build-msi-980-ti-lightning-liquid-cooling-silverstone-ftz01.
I forgot to ask you what your budget is here. The Eclipse is more budget friendly, but if you're preferences are for the Bolt 3, we can try to work it into you budget. |
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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 9:46pm |
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I definitely want water cooling for my rig, so leaning towards the Bolt 3 for sure now, just trying to decide between the "better" and "best" categories.
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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 10:13pm |
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Oh, and as far as budget - trying to keep it in the $2600 - $2800 range. $3k is probably too high for me. What is the difference between the DS custom cooling vs. the default "H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i GTX - 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance)" option?
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db188
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Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 11:25pm |
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it's an older model with a little more noise and a little less performance. the one major drawback is the stock fans orientation dump heat back into the case. it'll cool as well as a D14 air cooler if you run it on the performance setting; however, it's noticeably louder than the D14 at this setting. my recommendation: use with mild overclocks at most.
Edited by db188 - 26 Nov 2015 at 11:29pm |
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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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db188
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Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2015 at 11:49pm |
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is this a gaming pc?
if so, a few recommendations (for a 980ti build Bolt 3): 1) drop the cpu down to the I5-6600k-you save money and still retain oc'ability 2) upgrade the memory to the LPX for the ability to set XMP. this better memory will assist in stability 3) upgrade case fans to the SP120's for overall better system cooling. it's tight in there and these fans are far better at moving heat through stuff. 4) now the really big decision: you can either go for custom level cooling with cpu+vid card cooling or upgrade your storage. in either case dump the mechanical hard drive. if you opt for the cooling you'll be stuck with a single 256GB capacity ssd. tbh, i'd be more comfortable upgrading the storage to 1TB and either going with the Samsung Pro for the better warranty or stick with the Evo. if you can stretch your budget do both. as it is, this config'd build is right at $2800. Edited by db188 - 26 Nov 2015 at 11:52pm |
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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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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 12:20am |
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Thanks db188 for your fast input on this! I made about half of the modifications you suggested. Here's what I have at the moment:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Pre-built Digital Storm Bolt 3 Exterior Finish: Black Brushed Aluminum Hairline Finish Side Window: Edge to Edge Premium Acrylic Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Mini-ITX) (Up to 1x PCI-E Device) System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance) Power Supply: 600W SilverStone SX600-G (Gold Plus Rated) (Supports up to GTX TITAN X) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO) Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate) 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) 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: High Static Pressure - Corsair Air Series SP120 Fans (2x 120mm) Internal Lighting: Software Controlled Internal + Front Panel RGB LED Lighting (Requires Airflow Control Upgrade) Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software 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) Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory 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 NVIDIA SHIELD: - 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 chose not to increase the storage b/c I already have 3 external 1TB storages that I'm rotating between, and I stuck with the H100 cooling b/c having to wait till January for the custom cooling is making me cringe. The total is looking like around $2500, but I take shipping into consideration as well, and unfortunately I'm from Hawaii, so the last rig from DS cost me about $260 in shipping. Let me know if there's any details I missed before I checkout :) |
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Hapop
Newbie
Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 12:28am |
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Also, looking to pick this monitor up as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313&ignorebbr=1 |
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DS Veteran
Joined: 28 Oct 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1674 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 12:54am |
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For the cooling in the Bolt:
The Corsair H100i GTX is an All-in-One (AIO) cooler, meaning it is a closed-loop cooler that cannot be upgraded, but also needs no maintenance. This will only cool the CPU. It has been getting pretty good reviews, so it is quite capable at cooling an overclocked processor. The "Custom Digital Storm" cooler is a Swiftech H220-X All-in-One kit. The thing is with this kit is that it uses components that are typically used in a custom loop, and consequently need maintenance from time-to-time. The kit can be expanded to include other components in the cooling loop, which is why you have options for the CPU only and the CPU + GPU. If you are only going to water cool your CPU, I would go with the H100i GTX. If you want to water cool your GPU as well, your only choice is the Swiftech. Water cooling keeps the temperature of your components down, so they will not throttle back performance if they start to get too hot. So, this is an excellent choice if you are doing a long gaming session or doing something that puts your computing components at a high load for a while. I'd say the 970 and 980 Ti cards are the best value for what you get. If you are gaming at 1080p, the 970 is the obvious choice. If you go to a 1440p monitor or are doing multiple 1080p monitors, you need to decide how much you're willing to forgo with the graphics quality (shift the setting down from maximum to high or medium) to decide between the 970 and 980 Ti. If you're going to do UHD or multiple 1440p monitors, the 980 Ti would be the go-to choice. I'd also lean towards the 980 Ti for high framerate monitors, if you're doing first person shooter games and such. I think all of the memory that DS uses has XMP profiles...I've not seen any memory kits that have 2666 MHz or 2800 MHz speeds that don't. Configuration URL: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1325150 Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Pre-built Digital Storm Bolt 3 Exterior Finish: Black Brushed Aluminum Hairline Finish Trim Accents: Edge to Edge Premium Acrylic Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Mini-ITX) (Up to 1x PCI-E Device) System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series Power Supply: 600W SilverStone SX600-G (Gold Plus Rated) (Supports up to GTX TITAN X) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) (Slim Slot Loading Edition) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 850 EVO) Storage Set 2: - No Thanks 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) Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio HPC Processor: - No Thanks Extreme Cooling: BACKORDERED: Custom Digital Storm (CPU + Graphics Card) (ETA: January 2016) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected Chassis Fans: Standard Black 120mm Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks, Front Panel LED Lighting Only Airflow Control: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.8GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard) Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability 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) If DS is still using the Panasonic UJ-265 slot-load Blu-Ray drive, which is what I have in my Bolt 2, then, according to a Panasonic support person in the UK who I recently conversed with, it will play two- and three-layer UltraHD Blu-Ray disks that will be coming out soon. |
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db188
DS Veteran
Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 4:27pm |
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the generic memory that DS uses don't have extreme memory profiles from what i've been able to research. i guess it just depends on which company they're currently using. YMMV.
that Seagate HDD is meh. if you're sticking with a mechanical at least upgrade to the WD Black. also, there is an additional option for hybrid water cooling other than Swiftech, although it's currently not offered by DS, and that's the new EK system (the "EK Predator" line of expandable, quick disconnect, hybrid pre-filled AIO water cooling). they can special order it for you.  Edited by db188 - 27 Nov 2015 at 4:27pm |
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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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db188
DS Veteran
Joined: 29 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2115 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 4:29pm |
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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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Hapop
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Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 5:05pm |
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That's not out of my range of possibilities - I'll look a bit more on newegg and see |
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Hapop
Newbie
Joined: 02 Nov 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 7:16pm |
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Alright I made the purchase!
System Configuration: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Pre-built Digital Storm Bolt 3 Exterior Finish: Black Brushed Aluminum Hairline Finish Side Window: Edge to Edge Premium Acrylic Processor: Intel Core i7 6700 3.4GHz (Codename Skylake) (Quad Core) (Not Overclockable) Motherboard: ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Mini-ITX) (Up to 1x PCI-E Device) System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance) Power Supply: 600W SilverStone SX600-G (Gold Plus Rated) (Supports up to GTX TITAN X) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) Storage Set 1: - No Thanks Storage Set 2: - No Thanks 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) 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: High Static Pressure - Corsair Air Series SP120 Fans (2x 120mm) Internal Lighting: Software Controlled Internal + Front Panel RGB LED Lighting (Requires Airflow Control Upgrade) Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software 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) Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory 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 NVIDIA SHIELD: - 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) Sub-Total: $2,397.00 Tax (0%): $0.00 S&H: 2nd Day Air $142.76 Grand Total: $2,539.76 I chose not to get the SSD/HDD and just buy those separately from Amazon or something. The monitor I'm leaning towards now is the BenQ XL2720Z 144Hz 1ms 27 inch Gaming Monitor. Thanks everyone for your input ~ now the waiting begins 
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ArkansasWoman777
DS Veteran
Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4314 |
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Posted: 27 Nov 2015 at 8:25pm |
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i think they will contact you as they will need to install the OS on something
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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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