Bolt advice

Get the 780 it's Titan-like performance for a lot less and it just crushes everything else.I have heard that Bolt is a pretty quiet system though you might want to check review to be sure. I would definitely go with the Bolt out of those other systems because DS in my opinion has the best customer support out of those companies.

Edited by Keoyi - 11 Jun 2013 at 6:53am

Hello ATXrds and welcome!

I'm just going to add a couple of points to those already shared above.

1. For drivers, you won't have any issues beyond the standard updating from time to time. Digital Storm uses components from manufacturers such as Asus, EVGA, etc. So no worries about searching the bowels of the interweb for some 5th tier company you've never heard of. I've had no problems keeping my drivers for my Digital Storm PC up to date. You will likely have to update them occasionally, but that is just a static issue with PC gaming.

2. If you want to move around a desktop, then look no further than the Bolt. In fact, whats really nice about the Bolt (compared to some competitors models) is that the PSU is inside of the chasis. So all you have to lug around is the Bolt and a power cord, nada mas.

3. By and large game compatibility comes down to the ole' Windows. Sure, some drivers work better than others, and occasionally certain cards just seem to loathe certain games, but in my experience the OS will be the main limitation with older games. That being said, Windows has improved on this A LOT since the Vista days when even Microsoft games threw fits (Massive green blobs in Age of Kings, anyone?). Hardware wise, I think you will be absolutely fine in your time range. I'm playing much older games on my DS rig just fine, and 2.5 years in I am still maxing games at 1920x1200 (and I do mean maxing).

4. You'll likely get more than 40fps, depending on the monitor and game settings. But with a standard resolution (somewhere in the range of 1920x1200ish) you'll have no problems with your 40fps goal, with possible a few minor exceptions that are more due to poorly optimized games rather than your hardware.

5. Go with the 780. Sure the Titan still sits at the tip of the ole' GPU pile, but the 780 is far enough up its proverbial butt that its easy to forget where one ends and the other begins, until you consider the price difference between the two. There are a few instances where the Titan is worth it, but from what I can gather from your post, you don't need that extra little bit of productivity power.

6. Not going to lie, as bprat mentioned, the Bolt was originally a noisy little doo-dad. But no longer, if I am not mistaken the Bolt is on Revision 3. That means Digital Storm actually listened to consumers (Imagine that! ) and fixed things. Now its using a specially designed PSU, I believe one originally intended for server-related functionality, that is apparently super quiet. In fact, Brad McCarty at TNW calls it "whisper quiet". So I wouldn't be too concerned about the noise. Plus, I haven't seen anyone mentioning it here on the forums for some time.

Windows 7 will be around for some time and is still the best option for gamers. If you want Windows 8, wait until 8.1 comes out.

I haven't had the pleasure of diving into a Bolt, but it does look very easy to swap/add drives.  It appears that they stack and all the cabling is right there.   The whole Bolt system looks tight but fairly easy to upgrade. 

I love my bolt and I have a Titan and it was cheaper than $2.5k

The titan while not crazy loud, is not really quiet. When doing normal windows stuff, its very reasonable. When gaming the fan kicks in and its noticeably louder.

I always use headphones so I dont notice it all but those who use speakers might

I'm always impressed by the detail of comments and suggestions everyone provides. Thank you all for making this such a great community for current and new customers!