Bolt Configuration help

I am new to pc gaming and I have been looking around online for a small gaming pc. My options are the bolt, ------------- so far the bolt seems like the best option out there since I haven't seen any complaints and your getting a reliable machine and customer support. I plan on spending no more than 1,500 and I want to be able to keep using the computer for years without me having to upgrade it too much. I'm deciding on a level 2 bolt that has the i5 and nvidia gtx 660. Could anyone let me know if I should get a better graphics card so I will be able to play games in the next couple of years without any issues or if I should stick with the gtx 660. If anyone does know of a computer that will cost me less and still have great performance please let me know. And please do not be one of those people who goes on forums just to tell you to build it on your own with the same specs for 500 I'm not going to so just don't reply. Thank you!

[EDIT - Competitor Names Removed - Alex]

Edited by Alex - 18 Feb 2013 at 5:42pm

Hi BrownMan...Bolt is an outstanding build if you really require your gaming PC in an extremely small form factor case...     

Here is an Epoch build option matching your $1500 budget in a larger but still compact footprint Corsair 300R case... I used a better WD Black 6 GBPS hard drive & a better optical drive that can read blueray in this build.

This build using a small closed loop zero maintenance liquid cooler differs from the Bolt in that it could allow you a Stage 1 overclock to get more performance from the same i5 3570k processor, give you options to add several more hard drives or extra ram more easily if needed later, or to improve cooling inside the case if necessary using several available extra fan mounts.    I would expect your GTX 660 Ti graphics card might stay a bit cooler in this roomier case, and cooler generally translates into better gaming performance.    You also get a free game download and a free DS t-shirt.     Just wanted to show you a non-Bolt build in another case still considered relatively small to consider...

Ticket # 788484      
705956     Digital Storm Desktop 456045     1     $1,498.00     $1,498.00
705957     PROMOTION: 10% Discount of $166 Applied to Digital Storm Desktop 456045, Original Price $1,664     1           
699473     -- FREE NVIDIA In-Game $150 Free to Play Offer (Hawken, Planetside 2, World of Tanks)     1           
                 Sub-Total:     $1,498.00
                 Shipping:     Rate Calculator
      
» Computer Specification Summary
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Carbide 300R (With Window)
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LX (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Does Not Support SLI)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: ASUS Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) (Model: BC-12B1ST)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
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
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
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 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: FREE NVIDIA Bundle - Assassins Creed III (Digital Download Code for all GeForce GTX 600 Series)
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 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty



Edited by HockeyBuck - 18 Feb 2013 at 6:56pm

   Forbes and many other well meaning press reviewers may not fully understand the endless choices of components & cases available for building a custom gaming PC at Digital Storm, using the configuration tools.    They want a widget to compare with other companies widgets.    They reviewed a fixed configuration pc, and of course there will be features missing in order to arrive at a certain price.    Here you can have a pc built any way you can afford, with whatever motherboard or components you can afford.    If you have a very low budget, then hard choices must be made.    If there's something you are not seeing in the selections, ask DS Sales about what you really want...chances are it can be done and they will advise you on that cost, or figure out a custom config that meets your needs.

To control costs and to offer certain levels of gaming performance for four great price points, DS has certain builds like the Bolt, Ode and Marauder line with mostly fixed component choices.    It's a trade off, so folks with a very limited budget can still buy a great computer using all quality name brand components that can game to the level they can afford to buy, built by an excellent computer builder like DS.    Those components get assembled and stress tested just like all the other more expensive custom builds.    

The excellent Ode line (I have a year old Ode level 3 with 2 x SLI 570's) gets the greatest bang for the customers buck where funds are tight, but you would need to pay a bit more to get a better motherboard like the Asus Z77 Sabertooth that can handle SLI graphics options for you down the road.     So when you are ready...ask DS Sales about the cost of an Ode V2 Level 1 with the better motherboard instead of the V LX.     The Ode 1 would also give you better gaming in a roomier cooler case, with an overclocked CPU and a much better GTX 670 video card.    With DS, you can have them build you whatever set of components you can afford.    

Sure.    I think it's $115 more to swap in a Sabertooth mobo plus any change fee they might charge...but Sabertooth has the best 5 yr mfg warranty...well worth the change.      The GTX 670 is a great card within 5-10% of 680 performance...add a 2nd 670 for 2 x SLI and you trounce a 680 and should stay at high settings in new games for longer, but about every two years new cards come out that will probably perform better.      How high the settings depends on what res monitor you play on and the demands of the individual game...some are extremely GPU demanding titles like Metro and you may need to lower settings a bit to play at the FPS you find best...while BF3 should be at pretty high settings and FPS on a 670 if gaming on a single panel at 1920 x 1080.... Not sure you get Ultra...and who knows about the new titles until the new games come out and are tested & reviewed.   

One thing is certain... You can make your money go for quality name branded components and cases buying a DS rig.    They will be there to help you if any problems crop up, and when it's time to upgrade in a few years you can also do that with DS if you want.
No worries...

Edited by HockeyBuck - 19 Feb 2013 at 11:58pm