Hello! Ramblings and questions

I'm getting that itch that I just have to scratch. I must get a new computer. It's been 3 and a half years since my last desktop.

I've built 4 myself, bought a Dell (not bad), then bought from KC Computers - computer still going strong, great experience, but sadly they're out of business now :(

So I'm catching back up on the latest tech, looking around at parts or a good custom PC maker. So far Digital Storm looks like the best option. My laziness and lack of patience to deal with any parts hassles probably means I'll buy a custom PC and not build myself. :)

All I really decided so far is that I want an SSD. And of course newer/faster/better :) I'm thinking of an upgraded Crusader-2 (adding SSD, bluray, CPU cooling). Or maybe overkill up to the Ode-3 (I'm really liking the value of the Ode line). Anyway, I'll leave more for the config board when I pick something.

While I ponder my config and prepare (I promised myself I'd clean up/donate/recycle the old stuff in the basement first), I have some general questions, if anyone can help me out:
1. Can I get a disk image of the fresh OS drive? I like having the option of going back to a fresh, configured state without re-installing from scratch so I can mess around.
2. Is the memory configured to 1600mhz, or is that considered overclocking and not included (like the Memory Boost option says)?
3. Is there even an option for a floppy drive? Does anyone use it any more? I think I've used it once in the past 3 years.
4. What kind of cooling is needed for overclocking to stage 2-3?
5. Why is stage 3 overclocking limited to Extreme motherboards, and not Pro or Deluxe?
6. Does DS make HTPC type computers?
7. Out of curiousity, what thermal paste does DS use? I think I saw somewhere Arctic Silver 5.
8. Are there any risks with the large air coolers due to size/weight, especially during shipping?
9. With the large air coolers, do they block any DIMM slots, PCI-E slots, or anything else?
10. Liquid cooling sounds neat, but having liquids around electronics makes me nervous. How reliable are they? How long do they last?
11. Are there any good resources about the integrated graphics Sandy Bridge on a Z68 if I use a separate video card? Can I plug an extra monitor into it too? Can I still use QuickSync? What is Lucid Virtu?

Hmm, that ended up being a lot longer than I expected. Sorry for the long read, if anyone's read this far.

Mike

@mikec,

Thank you for your interest in Digital Storm!

I'll do my best to answer your questions below:

1. Yes, we do offer that option in our configurator. It's called the "Recovery Tools" option in the "Software" section.

2. That is the actual rate of the memory. We currently only offer a fan cooling upgrade for memory. Trying for higher clock rates, and aggressive timings has caused a lot of stability issues, and even if the machine is stable, it only provides a very minor boost in performance.

3. Nope, sorry, we don't offer them anymore.

4. Any of our Stage 2 and up cooling options are fine for light overclocking. For aggressive stuff, you will need to look into a Stage 3 and up cooling option.

5. The Extreme allows us to achieve the high levels of overclock. It has more advanced BIOS options to provide a stable overclock.

6. Not at this time. Perhaps in a year?

7. It depends on what cooling system you go with. We've been big fans of the Noctua thermal paste. Every option will come with good quality thermal paste. The days of using the old, thick, white based paste are long gone.

8. Nope, we place an internal foam mold to prevent shipping damage.

9. Some can, but, if they do, our team will let you know as we build the system.

10. They are reliable. We have had no issues with them, as all of the units are pre-tested. The fluid used in them is also non-conductive, which is a oil based solution.

11. You can use the integrated graphics with Sandy Bridge, but, honestly, even a low-end NVIDIA graphics card is going to beat that stuff. When you factor in CUDA based GPU acceleration, a dedicated graphics card with two DVI/VGA outputs is a hands down win.

I hope this helps!

My pleasure

4. Stage 1 is light, Stage 2 and up are aggressive overclocks.

5. Yes, that is correct.

Yeah you can look at the config to see what the stage differences are, for instance with a stage 1 you will usually get around 3.8 to 4 ghz OC, stage 2 is anywhere from 4.0 to 4.2, and stage 3 is around 4.4 to 4.6.  However, if you are on a P67 with the i7 2600k, the OC's will generally be higher for stage, like 4.0 to 4.4 for stage 1, and 4.5 to 4.8 for stage 2, and 4.9 to 5.2 for stage 3.  So your aggressive OC's which aren't as necessary for gaming imo are what you will need LC for.  While your moderate OC's are fine with air cooling.