Help with getting my first Digital Storm PC

Hi Shullcrusher588..... Welcome to the forums.

There's a ton of ways to go, as you have seen. DS offers a lot of options.   

First...what is the monitor/s you'll be using?   The resolution is the determining factor in what graphics power you need.   If its a single 1920x1080 than a single gtx 970 or 980 will do it.

The best bang for your buck is the Vanquish level 4 for under $1400. Its overclocked processor, fast SSD drive,and gtx 970 might do it.

If another case like the Apollo or Slade is your taste in visuals, then you can customize an Apollo, Slade, etc build, but, it is more expensive.

For gaming and surfing the web, no extensive video editing, multi monitor setups or no higher resolutions like 4k or 1440 than the Vanquish lvl 4 is a great deal.   Custom setups do give you a choice of different cases, sli 2x graphics card and the choice of power supplies, etc.   

Sounds like you just want a gaming rig, no frills, and able to upgrade. That would be the Vanquish.

With your budget you could start with Apollo level 1or 2 and custom pick components.   We can help with that.

Hope this helps.   

Here's a custom Apollo build, the Apollo case being the Corsair 760T in case you want to Google it.

Config # 1207924             Cost $ 2242

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.50 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Military-Grade TUF Components)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (256GB Samsung 850 PRO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
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 970 4GB (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: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - 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 8.1 (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)

The added money over the Vanquish is the better quality parts. 

The Sabertooth motherboard is one of the best and has a 5 year warranty, vs 3 years for most others. 

The added ram, 8gb to 16gb, is more for down the road, as 8gb is still good for now.

The EVGA 750 watt SuperNova psu is top of the line, with more efficiency and has a 10 year warranty over the others 3 years.  The added warranty for the parts usually means the manufacturer has built it with better components and so the longer warranty.

Also changed the SSD to the Pro,.  A faster drive with longer warranty. 

Changed the Seagate HDD to the  Western Digital Black, also for added dependability and warranty.

The larger 240mm rad, in place of the air cooler in Vanquish, is a sealed liquid cooled unit.  More airflow and cooling.  But the air cooler in Vanquish would still get the job done.

I added some internal lighting to match the front LED fans.  Nothing wrong with a little eyes candy. 

Your budget does allow for the better parts with the Apollo build.   That's the difference in the money plus it being custom .  

Both this and the Vanquish lvl 4 will however give you about the same gaming performance.  You can always add another gtx 970 in sli but for your single 1080p, really not needed. 

Hope this helps out. 




Edited by bprat22 - 14 May 2015 at 9:08am

The i7 has what they call hyper threading, which helps a lot with certain apps or if you did a lot of multi tasking.   For gaming, the i5 is just fine and cheaper.

The gtx 980 is about 10-15% faster.  Bang for the buck is the gtx 970.  The 980 is faster and if you have the budget then can't go wrong. 

Here's a link to roughly compare the two, without comparing overclocking....

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1351

Hey Skullcrusher... please keep in mind tax (if you're in California) and Shipping.

These two charges can be a budget breaker.