Looking for a review on the system I built.

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm HailStorm (Black OPS Edition)
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 960 3.2GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: !SALE: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 2000MHz GTX-8 Digital Storm Certified Extreme Performance (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested
Power Supply: 1200W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: SSDSA2MH160G2R5)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Seagate/Hitachi/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVDąR/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Dual SLI/CrossFire Video Cards
H20 Tube Color:Green Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Green)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: FREE: 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 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: FREE: Please include a free copy of a hot-selling game
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 (Xtra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

Thought that would make it easier. oh i'm not sure what type of monitor yet...but I want something bigger than my current 19", like a 24" monitor maybe and i want to run max settings and get super high fps. Hard core gaming, plans to play new dx 11 games and anything that will come out for a few years easy.

whast your resolution
whats your budget
whats your use

cretae is right on all accounts. once we know mroe we can design a kick butt rig for you. keep in mind that that the 480 creates huge amount of heat so choosing sli with a gpu lc was a wise move but i would not still oc the gpu... we are only talking 5%-7% which is only a few fps.


Edited by Raif - 08 May 2010 at 6:05pm

for CPU get the 920, the exact same chip as the 960, just overclocked higher from the factory.

What kind of upkeep is required for water cooling? With air, all you have to do is get the dust out every now and then...Do I have to mess with the water, ect? is it easy for someone who has no experience?

LC maintenance:

check to make sure it is flowing properly every once and a while
check levels every once and while
refill reservoirs as needed
flush entire system every 3 years.
plus you still have to do all the air maintenance

from what i hear maintenance is very easy. and you can ask ds what fluid they use so u can buy a bottle ur self or have a extra one shipped with the computer. don't worry LC fluids are non conductive.

big resolutions require deep pockets, a ips panel is expensive (better picture quality then tn) a sure give away to a ips panel is identical ht/vrt viewing angels 170+. then you need the gpus to power it... now depends on the frame rate you want depends on how many you need. dell has a great line of montors (ips) u2410 (1920 x 1200)is a perfect size for most people depending on viewing distance. you really design a computer around a monitor not the other way around. this monitor will do very well with 2x 480 and can run almost every game near 60 fps at max settings

now for the oc on the gpus depends on who you talk too. people liek justin who avid benchmarkers and overclockers say go for it, while others like dst4me say don't. oc increases heat production and lowers lifespan. on a cpu a oc will last u 7 years on a gpu i do not know. now one thing you have to consider already is that the 480's create large amounts of heat and when u put em in sli... it gets way hotter so i wouldn't recommend a gpu overclock. if you were on a amd gpu i would say go for it since they don't make a lot of heat.


Edited by Raif - 08 May 2010 at 9:41pm

the build you posted had the GPU's liquid cooled..

air cooled GTX 480's will be fine, should last a long time.. the classified motherboard will put them apart a ways so they will run a tad cooler... no liquid cooling then prolly don't do the overclock on them. if you do, that is what the warranty is for.

Thanks for the reply. I can see you did a couple changes obviously.

1. Do you think SSD are not worth the $?
2. Why change to 1 480x, will 2 not give a big enough bonus?
3. Is it not worth upping the OC speed on the cpu? I figure if LC cool it, it should be able to handle quite a bit, but I don't know if it's the worth the $200.
4. Why 7 professional?

Definitely SSD.The 160 Intel is best here.

On stage overclock, can I expect the highest number *example 3.9?

Well I guess I don't get with the same cooling how you can get a free upgrade to 3.4-3.9 and if u pay more $ you get up to 4+...the chips the same...I just don't understand it...When they overclock 4+ are they putting any additional hardware in it?

the Intel 920 will overclock so easily, that you can overclock one to a mild 3.5Ghz, and not have to do anything but raise the B clock.  but when you start getting up o 4.0Ghz and higher it takes more time to get a stable overclock, and that is what you are paying for,  their time to get that high overclock. I have overclocked a few 920's and they all would top out around 4.3Ghz-4.7 Ghz with complete stability.. but to get them that high, it takes a lot of time.

How long does it take a computer to get to your house once you order it?
I am probably going to be moving in like 5 weeks...so can I order it and be assured it will get here?

Honestly it all depends if you got a custom system or not, and even if its not, if they have all the parts for your pc, if they have it all, normally they knock them out quick, 5 to 10 business days, I have seen systems get done in 5 days before, but if you ask me, stop being on worked up about when you will get the pc, custom places like this, you want them to take their time, and if something needs to take a bit longer, you will be angry and worked up and etc, in short just try to relax and sit back, take how ever long it takes to build the pc to get ready for it, get all the software and drivers and etc ready and in order, etc.

that you are not gonna know till it hits stage 7, till then we are all just assuming how long it will take and there is a great chance that we are wrong.

once you find the delivery date after stage 7, then you should put that day aside and be home to receive it, or at least have somebody home to receive it.

Oh, sorry, , when you said "not being in my house" I took that as being local.

well 4 to 5 weeks, I think is too long and it will be there before you, but maybe you can ask DS to hold it and ship it 5 days before you get home?

Yeah I might have to do it if there any snags. I live about 5 hours away so i'm guessing shorter shipping :D