New build looking for help

Hi Karbine...   I recommend giving the Vanquish level 4 a serious look.  It's the best bang for your buck and will play at 1080p and 1440p with little problem.   The $1599 gives you the gtx 980, an SSD, overclocking, etc.   

If you prefer a build with the latest Skylake cpu/motherboard then the Vanquish will be updated to it in a week or two according to Alex. 

A custom build like the Apollo for example will cost hundreds more for the same performance.  Custom does however give you the option to change power supplies, video card, motherboard, etc if you're willing to spend the extra money .

Hope this helps and good luck.

The present Vanquish level 4 does have an sli motherboard for adding another card if needed.  The 750w psu will handle sli 970/980.  Sli 980ti would be better off with a 850watt or better.

The rest of the components are all easily up gradable.  

They did have the Vanquish 4 lvl 4 with Skylake for a short time until the cpu's became in short supply.   If I recall, that too had an sli mobo. 

The level 3  also has an sli mobo, but the power supply is less along with the SSD.   If no sli is wanted, the level 3 is also a great fit.  The gtx 970 runs games at 1080p with no problem. 

Next best option is the Apollo level 1 with its i7-6700k and the gtx 970.    970 will play at 1080 p with little problem.  

I believe the Vanquish 4 did have the i7-6700k until they pulled it because of supply issues.  Maybe when it comes back it will have the i7 again, but I can't say for sure. 

there is a tradeoff between a hyper-threaded I7 and the I5, and that's a lot more heat generated by the hyper-threading.  a newer generation, high clocked I5 shouldn't be in danger of bottlenecking high end gpu performance.  on the other hand HT does help in certain cpu-bound scenarios in games.  an I5 can get away with lower end cooling, so the overall cost (cpu+cpu cooling) can be lower, while still getting the performance one wants.  i bring this up just for something to consider. 

This is what I was thinking, if there's anything I should change please feel free to let me know.



Configuration Code:     1292992
Configuration URL:     https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1292992
Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z170XP-SLI (Intel Z170 Chipset)
System Memory: 8GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA (750 B1)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate)
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: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
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 (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes)
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 10 Home (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: CM Storm Devastator Bundle (Blue LED Edition) (Gaming Keyboard & Gaming Mouse)
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)

Originally posted by bprat22 Next best option is the Apollo level 1 with its i7-6700k and the gtx 970.    970 will play at 1080 p with little problem.   I believe the Vanquish 4 did have the i7-6700k until they pulled it because of supply issues.  Maybe when it comes back it will have the i7 again, but I can't say for sure.

The VANQUISH 4 (Level 4) had an i7 CPU, 16GB of memory, 250GB SSD, etc...

Congrats.

Originally posted by bprat22 If you prefer a build with the latest Skylake cpu/motherboard then the Vanquish will be updated to it in a week or two according to Alex.

That's what I am waiting on. My first Digital Storm build is just over 7 years old and other than replacing the hard drive within the first month, has been trouble free. Cant decide between the Apollo level 1 or the level 3 Vanquish and would prefer Skylake mb and i7 processor.

Edited by RHOreo - 04 Oct 2015 at 7:44pm

Congrats! Now find something to do until it arrives the hard part now begins!