Questions and Advice about a Hailstorm Rig

Hi everyone. This is my first post on the DS forum. I have been salivating over these computers for a few years, and I am now finally at the point where I am very seriously considering a purchase.

About me: I am a veteran, experienced computer user, but my needs are not super hardcore. My current desktop computer is just about five years old, and it has made me crazy for most of those five years. I want a system that can run some decent games - now and in the future, but I don't need triple monitor support or anything like that. My goal is to get a computer that I won't have to touch internally for at least two years (preferably three) and that will last me for five. I'm trying to stay in the $3000 or less range, but I'm starting to see that I may need to go a bit over this to get what I want.

I've been looking at the Hailstorm, and I've been playing with the Level 2 rig. Here's the configuration I put together:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB 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 (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R)
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 680 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Recon3D Fatal1ty Champion 5.1 (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Enhancements: Touch V12XT Aerocool Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade)
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
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 8 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: Logitech Media Combo MK200 Keyboard and Mouse
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
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

A few questions about this rig:

1. Is it decent for the needs I described?

2. Hypothetically, is the 800W power supply enough to run two GTX 680s in SLI with the other components? It's not an option now, but maybe down the road when the costs of the card come down I might think about setting up two cards.

3. The rig seems to offer CPU overclocking in the standard configuration. The CPU seems to have a clock speed of 3.2 GHz, but the overclocking mentions raising the CPU speed from 4.5 GHz to 4.8 GHz. Am I missing something here? Is it worth paying for the pro overclocking ($69) over the standard Intel auto overclocking?

4. I'd like to install a fan controller, primarily, honestly, because I think they look cool, but it would also be nice to see CPU temps and fan speeds easily. The fan controllers mention needing a chassis airflow upgrade. Will I need to spring for extra costs for this with the Obsidian case?

5. I'm perfectly willing to pay the $10 for the cool internal lighting. If selecting the UV option, will the lighting actually look purpulish like in the picture? Is it safe?

Thanks everyone for your time and assistance. With the sale going on now, I'm either buying this computer tomorrow or waiting quite a bit. I'm anxious to hear what you all think!

Thank you for the reply. After talking to one of the reps at DS, I think I'm going to stick pretty close to my original config, except I'm going to eliminate the DS overclocking and the fan controller, and use the savings to bump up the PS to 1050W. (I really want the option to run that SLI setup in the future.)

The only think I'm still thinking about is the CPU. In addition to gaming, I will be doing some moderate photo/video work, including transcoding, so I'm thinking the 3930 is the way to go. I didn't realize until just now that the 3930 is a Sandy Bridge processor, while the 3770 is an Ivy Bridge with a higher clock speed. But I've also read that there are heat issues with the 3770, and that the 3930 will likely be the more "future proof" of the two processors.

As far as the video card, I've gotta stick with the 680. I really want to stick with something that will last not only now, but well into the future, even if I may not use it to its potential right now. Thanks again for the help!

OK, I'm almost there. One last question. I see that DS has a 1200W Tech NPS PS for a few bucks less than the 1050W Corsair. Stick with the Corsair or go with the Tech NPS? I'm leaning towards sticking with the Corsair.

Well, I'm in! Thanks so much for your help, bprat22! Here's my final rig:

DSO-426475 Digital Storm Desktop 426475 1 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core) Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) 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 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs Recon3D Fatal1ty Champion 5.1 (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking 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 8 Professional (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 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: Logitech Media Combo MK200 Keyboard and Mouse Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Extra 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 DISC10 PROMOTION: 10% Discount of $365 Applied to Digital Storm Desktop 426475, Original Price $3,650 1 99939 -- PROMOTIONAL LIMITED TIME BONUS DISCOUNT: $150 1 639459 -- PROMOTIONAL LIMITED TIME 2 YEAR WARRANTY UPGRADE ($199 VALUE) 1
		Sub-Total: $3,135.00 Tax: $0.00 Shipping: $65.00 Grand Total: $3,200.00

I also completed the survey for a chance at the CPU/memory upgrade. How cool would that be to get an Extreme CPU instead? Thanks again for the help!


Edited by zhelder - 23 Nov 2012 at 12:35pm

Glad ya stuck with the excellent Hailstorm 800D....
If heat is ever a problem, there are modded door replacements for the 800D you could get online with window fan mounts.   

Don't know what fans you already have on top. Usually they use intake fans on top of the 800D so the radiator gets fresh air...
Should be room for the third 120mm if the top mount isn't blocking the space....look at the screw holes to see if they are clear.     Vortex 240 is basically the Corsair H100 cooler.   Corsair replacement fans or their line of high performance fans are available on their website, newegg, frozencpu...or ask DS to send you one.