Time for new PC - let's party!

Time to replace my first DS PC; 6 years of heavy use and the power supply finally died. I've done some small incremental upgrades over the years but I think now is a good time to purchase a new system.

Budget:
Approx $2500-2800

Expectations:
Expect to run this system for 5+ years before upgrade/replace, so need long term reliability, similar to what I had with my previous Digital Storm PC. Plan to stick with 1080p resolution on single display, may add 2nd display in the future.

Usage:
Gaming/productivity - Office, WoW, SC2, latest BF titles etc.

Special Needs:
Case that has excellent airflow -- room can sometimes get warm during summer, even with A/C running. Noise isn't a major concern. Don't need a huge storage drive, I have a spare drive to throw in if I need more space.

Some questions:
Should I stick with stock CPU speeds for longevity or will a stage 1 OC be OK? Does higher speed memory make a noticeable difference?
Should I specify the 6 performance fans option, or will the stock fans be sufficient? Do any cases come with a dust filter up front or can I make special request for that?
I hear Noctua NH-D15 is the way to go for CPU cooling, beats out some cheaper LCs.
I've been thinking of investing in a battery backup such as APC - any suggestions? What's the lifetime expectancy on the batteries?

Here's my initial configuration. Curious on how many fans does Velox come with in the stock config?

Saved Ticket #: 1487584
Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,673.00

Direct Load URL: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1487584

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series <br><strong></strong>
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA (750 B1)
Expansion Bay: Option Not Available
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) (Internal)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 850 EVO) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition) <br><strong></strong>
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 GeForce GTX 1070 8GB (EVGA ACX 3.0) (VR Ready) <br><strong></strong>
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D15 (Extreme Performance) <br><strong></strong>
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking <br><strong></strong>
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional (64-Bit Edition) <br><strong></strong>
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
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)

Thank you for the quick response DST4ME!

I will go with the OC. If you think it will be safe for life I will do it. Totally understand about heat being #1 enemy on CPU life so I will keep an eye on it and if I think it's getting too hot I will drop back the OC. Is there a safe VCORE for everyday use?

Sorry for all the questions, I've been out of PC building for while. Want to make sure I know what to expect.

Thanks!

P.S. I think I will give the M.2 SSD a shot, wasn't even considering it but after some research I think I will love it.

Edited by Wildleeroy - 11 Sep 2016 at 10:54am

Well I put in the order... now the hard part is waiting. I'm stuck using my Surface tablet as my primary machine until this arrives. Super excited!

So now I'm looking at APC units. In one of the reviews a user mentioned having trouble with square sine wave(I think I got that right) which his PSU didn't like. Is that something that I need to be concerned with?

Got to Stage 3 today.... just 9-14 more business days till it ships
Going to place the order for the APC next so I have it by the time the PC arrives.
I've been using AVAST for a/v protection, seems to work fine but I don't care for all the extra stuff they are adding in so I will probably give ESET a try.

Off-topic I've been using my Surface 4 since my PC went down... and starting a couple days ago the display is shakey/jittery. Seems to be a hardware issue so now I've got to run to the store and see if I can get it swapped... Hopefully this bad luck with electronics doesn't continue...

No updates on my build, still stage 3.

Was on with MS support and they are going to send me a new Surface Pro 4. It's a hardware issue affecting the display, so they just want to replace it straight up and get me back in operation. Gotta say their support person I worked with was top notch, very friendly and got right to the heart of the matter. Would gladly work with them again.

Back to my new PC order - I just read the topic about the Noctua cooler no longer being offered on DS systems due to issues with damage in shipping. I'm a bit anxious about this now. Last time I got a system it had the Noctua D14 I think, and that arrived fine. Is this cooler much larger? Should I ask to change it or just leave it? Do we have any stats that say this % of customers had a problem with Noctua CPU cooler in shipping?

Edited by Wildleeroy - 21 Sep 2016 at 2:20pm

Yeah, once upon a time I used to build PCs. I assume they've made mounting coolers easier since then. Used to bust my fingers mounting coolers to AMD CPUs grrr.

Actually just watched a video showing how easy Noctua is to mount on the CPU, talk about simple...

Kinda sad DS doesn't offer it anymore on new builds, it's hands down the best air cooler and I'd personally prefer it over the cheapo all-in-one liquid coolers offered. Air coolers add extra airflow over the mobo cooling on board chips etc.

Checked with Alex and he said my order is on track! Harder to wait than usual since I have no desktop and my surface is pending replacement. When it rains it pours!

So should see it ship out in beginning of October... about 2 more weeks... sounds like "The Money Pit" w/ Tom Hanks :)

Nice lets hope it keeps moving

Now its time to pray to the shipping gods

Looks like your pc took quite a jolt, i would give DS a call and see what they will do

Spoke with tech suport and said basically the same that was said here.

I booted the system up and so far looks ok. Only thing I found is one of the fans isn't spinning in the front panel. I have to figure out where that is connected.I loaded up HW monitor to watch my CPU temps... going to put some load on it and see how it looks. So far idle temps are around 20C... will let you know how it goes

side note, wish they shipped these like they did in 2010, bigger box with the PC layed flat so no gravity pulling on the CPU cooler/video card. And it was suspended between two flat plastic layers that would let it absorb impacts better... probably wouldn't have run into these issues

Front fan I mentioned before is actually spinning... I think it was cool enough before so the system turned off the one fan. I think I have to download software to see what the settings are

I may have been mistaken and the fan was always spinning.

I went through and made sure all the fan connections to the motherboard were good. I'll give that software a try.

The "expanding cushion" was in the PC case, but it was loose and actually knocked off one of the Noctua's fans. I doesn't seem like it expanded properly and wasn't helping at all(unlike the cushion in the PC I ordered in 2010 and it was in tight around the video card holding things in place)... Outside packaging it was packaged in a soft cloth and then encased in solid foam padding around all corners.

I feel the major problem is the PC was shipped upright, instead of horizontal. Sure it makes it easier to pick up and move, but now you are hanging all the weight on the mobo while the package gets bounced around.

Wildleeroy, sorry to hear about shipping, how is everything going now?

I agree laying flat is a much better way for shipping but the sides are more fragile than the top and bottom I think, I could be wrong on that. But I do agree if all things is the same flat on the side is much better shipping. mine was shipped on its side in crate and upsh*t still messed it up.

Ya I was thinking also that they must have changed their foam packing, based on what everyone with shipping damage is saying and the fact that the noctua and other stuff is moving, tells me that its not the same packing as used on our pc, my foam packing was so tight, nothing could have moved, not even noctua.