Vanquish 5 Level 3 Review (PICS!)

Hi all! You may have seen my pre-shipment forum post here:
http://www.digitalstorm.com/forums/my-vanquish-5-progress-delivered-tidf28032-pnf1/
You can also find my pre-shipment review and part list there.

With the Vanquish, a few options are left up in the air when you order your computer because they just use the brands they have on hand. This is what my build received:
Case: Grey Corsair 230 Mid Tower Case w/ Digital Storm Logo
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700 3.4GHz
GPU: Asus GTX970 Turbo Reference (Blower)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z170 HD3P
Memory: 4x 4GB 2666MHz ADATA
PSU: Corsair CS750M Semi-modular
Storage: ADATA SP550 240GB SSD, Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache HDD
CPU Fan: Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler

Now, for the review.

Order Process & Delivery (10/10)
I had my computer before they said I would. Took a week to ship from CA to VA. Very happy!

Packaging (9/10)
As my PC traveled across the country, I was very happy that the computer arrived unharmed. The computer came encased in two black supports (look at pictures) which didn't protect the box from denting or bending. Upon arrival, it was clear my PC had come a long way. My box was beat up and I'm lucky the damage didn't translate to my PC. Surprisingly, there were no scratches, dents, or broken parts. Woohoo!

Part Selection (10/10)
Couldn't be happier. Well, unless I got a non-reference GPU, but, the Asus Turbo is great for me. They even used the newer Gigabyte Z170 with USB-C, etc.

Build Quality (8/10)
The inside of my computer looks sexy - especially once the computer is booted and has pretty lights. However, there's excess connections and loose wiring under the storages that was not expected. Apart from that, the wiring is tight and clean. I opted for a wireless network card, which was placed under my GPU, causing the antennas to have to be in an awkward position because of my monitor connection. This doesn't optimize receiving a WiFi signal - and it has made a difference. There's two PCI-E slots, one above and one below the GPU slot. I haven't looked into it too much but I suppose the one above it is occupied by the big GPU or CPU fan.

Noise (8/10)
Louder than I thought it would be for how much venting and free space is in the case, but no real "loud" whining or ticking. Even when the computer is sitting still with no CPU usage, the fans don't quiet down compared to in-game use. Maybe I can edit this in the bios? Not sure how.

Performance (10/10)
Exceeded my expectations. This thing is amazing, holy sh*t. Boots to the desktop in ~18 seconds. Plays all my games on max smoothly. Just for context, I'm playing mostly FPS's at 1080p with a 144Hz monitor.

Customer Service (10/10)
Not one hiccup. When I first booted the PC, it said my Windows wasn't activated, but quick contact with support helped clear the issue.
















Let me know if you'd like any more pictures or info!

Edited by lucKykev - 14 Jul 2016 at 4:21pm

Originally posted by Raille I can't tell 100% from that angle, but it appears to be connected to me. A lot of the time the cables that hook from the psu to the hdd/ssd may have additional hookups that can appear to be disconnected cables. If they aren't connected then booting up will only take you to the bios if neither drive is connected.

Thanks - I guess I'll post back here tomorrow when I get it booted up!

hmmm, 2 observations
1) didn't expect the midsize tower to have a different packaging than the full size towers (apollo for example). For those of you who have looked at apollo unboxing pics/videos, you'll see what I mean, i wonder now if i should get the coridium because the mid size packaging, not 100% sure if it is as shockproof as the full size ones.....

2) didn't expect the DS series RAM to look like that, thought it'd be an actual brand (ADATA/Kingston, etc) that they have on hand, and not just "Digital storm"...hmm..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-xrggkObkc

here the packaing is diff.

mainly the size of the box, the use of those black styrofoam vs the cardbox in the bigger cases. i mean, smaller case justify smaller boxes, so maybe im just paranoid lol

Edited by darbebo - 05 Jul 2016 at 10:11pm

that's true, shipping gods always win. lolz

If your power supply is a non modular type, those wires are the peripheral power and other connectors meant for additional parts that are stored there for a clean look.   

Alex recently posted that their branded ram is ADATA, just their name on it like DST said.   It's good ram.

Edited by bprat22 - 06 Jul 2016 at 4:12am

Originally posted by bprat22 If your power supply is a non modular type, those wires are the peripheral power and other connectors meant for additional parts that are stored there for a clean look.    Alex recently posted that their branded ram is ADATA, just their name on it like DST said.   It's good ram.

Good to hear about the ram!

The power supply is semi-modular,
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cs-series-modular-cs750m-750-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-psu

But again I'll know once I boot it up - I have nothing to set my computer/monitor/etc up on until my desk arrives here in a few hours.

Expect more!

And thanks Johnny!! Any noticeable difference between ours since we ordered around the same time? Looks like I got a Corsair PSU, Asus Turbo GTX 970 with a blower fan (anticipating it to be quite noisy) as well as a Gigabyte Z170

Edited by lucKykev - 06 Jul 2016 at 8:33am

Updated the first post with everything set up!

Everything works perfectly, woohoo!!!! & Johnny I love the gpu as well! I'll add an in-depth review once I have the chance to test everything!

Edited by lucKykev - 06 Jul 2016 at 3:06pm

um, do let us know that turns out because that's a lame hiccup, and i for one hate reinstalling OS..

Got windows taken care of?

This has come up before and the fix was to use the included Product Code on the sticker to activate it.  It has never, to my knowledge, actually been a stolen version, just not activated.

Calling DS is the best way to go if that doesn't work. 

Its not big deal, worst case scenario they just give you a new key.

Please keep us informed as to what endsup happening.

Edited by DST4ME - 07 Jul 2016 at 9:39am

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you got it going

It takes my computer 18 seconds to boot to the desktop.. lolwut

I love this thing!

Originally posted by lucKykev It takes my computer 18 seconds to boot to the desktop.. lolwut I love this thing!

Welcome to the club.    

That electric blue is striking. Looks great!
Gratz Kev! Fallout 4 calls!

Updated the post with a brief review!

Let me know if I've left anything out!