MightyGeekMan
Weaksauce
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2008
- Messages
- 69
Hello all.
Please excuse my longwindedness. I wanted to be thorough.
I'm looking for a new computer and have narrowed my choices to the two rigs below. If it helps, I don't game but I'm a professional graphic artist (PhotoShop and Illustrator) and photographer who dabbles in video editing and Flash creation.
Maingear F131 SLI - $2,171.51
Velocity Micro z55 - $2379
The main differences between the two rigs I can see are as follows;
Velocity Micro's MB is an eVGA while Maingear doesn't mention who makes theirs.
Velocity Micro's graphics card is an eVGA while Maingear doesn't mention who makes theirs.
Maingear will overclock the CPU and GPU, Velocity Micro only "tunes" the GPU.
Maingear doesn't mention the maker of their optical drives, Velocity Micro uses Lite-On.
I don't think the power supply difference will matter for my needs.
Hard drive size doesn't matter to me since I use external NAS for all my files.
The service and support of both Maingear and Velocity Micro seem to be about equal according to the reviews I've managed to find online.
My questions are:
Which of these would you recommend and why?
What changes to the config would you make for me, and why?
If you've bought from either in the past, what has your experience been like?
Thanks!
MightyGeekMan
Please excuse my longwindedness. I wanted to be thorough.
I'm looking for a new computer and have narrowed my choices to the two rigs below. If it helps, I don't game but I'm a professional graphic artist (PhotoShop and Illustrator) and photographer who dabbles in video editing and Flash creation.
Maingear F131 SLI - $2,171.51
- Black Brushed Aluminum Finish
- 750W MAINGEAR Ultra Quiet Power Supply
- NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard
- Q6600 Core 2 Quad (2.4GHz x 4)
- Zalman Ultra Quiet CNPS9500 LED 92mm CPU Cooler w/ Copper Base
- 4GB Corsair XMS2 PC2 6400
- Overclocked CPU (Redline)
- Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
- All-in-One Internal USB 2.0 Flash Card Reader & Writer
- 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/ LightScribe Technology - black
- 16X DVD-ROM - Black
- NVIDIA® GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3
- FREE! Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
- Integrated 8-channel High Definition Audio
- Integrated Gigabit Network Card
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition
- 1 Year Maingear Warranty
Velocity Micro z55 - $2379
- LX Black - Velocity Micro Signature Aluminum Case - Full Sized chassis, removable front door
- Aluminum Wheel Kit
- 850 Watt Velocity Micro® Power Supply - Nvidia® SLI Certified
- EVGA nForce 780i SLI, Socket 775, PCI-E, DDR2
- Intel® Core 2 Quad processor Q6600, quad 2.4GHz cores, 8MB L2 Cache
- Arctic Cooling® Freezer 7 Pro Heatsink, Ultra Quiet Fan, Copper Heat Pipes, plus Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- 4096MB Corsair DDR2 PC6400 DDR2-800 (4x1024)
- 512MB eVGA GeForce 8800GT DDR3 PCI-E w/HDCP
- Basic 3D Video Performance Tuning & Optimization
- On-Board Integrated High Definition 7.1 Channel Sound
- 500GB Hitachi 7200rpm 16MB Cache SATA 300 w/NCQ
- 20x Lite On® DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner with LightScribe Labeling Technology, Black
- 16x DVD/48x CD-RW Lite On® Combo Drive, Black Bezel
- 8-in-1 Floppy Drive & Media Reader Combo, Black Bezel
- Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional SP2 on original CD
- FREE Lost Planet Extreme Condition game
- Rounded Silver Braided IDE and Floppy Cables
- Immaculate custom hand wiring for ultimate air flow, assembled in Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Individual custom testing for complete system functionality, signed by the system builder and QA inspector
- Owner's Portfolio with Velocity Micro manual, driver disks, and accessory pack
- 1 Yr VelocityCare Parts & Labor Ltd Warranty, 1 Yr 24/7 Support with Emergency Hours, and On-Site Service (+$69.00)
- Velocity Micro Lifetime Upgrade Plan allows you to return your system for maintenance, discounted upgrades, and tuning
The main differences between the two rigs I can see are as follows;
Velocity Micro's MB is an eVGA while Maingear doesn't mention who makes theirs.
Velocity Micro's graphics card is an eVGA while Maingear doesn't mention who makes theirs.
Maingear will overclock the CPU and GPU, Velocity Micro only "tunes" the GPU.
Maingear doesn't mention the maker of their optical drives, Velocity Micro uses Lite-On.
I don't think the power supply difference will matter for my needs.
Hard drive size doesn't matter to me since I use external NAS for all my files.
The service and support of both Maingear and Velocity Micro seem to be about equal according to the reviews I've managed to find online.
My questions are:
Which of these would you recommend and why?
What changes to the config would you make for me, and why?
If you've bought from either in the past, what has your experience been like?
Thanks!
MightyGeekMan