Velocity Micro Follow-Up

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coachjohn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
234
I've had the new build from Velocity Micro for right at three weeks now...and I'm happy to report that everything is going well - VERY well, in fact. The new rig was stable out of the box, flawlessy assembled with a great wiring job, and there was the typically very clean install of the OS. It was about as close to perfect as it comes for an out-of-the-box experience in many ways.

Since then, like many others here, I've upgraded to Vista (Ultimate version). My experience with the new OS on this build has also been very good - better than I anticipated in some ways. Did a clean install of the OS...the only installed piece of hardware not identified in the new PC was the Creative X-Fi Audio Extreme soundcard. After installation of the driver from the Creative site everything was fine. Boot times are very good, shut-down times are decent, temps are good on the motherboard, the processor, the GPU...my only driver issue at the moment is for an Epson 2200 photo printer. I should note that with this build I am using the P23 BIOS for the EVGA 680i board...not the P24, and, for now, that's where I'm staying. I am also sticking with the chipset drivers that came on the Vista install DVD, not the new ones recently released by NVIDIA...at least not until Velocity Micro has done some testing of them on their own and I hear back from them. Same with the graphics drivers...no problems with the update done by MS right after the clean install, so I'm sticking with what I have and progressing slowly. NVIDIA doesn't seem to quiet have their head wrapped around the whole driver schema for Vista yet, so with a stable rig I'm not in any big hurry to see what the newest and latest drivers do until reading a lot of feedback. The tech support people at Velocity are VERY good about responding to questions about the new OS with their rigs, and are just as good at listening to user experience...something not all that common these days.

I haven't fiddled with the BIOS at all, other than to bump down my CPU fan speed from 100% (where Velocity had set it) to 85%; the BIOS still reads the RPM higher than I think it should be for this HSF, but I love the temps (19-21C at idle, never comes out of the mid-30s under load on a stock E6600). I do have some questions eventually about some of the settings and why they were chosen, and I'll follow up as time allows. Can't learn if you don't ask, but I haven't seen the folks at VM make a rash move yet when it comes to their builds. I imaged the system drive using Vista's own imaging program before installing any apps, but after installing drivers for the sound, mouse, etc. - it's a nice app, took one DVD to do the image...haven't tried a restore with it yet, but I'm not that worried...doing a clean build doesn't take THAT long if there's a hitch. Using HDTach, burst speeds on the Raptor 150, my system HD, seem a little slow (126MB/sec...most folks report around 133 MB/sec)....but sustained reads and access times look good (79 MB/sec and 7.9ms respectively); CPU utlilization 2%. Optical drives (Lite-On) work well under Vista with default drivers (using newest Nero 7.5.5.1 build).

Thanks again to Randy, Heather and the rest of the group at Velocity for all their help...happy to answer any questions for anyone here if it will help them in their buying decisions.
 
Sounds fantastic! I have been following your advantures all along and although I trust I wont suffer your minor misfortune, I look forward to the support you got should a mishap occur.

Ive got a sytem comming shortly (sig). I feel rather like a parent preparing for the comming home. getting the essentials (blank disks to feed, power conditioning to sooth, internet connectivity to drink and of course software to entertain)

At the moment, Im going with 32-bit XP as its quick and reliable. I would prefer 64-bit Vista if only because its the newest os on the market [the raid controler isnt WQHL yet and there are no drivers for SLI 8800.] As a result I have more memory than I can use at the moment.

I am curious, what version (32/64) Vista did you go with and what did it run you (if you dont mind). My remaining concern is how much power conditioning to buy. My current ideal would be a APC SMART-UPS RT 1500VA, but its pricey.

thanks again for the insight.
 
...with that rig! I went with the Vista Ultimate (signature edition..only because the day I picked it up at Best Buy, that's all they had at the store!) and I paid $229.00 for the Upgrade version. It comes with both 32 bit and 64 bit DVDs in the box, but I installed 32 bit - basically for better driver support as well as better program support. The newest version of NOD32 supports Vista (GREAT antivirus), Acrobat 7 had some issues, Photoshop needs to be run as an administrator for you to use some plug-ins, CoreTemp, HDTach, Everest all need UAC turned off or to be run as an administrator, etc. I updated to Office 2007 - integrates VERY nicely into a Vista environment - and in the in installed all of the Adobe Creative Suite BUT Acrobat and I am using the Office 2007 add-in (free from Microsoft) to save as PDF and Adobe Reader 8.x to view PDFs. Daily printer, an Epson R380 installed without a hitch - Epson has an updated driver for it available - waiting on a driver for my "work" printer for photography, an Epson 2200. I have an APC UPS hooked up to my system, but I can't remember the model...it's an older one (three years) that is about due for replacement, but seems to still be doing the job. As I mentioned earlier, I'd stay away from the "new" chipset updates on the EVGA and NVIDIA boards for a bit...and the video drivers for that matter...in a month or so they should start to mature to the point where they are more usable. What is on the Vista install DVD seems solid, but, as you mentioned, no SLI...not an issue for me with a single 7900GT! Hope this helps...
 
Anyone have a recent VM build with an overclocked core 2 duo? I know they offer this as an option and I was curious to what degree are they overclocking the core 2 duos.
 
Awesome, Coachjohn.

I kept track of your threads about your buying experience when buying my computer, and it's been an awesome experience so far. There were a few bumps, but so far it's been great. The system is astonishingly quieter than my old system which had slower hardware and less fans.

I have worked in the BIOS, and it's fairly easy. EVGA's P23 blanked out some features, but it's easy and I used voltages to lower temps. Which brings me to my next point.

19-21 C at idle and 30 ish for load for a E6600 is amazing. My 6400 idles at 31-32 and at 100% load will go to 44. How did you get it that cool?

Again, that's great, Coachjohn. Pics? :D
 
...are a combination of cold weather, a cool basement, and me being too stingy to crank up the heat...lol. I also am wondering about the Artic Cooling HSF...think it's still running way too fast, even at 85%...may play with that over the weekend. Everything I'm running is stock...I know just about enough about OC to be truly dangerous to myself..*grin*..which is to say I know only from reading not doing. Pics of the PC? Are of some CoreTemp readings?
 
OC isn't that hard, but you should practise on a old computer first.

I keep my fans running full all the time. Better safer than sorry while being quieter than my old PC.

Lastly, about Vista Upgrade.. do you need to instal XP first or can you just insert the old disc while installing?
 
....you have to have a qualifying OS already installed to do a Vista install from the Upgrade DVD..but you can still do a clean install, either the MS way or the workaround that has been described in several places on the net, including in HardOCP.
 
coachjohn thanks for the follow up and for being fair and showing great intragrity. Far to many people trash a company at the fist chance of a problem and drag the company into the mud. This dosn't benifit anyone and far to many people don't give the company a chance to make that problem right. I mean where all human lets be realistic about these things. I really glad you like your build I wish I could aford somthing that nice and its nice to see something good about vista. :)
 
oneeyeblind said:
coachjohn thanks for the follow up and for being fair and showing great intragrity. Far to many people trash a company at the fist chance of a problem and drag the company into the mud. This dosn't benifit anyone and far to many people don't give the company a chance to make that problem right. I mean where all human lets be realistic about these things.
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John has been great for providing his feedback, both the good and the bad. If we are successful in learning from our mistakes and imperfections, and I think we will be, then it's only a positive for us. The reason I follow [H] as much as I do is to get real, unfiltered feedback that I can take back inside VM to improve everything we do. Without going into specifics, we have already made several changes and planned others based on John's and other experiences so we can really provide the ultimate PC experience we seek to achieve.
 
Hey Randy thanks for posting here it helps to understands a company's philosophy when man at the helm posts. I agree that people should be honest but I also think many people jump to conclusions too fast and people who don't do research can be put of a very good company its not just with computers that this happens. I should also give you credit for not just blowing John off as many big companies might have . I think your success shows that customers still care about being treated like human beings and not numbers, and its not always worth it to go with rock bottom prices . From what I have seen Velocity Micro will be my next computer purchase , because I have given up on retail computers because I can't even find a quality computer ( no best buy in my area Carry VM) but thats another topic all together. Once again Randy thanks for still caring about the customer there are not many companies I have no problem recommending and Velocity micro is one of the very few. Actually VM kinda reminds me of http://www.svsound.com a lot , good customer service, svs's founders Ron and Tom post to the forums ,fair prices and performance is not bad either. :D
 
John, I'm glad everything has been going well for you, and I really appreciate you hanging in there with us while we worked on getting everything where it needed to be. While I never like to see people have problems, it's always awesome to have the opportunity to get to know the customers who buy our systems and have a chance to make them happy. You've been a joy to work with along the way.

Hope you've managed to dig out of the snow. If you need us, don't hesitate to give me a call.:D
 
VelocityCare said:
John, I'm glad everything has been going well for you, and I really appreciate you hanging in there with us while we worked on getting everything where it needed to be. While I never like to see people have problems, it's always awesome to have the opportunity to get to know the customers who buy our systems and have a chance to make them happy. You've been a joy to work with along the way.

Hope you've managed to dig out of the snow. If you need us, don't hesitate to give me a call.:D
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you guys did great. then again, you always have really...

Id kill to work in tech support at VM lmfao, i enjoy the nitty gritty work with computers more than i enjoy using them! i know, im crazy... :p
 
...when making a purchase from Velocity that you aren't purchasing just a PC...you're buying into a partnership. They want to work WITH you to make the experience the best it can be; and they work with you in such a way that doesn't diminish your sense of intelligence or worth. I've never had someone from Velocity be less than courteous, cheerful, and "bend over backwards what can I do?" helpful on the phone or in an e-mail. Answers are short and to the point when appropriate, lengthy and more detailed when helpful, and with sound reasoning behind any explanations. When I moved from XP Pro to Vista Ultimate - on my own - it wasn't an attitude of hey, sorry, that wasn't the OS that shipped with your PC..it was "Let us know what you find out, any problems you may have, etc. - that will help us help our customers and we may be able to help you find some solutions as well." I've kept up a weekly chat by e-mail with a gentleman named Ben in their tech department since installing Vista, and it has been worthwhile, hopefully on both fronts - though I don't by any means put myself in his league tech-wise - but, again, it has been that sense of partnership; we're in this together, let's do it right. That's a rare commodity these days.
 
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