Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC
You might have come across laptops and PCs that come with familiar names like HP, Sony or Panasonic. These names are so common that, you can predict the product hearing the name. For e.g.: HP laptops and Panasonic TVs are routine combinations that pop up in a person who does not know much about the PCs and TVs. Here is one brand that is entirely different from the names above said. The product here is the Raptor Signature Edition from Velocity Micro. If you are unaware of the makers come to know about them by simply wheeling down. Velocity micro is a privately owned computer manufacturer located in Richmond. They specialise in custom made high end computers. They are one maker who aim at providing the best or the so called bleeding edge technology to create a new personal computer experience. Some of their high performance end products in the line-up are gaming systems, notebooks, home and home office PCs, home entertainment media centres, and business solutions. Let us see in detail about the Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition.
Design:
System Box – Internal view:
The Raptor Signature Edition Desktop PC comes in a larger version of Velocity Micro’s Signature case, in a correct fit design. Hence, this box is made for large graphics cards like ATI Radeon HD 5970 or the Nvidia’s Geforce GTX 480 card. The design is so spell bound that it could simply lure you towards it even if you do not want to. The case is not like the conventionally sealed ones. It has a windowed case door that lets you see the internals, which consists of three massive graphics cards, cooler for the speedy Intel Core i7 980X processor inside. So, this is one design that would not sit in the back seat. If you are a teenager, and would like to show off in front of your friends then you can proudly do so as this is one among the few that captures your attention immediately. The beauty of this product could be described as a cross between the flashiness found in Alienware Area 51 and the minimalism of Maingear Shift.
Wheel kit:
Apart from the above said features, you also have rollers beneath the case that gives it a characteristic mobility. This lets you move the system from under a desk on a carpeted floor to a desk on the top, through an inclined floor. The rollers are very smooth and therefore, roll easily on a smooth and flat surface. You could keep them or drop the plans, if you are planning to show off by keeping the machine on a table or desk. This is because; retaining the wheels, while on a table might give your system a two feet fall which could even pop your heart to your mouth.
Case lights:
While shipping, you have options for including case lights in your product. Case lightings involve the use of cold cathode, an element used in gas discharge lamps and vacuum tubes. This has become quite popular an element for LCD backlighting and computer case modifiers. In this edition you have options to include single blue cold cathode chassis kit or a double blue cold cathode chassis kit. The double would almost cost you double that of the single chassis.
Hand assembly:
One peculiarity of this product is that, it is made with a master crafted hand assembly, with all wires clipped and tucked with care. Parts included are of the finest quality and seems as if the makers have been obsessed with perfection as not even a single detail has been left untouched.
Ports And Connectivity:
This Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition Gaming Desktop PC is full of features which is generalised here. First are the connectivity which come in the form of ten USB 2.0 ports, FireWire ports, digital and analog audio input output ports. The three Geforce cards have around six DVI ports, plus three mini HDMI jacks which will connect to an HDTV through an adapter, eSATA port that would be essential for a high end desktop. The hard disk drive is about 3.5 inches and also there is an optical drive. Also, comes the three free system memory DIMM slots which occupy the remaining internal space. The signature edition comes with a 128GB solid state drive that is of a spooking size.
Features:
Tesla based supercomputers:
A special note of mention can be given to the Tesla based supercomputers. Before unfurling its features, it would be handy to know the discrete terms. Well, supercomputer is a computer that is known for its current processing capacity, and speedy calculations. Its internal architecture is of a very different make when compared to the conventional computers which comes with a Von Neumann architecture. Velocity micros designed these supercomputers with Tesla GPU. Tesla GPU is NVIDIA’s third brand of GPU’s. GPU’s handle computations for computer graphics which traditionally was handled by CPUs, made possible by rendering to higher precision arithmetic to pipelines. In short, Velocity micro is on the list of system builders who display the latest technology in its desktops.
GeForce GTX 480:
In case of Raptor Signature Edition the technology used is the GeForce GTX 480 which approximates to be three times Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 480 cards. Give them the toughest 3D game tests this products still stands out to give you a steady frame rate mind you, in the highest settings.
Price on high end too:
What is inside is amazing and truly hard to believe. It has an over clocked 6 core CPU and tons of I/O ports. It has a meticulous hand assembly and a high precision cable routing, and has been rigorously tested and benchmarked. Also, comes the individual system performance tuning and updates, personalised owners portfolio for the system, along with complete component documentation and driver disks. The making of this system includes nearly one week of hand wiring, tuning, testing by senior engineers. This can be regarded as a major reason for its premium level performance and also its heavy price tag. It does cost you but surely it is worth if you crave for highest level of performance on gaming for example: playing Crysis in its highest resolution and highest graphics mode. Still in a fix to buy this product? Hop on further and make up your mind.
Memory:
The next big thing after the processor is the memory which includes both primary or short term memory or RAM and secondary or permanent or hard disks. This edition from the velocity micro comes equipped with an impressive 6GB DDR3. It is not only the size that matters, as take a look this comes with a triple channel memory with heat spreader technology. Velocity micro makers use only top quality memory sticks and do not believe in cutting the corners by just adopting memory for the sake of memory. The 6GB RAM is in the form of three 2GB pieces. You can upgrade to double the present amount by substituting three 4GB sticks. The hard disk is very massive and the bay is about 3.5 inch. This storage gives you wide variety of options. It starts with a 1TB SATA 300 drive running at 7,200 RPM’s and features a cache of 16MB. You can also increase your storage up to 2 TB and the RPM’s to 10,000 per minute. You also have options for solid state drives or secondary hard disks. Top configuration would be 320GB storage which comes as four 80GB Intel X25-M SATA solid state drives.
Processor:
This Raptor Signature Edition of velocity micro comes with an over clocked CPU. It is powered by a fast and latest release of Intel’s core processor’s, the i7. Here we have the i7 Extreme Edition 975 CPU. It is a quad core processor that comes with a sizzling 3.2GHZ clock which could be increased or over clocked to 3.33 GHZ. Also it is featured with 8MB Intel Smart Cache. This CPU comes with the latest Turbo Boost technology due to which even a single core can attain a speed of 3.6GHZ. The multi cores provides around eight simultaneous threads and HT technology maximises multitasking capabilities. The CPU’s and graphics card needs to be cooled down because a lot of thermal activity occurs when the processor runs at such high frequencies. Hence, here we have system cooling provided by Liqui Cool4 Advanced Thermal Electric cooling system. This liquid cooling provides a better efficiency compared to common air cooled options.
Mother board:
The motherboard used here is the EVGA X58 FTW3. It comes with an ATX form factor. The Central processing unit is powered by an 8 phase standard VRM, which is wired to six DDR3 slots for triple channel memory support. It has a heat sink that is larger in size compared to normal sinks. The slant it has allows clearance to large CPU coolers. The expansion slots comes in the form of three PCI express 2.0×16 which supports ATI CrossFireX, 2 way and a three way SLI. The connectives include two SATA 6Gb/s and six 3Gb/s ports, 8 channel audio, two USB 3.0 and 8 USB 2.0 ports plus, support for two gigabit Ethernet controllers and EVBot OC module.
Video and Audio:
A true gaming system is one that should not compromise on the video cards and audio. So, in effect the video and audio are very significant. The Raptor’s standard comes with a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 along with a super high bandwidth GDDR5 memory due to which it gives you a top notch video quality and superb gaming experience. It also supports DirectX 11. With video cards you have the upgrade option. You can have your graphics card upgraded to 1.7GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 for even better mind blowing speed rates and high quality 3D graphics. You could also upgrade with two 1GB Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 cards, 2 two GB Radeon HD4870 X2 GDDR5 cards, or with two 1792 NVIDIA Geforce GTX 295 cards in SLI. This is one of the ultimate dual video card configurations you could have. With this card graphics come to reality you would never imagine. The High definition 7.1 channel surround sound is bonded into the mother board. For an excellent audio performance augment the Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer audio card.
Optical drivers:
The Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC is equipped with a 20X DVD+/-RW burner which has LightScribe labelling capability. A 1000 watt power supply is the standard for this computer. This could be upgraded with a 1200watt, an option for users who want to upgrade. Along with it come other accessories like Blu ray reader/Dual layer DVD burner, along with DVD ROM/CD RW combo drive. You could find some extra trial programs like Office Trial missing. These programs are called the bloat ware. It comes packed with a Razer Lycosa USB keyboard and Razer Deathadder mouse. The keyboard switches its backlit on when it detects the game loading. These are the general features you could find.
Operating System:
The operating system used is Windows 7 64 bit Home premium, which unlike Vista is more focused of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Vista was already compatible. More focus has been on multi touch support and on redesigning the Windows Shell with a new taskbar called superbar, along with a home networking system called Home group. Some standard applications like Windows calendar, Windows mail, windows Movie Maker, Windows photo gallery have been excluded.
Software:
Velocity micro appears a little pale when it comes to software part, with the absence of some tweaking easy to use features. They have included a twelve month or one year subscription to McAfee Antivirus and to various other media editing and disc burning programs. They could have added some customised applications as found in the Widow PC’s software bundles. In these packages, you could find everything organised as groups that makes it easy to locate. Their absence in this edition is not a complete let down but, these easy to implement methods are the ones that would hit the bull’s eye in terms of customer market. Above all the price tag is a bit fag and makes you prefer Widow PC’s applications.
Connectivity:
The network adapter is an integrated gigabit Ethernet adapter of 10 or 100 or 1000 MBps. You have options to include 802.11n PCI Wifi adapter, Dlink Wireless N150 home router, two integrated IEEE 1394 fire wire ports, ten USB2.0 ports two at the front and eight at the rear. You also have provision for including a blu tooth receiver namely the USB 2.0 Blu tooth receiver.
Power supply:
The power supply comes with a 1000W and 1500W Corsair power supply. The 1000W Corsair comes with both 6 pin and 8 pin compatibilities. It features six PCI Express connectors, connectors for dual CPU configurations. The dual transformer allows proper load balancing assuring stability and better performance. The strong internal electronics played by the industrial grade 105 degree primary secondary and solid state capacitors have a strong role in providing four times the lifespan of its traditional components. It gives you 80 percent efficiency and therefore is able to run cool and quiet with a single fan.
Performance:
Gaming:
What would you expect from a gaming system? Ultimate and uncompromised performance, especially if you are a crazy cart gamer. The Velocity Micro makers have ensured that. Unambiguously, this Raptor Signature Edition is a true gaming system. It has finished the toughest of tests with flying colours. For instance, it has finished the Media Encoder test and Photoshop CS4 test in a split timing of 33 and 46 seconds respectively. The best results expected from these tests were a timing less than 60 seconds, which Velocity Micro Raptor Signature edition surpasses like cake walk. You could simply go on and on about the game grid that does not disappoint you. The likes of Crysis and World in Conflict that required frame rate of above hundred performed like running your knife through butter. Even at the highest resolution of 1920 x 1200 setting, this edition manages to deliver a frame rate of 60fps on Crysis and 112 fps on World in Conflict which is very impressive. There are only a few hand ful of designs that gives you a complete satisfaction that brims your heart. Not even the Maingear Shift surpasses these tests in ease.
Graphics:
The cards in this Raptor Edition deserve a special mention. The GeForce GTX 480 cards are used. Tests reveal that they are way faster than the Radeon cards in Z90 Raptor. The point rate simply blows away the scores of the Maingear Shift and the older Raptor Z90 systems. At the entry level settings it gives a point rate of 92,138 and in the extreme level settings it gives a point rate of 24,494. This point rate has a very strong architecture to support. ATI Radeon cards have two GPUs and Nvidia GeForce GTX480 card has one. To put this in context, there are three Nvidia GPUs that outperform four ATI GPUs, which has been proved in the standard 3D tests. It is also equipped with a larger hard disk drive and new graphics card. These features could standout to be the reason you buy this edition even though it costs extra pounds than Z90. These new graphics cards show off with better performance on benchmark tests, performed looking for a future driver that may improve the performance of games demanding higher frame rates. Even though, the Maingear Shift holds the high end gaming choice title with its innovative chassis design and sturdiness and also looks impressive at a way lower price, the Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition is ultimately the choice for gaming rigs. Get this beauty to your computer table and enjoy the difference in the gaming experience.
Flaws:
So far and so good! There has been humungous pros to support this device. But are we forgetting the flaws? No. There are a few minor flaws associated with the design. The first thing being that in the inside the hard drive cage points the drive to the system’s rear which makes it very difficult to remove. The system overall sounds loud. The fans attached to the liquid radiator are responsible for this. Liquid radiator as you know is the part of the cooling mechanism. The other possible reason is the graphics cards that usually remain hot given to the environment in which it is put to. These cards are powered by a 1000 watt power supply and the heat produced requires the coolant to work extra time. All these makes this edition sound louder than it should, given its huge case.
Warranty and Support:
Hand assembly of velocity computers is one of the stand alone reasons for the exceptional quality of these computers. Another reason for its quality is the quality assurance tests performed. The computer comes with a one year parts and labour warranty, phone support hours from 9AM to 10PM monday to friday. Customers also have access to 24/7 emergency support. The period can be expanded to two or three years.
Verdict:
With lots of pros over shadowing its cons this Velocity Raptor Signature edition PC has all the qualities you expect from an ultimate gaming machine. This flag ship item would itch your heart to own it. The very name itself is attractive. The first thing that comes to your mind when you hear this name is about the fighter jet raptor itself. One common attribute both have in common is the killer looks. Looks are simply awesome starting from the windowed case door letting you see the stunning inner side. With Intel’s i7 processor extreme edition and with Velocity Micro’s technology the processor could hike a speed well above the 3.33GHZ. Also comes the GPUs which appear as three EVGA GeForce GTX 285s. This edition is one of those handful of designs that sweeps your feet from the ground with its performance. Rivals would have to transform to some sheer terminators to beat this product. Right from the beginning the makers have stuck to quality. Closely like the supercomputers this device delivers well, but at the same time it is expensive in its configuration. Add a few options this price inflates like stocks put overnight in the market. Price is one big mountain you would find difficult to digest. But for those who absolutely would not compromise on the quality of gaming experience this is the best.
Check other Gaming Desktop PCs Reviews, Specs in this website.
Velocity Micro Raptor Desktop PC – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Velocity Micro |
| Series | Signature Series |
| Model Name | Raptor Signature Edition |
| Series | Raptor series |
| Colour | Black |
| Special design feature | Window style door |
| Desktop type | Gaming-friendly system |
| Highlight feature | Dual channel memory architecture |
| Case/PSU | Custom Lian Li, 1,200W modular PSU |
| Card reader | 8 in 1 card reader |
| Hard disk | 1TB SATA 300 drive up to 2TB |
| Disk speed | 10000 RPM up to 17000 RPM |
| Graphics hardware | 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 with a super high bandwidth GDDR5 memory. Upgradable to 1.7GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 or to two 1GB Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 cards, 2 two GB Radeon HD4870 X2 GDDR5 cards, or with two 1.7GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 295 cards in SLI |
| Memory | 6GB DDR3 1600MHZ Triple channel memory with heat spreader |
| Chipset type | NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI |
| Data bus speed | 1066 MHz |
| Processor | I7 Extreme edition 980 |
| Type | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 / 2.66 GHz |
| Processor speed | 3.3 GHZ |
| Cache Type | L2 cache |
| Cache Per Processor | 8 MB |
| USB 2.0 Ports | 10 USB 2.0 ports, 2 front & 8 rear |
| FireWire | 2 Integrated IEEE 1394 Ports, 1 front & 1 rear |
| MOBO | EVGA X58 SLI Classified |
| Network Adapter | Integrated 10/10/1000MBps |
| CPU Cooling | Velocity Micro LiquidCool 4 |
| Sound | High definition 7.1 Channel sound |
| Operating system | Windows 7 64 bit Home premium |
| Mouse | Razer Deathadder mouse |
| Keyboard | Razer Lycosa USB keyboard |
| Motherboard | EVGA X58 FTW3 |
| Video card | Three EVGA GeForce GTX 285 in tri-SLI |
| Storage | Four 64GB X25-E Intel SSDs in RAID 0, Seagate 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11 |
| Optical | LG GGW-H20L, LG GH22LS40 |
| Connectivity | Integrated gigabit Ethernet adapter of 10 or 100 or 1000 MBps, 802.11n PCI Wifi adapter, Dlink Wireless N150 home router, two integrated IEEE 1394 fire wire ports, ten USB2.0 ports two at the front and eight at the rear, USB 2.0 Blu tooth receiver. |
| Software | McAfee Antivirus |
| Expansion Slots Total (Free) | Memory – DIMM 240-pin , 1 ( 0 ) x Processor - LGA775 Socket , PCI Express x16 |
| Interfaces | 8 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 pin USB Type A, 2 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 2 x Network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T – RJ-45, 1 x Keyboard – Generic – 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), 1 x Mouse – Generic – 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style) |
| Power | AC 120/230 V |
| Power Supply | 1000W or 1500W Corsair power supply |
| Warranty | One year VelocityCare Part & Labour warranty, extensible to 3 years |
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