Velocity Micro Raptor DCX gaming system

Velocity Micro has given the Raptor name to all of its high-end gaming desktop systems. This is regardless of whether it uses the AMD or Intel processors. For the sake of this profile, I'm using the Velocity Micro Raptor DCX gaming system. In addition to this model, they also offer a high end Signature system and an AMD based model the Raptor 64 DualX. Let's see what Velocity Micro has to offer ...
Processor: Velocity Micro has expanded the processor options for the Raptor DCX since I looked at it six months ago. Previously there were only two real choices. Users can now elect between the three different Core Extreme models, the Core 2 Quad processor or an E6700 Core 2 Duo. They also offer a version of the Core 2 Quad that is overclocked but this takes some extra time for them to put together.
Memory: Memory options have decreased with the Raptor DCX compared to previous versions. Now only one memory speed of DDR2-800 or PC2-6400 from Corsair is offered. Users can elect to have either 2GB of total memory installed through 2 DIMMs or 4GB of memory with four modules instead of two.

Hard Drives: Since the Raptor DCX is designed for performance, the base hard drive configuration uses a RAID 0 performance setup using two similar drives. Users can choose between a variety of drives for size and performance ranging from the small but fast Western Digital Raptor drives up to the very spacious Seagate 750GB models. For those that need additional storage space, two additional hard drive slots are available with options for the same drives used in the RAID 0 setup. RAID 1 options are also available for additional data security at the cost of drive space.

CD/DVD Drives: A Lite-On 20x dual layer DVD burner and CD-RW/DVD combo drive make up the optical drives for the Raptor DCX. If users wish to have a drive that is compatible with the LightScribe media for burning labels, an optional Lite-On drive is available for upgrade. Also available is a Plextor drive that offers a slower 18x recording speed but at a high cost, so most people will want to avaoid this.
Graphics and Display: While the GeForce 8800 series graphics cards may be the fastest currently on the market, the base motherboard design of the Raptor DCX is designed to use the ATI CrossFire technology. As such, the highest end graphics available use two ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTcards that provide strong performance but can't equal that of the NVIDIA SLI setup. Users do have the option of using the NVIDIA graphics cards with the system, but only in single card configurations.

Audio: Many game developers use the Creative EAX audio extensions as a way to get more immersive sound. As a result, Velocity Micro offers range of Creative Sound Blaster audio cards with the Raptor DCX. The default card is the XtremeAudio that provides the most basic hardware acceleration with EAX HD support. Users that want extra features can elect to get a higher model such as the Platinum and Elite Pro versions or save money by instead using the integrated 7.1 audio. Speakers are not included but options for several Creative speaker systems are available.

Software: Software wise the Raptor DCX has a very limited selection. The operating system included is Windows Vista home Premium. Users can either upgrade this to the Ultimate edition or downgrade it to the older Windows XP Professional version. The only other applications included are Nero for digital media creation and FutureMark's 3DMark2006 benchmarking program. Several Microsoft productivity suites and Norton Anti-Virus are offered as software options.
Overall Impressions:

The PC gaming hardware market is extremely fickle. With the rapid changes in technology, especially with graphics cards, a flagship system for a company can quickly fall out of grace. Velocity Micro bet their Raptor DCX design around the ATI CrossFire technology, and this was at the top of performance for several months. The problem is that NVIDIA released the GeForce 8800 series of graphics cards and ATI's new HD 2900 XT has failed to live up to the same performance levels as the high end GeForce cards.. This puts the Raptor DCX in a bit of a bind.

Gaming is still very strong with the Raptor DCX, its just not as strong as some of its competition. At least Velocity Micro is offering users the option of purchasing the system with the GeForce 8800 cards even if it is only a single card. Of course, if the fastest graphics is your goal (and it is for many gamers), then Velocity Micro offers the Raptor Signature Edition which has the SLI setup, but the cost is one of the most expensive on the market.

Beyond the graphics, the Raptor DCX does perform quite well, especially for the price. The amount saved on the system over more expensive, overclocked prestige system is more than enough to cover a large high resolution LCD panel.

Noise may be an issue for some individuals with the stock Raptor DCX system due to all the cooling fans needed for the components. Previously, Velocity Micro offered the option for a liquid cooling setup to be installed that can greatly reduced the amount of noise generated by the system but it seems they no longer carry it. This may be due to it using a Thermoelectic cooling system that used a lot of extra power, something the system can't really afford if it has two power hungry ATI graphics cards installed.