Samsung's Best HDTV's - Click HereVelocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7)
Manufacturer: Velocity Micro Part number: EDGEZ30
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Velocity Micro's Edge Z30 is the best deal going right now for midlevel gaming PCs featuring Intel's new Core i7 chips. The overclocked Core i7 860, a fast Nvidia graphics card, and a solid selection of features all around make it easy for us to recommend this system to anyone looking for a capable gaming desktop.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity Micro |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 02/09/2010 |
CNET editors' review
Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7) price range: $1,169.00
- Reviewed by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 09/10/2009
The good: Best value among midrange gaming PCs; Velocity Micro's consistently high build quality; compact case makes few sacrifices; second graphics card slot previously uncommon at this price.
The bad: Might need to dial down game image quality on 24-inch displays at full resolution
The bottom line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z30 is the best deal going right now for midlevel gaming PCs featuring Intel's new Core i7 chips. The overclocked Core i7 860, a fast Nvidia graphics card, and a solid selection of features all around make it easy for us to recommend this system to anyone looking for a capable gaming desktop.
Correction: This review has been updated to reflect that it does in fact have a second graphics card slot.
We've written about Falcon Northwest's new Core i7-based gaming PC, and now Velocity Micro gets a turn to showcase Intel's new mainstream-priced desktop chip. Our Velocity Micro Edge Z30 review unit comes in at $1,349 and features an overclocked Intel Core i7 860 chip. It also outperforms a pricier Dell system, and comes in with the best value so far of the handful of vendors that have adopted Intel's new CPUs. With strong and stable performance, no major sacrifices, and Velocity Micro's typical high build quality, we're compelled to give this desktop an Editors' Choice award. We'd recommend this system to anyone looking for a midrange gaming PC.
Velocity Micro has earned a reputation in our lab as one of the better desktop builders, and the Edge Z30 gives us no reason to change our opinion. The inside of the case is as clean as can be, and there's little about the overall design we would change. The Edge Z30 also strikes an interesting contrast to the Dell Studio XPS 435, a much larger tower system that Dell introduced a few months back.
We like the aesthetics of the Studio XPS 435, and it gives you plenty of room to expand, but with no second graphics card slot, Dell could get away with losing a bit of upgrade room and making the case smaller (its new Studio XPS 8000 seems to be going in that direction). The Edge Z30 cuts a more compact profile, measuring only 15 by 7.5 by 17.57 inches, and still manages to allow for a second graphics card slot, two more hard drives, a second optical drive, as well as an extra 1x PCI Express slots for card expansion.
It's worth pointing out that despite the second graphics slot, the new Intel P55 Express chipset in this system has some performance limitations with two 3D cards. A single card works as normal on a single 16x PCI Express slot. But adding a second 3D card gets you no extra bandwidth, so instead of two 16x slots, you effectively only get two 8x graphics data paths on a P55 Express-based motherboard like this one. You will probably still see a performance gain if you add a second graphics card, it just won't be as much as you'd get from a full dual 16x motherboard.
| Velocity Micro Edge Z30 | Dell Studio XPS 435 | |
| Price | $1,349 | $1,579 |
| CPU | 3.2GHz Intel Core i7 860 (overclocked) | 2.67GHz Intel Core i7 920 |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel P55 Express | Intel X58 |
| Memory | 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 6GB 1,066MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 896MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (216 core) | 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 |
| Hard drives | 1TB 7,200 rpm | (2) 500GB 7,200 rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | Blu-ray drive |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) |
Side by side the Velocity Micro and Dell systems look similar. The Edge Z30 has no Blu-ray drive, and its Intel P55 Express motherboard has only dual-channel memory support, as opposed to the Dell's triple channel interface by way of its Intel X58 chipset. Unless you're performing professional-level, memory-bandwidth-intensive tasks (large Photoshop treatments, for example), you likely won't notice the difference. If you discount the Edge Z30's lack of a Blu-ray drive due to its lower price, the features comparison comes out even, if not in Velocity Micro's favor due to the fact that it will overclock for you. Dell won't.
If you're concerned about the stability of the Edge Z30's overclocked CPU (set to 3.2GHz from its 2.8GHz base clock speed), you shouldn't worry. Thanks to the LinX benchmark, we found this system was able to maintain both its clock speed and its stability throughout the course of that testing. You can overclock the Dell system yourself, so it may hold a hidden performance bonus if you're willing to look for it. Still, we must credit Velocity Micro for doing the work for you, and for doing it reliably.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
Rendering multiple CPUs | |
Rendering single CPU |
The advantages of the Edge Z30's overclocked Core i7 860 chip become apparent on our performance charts. Coming in second only to the $2,495 Falcon Northwest Talon, the Velocity Micro system easily surpasses the Dell Studio XPS 435 on our tests, and also outpaces systems from Asus and Maingear in its price category. To put the Velocity Micro in a larger perspective, its application scores are in the same ballpark as a $6,500 Alienware system we reviewed last November. There's no mainstream task you can throw at the Edge Z30 that it can't handle.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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1,600 x 1,200 (high, 4x aa) | |
1,280 x 1,024 (medium, 4x aa) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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1,920x1,200 (DirectX 10, 4x aa, very high) | |
1,440 x 900 (DirectX 10, 4x aa, very high) |
The gaming scores are slightly less dramatic, but still positive. We don't expect a $1,350 PC that pitches itself as a gaming box to set benchmark records, but we do expect it to provide decent performance on the more demanding games out there. The Edge Z30 lives up to that expectation, and again outperforms the more expensive Dell, with scores above our 60-frame-per-second litmus test on Far Cry 2 at 1,440 x 900.
Interestingly though, Velocity Micro can't overtake the $1,199 Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007 on the 1,920 x 1,200 Far Cry 2 test. The Edge Z30 is close enough to 60 fps that we're not too concerned about its performance, but if you have a 24-inch LCD in mind for this system you might have to sacrifice a few image quality settings in order to play at full resolution with smooth frame rates. A 22-inch display at 1,680 x 1,050 might be a surer bet to pair with the Edge Z30, at least for more demanding games.
We've already mentioned the internal expansion options. And while the exterior connectivity of the Edge Z30 is similarly unremarkable, at least it's more or less complete. You get eight USB 2.0 ports on the back of the case, along with 7.1 analog audio jacks and a pair of digital audio outputs. The graphics card has two DVI out ports, so you'll need an adapter if you want to connect to an HDMI display. External storage options include FireWire 400 and a single eSATA jack. That should let you connect pretty much anything you'd like to this system.
 Juice box |
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| Velocity Micro Edge Z30 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 3.17 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 5.5 | ||
| Idle (15 percent) | 117.44 | ||
| Load (15 percent) | 286.78 | ||
| Raw kWh | 577.53 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $65.55 | ||
We found some interesting results in our power testing. On balance the Edge Z30 is as efficient as we expect, drawing no more power than its relative performance might indicate. What's interesting are its individual power scores. Its average off and idle power draw are more than twice those of the Falcon Northwest Talon. It's only the Velocity Micro's draw under load that keeps it from surpassing Talon, whose load measurement came out to 391.4 watts on average, compared to 286.78 for the Edge Z30. Time constraints (and, we suspect, a lack of broad audience interest) prevent us from hunting down the component-level power consumption figures, so we'll leave the real detective work to the vendors. But while the Velocity Micro will technically draw less power than the Falcon Northwest system over the course of a year, it still seems as if the Edge Z30 has some efficiency to gain.
Like Falcon Northwest, Velocity Micro offers in-house technical support via a toll-free phone number, in Velocity Micro's case open from a reasonable 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT during the week, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. It also has what it calls its Concierge service that it says will try to accommodate nonstandard requests. Velocity Micro's Web site offers a comprehensive set of support resources, and the system itself is backed by a one year parts-and-labor warranty.
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit; 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 920 (over clocked); 9GB 1,066 DDR3 SDRAM; 896MB GeForce GTX 260 (216 core); 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive
Dell Studio XPS 435
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit; 2.67GHz Intel Core i7 920; 6GB 1,066 DDR3 SDRAM; 1TB ATI Radeon HD 4870; 1TB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive
Falcon Northwest Talon
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.39GHz Intel Core i7-860 (overclocked); 8GB 1,330MHz DDR3 SDRAM; (2) 896MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 275; 80GB Intel X-25M solid state hard drive, 1TB 7,200rpm Samsung hard drive
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit; 2.83GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550s; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT Eco graphics card; 320GB 7,200rpm Western Digital Scorpio hard drive. Velocity Micro Edge Z30
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.22GHz Intel Core i7-860 (overclocked); 8GB 1,330MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 896MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (216 core); 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive
User reviews
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Velocity Micro's return policy on defective products.
by cforbord on December 7, 2009
Pros: I cannot comment about any pros because the computer never worked from the first moment I hooked it up.
Cons: Return policy is unfair & unreasonable for damaged goods. Technical support does not follow-through, and has a slow response time. It can be an expensive venture of time & money if the product does not work.
Summary: The Velocity micro desktop computer I purchased on-line & had shipped to me never worked. I spent countless hours on the phone & via email with tech support. They promised ...
Summary: The Velocity micro desktop computer I purchased on-line & had shipped to me never worked. I spent countless hours on the phone & via email with tech support. They promised to send over a local technician. After not seeing one for a week, I contacted them again. Was told no one in this area would take the job. Our community has about 175,000 people, unsure why there would be a problem finding a technician? After two weeks of endless hassles, I asked to just return the defective product. They wanted to repair it & send it back. I just wanted to be done with it, and get a refund. Was told I'd have to pay the return shipping ($38), and was getting dinged a 15% restocking fee. On a well-documented defective product? I even talked to a higher up in the company about the unfairness of this policy, and was told the same thing. I just want to warn customers so they will be aware of this business policy by this company.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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ABYSMAL PRODUCT
by RicardoSmall on January 6, 2010
Pros: Nothing good to say.
Cons: Extremely poor customer service for a machine that does not function out of the box.
Summary: My experience with Velocity Micro was a nightmare.
I ordered an MX235 through Costco on 12/16/2009 with express delivery, which is supposed to be 3 to 5 business ...Summary: My experience with Velocity Micro was a nightmare.
I ordered an MX235 through Costco on 12/16/2009 with express delivery, which is supposed to be 3 to 5 business days ... to arrive before Christmas. It was delivered on 1/4/2010, eleven business days later. Costco could not raise a response from VM about delivery, because VM would not return emails or phone messages from Costco's Customer Service.
During setup the mouse pointer was frozen, and a dysfunctional keyboard typed "mmmmmmmmm" until I unplugged it.
VM's techey could not find my registration, because I purchased through Costco. He would not work me through the setup problems without registration. I had to scan the Costco invoice and email it to VM on my old system, since the new machine was not working. I have not heard back from VM.
I'm packing this problem back into the box and returning it to Costo today (1/5/2010). Gracias a dios that I bought through Costco, who has an excellent customer service.
One other thing: CNET editor reviews of VM computers, which helped convince me to buy one, say: "Velocity Micro's consistently high build quality." Not true in my case. The USB plugs are loose on the back of the tower.
I deeply regret this purchase due to the hassle of a slow delivery of a machine that does not function properly.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good but not great
by shawnb212 on January 5, 2010
Pros: Nice to have no bloatware. System looks great and is fast.
Cons: Computer came with faulty power supply. Makes a low pitched rumbling noise when hard drive is working--this is annoying. I can stand some humming fans, but not the constant rumbling of the hard drive working. I expect a flashing light, not noise.
Summary: So far I'm dissapointed. I bought because of VM's rep and the CNET review. But so far I've had a faulty power supply and even when the ...
Summary: So far I'm dissapointed. I bought because of VM's rep and the CNET review. But so far I've had a faulty power supply and even when the computer is running it is noisy when working (when the blue light is flashing). Even when idle and no applications running, the computer is rumbling through processes and making noise. My ZT affinity at work is silent (except for a humming fan) and it probably cost half as much as this computer. Based on the foregoing, I wish I had bough something else.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great highend system for the price!
by HippyNerd on September 25, 2009
Pros: Great looking, good components, fast, very good price for such performance
Cons: I wish it had an even higher end graphics card, but can be upgraded
Summary: It's a very fair priced system considering the performance, quality, and VM is known for great support. I'm also glad to see they still make this in the ...
Summary: It's a very fair priced system considering the performance, quality, and VM is known for great support. I'm also glad to see they still make this in the US.
I was able to configure the system exactly as it is in the review for the same price, and now it has a $50 off coupon, so it's an even better deal. The review proves the value - it crushed the more expensive Dell.
Updated on Sep 25, 20092 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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good pc--bad taste
Pros: the short time i had it running it was fast
Cons: box left byups-damaged-call velocity,suggested tring it out before sending it back. after 4 days of calling tec. sent it back-as damaged. they now what 20% fee. would stay away from them
Summary: probably great system----terrible customer service---
Summary: probably great system----terrible customer service---
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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What's in this review is not what linked to on the site
by winndowlikker on December 7, 2009
Pros: The company is currently offering a solid machine, but with different ram, a different mobo, a different graphics card, a different power supply, and different whatever else, than what they are linking to from this review.
Cons: Some of the changes from what they've linked are good, some are inexplicable in terms of the ram and offsetting the graphics card with the change in HD. Not what is touted, linked to, or offered? Are the changes really a bonus?
Summary: A lot of the upgrade options include SLI as well. Would be good to clear up some of those items and the discrepancy in cost in getting back up to ...
Summary: A lot of the upgrade options include SLI as well. Would be good to clear up some of those items and the discrepancy in cost in getting back up to what is listed in the review vs. what is now the new base model on the site.
The clocking of this review involved the i7, not the i5 that is currently being offered. Copy-cutter benchmarks on the micro site are insufficient.
Updated on Dec 7, 20091 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great looking all aluminum chassis, killer performance
Pros: The aluminum chassis rocks - lighted, too. I was worried it would run too hot overclocked, but the air out the back is just room temp or maybe a little warmer. Nice wiring job - but I'd hate to redo if I messed it up somehow. The performance - man!
Cons: Not sure if this is a con, or just an observation, but it took some configuring on the site to get the same system as the review. I thought I could just go get one.
Summary: Bottom line, this is the best machine I've ever owned - and I get a new PC every couple years or so. I know they always get faster, but ...
Summary: Bottom line, this is the best machine I've ever owned - and I get a new PC every couple years or so. I know they always get faster, but it's just amazing how they get faster and less expensive, too. This is my first Velocity Micro - but not my last as far as I can see.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice!
by Sharpasaknife on September 27, 2009
Pros: Georgeous, great parts, great deal
Cons: none that I can think of.
Summary: I order one on Friday. It's nice looking, affordable for high end, and blows everything in the price range away.
Summary: I order one on Friday. It's nice looking, affordable for high end, and blows everything in the price range away.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good value, but limited upgrade options
by xray_spex on February 8, 2010
Pros: Clean installation; no bloat
Stable
Good quality componentsCons: No eSATA
Limited upgrade options
a bit noisy, no fan controlSummary: I purchased my last desktop from Velocity Micro about four years ago, so when it was time to upgrade, I considered them again. I configured a Z30 with an i7-860, ...
Summary: I purchased my last desktop from Velocity Micro about four years ago, so when it was time to upgrade, I considered them again. I configured a Z30 with an i7-860, 8 GB of RAM, and a nVidia GTX 260 for about $1500. I priced the individual components at about $1350 retail, and a similar system from HP at $1400.
Performance is great, so far. I've had one crash in the three weeks I've owned the system, but that was probably due to me updating multiple drivers without a reboot.
Note: the system as shipped did not include an eSATA port like the one reviewed. The motherboard is a very basic Intel model that only has one legacy PCI, two PCI-e x1 and one PCI-e x16 slots. So, SLI isn't an option. Further, a bulky video card (like the GTX 260) blocks one of the PCI slots and two of the SATA connectors. Still, they managed to fit a large video card and a large CPU cooler in a mid-sized case which is no small achievement. The power and disk cables are neatly bundled and kept out of the way.
One other (minor) concern is the noise level. There are two case fans, but they're wired directly to the power supply rather than the motherboard, so the fans run at full speed at all times. It's not terribly loud (it's quieter than my old system), but I'd prefer to have the option to control the fans.
In summary, I'm happy with the system I received. -
I wish I had read these reviews before purchasing.
by judip on January 27, 2010
Pros: it is quiet
Cons: Only one memory slot is working, mouse is faulty, and customer service is extremely poor. Poorly designed case in my opinion, not a user friendly to the equipment.
Summary: I read great reviews from Cnet, but obviously that isn't in my case. Total disappointment with the service and trying to get this resolved. Tech support doesn't respond ...
Summary: I read great reviews from Cnet, but obviously that isn't in my case. Total disappointment with the service and trying to get this resolved. Tech support doesn't respond to emails and you have to sit in a queue for at least an hour. I want them to fix this machine instead of me trying to resolve issues. I had used this for maybe 2 weeks and problems erupted.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Velocity Micro
- Part number: EDGEZ30
- Bottom Line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z30 is the best deal going right now for midlevel gaming PCs featuring Intel's new Core i7 chips. The overclocked Core i7 860, a fast Nvidia graphics card, and a solid selection of features all around make it easy for us to recommend this system to anyone looking for a capable gaming desktop.
General
- Color Aluminum silver
- Desktop type Gaming-friendly system
Processor
- Type Intel Core i7 860 / 2.8 GHz
- Installed Qty 1
- Max Supported Qty 1
- Upgradability Upgradable
RAM
- Installed Size 8 GB / 8 GB (max)
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM
Storage
- Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB - Standard - Serial ATA NCQ - 7200 rpm
Optical Storage
- Type DVD±R (±R DL)
Graphics Controller
- Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Miscellaneous
- Features 8-in-1 media card reader
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
Manufacturer info
- Velocity Micro
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Velocity Micro products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.velocitymicro.com
- Address:
467 Southlake Blvd., Richmond, VA 23236 - Phone: 800.303.7866
- Email: Info@VelocityMicro.com
- Fax: 804-897-4777
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