Discussion II and warranty
The 3XS X58 Core i7's audio is handled by a PCIe x1 Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium and Scan's offering is one of few that supports Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect, albeit via an optical rather than coaxial connection.
Powering all the kit is a high-quality Corsair HX620W modular PSU. Although it's perfectly capable of powering the specified 3XS X58 Core i7, it doesn't allow for much expansion capability. Being equipped with only two PCIe 6-pin power connectors, installing a second GeForce GTX 260 graphics card would require the use of PCIe-to-Molex adapters.
This in turn would use up the only two remaining modular connectors, consequently making it difficult to add additional optical/hard drives without disrupting the existing cabling.
Rounding things off, storage is provided in the form of the ubiquitous Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB. Currently one of the cheapest drives around, it offers respectable performance and it's not hard to see why it's Scan's - and many other system integrators' - drive of choice.
Warranty
The system reviewed here has a two-year warranty. The first year is on-site and unlike many of its competitors is insurance-backed by a third-party.
Response time is typically next working-day, however, it can take up to 2-3 working days during busy periods. If a quicker response time is required this can be negotiated into the price at the time of sale.
The second year is return-to-base and covers labour and parts which are still under a manufacturer’s warranty. Scan also provides a wide variety of additional warranty options which are detailed on its website.
In addition to this, Scan can perform upgrades on the machine for an additional charge. This charge would also include putting the system on a 24-48 hour stress test with the new components installed, before being dispatched back to the customer.
