Velocity Micro Now Offering Intel Z97 Motherboards

Virginia-based boutique PC maker Velocity Micro announced on Friday that its systems now include Intel 9 Series motherboards from Gigabyte, and refreshed Haswell processors including the Core i7-4790, Core i5-4690, Core i5-4590, and Core i5-4460. All models featuring the new hardware are hand-built and supported right here in the United States, the company points out.

"Intel's latest processor refresh brings more power and better efficiency, creating even more value, while the Z97 and H97 chipset motherboards offer some great new features for our enthusiast customer base," said Randy Copeland, president and CEO of Velocity Micro.

As of this writing, the website isn't listing the new hardware. Presumably, the tech will appear in the Enthusiast section first, which plays host to the Raptor Signature Edition ($3999 starting price), the Raptor Z96 ($2399), the Edge Z55 ($1699), the Edge Z40 ($1199), and the Edge Z30 SmallBlock ($999). The company says pricing starts at $899, which points to the Vector Z25 model listed under Home & Office.

Support for PCIe M.2 solid-state drives on select boards is one of the main features of the new Intel Z97 and H97 chipsets. There's also additional USB 3.0 headers, and support for fifth-generation Core "Haswell" processors. By using Gigabyte motherboards, Velocity Micro systems can also offer gold-plated DisplayPort, DVI-I and audio connectors, onboard Creative Sound Core3D audio and an integrated Killer E2200 Ethernet controller.

"We're honored to be able to offer these new products on launch day as a part of our ongoing pursuit to create a remarkable, ultra performance desktop PC product," Copeland adds.

Just for kicks, the core components of the $3999 Raptor Signature Edition include an aluminum wheel kit to make the desktop easier to move, an 850 watt power supply (80 Plus Bronze Certified), an Asus P9X78 LE motherboard, an Intel Core i7-4930K processor, 16 GB of Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1866 MHz memory, and Velocity Micro's LiquidCool 6 fluid cooling system. There's also an EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 TI GDDR5 card with 3 GB of VRAM.

To construct your own Velocity Micro desktop, head here. The company also produces laptops, work stations and high performance computing platforms.