Introduction
Digital Storm was a new name to us when they first called to offer a gaming system for review. They carry a number of different systems, and pride themselves on "performance, support, and value". Today we're looking at a no-holds-barred, top of the line system: an overclocked Core i7-965 with water-cooling and triple-SLI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 GPUs. First, we'll look at the company, the website and ordering process, and the system and components; then we'll jump into our performance review of the Core i7-965 system.
Digital Storm - Overview
We didn't know much about Digital Storm's history, so we asked them for a brief PR blurb, excerpted in part below.
Digital Storm was founded in San Jose, CA in 2001 and has been in the computer gaming industry for nearly 9 years. In that time we have come to be regarded as a system integrator that builds bleeding-edge: fast, stable, and highly customized gaming systems backed up with a passionate staff that stands behind their product. We are also the only computer gaming company with an "A+" rating from the BBB. This rating reflects our company's dedication to taking care of our customers. Our company has adopted a simple theory: put yourself in the customers shoes. Every decision we make reflects this anthem.
Also, as previously stated, their "About Us" page claims they operate by providing performance, support, and value. We'll look at each claim in turn and examine how they rate.
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frozentundra123456 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Amazing performance,but overkill for most people. Still, I would love to have one. Wonder how SLI HD4670x2 cards would compare to the triple GTX285 in performance and power usage.The price seems relatively reasonable considering a 3 year warranty.
Clauzii - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Yes, they should definately do that.gamerk2 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I brought my PC from DS. Even watercooled, thanks the all the extra fans, it is a LOUD system, but it also stays quite cool. Had an nforce releated freezing issue for a while, but to be fair, it was rare and took months for me to track to a cause (Either Overvolted RAm or a 1:1 RAM-FSB ratio fixed the problem). Support is all around great, forums are more active then some other competitors, and you can find answers to your questions quite quickly.As long as you know you are paying a premium for your system, and don't mind the extra noise that comes with cooling, then DSO is the way to go. I'd definatly buy my next PC from them after my experiance with this one.
Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Thanks for the feedback!HOOfan 1 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I wouldn't be suprised if the leaf blower of a power supply you got was louder than anything else in the case.NicePants42 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
After owning a PCP&C 'Silencer' 750, and experiencing a PCP&C 1000W unit, I will guarantee you that the PSU is the loadest thing in that case BY FAR.A Corsair HX1000, Thermaltake Toughpower 1200, Cooler Master Real Power 1000W, Enermax Galaxy Evo or Revolution 85+, just off the top of my head, would be much better choices in terms of noise without sacrificing quality.
aigomorla - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
and u are one of the few who does not own a classified to know how picky it is with psu's.I personally went though 3.
The enermax revo does NOT work 50% of the time.
HOOfan 1 - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - link
That is EVGA's fault though....not Enermax'sNot being a rabid overclocker, but instead a rabid PSU hound, I would rather get a Gigabyte mobo and a nice quiet quality PSU.
NicePants42 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Of course I meant 'loudest'. Yay for edits.Hauk - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I have a friend who's a packaging engineer. I laughed when I first heard the title, but I've learned that solid packing methods are critical to insure product quality remains unchanged through tranist.As we can see from the shipping box exterior, heavy boxes like these are subject to extremes during transit. I was very impressed to see Digital Storm using injectable foam packing ON THE INSIDE of the system. This packing prevents the heavy components (graphic cards, oversize air coolers, etc) from the forces of gravity. Imagine a typical shipping box sliding down a 20 foot chutes in shipping hub.
Newton's Law at work here, the large components want to keep moving as the box comes to an abrupt halt, the custom molded foam insert pervents that from happening. This is CRITICAL for a pre-built high end system, as they in particular contain heavy components inside.
A big thumbs up to Digital Storm on the packing...