Are Digital Storm computers any good? [SOLVED]
November 7th, 2013http://www.digitalstormonline.com/
If anyone here uses one, is it good?
Well for the price they seem _alright_. You’re basically paying for the powder coating with the lower end models and the custom loops / TEC installations for the higher end. The lower end seems to be on rebranded Asetek closed loops (akin to Corsair Hydro series). Don’t be fooled by the images of custom loops on their mid range. The hardware customization page tells otherwise. Cases are rebranded Corsairs and non rebranded Silverstones. Cables are not custom sleeved and the workmanship is pretty average at best. But given the economy these days it’s reasonable.
It’s still more expensive than building it yourself though.
Edit: Oh and I see a Mountain Mods case in the background as well.
LedAstray replied: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/
If anyone here uses one, is it good?
When you buy a pre-built custom computer you don’t look at the company selling it (ie. cyberpower, ailenware, ibuypower, digitalstorm, etc.) you look at the parts their using.
Regardless, you’re going to be paying a premium for the parts because your buying from them (they gotta make money somehow).
If you buy the parts your self, not only will you get a better computer than any of the pre-builts, you will get it for a better price.
@
-paroxysM^
SmAsHeDr
Thank You for the feedback, and you’re right, building it yourself is the way to go. But I don’t know anything about building a computer. I wish I could learn but I haven’t a clue on how to start, other than buying the parts. Assembling it is complicated.
LedAstray replied: @
-paroxysM^
SmAsHeDr
Thank You for the feedback, and you're right, building it yourself is the way to go. But I don't know anything about building a computer. I wish I could learn but I haven't a clue on how to start, other than buying the parts. Assembling it is complicated.
assembling a computer is the easiest thing ever.
the wires can basically only go in one spot.
there are tons of online tuts with pictures that should you how to do it.
LedAstray replied: I wish I could learn but I haven't a clue on how to start, other than buying the parts.
You can start by giving a budget, location, and what you do on your computer.
People on the helpdesk will help you choose the right parts, that will work together.
LedAstray replied: Assembling it is complicated.
That is the easiest part, choosing the right parts its the hard part.
Its just like putting together legos. There are tons of guides and videos on the net about how to do this.
Other than applying the HSF and thermal paste to the processor, everything just snaps together. And again, there are tons of detailed guides on exactly how to do this.
sbdb replied: Meh...that's easy too. Selecting hard drives, power supply, graphics card or a CPU is all pretty straightforward.
You apparently don’t build computers for a living. May be easy for you, but knowing which processor and ram to get with what video card, and not bottleneck anything is not common knowledge. Not only that, knowing the performance level of all the processors and gpu’s to get adequate performance with out over spending.
Either you don’t know as much as you think, or you give other people way too much credit, lol.
For me, chosing the right parts is the easy part, I know exactly the compopnents I want.
The processor, motherboard, system memory, power supply, fan, network adapter, sound & video cards installation seems understandable straightforward to assemble and install unless I Potty Mouth up.
My problem is including the rest of the components I want: an internal digital media card reader w/ Bluetooth, one hard drive hot swap bay, two optical drives: first optical drive dedicated to CD, CD-R/RW, second optical drive dedicated to DVD R/RW, DVDR DL, AVCHD, BD-R/RE, BD-R/RE DL, three SATA hard drives, Front of case: mic and headphone jacks, two USB ports, one firewire port, plus the inputs for the digital card reader, Back of case: 6 USB ports, two firewire ports, ethernet port, as well as the input/outputs jacks for the audio card and video card.
How do I find and obtain the proper kind of case and internal brackets and bays you need for all of that and make sure that they all fit properly and in place? That’s what I don’t understand.
For me, chosing the right parts is the easy part, I know exactly the compopnents I want. Really? Then list them so we can take a look. The rest of your post contradicts this since you basically can’t decide on anything yet.
an internal digital media card reader w/ Bluetoothhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007958%20600031470&IsNodeId=1&name=InternalIf you want Bluetooth built in you’d need a motherboard that has it integrated like the newer ASUS boards but if you just simply opt for a USB dongle you’d increase your motherboard selection tenfold.
one hard drive hot swap bayLots of cases have this. For cases that doesn’t have this built in get a 5.25″ to 3.5″ hot swap bay converter.
three SATA hard drivesAny decent tower should have a lot more than 3.
Front of case: mic and headphone jacks, two USB ports,Standard on almost any case.
one firewire port
two firewire portsDead technology. Don’t let this limit your selection.
How do I find and obtain the proper kind of case and internal brackets and bays you need for all of that and make sure that they all fit properly and in place? That's what I don't understand. You’re making this WAY over-complicated.
SmAsHeDr replied:
LedAstray replied: Assembling it is complicated.
That is the easiest part, choosing the right parts its the hard part.
Meh…that’s easy too. Selecting hard drives, power supply, graphics card or a CPU is all pretty straightforward, it’s the motherboard that requires more attention, since you have to look at features, overclocking, upgrade issues, overall quality, etc, that just takes more time, but isn’t difficult either.
When you talk about a difficult hobby, you talk about things like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-t0R3zc5X0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y6j_EQx5VQ
…and his other videos.
No, the prices are pretty terrible compared to building your own.
-paroxysM^ replied: For me, chosing the right parts is the easy part, I know exactly the compopnents I want. Really? Then list them so we can take a look. The rest of your post contradicts this since you basically can't decide on anything yet.
Thank You for your feedback and for trying to help. You’re right, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing when it comes to building a PC but I know what exactly what I want except for the case. I didn’t want to bore everyone with a list of parts, but since you asked:
Case:
?
Color: black
Processor:
Intel Core i7-2600
Motherboard:
Intel DX79SI
Intel X79 Express Chipset
System memory:
Corsair Corsair Vengeance DDR3 CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9 (includes Fans)
4GB x 8
Power supply:
Corsair CMPSU-1200AX 1200 watts
Case fan:
Thermaltake ISGC Fan12
Network adapter:
Intel PWLA8391GT Pro 1000 GT PCI Network Adapter
Sound card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD
Video card:
GeForce GTX 570
Hard drive hot swap bay:
Kingwin KF-252-BK
Media Card Reader
Akasa AK-ICR-11 Internal Cardreader with Bluetooth
(with this, no need for a motherboard that has it integrated or a USB dongle)
Optical Drive:
Pioneer BDR-206DBK
(changed my mind, I can do with one)
Hard Drives:
1. Seagate Barracuda ST3500641AS 500 Gb Internal SATA
2. Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3 TB Internal SATA
3. Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3 TB Internal SATA
I looked into it and you’re right, Firewire is dead. USB 3.0 is theoretically 5 Gbps so that’s the way to go.
Edit 11/20/11
@-paroxysM^
You talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.
Everybody else, Thank You for your feedback.