Exterior
The system arrived in a brown cardboard box, branded with the Digital Storm name.
The box had no handles, which made it a little tricky to carry. This may be why it arrived slightly battered, but the system wasn't damaged. We've stated before that if the box is easier to carry, there's less chance it will arrive damaged (since UPS/FedEx have an easier time handling it).
Gotta remove the foam…
The system was packed well, and did not have any damage from the rough handling.
Expanding foam around video cards
The GTX 285 cradle, out of the case
The Silverstone case has a clean, uncluttered look, and the Digital Storm logo doesn't detract from that. The front cage window is an innovative feature of these cases that isolates the hard drives from the case interior, greatly improving airflow and reducing heat.
We mentioned the owner's binder in the ordering section. Most of the pages are just black-and-white text on troubleshooting - some pictures of the system here might be useful (as Überclok includes) and make for a more impressive presentation. Pictures of the Certificate of Ownership and the QA checklist are below.
Again, we feel the quality checklist could be improved by showing the actual tests performed and passed by the system, along with a few relevant performance benchmarks. According to their video and stated internal procedures, they already run all of these tests anyway, and they're selling themselves short by not giving the customer specific results.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
52 Comments
View All Comments
Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I agree with Alex and others here that the power supply may be a primary culprit, it was in the same vicinity as the video cards and the noise was hard to isolate. I'll see if I can further isolate it before I pack it up, but in that case going with an alternate PSU supplier (Christoph Katzer may have some views here) would of course help out.DigitalStorm - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I wanted to thank AnandTech for the review opportunity.I do wish to comment on system noise. From our experience, the PC Power and Cooling 1200W PSU is the main culprit. Under stress, the unit can become very loud.
We are looking at ways to lower the noise from our high-end systems. No one wants a loud system, and we agree.
Warm Regards,
Alex
Digital Storm
Clauzii - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Might sound stupid, but is using Fanless impossible?I mean, say, 2(600W),3 or 4 PSUs depending on machine type?
yessir22 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
There's no reason a liquid cooled system should be that loud.You guys should review a computer from Puget Systems. They're even higher rated than DSO, and are known for their quiet computers. I have a friend who bought a system there and he won't stop talking about them, lol
gamerk2 - Monday, May 25, 2009 - link
Mainly because the case they used (assuming its the same as mine) comes with 2x top side fans, a front side fan, a underside fan, the radiator/pump, and the GPU fans.Hence, a lot of noise for a lot of cooling.
Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I just configured a system very close to this one on Puget's site (minus one GTX 285, they only offer SLI systems), and the cost was $6589. With another GTX 285, that would bump it up to just over $7000, about $1000 more than the system reviewed here. The option's always open for the future, but unless they could demonstrate a clear performance or warranty support advantage, it'd be a hard sell.yessir22 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Apples and oranges, dude. Puget Systems liquid cools the video cards. Take that out and their $6500, I saved a quote on the website. Plus they have 2x the radiator size. If you use a smaller radiator, then Puget is $5400.Matt Campbell - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
Actually, I did take out the liquid cooling on the video cards. It's still more. Doesn't mean it's bad, just pricier. Actually, I notice the prices have shifted just since I did the last config. a few hours ago, and changed $5 again between the time I configured this system and put it into a cart.Puget Deluge
P6T Deluxe
i7 965
6GB DDR3-1600
2x GTX 285
2x 300 GB Velociraptor
1x 1.5TB WD Green
LiteOn Blu-ray, Pioneer DVDRW
P183 w/liquid cooling
Silverstone 1200W P/S
Koolance 345AT
Liquid cooling on video cards None
Vista Ultimate
3 Year Warranty parts
Price: $6376.27 + $153 shipping = $6529.27
Add the third GTX 285 to match this one, and you're at that $7000 number.
JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
I actually http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=29...">reviewed a PC from Puget Systems a while back and pretty much can echo what Matt said. They did provide excellent support in my experience and were very good at communicating what was happening. Pricing is more than I'd be willing to pay, but then I'm not their target audience.aguilpa1 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - link
They have good stuff but boy you PAY for it.