3DMark Vantage
Vantage has replaced 3DMark 2006 in our test suite, and though the new payment scheme is inconvenient, it is still end-user reproducible. Vantage runs on Windows Vista only and has four different default test settings: Entry, Performance, High, and Extreme.
This is the first time the three GTX 285s have had a chance to stretch their legs, and they don't just break our previous high scores, they shatter them. CrossFire woes and an early Core i7 platform prevented the Velocity Micro system from scoring as high as it should have in these tests, but the Digital Storm offers fantastic performance.
Crysis
Crysis is aging but it still stresses even the most recent PC hardware. This demo has two built-in benchmarks in the "bin32" folder, one "CPU" and the other "GPU". We ran all benchmarks three times, discarding the first result and averaging the other two. We ran all tests at "High" quality unless otherwise specified.
Once again, we see incredibly high scores here, far surpassing previous HD 4870X2 and CrossFire HD 4870 results. We increased the quality to "Very High" and set antialiasing to 16xAA, reran the test at 1920x1200, and got a result of 48.4 fps.
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 is a new addition to our test suite. It's a fun game with great ratings, and has a fantastic built in benchmarking tool (located in the "bin" folder with the executable, or right-click on the shortcut in Games Explorer and select "Benchmark"). We've chosen to run our system tests with the reproducible settings shown below:
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Far Cry 2 has good performance scaling in general, and it's worth noting that any of these systems can play the game well at high resolutions. Once again, however, we see the Digital Storm system crushing all competitors. Below is the graph generated by Far Cry, with an added result of 1920x1200 at 8xAA (126 fps average).
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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.