Power
We measure power consumption using a Kill-A-Watt device at the wall outlet. Idle indicates a measurement taken in Windows at the desktop with no applications running. Max indicates the maximum power draw with the system fully loaded (running eight instances of Prime95 and 3DMark Vantage simultaneously). We've also indicated power draw with just the CPU loaded.
With a monitor on the same outlet (another 80W), this was the first time we've hit the thousands place on our Kill-a-Watt with a computer system. Of course, the 941W number shown is the peak power draw we tested, but we saw numbers between 700 and 780W in Far Cry 2 under normal gameplay conditions. That can definitely add up to a lot of money in power bills, so we recommend turning off systems like this when they're not in use. The idle power alone will account for around $300 per year if run 24/7!
Noise
We measured noise with a sound level meter, at distances of 24" and 48". For reference, ambient noise was approximately 37.5 dB(A).
We thought that this was the noisiest system we've tested, and once we made our measurements we confirmed that was the case. The steady drone from the GTX 285s really makes for an unpleasant experience. The system was clearly audible from an adjacent room with the door closed, and we found ourselves leaving the room if we got a phone call. This is a real shame on a system with CPU water-cooling that contributes very little to overall noise levels. Water-cooled GPUs would definitely improve the noise results, although costs will escalate dramatically. GPU cooling for three CPUs will add $720, or a dual-loop water-cooling setup will add $1080.
Temperature
We utilized CoreTemp 0.99.4 to measure CPU temperatures. We loaded each core with Prime95 and ran 3DMark Vantage in the background.
The Core i7 processor runs quite hot, especially when overclocked, and the Swiftech water-cooler is doing a very good job at 4.0GHz.
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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...