Many people love the craftsmanship that goes into a custom-built performance PC, but not everyone can justify the expense. Buyers unwilling to pay exorbitant build fees and unable to assemble their own machines have often been forced to rely upon on tech-savvy relatives, neighbors, or friends to make recommendations and assist with building and testing. Unpredictable quality and an almost total lack of support are the typical results of these cost-savings efforts (Ed.: raise your hands if you've been that "nice guy," who offered to help build a friend's machine, only to become the 24-hour tech support line when they had an issue with it).
But what if you had a truly skilled friend who, for a few hundred dollars, would build your system, overclock it for maximum performance, provide lifetime technical support, replace anything that breaks for the first three years, and was even willing to buy it back for the first 30 days if you found a serious problem? Digital Storm recently told us that it could be that friend, and we wanted to put the company to the test.
Long-time custom builder with an eight-year reputation (supported by its A+ Better Business Bureau rating), Digital Storm now sells several pre-packaged configurations at steeply discounted prices compared to their traditional build-to-order service. And unlike those large faceless corporations who try to offer similar options, every component Digital Storm uses is a high-end off-the-shelf part, making upgrades easy and relatively pain-free.
| Digital Storm Gaming Dominator Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-950 (3.20 GHz, 8.0 MB Cache) Overclocked to 3.83 GHz (23x 166.6 MHz) |
| CPU Cooler | 120 mm Single-Fan Radiator |
| Motherboard | MSI X58 Pro BIOS 7.3 (04-17-2009) Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset, LGA-1366 |
| RAM | Mushkin 6 GB DDR3-1333 CAS 9 at DDR3-1333 CAS 8-8-8-19 (1T) |
| Graphics | XFX GeForce GTX 295 1.79 GB 576/1242MHz GPU/Shader, GDDR3-2016 |
| Case | Cooler Master HAF 932 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB 7,200 RPM, 32 MB Cache SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W ATX 12V 2.2 / EPS 12V, Active PFC |
| Optical | Optiarc 20X DVD±R, 8X DVD+RW 6X DVD-RW |
| Removable | None |
| Software | |
| OS | Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 |
| Productivity | None |
| Games | None |
| Accessories | |
| Monitor | None |
| Keyboard | None |
| Mouse | None |
| Speakers | None |
| Warranty and Price | |
| Warranty Period | Three Years Hardware, Lifetime Support |
| Price | $2,233 |
We priced out every component in the Gaming Dominator at our favorite discount vendors and found a $300 difference before-shipping. That’s $200 post-shipping, since Digital Storm currently offers a $100 instant rebate to cover total shipping value on this product.

I don't mind helping out my friend's but face it you are not always going to be there for them for the next 3 or 4 yrs they end up using the computer. When a problem arise's and you cannot be there they are bound to start messing with things and this is where they can really ruin their computer instead of just calling tech support and asking what they should do. Had a friend try to replace his cpu once, suffice to say he didnt know about different sockets and ended not only buying the wrong type but also tried forcing it onto the mobo and almost ended up breaking off quite a few pins but thankfully he decided to wait for my help before he proceded any further.
That's my 2ct. Insurance is great for those that don't know how to fix their computer or don't have the money to fix it if something breaks and their factory warranty either doesn't cover it or has run out.
i7 920 = $300
Good X16/X16/X8 X58 board = $350
6GB of fast DDR3 = $100
3x 4890s = $600
Corsair 850TX = $150
CM Haf 932 = $200
1TB drive = $100
Xigmatek dark knight = $50
2 DVD burners = $50
Total: $1900
Once you shop around you can get this for around to $1600-$1700. Add shipping and a bunch of bad deals you will get around $1800. So for $433 less (atleast) you will get a far faster machine. While it is true that there is no support, I have built plenty of computers for people and I support them fully, if something goes wrong I'll fix it. As for replacements, that's what newegg and long or lifetime warranties are for.
Also that i7 950 could go FAR higher on air, so don't try that "maximum performance" stuff.
This portion of a build is omitted far too often.
Other than that, not bad and the company isn't charging a ridiculous premium for build costs or support.
They do if you want to pick your own parts. But if you like any of their pre-selected configurations, you can get heavy discounts that make it a good value for labor and support.
I know this situation, however in my country such a premium price will not be accepted by the normal folks ... anyway one could build a good bissiness on this model I guess.
Anyway the rig looks good as to the component config. However I did not find the PSU details in the article.
LoL man, the conclusion is written in very simple English.
Although I can't compare how well is Digital Storm's support compared to yours, I can roughly see that your support and services are F.O.C. That kinda indicates that you're doing something else for a living and not guaranteed to be there when I need you during the 3 years period.
Although companies and retailers do messed up at times, there are legally written Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy that give customers assurance. In Maslow's Hierarchy, safety and assurance comes next after food-shelter-money-sex
Decent system though at a decent price (compared to other builders)
Why poor price?
CoolerMaster HAF 922 Case $99.99
Corsair 1000W PSU $239.99 + $20 MIR
Asus Crosshair III Formula mobo/Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3-1600 combo $289.98
Sapphire Vapor-X Radeon 4870 2GB card $199.99
2nd Sapphire Vapor-X 2GB card/2nd set Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3-1600 combo $299.98 + 15 MIR
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Quad-Core $199.99
ZEROTherm Nirvana NV120 HSF $49.99 + $20 MIR
Kingston V-Series 128GB SSD $249.99
2 Seagate 7200.12 500GB drives $109.98
Lite-On 8x BD-ROM drive w/Lightscribe $109.99
4 Scythe S-Flex 120mm case fans $55.96 (fully ventilate the case)
Price w/shipping (not including MIRs): $1918.47
So for $300 less, I can have the rig with SSD, more video RAM, faster disks in RAID, better gaming mobo, etc.
Plus if I was budget conscious, I could easily drop the SSD, move to 4-500GB drives in RAID 0 for high performance, plus move to 2x4890s and save another $150 or more.
Sure the i7 950 is gonna be a workhorse, but I think the increased RAM, video RAM, hard drive speed, as well as a mobo customized for gaming makes a better choice for gaming especially in the high end.
Don't get me wrong. That system is great for someone who knows nothing about building a rig. But if my mom (who is in her 70s) wanted to play video games, I wouldn't recommend that machine. That's too much money to shovel out, even if you are getting great support. Great support doesn't last forever. Look at Gateway. I used to use them both consumer and GSA side. Were awesome. Now, Gateway is a mess.
Lifetime warranties are great for memory from a major maker. But when it comes to a pre-built system of parts from 15 different manufacturers, I don't put too much stock in a company honoring "lifetime" anything.
But if you were someone with no time and plenty of money, that rig would be good. I think your concluding assessment is that the price is "reasonable" holds under those conditions.
Good article tho. Thanks very much.
I have used their Configurator for a system with almost the same hardware for around 2K delivered.
Just my 2 cents ...
(p.s. I'm assuming you would need a bigger power supply to SLI 295's + OC'd 950 but I don't regularly build systems that draw that kind of power.)
I think you are all missing the point. While I can be there within an hour or a week at the latest, no holding times and no shipping fees if the problem is very serious, I am not a tech support but I can guarantee to keep the machine running between myself and warranties. Also there are tech supports for each component or software as well, if I tell a customer what the problem they are having sounds like to me they CAN call tech support or google it. Baring all that I will take my time to fix a problem or research any odd problem. I have never failed to fix any problems yet. Your right I am not a company, but just because you do not have a written warranty such as the one in this article does not mean that you are totally out in the cold.
I also showed that a builder such as myself could have built a faster computer for less making that $250 figure atleast $400 if not more. My point is, at that point the support is very expensive.
You also have to understand that I do this as a hobby and not a side income, I charge way too little. whether it be $350 worth of components or $2000 worth I just simply enjoy building computers and helping others.
Because I got marked me down so much I guess some people mustn't really understand my point so I will spell it out for you: THE COST OF SUPPORT IN THIS INSTANCE IS GREATER THAT $250, MEANING THE CONCLUSION WAS OFF.
I think you missed the introduction. A good majority of us would much rather provide a high end gaming machine to a friend WITHOUT having to provide the support for years. We have other jobs and plenty of things to do. In my case, the machines like this that i have tried to provide for friends were hundreds of miles away. When they have a major issue and lose a power supply or something, It's a pain to have to arrange a trip (or make them wait for a trip) up there to take care of it.
It would be nice to be able to recommend a high end machine with full support and only a few hundred bucks more.
Sounds selfish, but the amount of free service it would take for me to travel 150 miles to replace a power supply (or MOBO, or anything else) is worth much more than $400 you might save in parts. It would be worth it on just one trip, let alone 2 or 3 that might be necessary over the years.
I think it's totally appropriate to recommend a vendor like this.