Lance: First thoughts of my new LancePost Date: 2014-10-01 |
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i3enny
Newbie Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
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Topic: Lance: First thoughts of my new Lance Posted: 01 Oct 2014 at 9:14pm |
So I was having issues with my prior laptop overheating and not wanting to perform well despite my best efforts; so I pulled the trigger on a new Lance. I chose that model for 2 big reasons, 1: I like the 15.6" screen size and I dont like carrying around a 10 plus pound computer and 2: I wanted to have an optical drive. Despite everything being in the cloud or programs like netflix and vudu, I still have a ton of movies and programs that are on disk. So after deciding on the size/chassis I liked, I did some more searching. I found that others companies use a similar chasis and offer customization similar to DS. After building on several other sites and comparing specs I found DS was by far the company to go with. They offered a simple method of choosing parts, they offered the right parts, and they offered it at a better price than anyone else. So on Sept 3, I built a machine I hoped would last a while and shouldnt let me down with performance, and I placed the order:
System Configuration: Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lance 15.6 Inch Laptop (Model: S:8258) Display: 15.6 Inch (16:9) (Resolution: 1920 x 1080) (Anti-glare) LED-Backlit Display Processor: Intel Core i7 4910MQ (Up to 3.90Ghz) (Quad Core) (8MB Cache) Thermal Compound: Premium CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise) Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Storage Drive 1: 500GB Solid State - Samsung 840 EVO Storage Drive 2: - No Thanks Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player & Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Blu-Ray 6x) Wireless Card: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 + Bluetooth 4.0 Graphics Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M 8GB with NVIDIA Battery Boost + NVIDIA Optimus Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD) Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value) Office Suite: - No Thanks Cooling Pad: - No Thanks Extra Charger: - No Thanks Extra Battery: - No Thanks Carry Bag: - No Thanks Audio: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks Branded Gear: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement) Originally, I placed the order and requested the priority build. Unfortunately for me, I got a phone call the next day saying that they were out of stock on the Lance chassis and it would be a few days upwards of 1 week to get it in. Thus resulting in them refunding my hundred bucks. That was my first experience with this company in regards to their customer service; it was disheartening that they didnt have what I wanted in stock, but they were prompt with alerting me and refunded the money right away. I have to admit, I kind of felt like a kid anxiously awaiting his birthday each day I got an email saying my computer had gone from stage 1 to stage 2 to stage 3 and so forth. Eventually, the doorbell rang and there stands a man in brown carrying a large box asking for my signature. It had arrived! The day I got it, I immediately opened it up and started peeling stickers off to turn it on. I had high hopes of this thing performing well but never expected it to be as solid as it is. I have been used to an SSD with 16gb RAM for a while now, so I have known speed, what I didnt know was how much a great video card and excellent component design could change my world. Now, I built this laptop with the idea of using some of my previous components. I have been using a 750gb Samsung Evo SSD for about 6 months with 2 x 8gb Corsair Vengeance sticks of RAM and I was thrilled to know this thing could absorb both! I panicked though when I flipped it over and opened the hdd bay and noticed there was only 1 visible hard drive. I then flipped through the manual and panicked even more thinking the model I got couldnt accommodate a second drive. I got great relief from tech support, almost immediately, letting me know the other drive bay was tucked under the optical drive. I clearly didnt read the booklet- but Whew- what relief. This was the second great customer service experience I have had so far, couldnt be happier. So, after a quick reformat of the 750, in it went! The next step is to figure out where the other 2 sticks of RAM go, i have only been able to find the home for 2.... more research to go on this one. My thoughts of this thing is this: This custom built Digital Storm is by far, the most superior laptop I have used to date. It feels solid under my wrists as I pound away on the nicely lit keys. The screen appears flawless, the fact that Digital Storm tested, retested and took pride in their handiwork, provides me with comfort knowing this thing is going to perform to its full potential. My only complaints of this process has been this: they allowed me to build, and buy a laptop without letting me know the chassis was out of stock. I would have liked to have been informed before I pulled the trigger- now, that is also on me; I just as easily could have called and talked to someone in the shop. The other thing I would have liked was a sticker- I know it sounds stupid- but I become brand loyal by great service and great products and I spread the word to others- Unfortunately I didnt see any in the gear shop... I do however like that I got a 3 ring binder with a certificate of ownership and all the drivers- that is a nice touch. I have a feeling this laptop is going to impress me more and more as time goes on and more things get loaded on! Cant wait to see what others do on the forums as well. Thanks for reading. Edited by i3enny - 01 Oct 2014 at 9:19pm |
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Snaike
Moderator Group Just a dude trying to keep the spam away Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 9448 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 12:23am |
Great review and thanks for the pics!
We've been asking for DS stickers for some time now; Alex and the team know that we want to show our love for DS to everyone and they are working on it. Hang in there.
Here's to years of lappy bliss... Cheers!
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Tor
Newbie Joined: 22 Sep 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 67 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 4:11am |
Nice rigLooks like the perfect size.
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bprat22
DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 6:01am |
Looks great. Congrats and Enjoy.
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Alex
Admin Group Digital Storm Supervisor Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16312 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 10:32am |
Great review! Let me get back to the team on the stickers.
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Snaike
Moderator Group Just a dude trying to keep the spam away Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 9448 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 10:45am |
woohooo!!!! I'll take 2 dozen please... |
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Alex
Admin Group Digital Storm Supervisor Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16312 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 5:31pm |
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Roykirk
Senior Member Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 951 |
Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 9:21pm |
Great review and glad you found that second bay. It's the same for the Krypton. One of these days I'll add a second drive to go along with my mSATA and HDD.
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i3enny
Newbie Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Quote Reply Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 6:46am |
Few days in and this thing continues to amaze me!! i do however wish the touchpad had multitouch capability or even a scroll bar... also, Anyone have a quick tip on where the other slots for the ram is located?
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bprat22
DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391 |
Quote Reply Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 6:51am |
A lot of laptops have the ram slots underneath, near the cpu, etc and the second set go below the keyboard. The keyboard needs to be removed. Usually, the top bezel above the keyboard snaps off and a few small screws hold the keyboard in.
Hope that does it for you. |
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joguco2012
Groupie Joined: 17 Nov 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 203 |
Quote Reply Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 3:47pm |
It looks nice!!! Congrats and enjoy
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