My 2 cents as a first time buyer

I recently purchased two computers from DigitalStorm and wanted to post my experience for others to review.  I know that reading reviews that cast a dreamy glow or terrible glare on a one person's experience are often looked at with suspicion.  And rightly so, you are spending your hard earned money on something and let's face it there are some shady folks out there who try to manipulate reviews.  I've always lived by the standard that any letter I get unsigned gets thrown away.  If someone is not willing to put their name on it and own it, it's not worth my time.  I am including my email address as my signature because I very much want to own this review and stand by it 100%.

As I mentioned, I purchased two computers.  One was a prebuilt system and one was a custom built gaming computer.  Roughly I spent about 1300 and 6900 for both systems, so I was putting a lot of trust into a decision I made to go with DigitalStorm.  I decided to give them a try for a couple of reasons, the first being the video on their website that explains why they build computers.  There are a lot of companies that are qualified to build computers and any Google search will prove that.  DigitalStorm put their integrity and their brand on the line in their introduction video and that made it worth my time and energy to see if this is who I wanted to do business with.  The second reason was custom service and support.  When I initially called DigitalStorm, I spoke with Janna who took the time to answer all my questions and patiently listen to me voice my concerns over different the many details that go into a custom built computer.  This stood in contrast to another nationally known computer company that I had canceled an order with after they told me it would take a month to get the two systems ready.  I didn't cancel the order with them due to the time frame they offered as much as it was because when I called to voice concern that I would not get either computer for a month, they simply said they would cancel it with no attempt to offer getting one shipped fast than the other.  Basically they communicated to me that they know how to build computers they just forgot the reason why they build them. 

Within a few days my first computer was ready to ship and it hit a snag.  UPS could not find the computer but they apparently had the paper work and they would spend the next 3 days telling me via email it was due to arrive the next day only to send another email apologizing for the confusion but it would arrive the next day.  Needless to say I was nervous and voiced concern to Janna that the custom built computer was more expensive and that I frequently had issues with UPS.  Disclaimer:  I live outside Memphis, TN and FedEx has it's headquarters here so I am biased towards them.  Janna understood my concerns and worked it out where the second computer would ship via FedEx.  She also told me to email her if they computer did not arrive Friday because she would come in on Sunday and get a jump on locating it.  And this was not even DigitalStorms mistake, it was completely outside their circle of influence.  I appreciated her willingness to come in on the weekend but told her to wait till Monday since nothing could be done on the weekend anyway.  I was disappointed it did not arrive the weekend before I returned to college (at 44 returning to college is a big deal) but I still felt like I made the right choice in buying from DigitalStorm.  Sure enough the computer arrived on Monday and I was very pleased with it.  I then got an email from DigitalStorm informing me that they were upgrading the motherboard from the Rampage IV Extreme to the Rampage IV Black Edition and upgraded the lighting system to include five different colors in case I got bored of red.  Remember the issues I had with the delivery of the first computer was not DigitalStorms mistake, it was UPS.  So upgrading those parts told me that the mission statement they passionately talked about in their introduction video was not something dreamed up by a slick PR firm, it was authentic and real.  And in today's world that is a breath of fresh air.

Both computers came with a box that contained all the manuals to each individual component in the system,  a binder that contained a detailed rooster of what the computer had installed, a page with sleeves for all the driver and program CD's, a quality checklist, setup instructions, a certificate of ownership, and a thank you letter.  Very professional and really adds a touch to the purchase that I did not expect.  The computers are very stunning and the craftsmanship is awesome.  My dad always taught me that "quality is long remember after cost is forgotten" and I could not be more pleased with my purchases.  I very much like knowing that I bought them from people who care about not just what they do but why they do it, the customer.  I look forward to using them in the future and highly recommend that you seriously consider them before making a final decision on who you buy your next system from. 

Paul C. Bell
[email protected]

Computer Number 1
System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Hailstorm II Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4930K 3.4GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Extreme X79 (Intel X79 Chipset)
System Memory: 32GB DDR3 1600Mhz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1200W Corsair AX1200i (Digitally Controlled Power)
Expansion Bay: Hard Drive Hot Swap Bay (EZ-Rack)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (3TB Seagate)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster ZxR (Ultimate in Audio Playback and Creation)
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux Level 3: Digital Storm Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Video Cards + CPU + Chipset)
H20 Tube Color: Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Fans: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (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: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
NVIDIA SHIELD: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Computer Number 2
System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Pre-built Digital Storm VANQUISH II - Level 4
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 4590 3.30 GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS H81M-D/E Plus (Intel H81 Chipset) (MATX)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 600W Corsair CX
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (120GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x (1TB Seagate (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: High Performance Cooler with Large Fan and Copper Pipes
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
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: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
NVIDIA SHIELD: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: Ship Within 72-Hours After Order Is Successfully Processed (3 Business Days)
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

PS this is the initial configuration, computer number one had an upgrade as mentioned in the body of the letter that is not reflected in this list.  :)






Edited by Paul C. Bell - 17 Sep 2014 at 9:59am

I might should have added that I was wordy with my review post because as a nurse I know what the small things done to assist others can make a world of difference.  So I think it's very important to point out experiences so others can get an idea of what to expect. 

Ok.. 2 things here.

1) Read the review... very happy that you've had such an amazing experience with our friends at DS.

and 2) Going back to college and a nurse?! Mad respect and appreciation. Keep doin' the good things.

excellent review. good to know about DS working with you regarding
shipping, although i have had the opposite experience with fed ex being my least trusted shipper. These issues probably vary by region.

Edited by Dav - 17 Sep 2014 at 12:23pm

How do you like the huge tower? I love mine.

Awesome review, Paul!

I really love my tower as well.  It really is a very well designed case.  They combine all that know how to help the motherboard, memory case, graphics card..........water cooling and well everything! to just make your computer system looking like it is the mainframe supporting Air Force One!  LoL.  It's just a great computer and I am still excited about it each day I get up. Very thankful I found their website and took the time to learn about them.  That do great work.

I can do that.  Give me over the weekend, it's been crazy with some papers due and my 7 year old nephew being in some fair show.  But i'll be happy to help anyway I can.