Why should I pick Digital Storm?

Budget:
[No more than 1500, preferably lower than 1200]

Expectations:
[Small and light, fast boot up, reliable internet connection, preferably without burning my hand under load.]

Usage:
[Mobile IT, web design (image editing in GIMP and Inkscape, coding in Notepad++, testing in Chrome and Firefox). I came here when I realized an ultrabook (what I originally was looking for) was ~200 cheaper than just getting something that could play a few games. (GW2 on medium-low, Tribes Ascend on lowish at 60, etc).]

Special Needs:
[I want Ubuntu compatibility. If the computer isn't compatible there is a high chance of me returning it. I don't want to be stuck in Windows once Steam for Ubuntu lands.]

Saved Ticket #: [732919]

Specifications:
[Chassis Model: Digital Storm xm11 Laptop (Model: 6110)
Display: 11.6 Inch (Resolution: 1366 x 768) (Glossy Surface) LED-Backlit Display
Processor: Intel Core i7 3610QM (2.3 GHz Turbo Mode to 3.3Ghz) (Quad Core) (6MB Cache)
Thermal Compound: Premium IC Diamond CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise)
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Primary Hard Drive: Intel 240GB SSD (520 Series) (SATA 6Gb/s)
Secondary Hard Drive: - Not Available
Optical Drive: - Not Available
Wireless Card: Intel Advanced-N 6235 Wireless LAN Module
Video Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 2GB with NVIDIA Optimus Technology
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty]

[---Competitors Removed----]

Ignoring Digital Storm's intense testing (I can do what really needs done myself), their support, and their professional shipping, would there be any performance or quality differences in the builds, enough to justify $200?

Also, anyone have any idea how hot this thing gets in game?

Thanks,
~MANERS

[EDIT: Competitor names removed as this is a company official forums and we cannot host direct links to our competitors - Alex]

Edited by Alex - 30 Sep 2012 at 10:48pm

In all honesty, the support is what defines the DS experience, and if you don't care about that, or about the knowledge of the technicians or the forum members, than you may wish to look elsewhere.

That said, trust me when I say that the extra money is more than worth it. Assuming that the link that you had put up was for Cyberpower or PowerPC, or one of those other garbage brands, the extra money will be well spent. I know of no other company where you can just call, chat with, or email any of the technicians at any point of the day and just start chatting about computer parts. When I upgrade to Haswell in a few months, it is nice to know that I have the combined knowledge of several DS technicians and hundreds of forum-goers, many of which are experts, to aid me in any decision-making and help with any questions.

In addition, I have heard poor things from quite a few people about the customer support at some other high end companies. I know that at DS, should my laptop break, I can send it back in, and DS will fix it strictly to the warranty with no questions asked.

Essentially, the extra money just saves you time and piece of mind, and it gives you full U.S. tech support from a knowledgeable staff. If any of those sound appealing, go for it.

Good luck.

Edited by Orange7 - 01 Oct 2012 at 6:12pm

Just chiming in -- I've owned those other brands personally. I compete in PGL and while I cannot personally tell you how hot the system might get I can tell you that should there be a problem or something other type of question that you could not handle DS will knock it out for you.

Good luck in your endeavors.