Q 1: Do I really need liquid cooling? Will heat damage my system?

Excessive heat will damage your system, especially when you are overclocking. Gaming desktops are designed to turn themselves off when it overheats, but, a system running extensively hot may produce issues down the road. Liquid cooling is the best solution to combat this issue, but, it also comes at a price. It’s not vital to have inside your gaming PC, but, if you want to squeeze the most performance out of your system, it’s a clear choice.

Q 2: Should I really Overclock my computer, is it worth the risks?

First of all, the risks of Overclocking aren’t really that high. The only real issue that Overclocking can produce is stability issues. However, if you were to have stability issues with your Overclock, they can always be fine-tuned with a Digital Storm technician over the phone. The great thing about Overclocking is that you can get a tremendous performance increase without spending your money on cutting edge hardware with relatively low risks.

Q 3: Why should I purchase my computer from Digital Storm instead of the competitors?

Let’s break it down on why Digital Storm is your best choice for your next gaming PC:

i. Customer Service & Support: Digital Storm understands the importance of customer support when you need it most. We don’t stop helping our customers until they are fully satisfied. We treat your problems as ours. Our technicians are gamers and enthusiasts and have the knowledge and experience to get you exactly what you want. Don’t forget, every system comes with a 3 year Warranty, and Life-time U.S. Based tech support.

ii. Proven Track Record: From our community of hard core gamers, knowledgeable enthusiasts, and past customers to award winning reviews and media presence. Since 2001, it’s clear that Digital Storm knows how to build fine-tuned monster gaming laptops and desktops.

iii. Extensive Quality Control: Our staff takes pride in the products we build and service and it is reflected in the systems that leave our facility. To ensure every product leaves our facility flawless, every procedure is double checked by two separate individuals. Our units are tested extensively with the most demanding software utilities and games.

iv. Overall Value: It’s not just the price of the components that you need to look for; it’s also the customer service, support, and quality that come along with it. With Digital Storm you truly get a great deal. You get a great gaming PC from a top system builder at a great price with an excellent customer care package.

v. Us over Them: Digital Storm isn’t here to sell the lowest priced systems and cut corners on quality and customer support. We bring the best of both worlds into one. The choice is clear; Digital Storm provides the best quality, customer service, and performance for our customers without charging a high premium like some of our competitors do.

Q 4: Do I really need multiple video cards?

It really depends. If you are planning to run your new gaming computer on a large display with a high-resolution, it’s essential to have at least a dual video card solution or else it will tax the performance on your system.

Q 5: Why would I choose an Intel system over AMD?

Intel has proven itself to be a master in processor design. Their “tick-tock” principle continuously raises the performance bar and AMD is left to play “catch up.” Intel’s processors have more cutting edge enhancements such as multi-threading technology known as “Hyper-Threading.” Most importantly, they provide better performance per clock speed. All of these advances inspire Digital Storm to recommend Intel based systems.

Q 6: Why would I choose an NVIDIA system over ATI?

NVIDIA has proven themselves as the leader when it comes to performance and technology for gaming computers. Their video cards are consistently more aggressive than the competition. But besides the raw horse power, NVIDIA’s eco-system of different technologies such as: PhysX, CUDA, and 3D Stereo Glasses, revolutionizes the way gamers play today’s hottest games. This is exactly why Digital Storm recommends NVIDIA.

Q 7: Do I really need a dedicated sound card?

It really depends on your budget. If you have a budget to purchase a dedicated sound card, it will improve the quality of your sound, and offer extensive features. But, if you could still put that cash towards a better video card, processor, or memory, we recommend you use your motherboard’s audio.

Q 8: Why does my display size and resolution affect the performance of my games?

A larger display will have a higher resolution. This results in millions of pixels. Your gaming PC will need to compute all of that data and it can become very demanding on a system. This is why it’s important to have a powerful gaming desktop with a second video card to combat this issue.

Q 9: Should I really invest into Windows 7? What about a 64-bit version?

Definitely yes. You don’t want your new gaming PC to be left with an out dated operating system.

A 64-bit operating system is required if you planning to have over 3GB of system memory. The only concern you may need to watch for with a 64-bit operating system is driver compatibility issues with older peripherals such as scanners and printers.

Q 10: Do I need to upgrade my default stock chassis fans?

We highly recommend that you do because it will increase the cooling performance of your entire system. This will reward you with better performance and reliability of all the components inside your chassis.

Q 11: Why should I invest in faster memory speeds?

Faster memory will increase the performance of your system. Your system memory acts as a buffer between all the core components inside your system, you don’t want to create a bottleneck that will hinder your performance.

Q 12: Do faster spinning hard drives really make a difference? What about a RAID 0 stripe configurations?

Faster hard drives do make a difference, but, there is a fine line between what they really do. You won’t get faster frames rates. Fast hard drives will decrease the time you spend waiting for applications or games to load. This will also increase the responsiveness of your computing experience during multi-tasking sessions.

A RAID 0 stripe configuration can further enhance your performance because it splits the data onto both drives. However, please note, this will require two identical hard drives.

Q 13: Why would I buy more than 2GB of system memory?

The larger your memory is, the more data it can hold. When you load applications or games, your system stores them into your memory. The memory is a very fast pipeline that can transfer data to your processor and video card(s). When you don’t purchase enough memory, Windows uses your hard drives as an additional source. This is where it can drag the responsiveness of your new system to the bottom.