2015 Aventum II Review

Being that I have been in IT systems engineering for 15 years, I rarely need to contact tech support unless there is a HW/component failure or SW bug that requires warranty work/replacement.

I went into this purchase with significant skepticism due to the lack of knowledge I had about Digital Storm and could not find any of my associates or friends who had even heard of the company/product line.

So I started e-mailing and calling various vendors who compete with Digital Storm and found out they were classified as a "High-end Boutique PC Builder".

The only time I recall having been to a boutique was when I was about 8 years-old, and my Mother could not find a sitter. I vaguely remember overpowering perfumes and ladies with bright red fingernails.

I was uncertain as to how the term "Boutique" would actually be translated by today's eclectic standards, so back to the Internet I went.

I spent 4 months researching Digital Storm product development, technology changes, and in house manufacturing capabilities along with customer reviews for the past 5 years. Not bad.

I consulted with the BBB, discussing registered complaints, replies and both acceptable and unacceptable actions taken by DS. Again.... not bad.

I happened to also be looking for a machine that could handle the heavy processor and GPU loads of my post-production video/sound editing apps I use for Indie movie making (a hobby). This started me researching component benchmark and performance specs from what Digital Storm was using in their systems. Not bad either.

I finally decided to commit to purchasing a mid-level performance system from Digital Storm.

Aventum II
Intel I7 5820K 6-Core
ASUS X99 Deluxe Motherboard
32 GB DDR4 2666 MHZ memory
1200 Watt Digital Power Supply
DVD Burner
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
WD Black 1 TB Hard Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan Z 12GB
HydroLux Level 2 Liquid Cooling (CPU, Chipset, GPU)
Thermal Mgmt Control Board and SW
CPU OC 4.6GHZ
Windows 8.1 Pro
ASUS VG248QE 24" Monitor

I have tested/measured it on Vegas Pro 13 Suite (Video/Sound Editing) as well as the latest Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and it performs flawlessly and quickly.

I have yet to encounter any lag while rendering full HD on composited 12 video tracks , 8 tracks of audio all working with various SFX. I have not attempted 4k at this point in time but look forward to it once I have the monitor to support that res.

CODAW plays without pauses, anomalous pixelation and is set to it's highest res possible using GPU acceleration only. I admit the single Titan Z is not the best choice for a gamer (of which I am not), but the Sony post-production apps I use love the 5000+ cores and 12 GB of memory it offers up during heavy rendering projects.

After 3 weeks of continuous heavy use, I have had no failures and have no complaints. The design and build of the Aventum II is immaculate, inventive and awe-inspiring to those who view it.

At this point in time I can only say "Kudos" to Digital Storm for providing a very nice, quaity product.

Awesome review. Thanks for putting this up.   

Thank you !

The steps you took in researching DS and your purchase are helpful, and mirror my own. I bought a DS system about six years ago, and am looking for it's replacement, so I'm back. I'm an IT professional as well, an old gamer, and PC enthusiast. Wish I could call myself the lofty title of "Hobbyist", but I have not -yet - modded my own cases & systems. A bit labor intensive for someone who is lazy and just wants to sit back in the chair (or couch) and play awesome games on an awesome system.

My own needs are a bit more modest - I don't do (or want to) sound/video editing, although I am still interested in trying to do some high speed rendering. For the most part, though, I'm a gamer who wants a system pushing the envelope (but with rock-solid stability) of the new games coming out (and the old!).

I wonder about DS, though -hey, I'll be honest here. I heard they've some growing pains lately, and support is an issue if you get the bad luck to get a dodgy component.
Given the cost of the system and what I'm willing to spend this year, that's a concern for me. The warranty doesn't include shipping costs. Of course, with any system, and PC games, there's going to be a 10-15% of the population experiencing these types of calamity.

I'm still well satisfied with my last purchase, and don't plan on going anywhere else. I just hold out hope to have the same good experience.


Edited by Psimon - 11 Apr 2015 at 6:07am

Originally posted by Alex @CoolBlue1!8*, thank you for posting your review. I'm glad to hear that you're loving the PC. Could you also post some pictures so we could feature it?

Quick phone pics of the system. I will take some lined-up shots with the D4 when I get some time over the next few weeks.

Originally posted by Psimon Thank you !The steps you took in researching DS and your purchase are helpful, and mirror my own. I bought a DS system about six years ago, and am looking for it's replacement, so I'm back. I'm an IT professional as well, an old gamer, and PC enthusiast. Wish I could call myself the lofty title of "Hobbyist", but I have not -yet - modded my own cases & systems. A bit labor intensive for someone who is lazy and just wants to sit back in the chair (or couch) and play awesome games on an awesome system. My own needs are a bit more modest - I don't do (or want to) sound/video editing, although I am still interested in trying to do some high speed rendering. For the most part, though, I'm a gamer who wants a system pushing the envelope (but with rock-solid stability) of the new games coming out (and the old!). I wonder about DS, though -hey, I'll be honest here. I heard they've some growing pains lately, and support is an issue if you get the bad luck to get a dodgy component. Given the cost of the system and what I'm willing to spend this year, that's a concern for me. The warranty doesn't include shipping costs. Of course, with any system, and PC games, there's going to be a 10-15% of the population experiencing these types of calamity. I'm still well satisfied with my last purchase, and don't plan on going anywhere else. I just hold out hope to have the same good experience.

Believe me, I understand your state of caution. In today's world, most large North American-based corporations now live by the "Leaner and Meaner" motto. The bean-counters are now driving technology and support direction (bad mistake), and massaging the pathos of the investors to accept it. This eventually becomes a fatal flaw about how to increase revenues. Don't believe me? Ask the current CEO's of AT&T and JP Morgan Chase. The (mass) effect usually translates into laying off most of the key technology and support people and replacing them with untrained, offshore entities which (sadly) get paid penny's on the dollar.
Oops... sorry... tripped over my soapbox...

Successful businesses in the world today are re-learning that they must commit to establishing quality technology support and customer care services that are successful, expeditious and personable. It's a "People" thing. Without it, the foundation for revenue growth crumbles.

If I were to encounter any issues that required Digital Storm to be engaged in a warranty or other action, I trust they will do their best to fulfill the service obligation. If I have any issues with their support mechanism, I will communicate it to those responsible so that they can fix it.

8 months ago I built a mid-high end system that was destroyed (after 2 weeks running). A ferrule nut broke on the quick-disconnect fitting for the pump cooling line (while I was at work) and toasted 75% of the components. Yes, it was only finger tightened.

BTW, don't let anyone tell you that the non-conductive coolant from Frozen (something or another) won't conduct. If you get enough of it across enough contact points, it will arc. I spent weeks on the phone with the fitting manufacturer (in China) as well as with NewScrambledEgg, trying to get warranty replacements for 3k worth of components. It failed in the end and I ended up giving it to a buddy at work who wanted the case. I decided at that time I needed a system that was warrantied from top to bottom. That is when I started doing my research.

Soapbox now broken...

Enjoy the weekend everyone.