Dreadnought: A Digital Storm Undertaking My ReviewPost Date: 2011-01-14 |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 14 Jan 2011 at 5:32pm |
2 Year Update Here
3 Year Update Here 4 Year Update Here 5 Year Update Here 6 Year Update Here ====================================================================================== Hello all, System
Configuration: I know the most anticipated part of most reviews is the pictures, so I’ll get to those, then proceed to break down a few things about my experience as I whole. The box, believe everyone who says it is big, because it is.
The FedEx worker didn’t believe me it was actually a computer, lol. The box is opened, revealing baby boxes. I finally get to view the rig itself, not so much as a single scratch or smudge The rig comes out of the box, it was cold due to the weather, but it warmed up quick. The guts, as they came from Digital Storm. I’ve changed a couple of things, but this is how it was at birth. Box 1: Goodies. The binder had all my disks, and the shirt was just as pictured on the site. Box 2: Computer intestines, for those of you who doubt that DS sends you EVERYTHING The rig in its new spot, under my desk A more wide-angle view of where it now lives A few things about the pictures, I know it might not seem like the case gets much airflow where it is. Normally, that might be correct. But, I am an *extremely* hot-natured person, so the windows are constantly open in that little room. Additionally, the location of this old building, is right across from a huge field. So, wind whips through this room like a bat out of hades, year round, as I am in a very windy location to start with. In the summer, the window a/c is only 5ft from the spot. So far, temps are looking good, though I’ll move it, come Summer, if needed. Also, for anyone who noticed, yes, that is a Piggy calendar, my wife got it for me. I have a love of tiny Pigglets, lol. Also, for me at least, the shirt was larger than expected. I normally wear Mediums or Larges, so I ordered a Large. Well, even after washing, its still more of what I would consider an “XL”, I ordered the Gray color, just as an FYI. Your results may vary. Now, for the details, I’ve rated everything on a 1-10 scale, pretty straightforward. Digital Storm – Customer Service/Sales/Management: 8/10 The reason Digital Storm doesn’t get a 10/10 from me, actually has to do with the very beginning stages of my ordering process. It actually took me over two weeks to get a response from the company, this includes calling, direct email, and web-forms. I attempted contact every other day, for around 17 days, before finally getting a response, albeit a short-one. Now, I understand that Digital Storm was *EXTREMELY* busy at the time, and likely still is. However, in my opinion, to not even return a customer’s calls/emails, is unacceptable, without exception. NOW, having said that, once I DID, get in contact with them, they were EXCELLENT to deal with. It was like, I had to get through this initial contact dilemma, then after that, everything was responded to within less than an hour, or no more than 20 hours. So, based on the initial problems, which actually almost broke the deal, I have to subtract 2 points. But after that, EVERYTHING, was superb. Digital Storm – Technical Support 9/10 I’ve only had to contact them a couple of times, over a couple of minor things, nothing major. So far, they have contacted me back, the same day, every time. Normally within a couple of hours, easily, even if it was later in the day. The reason I took off one point, was because during one phone-call, I was told flat out, that the way my SSDs was hooked up, was better than what I wanted to try. When in fact, what I wanted to try was vastly superior. So, he was wrong, however, he was very courteous and professional and quick to respond. Despite that one incident, I still have a very high-respect for Digital Storm’s technical support thus far, far more than any other company I’ve dealt with to date. The Rig Itself – 10/10 This is what really counts, eh? To be brief, the machine is excellent. Though the argument could be made, that after using a laptop for 3 years, anything would seem better, I can just tell this is a quality build. The machine boots in about 10 seconds, give or take and I’ve yet to see a single hiccup in any game. CS5, any program, loads in about 2 seconds, which is absoltabously amazing for me. The wiring was exceptionally well done, and everything was securely in place. Not even a single loose part after transit, and trust me, I thoroughly checked! I have had no issues that hindered usage of the machine, at all. Also, have NO DOUBT, that Digital Storm goes out of their way to provide excellent packaging for the machine, as mentioned, mine was in mint condition. The Digital Storm Community – 11/10 If I were to tell someone, why they should buy from Digital Storm, it would be because of the community. The forums are very active and it’s a good active, not 100s of pointless posts about nothing. Sales, Management, and consumer-experts are all active in the forums. They are willing to answer questions, ranging from something simple, like how to plug in your speakers, to more advanced things, such as complex BIOS tweaking in regards to overclocking, etc. The forums are not condescending at all, at least I have never seen them as such. As far as being helpful, and accessible, I’ve NEVER found another vendor who boasted forums that even remotely resembled the caliber of Digital Storm’s. If you’re a potential customer, I highly recommend you just browse around for a bit, I almost guarantee you will learn something. Overall – 9/10 I had trouble getting started with Digital Storm, that is the ONLY reason this is not a 10/10. I know they are working on improving that, so it might be much better at this point. In Digital Storm’s defense, I did order around one of the busiest times of the year. However, as I said before, after that, every-single-thing, has been excellent, and this is coming from a lifelong member of the International Pessimists society. Miscellaneous stuff: A BIG thanks to the Digital Storm employees, forum members, and all around "more smarter" people than I: Alex, Sarah, DST4ME, !ender_, justin.kerr, Dragoonseal, and MagiK. Though others have helped, these few are the ones who really inspired me to stick with Digital Storm. In conclusion… If you are looking
for a specialty company, devoted to building you a hardcore gaming rig, because
you don’t know how, don’t have the time, or just don’t want to, whichever,
Digital Storm is the way to go. I’ve used other “Boutique” builders in the
past, and none even come close. Also, I've decided to name my rig: Mr. Bojangles. Edited by Tidgxor - 09 Dec 2020 at 11:04am |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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DST4ME ![]() DS ELITE ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36760 |
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Mr. Bojangles is a beast
![]() Our pleasure and congrats ![]() Edited by DST4ME - 14 Jan 2011 at 5:36pm |
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justin.kerr ![]() DS Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 06 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5084 |
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wow, one powerful rig!! overall it should be very well balanced.
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ablahblah ![]() DS Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2312 |
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Congrats, and like justin said, that's one great balanced rig right there!
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R4D4RPR00F
Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz Asus Sabertooth X58 EVGA GTX 570 Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Thanks all, its handled everything I've thrown at it thus far!
![]() Funny thing, I spent so much time obsessing about it getting here, thinking about how I was going to try to raise the overclock, run benchmarks, install tons of games, etc. Now that its actually here, I find myself suddenly so busy I barely get to play with it ![]() Anticipation is great ![]() |
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DST4ME ![]() DS ELITE ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36760 |
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LOL ya its always like that.
have you tried throwing a hammer at it to see if it can handle that? ![]() |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Dsnewb210 ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 01 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 972 |
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Nice rig man! Oh and keep us updated on how the killer 2100 performs, ive always been skeptical about those things.
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950SI
965/4.0 Frostbite LC 6GB Dominator 1600mhz Rampage II Extreme Intel 160 320 Raid 0 GTX 285 SLI Dell 2408wfp/2407wfp Logitech G19, Razer Mamba Wireless Astro A40's Bose Companion 5 Speakers |
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ablahblah ![]() DS Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2312 |
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The Killer Xeno Pro 6.0 firmware version was claimed by some people at BFN to the forum that it'd be the equivalent of the 2100 so as to keep the Xeno users happy. I've used 6.0 myself, and it didn't save the Xeno for me, going to sell it soon. If you're interested in how it did, well, yes, it gave me about a 5~10 ping boost in games. But the crappy software, and the fact that I really couldn't care less about 5~10 ping boosts online, is making me just want to sell it again.
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R4D4RPR00F
Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz Asus Sabertooth X58 EVGA GTX 570 Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Once I get around to doing some actual tests with a regime and controls, I'll be sure to share the results.
I'm honestly not expecting a whole lot of improvement, if any, but, I just felt like having an experiment. Best way to spend that amount of money? Probably not, but it will satisfy my curiosity ![]() So far, from the onboard, to the Killer, I have about a 500kb/s difference on my download speeds, and a 150-175kb/s difference in my upload speeds, via online speed testers (so this is just raw transfer on a high-speed server, not necessarily real-world stuff). My ping is around 30% better. However, I'll need to do some hard testing to see if this is something that is maintained over time. I don't think I'd recommend spending the money on it, unless you're like me and just want to play with it. ![]() ablahblah, Did you notice anything different outside of the small ping boost with the Xeno? Edited by Tidgxor - 14 Jan 2011 at 10:15pm |
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Sneakerz ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 386 |
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I'm also very curious to see how the Killer 2100 performs in the "real" world. I have heard many mixed reviews and have always been curious.
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Intel Core i5 6600k @ 4.6
240GB Samsung SSD Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Hybrid Corsair Hydro H80i GT |
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ablahblah ![]() DS Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2312 |
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Yes, I noticed that the software locks itself away from the Xeno when you reseat the cable. Annoyingly irritating.
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R4D4RPR00F
Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz Asus Sabertooth X58 EVGA GTX 570 Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz |
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pockyking535 ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 05 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 87 |
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Haha I like your desktop background. HAL 9000. Awesome.
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"I can't believe I'm going to work on my b-day!"I can't believe I'm doing laundry on my b-day!
"I can't believe I'm paying for sex on my birthday! Rip off. There should be a discount -- Jim Gaffigan |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Thanks, I know its not really new or original, but its the background I use for everything, PC, phone, PS3, etc. Its clean and simple, plus, I'm a HAL 9000 fan. Its also fun seeing people's reactions to all the "eyes" looking back at them from almost everything I own.
![]() Edited by Tidgxor - 15 Jan 2011 at 2:31pm |
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DSnoob ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 23 |
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what company do you work for? wish my company would pay for mine lol
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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It is a contractor for the US Navy. If they would have ended up paying for my home PC, I would have been stuck with my same old work PC. So, I figured it would make more sense to have the productivty-based PC at work, rather than a productivity-based PC at home. Even though I didn't like the thought of that at the time.
![]() Once you browse DS, you kind of get hooked. Edited by Tidgxor - 15 Jan 2011 at 5:57pm |
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surf71zx ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 07 Jan 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 485 |
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Are you a contractor for the Navy at Tinker Air Base?Just curious because thats where I work.
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Nope, Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center. I'm a Midwest feller.
![]() Edited by Tidgxor - 15 Jan 2011 at 11:35pm |
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rholyrag ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 17 Oct 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 841 |
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Conrgrats! Great review, and thank you for sharing!
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"What we do in life echoes in eternity" - Maximus from Gladiator
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cableal ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 18 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17 |
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Tidgxor,
Thanks for posting the well-written review. Your overall experience with DS reflects my own.
Again, thank you for your assistance and insights during my initial ordering process. Enjoy your new system. "Mr. Bojangles" is an indeed a sight to behold.
Clueless Dad Edited by cableal - 18 Jan 2011 at 12:53pm |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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cableal,
Thanks for the response! I chose Mr. Bojangles as a name, largely because I thought it fitted my personality a little better than a more serious name. Also, when I was younger, my father used to listen to the song a lot, call it an ode to him if you will ![]() I hope you get your issues worked out with your system! ![]() |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Just as an additional note:
I found that one of the wheels shipped with the case was broken, which is a bit of a problem since its under a desk. I tried super-glue which worked, but only partially. I sent Digital Storm customer service an email simply asking if they provided replacements, and they sent out 4 new wheels, at no cost at all to me, without so much as a question asked. So, the positive experience continues! ![]() |
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silentoption ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 74 |
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hehe you got the same case as mine although my cooler is 240 Asetek Watercooling Kit
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Saber ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 8 |
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Nice review of both the product and company.
I’m new to the forum and a bit new to custom PC’s. After 25+ years with Mac’s and garden-variety Windows machines I’m now considering a balls-to-walls workstation, so perhaps this forum will help. |
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Coress ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
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I have a killer 2100, and basically, from the day I turned on my computer, I had my ethernet plugged into the killer 2100, then one day I was getting crashes, plugged my ethernet into my motherboard port, and my internet connection was literally 2x as fast
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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@silentoption
I saw your review, very nice rig! ![]() ![]() @Saber Thanks for the input, I definitely think you've came to the right place in regards to getting help. With experience such as yours, I'm sure you'll find that Digital Storm is a competent company worthy of your hard-earned dollar. Like I mentioned in the review, the forums have been a massive help to me. You can just look at my post history, for all my noobish questions, as proof. ![]() @Coress Thanks for your experience with the 2100, it definitely does seem to be double-faced card as far as user reviews go. A lot of people seem to be in your boat, with the 2100 actually causing problems. I'm still marginally ahead with the 2100, as far as raw data goes, but I haven't conducted any thorough testing yet, as I'm waiting on the new firmware release which (they claim) is going to fix a lot of issues. |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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UPDATE
I just figured I would share an additional piece of information for all potential Digital Storm customers. My rig is still running exceptionally well with no issues. I've been in it multiple times, but never as a result of any problems, it was just me tinkering around with the setup or adding something. Additionally, my friend of 20 years just purchased his own Digital Storm rig after my strong encouragement to do so after I heard he was looking for a new machine. So in other words 1/2 a year later (with hours of daily use) and the machine is still rocking hard! ![]() Edited by Tidgxor - 02 Jun 2011 at 12:20pm |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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DST4ME ![]() DS ELITE ![]() ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36760 |
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Thanks for the update, its great to hear updates like this
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Trench ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: 15 Sep 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 124 |
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What are those medicine bottles doing on the desk?
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Ah those help me keep up with the players whose reflexes are much more quick than mine.
![]() Actually just vitamins, but that's our secret, shhhh.. ![]() Edited by Tidgxor - 19 Oct 2011 at 11:27am |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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Trench ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: 15 Sep 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 124 |
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When was shopping for a TV years ago, a guy posted a photo of his "rig" -- the TV and TV stand in the living room -- and on the coffee table was a bottle of hand lotion and a roll of paper towels. The TV forum had a good laugh. |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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![]() Sometimes I wonder if people sneak stuff like that in on purpose ![]() |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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Charlestp13 ![]() Newbie ![]() ![]() Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 27 |
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Beautiful beast you got there !
Btw if you don't mind me asking, what is it called under those monitors? "Monitor pads"? It made your station looks like a piece of ART ! Edited by Charlestp13 - 20 Oct 2011 at 8:36pm |
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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Thanks Charlestp13,
Its getting close to a year now, and she's still running good ![]() Are you asking about the black strip on the desk? That's actually a piece of leather thats slightly imbedded into the desk itself. The desk was a floor model at Office Depot, so I got a really good deal on it. ![]() |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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Tidgxor ![]() DS ELITE ![]() The Kokopelli kid ![]() Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13000 |
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One Year Update
I figured I would give an update for all potential customers who browse these reviews. As I mentioned I received my DS rig on December 7th, 2010, so today's date of December 17th, 2011 I am just over a year into ownership. And, my thoughts on the system and Digital Storm after a year? Things are just as good as day 1. Over the past year I have changed the Processor, but it was NOT because I had problems with the original unit, it was because I won an upgrade at a local university and chose to use it rather than sell it. Other than that, I haven't added or removed anything. I've had no component failures and there's been no perceivable decrease in performance over the past year. I have been in the rig a few times, but that was mainly for minor changes, that had nothing to do with Digital Storm, but rather with me being a little obsessive about certain things ![]() So, to summarize and reiterate my experience with Digital Storm thus far: -One Year In - Still 100% Recommend Digital Storm -No Hardware or Software Problems -No Decrease in Performance -Its One Year Old and Still Annihilates Everything In Existence at 1920x1200 -I've Referred Two Friends Whom I've known for over 25 Years Each -Digital Storm sent me free Replacement Wheels when one broke due to my own error -The Noctua NH-D14 is massive pompous but I love it ![]() So, I highly recommend you research and consider Digital Storm for your purchase, I don't think you will be disappointed. Edited by Tidgxor - 07 Dec 2017 at 6:01am |
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My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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