DSO Review w/ Pics

Well, I received my system about a week ago and have finally had some time to take some photos and write a review. I'll post this (maybe slightly abridged) to RR as well.

The Good

Packaging
The packing my system was shipped in was perfect. Form-fitting foam suspended the rig in the large DSO box. Even though UPS apparently beat it up a bit, the system was in absolutely perfect condition. One of the RAM sticks had broken free of it's confines during the journey and was bouncing around in the case, but there was no damage and after a quick reseating of the RAM I was ready to start her up.

Build
This is the absolute cleanest computer I've ever owned. Everything was connected properly, with the cables neatly tucked out of the way. The internals are truly a sight to behold (see the pic below). My E6850 Core 2 Duo was overclocked to 3.52GHz, and while I expected a little bit more after hearing that Bill clocked his to 3.6 himself, it's fast, and it really is rock solid.

Performance
DSO delivers where it counts. This system was absolutely perfect right out of the box, the definition of Plug & Play. The OS install was as clean as the internals. No bloatware, demos, apps - no software at all other than what I ordered. As a side note, 64-bit Vista is awesome, no compatibility issues so far, and man, is it quick. It seems like things happen immediately, it's so responsive.
This system takes everything I can throw at it and laughs. Unzipping huge files, handling massive transfers, software installs are all shockingly fast. Status bars just zoom by. I've only run Half Life 2 and Oblivion on it. Half Life 2, with FakeFactory's Cinematic texture mod, runs consistently at 200-400 FPS. Oblivion, with all settings on Ultra High, HDR lighting, and ultra hi-res texture mods, gets between 40-60 FPS, and only seldom grinds down to 20-30, even outdoors with full grass and details on. Anyone familiar with the game knows what a feat this is for any computer. Photoshop CS2 is blazing, even when applying complex filters to huge images. Haven't loaded up all my audio editing/recording software on it yet but I'm sure my experience will be just as great.

Customer Service
A week after I got my system, I got a call from Robert - he just wanted to check in and see if I was enjoying my computer and whether I had any issues running it. Great touch. Anytime I called to speak to someone in support during the ordering process, I got to a human being quickly, and everyone was absolutely willing to answer all my questions, even if it meant actually making their way to the building area to inspect my system.
There's no doubt in my mind that if I ever have a support issue I'll be able to count on these guys to do their best to help me solve it.

The Bad

Building Time/Fulfillment Process
It took nearly a full month to ship out my system, much longer than the initial quote. While admittedly the time quoted is only an estimate, it was difficult getting the straight story on how far along my system was. Everytime I would call I would find out that there was a new problem (power supply blew, there were RAM problems, blue screens, the motherboard wouldn't take to any overclock). DSO worked hard to make sure these problems were solved, but I would only find out about these issues after calling to see if my system had shipped yet - I never got a call or email to update me on new delays.
A one-month wait on a 3K system isn't too much of a big deal - I just wish it hadn't been so frustrating.

Configuration Misunderstanding
Close to the end of the building process, I got a call from DSO about my optical drive. The Lightscribe drive I had selected wouldn't install Vista (it's a SATA drive) and they would need to put in another drive. The upgrade would cost a small amount, and the other drive would be just a regular CD/DVD reader. When I actually got my system, the Lightscribe drive wasn't there - just the reader! So not only do I have no CD/DVD burning capabilities, I have no Lightscribe. The functionality might seem small to some, but I need it as all my demos (music) and industry mailouts are burned with Lightscribe. Since it was an upgrade, I figured they would simply add another drive, not replace it with a lesser one. (Haven't called them about this but hopefully it will get addressed).

I think the difficulties I had were due to challenges that a young, small company like DSO would be expected to face - dealing with increased demand, improving communication, etc. Hopefully they are working to improve them, and I should note that when they were brought to DSO's attention everyone I talked to was extremely responsive. I truly believe they are 100% concerned about making sure their customers are happy.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase, minor issues aside. It's the most impressive piece of machinery I've ever owned. Anyone reading these forums and trying to decide on a company for a new computer would do well to very seriously consider Digital Storm.

Chris

The ULTRA case is one sexy beast:


Easy access front ports:



The case design is elegant and tasteful. Even the logo is pretty cool:



The internals are flawless and so clean:



The glow when it's powered on is awesome. It looks like it's watching you from the corner of the room.



nVidia Inside - even through the grill it's a thing of beauty:



Chris

wow... that wiring job...  :(

Well, if the wiring isn't up to par, that sucks, but I was still impressed by how clean it was inside. I guess I was used to this:



Chris

Chris, thanks for posting your experience. I went with the ultra case, too, so it was nice to see the pics. Without poking my nose into the case, the wiring seems deliberate--as in properly minimized--though I'd be looking at the HDrives and the spaghetti-thin wire traveling right-side vertical as areas of improvement.

Question: are you're Raptors in RAID config? Where does your OS sit--Maxtor or Raptor/RAID? 

You've got a real beast...ENJOY!

Keith

Sherlock,

I didn't RAID the Raptors. My OS sits alone on the first (well not alone - some utilities on there as well), apps and games on the second (and space for music i'm currently recording/editing), with the Maxtor serving as a backup and to store personal data and photos (pulled that last drive out of my old comp.)

donkeypunch,

It is huge! when is yours arriving?

Chris