DigitalStorm BlackOps: Almost Too Fast
by Dustin Sklavos on December 29, 2010 12:45 AM ESTGaming Performance
We were expecting gaming performance of the DigitalStorm BlackOps to be pretty impressive. After all, a pair of the fastest single-GPU card on the market should post some amazing framerates, right? So let's start with our "High" benchmark preset and see just how crazy the two 580s really are.
That seems like a little much. The only game that doesn't break 140 frames per second is StarCraft II, which seems to be largely CPU-limited given the tie between the CyberPower unit and the iBuyPower with the much faster graphics subsystem. Other than that, the BlackOps steamrolls the competition—as it should, considering it costs a lot more than any of these other systems do. Given the surplus of performance we have at these settings, maybe bringing antialiasing into the equation with our "Ultra" preset will knock the BlackOps down a peg?
Nope. At this point you could actually argue fairly convincingly that the 580s are CPU-limited by the 3.8GHz Intel Core i7-950. That would sound crazy, but the results seem to bear that out: adding antialiasing barely affects performance in any of these games. Mass Effect 2 and STALKER both take decent dives in performance, but they're both still far beyond playable. Two GeForce GTX 580s are just plain overkill for the 1080p resolution we test at [Ed: Sorry, no 30" LCD for Dustin!], but if you were planning on going 3D Vision or gaming in surround with a pair it's reasonable to assume they'd be more than up for the task.
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Shinobi_III - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
3600 bucks and you only get one SSD drive, one hard drive, a measly 6gb ram from a complete crap brand, noname DVD burner and one low end built in sound card?I don't mind built in sound, but there are better brands. Like Analog Devices.
transmitthis - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
I was drawn in by the nice image of a good looking system with 3 GPU's and dedicated Water Cooling...But that's not what you reviewed at all, how about using a lead image that more closely reflects the article?
As for the system, well its always going to be FTL with these bespoke systems, esp with the audience you have here Jarred
JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Dustin didn't have a good 300x198 size picture that I could use for the top image, so I went to the DigitalStorm site and grabbed their picture of the BlackOps Assassin. Sorry if the actual system doesn't match up to that picture, but I figured that looked better than a taken-in-his-apartment photo. :-)Deleted - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Even considering the convenience tax of a prebuilt and pre-overclocked computer, There is simply no justification for this price tag. If you were to go to Newegg.com and buy every piece here without combos, you would "only" pay around $2,700, including the OS. That leaves plenty of room for a pair of ZR24w or VG236H monitors.And this is without even mentioning the fact that every single item on this thing (except for the CPU and memory) is overpriced and underperforming. Even the case, which is the best air cooling case on the market, is crippled. They removed the AP181 fans, which are arguably the best case fans in existence, and replaced them with those cheap-looking red fans. It even looks like the dust filters are missing, although they may have just been removed for the photo.
I could make a faster rig than this, with a better overclock and three high quality monitors, for a little bit less, and it would take less than half a day of actual work. I guess I should go into business.
mlambert890 - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - link
Exactly... Not being a smart ass, but all of the "I can build this for HALF!!!!!!!" crowd should do it, go into business and show how it's done. Put the money where the mouth is.softdrinkviking - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
this build could run you like ~2600 out of pocket.so you are paying ~1000 for a warranty that you can't be sure they will honor. (BFG going out of business and shafting their customers on RMA's comes to mind)
i can understand that some folks don't want to put the time and energy into a build, but those are exactly the kind of people that won't want to deal with shady small companies that can't necessarily deliver what they promise. I mean, an extra grand above parts is expensive for the consumer, but it doesn't even begin to cover the kind of tech support they are inviting with the "high end build" market. Unless they sell like a gabizillion (i didn't make that up, it's a real number) of these things, but i seriously doubt it.
jensend - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Today's $3600 machine will be outperformed by next year's $750 custom build, and likely is only appreciably faster than today's $1250 custom build in a small handful of uses.Is it worth it? NO.
Why bother wasting your time on it?
mlambert890 - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - link
By this logic nothing is ever worth it. Eventually "next years" $750 build would be crushed by 5 years from nows $200 mini PC.The gap between a $1250, $2650, and $3650 build is "minor" to YOU, but the areas where higher end builds do differentiate on performance are objectively measurable. Just because you don't care about those use cases doesn't make them worthless.
It's always really odd how so many folks want to use their own personal budget and usage constraints and restrictions as the basis as absolute value judgments:
"a Ferrari is only for losers with no brain and too much money because no one can drive faster than a Honda Civic and a Honda Civic can be over clocked faster than a Ferrari anyway!"
That kind of thing..
I think boutique PCs have their place and are worth reviewing. Folks aren't idiots for buying them or for wanting premium performance. If someone wants to buy rather than build more power to them. If someone want to build full premium vs budget, more power to them. I can't afford a Ferrari, but I still love them. Some people look at a Civic with envy from the bus. Objectivity is generally better for everyone.
wingless - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
This kind of power lends itself to the idea that it is perfect for multi-monitor 3D gaming. For that use, it would not be excessively fast.How about we get some Multi-monitor and/or 3D gaming tests out of Anandtech when they review multiple GPU setups?
Speedye1 - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
So the picture on the home page has NOTHING to do with this system. Would it have been to much to ask for a couple pics of said system? No digital camera or cell phone anywhere around? You better get a grip on this Anand, been a reader for along time, this review is trash.