DigitalStorm BlackOps: Almost Too Fast
by Dustin Sklavos on December 29, 2010 12:45 AM ESTConclusion: Defining Excess
When dealing with a desktop like the DigitalStorm BlackOps, it's tough to figure out what kinds of conclusions to draw. Do you judge it based on the price? Well, the price is steep and probably past the point of reason for most users. So you judge it based on performance, right? Except the performance is generally commensurate with the price, with the real issue being whether or not anyone needs that much performance.
Given that I've been surviving fine with a single AMD Radeon HD 5870 gaming at 1920x1200, and this solution is capable of being more than twice as fast, you start dealing with benchmark results that border on being academic. With the BlackOps you can max everything out and then some. You really need much more than a WUXGA display before GTX 580 SLI becomes necessary; a 30" LCD or two would be just about right.
The complaints I'm left with are mostly the same as they've been with the other boutique desktops we've seen: lazy overclocking and corners cut. At least with the BlackOps the corners cut are mild ones, as the system is still perfectly stable and it's hard to cheap out too much when it comes to a 1.2 kilowatt power supply. DigitalStorm is willing to back the whole thing up with a three year standard warranty and lifetime tech support, too, so at least there's some peace of mind to be had there.
But the lazy overclocking remains an issue, and the fact that this tower doesn't idle the processor means it's always going to be drawing more power and generating more heat than it really needs to. That heat is bound to be a liability for some users, too, because while the case does a great job of keeping the components cool, all of that hot air is getting expelled into the surrounding environment. Bay area winters don't exactly redefine "cold," but the fact that I didn't have to run the heater while I was testing the BlackOps really should tell you something.
Of course, the flipside is that the tower is blisteringly fast. In many ways you really are getting what you pay for with the BlackOps, even if it may be far more than you thought you needed, and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate seeing a boutique build in such a nice case. Really this tower is going to be for users that are running either multiple monitors, 3D Vision, or both. If you think you can make use of all that power, DigitalStorm's tower becomes pretty easy to recommend.
The final catch is a familiar refrain by now: Sandy Bridge is right around the corner. The full scoop is coming up next week, so there's no point in jumping on a Bloomfield build today. Sandy Bridge may be more of a replacement for socket 1156 as opposed to the X58 and socket 1366, but outside of the hex-core Gulftown processors socket 1366 is nearing the end of the road as well. If you like the idea of the BlackOps Assassin, we recommend waiting for the inevitable Sandy Bridge variant that should show up in early 2011. Hopefully DigitalStorm will put a bit more finesse into overclocking that setup, and the unlocked K-series CPUs should be just the ticket.
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demonbug - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Why would you want Win 7 Ultimate on a gaming rig? Yeah, I know, it has "Ultimate" right there in the name, but other than that... what does it offer that Home Premium doesn't? Unless you are planning on installing >16GB of RAM or putting together a multi-processor system (so going to Xeons, and significantly increasing the overall price), it really doesn't offer anything extra... all for an $80 premium over Home Premium.Kaboose - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
I am not saying it is needed however, it is somewhat expected on a build costing more then 3,000, at least having windows 7 professional for Windows Xp mode would be nice. After all it isn't that big of a price difference.azides - Thursday, December 30, 2010 - link
If you built this yourself, you would buy the revodrive for sure!YoshiMon - Thursday, December 30, 2010 - link
As to the Win7 version issue:Win7 Home Premium does not offer network backups. Which, for such a rig as this, might not be a big issue, it is something that is rather lacking. The Win7 backup system is a huge plus given that it, being the OS itself, never suffer from trying to read a locked file or whatever.
So to only put Win7HP on a nearly $4k box? Yeah, they should have put Win7U on that thing. Not that people as clueless that would drop that kinda money for a box like that will know better but I am sure that at some point they will wonder why they did not get the top of the line Win7 version.
mlambert890 - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - link
I can't get past your first sentence. Great that you feel so able to make such absolute statements! I wonder do you apply the same logic to yourself?"someone who can't do their own damn tuneup or change their oil shouldnt own a car"
"if you can't fix your own plumbing, why buy a house???"
"anyone who needs a TOUR GUIDE shouldn't be traveling!"
See how stupid that sounds? I'm sure you don't actually. Go ahead and explain how this is different and no one has a right to want to be able to play super high end PC games, or do high end content authoring, without being able to (or have the time to) assemble a PC. And no one should want support either right?
Ive been building my own PCs since before there was a "PC" (think kit computers - Kate 70s). It's absolutely nothing to be arrogant or judgemental about.
Kaboose - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - link
Would you buy a Ferrari without knowing how to drive? Hell would you buy a Ferrari without first knowing what to do with it?FragKrag - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
A new patch for StarCraft 2 WoL recently added an 'Extreme' setting. Will you be using that in the future tests or will you stick with Ultra?Soldier1969 - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
WTF. This build is way overpowered for only 1080p res. come on if your going to spend almost 4 grand on a tower and you guys test it with a measly 1080 panel. Wheres the 30" 2560 x 1600 love at? Thats all I game on, anything less is for the poor folk!Gilbert Osmond - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
>99% of finished computer hardware products have ports on a vertical side or bottom panel for a very good reason: to minimize dust accumulation.In all but the cleanest environments, after a year or two the dust accumulation in vertically-oriented and top-exposed ports can start to cause connection problems, i/o errors, excessive contact erosion, etc.
Deleted - Thursday, December 30, 2010 - link
Silverstone has three cases with the ports on the top, the first of which was launched just short of three years ago. I have never once heard anyone complain about dust clogging their ports, and I haven't had that issue, either, although I've only had my FT02 for a couple of weeks. Between the grille over the top and the positive pressure from the three massive fans in the bottom, dust isn't an issue.