Digital Storm ODE Level 4 System Review
Introduction & Specifications
How do you make the experience of buying from a boutique system builder easier than it already is? If you're Digital Storm, you answer that question by offering a line of pre-configured machines that are fully loaded to meet your budget and ready to ship in 72 hours. Not only do you save the time and energy required to build your own system from scratch, you also skip the exercise in picking out each individual component and then crossing your fingers hoping you've made solid selections. Owning a high performance gaming system doesn't get any easier, and though it's true you rob yourself of the fun and geek XP points that comes from building your own box, not everyone is down with getting knee deep in a pile of parts and putting them together. Buying from a boutique builder is easy enough, but even then, if you don't have the requisite knowledge (or patience) to research the proper parts for your budget, you can still end up with a sub par rig even though it was professionally built.
Digital Storm's ODE line provides an alternative while simultaneously catering to impatient gamers of any budget, provided the budget begins at $1,515, which is the cost of a 'Level 1' (dubbed 'Good') system, and ends at $3,479, which is how much a Level 4 (Ultimate) system commands. In between are Level 2 (Better, $1,999) and Level 3 (Best, $2,399) configurations, all of which are pre-assembled with hand-picked components to get you fragging opponents as quickly as possible. Other than adding accessories such as a monitor or keyboard, there's nothing to configure. It's all been done for you, by Digital Storm, and each Level is supposed to represent the ideal combination at each respective price point.
Being the performance junkies that we are, Digital Storm opted to send us their top-of-the-line Level 4 configuration outfitted with an overclocked Intel Core i7 3930K processor cooled by a Corsair H100 liquid CPU cooler, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 memory, a 120GB Corsair Force GT solid state drive (flanked by a 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 drive for storage chores), two AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards sitting pretty in Crossfire, a Blu-ray reader, and other odds and ends wrapped in an attractive Corsair Graphite Series 600T white mid-tower chassis with LED lighting.
Digital Storm's ODE line provides an alternative while simultaneously catering to impatient gamers of any budget, provided the budget begins at $1,515, which is the cost of a 'Level 1' (dubbed 'Good') system, and ends at $3,479, which is how much a Level 4 (Ultimate) system commands. In between are Level 2 (Better, $1,999) and Level 3 (Best, $2,399) configurations, all of which are pre-assembled with hand-picked components to get you fragging opponents as quickly as possible. Other than adding accessories such as a monitor or keyboard, there's nothing to configure. It's all been done for you, by Digital Storm, and each Level is supposed to represent the ideal combination at each respective price point.
Being the performance junkies that we are, Digital Storm opted to send us their top-of-the-line Level 4 configuration outfitted with an overclocked Intel Core i7 3930K processor cooled by a Corsair H100 liquid CPU cooler, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 memory, a 120GB Corsair Force GT solid state drive (flanked by a 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 drive for storage chores), two AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards sitting pretty in Crossfire, a Blu-ray reader, and other odds and ends wrapped in an attractive Corsair Graphite Series 600T white mid-tower chassis with LED lighting.
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Model
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ODE Level 4 |
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CPU
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Intel Core i7 3930K (Overclocked) |
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Memory
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16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 |
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Graphics
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2 x AMD Radeon HD 7970 in CrossFire |
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Storage |
120GB Corsair Force GT SSD -- OS |
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Optical
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Blu-ray Reader/DVD Writer Combo |
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Operating System |
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
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Wired Internet
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10/100/1000 Ethernet |
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Front Panel Ports
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4 x USB 2.0; 1 x USB 3.0; Firewire; Headphone and Mic |
| Rear Panel Ports | 4 x USB 2.0; 6 x USB 3.0; 2 x eSATA 6Gbps; 2 x GbE LAN; Audio Inputs; Optical SPDIF; Bluetooth Module; Wi-Fi Antenna Port; USB BIOS Flashback Button(s) |
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Weight
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~60 pounds (average) |
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Dimensions
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20" x 23.3" x 10.4" (HxxW) |
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Warranty
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3 Year Limited with Lifetime Tech Support |
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Price
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$3,479 |
As a Seth Rogan lookalike narrates in the video above, Digital Storm's claim to excellence is that it "doesn't charge massive premiums for boutique quality or cut corners" in order to sell comparatively value priced systems based on what other boutique builders charge. But is it a fair claim? You better believe it. Sure, the average Joe isn't going to drop $3,479 on a system, but there are a number of gamers who would, and Digital Storm isn't taking advantage of the ones who do. We selected the same parts from a reliable online vendor and it tipped the scales at around $3,100. So in other words, you're only paying a premium of around $379 for a silly fast system that's been pre-assembled, overclocked, burned-in for 72 hours, and tidied up on the inside, plus is backed by a 3-year warranty and lifetime U.S.-based technical support.
Of course, all of those warm fuzzies quickly disappear if Digital Storm does a poor job at picking out parts and putting them together, but rather than drop the ball, they hit it out of the park with the system they sent us. Let's break it down.
Of course, all of those warm fuzzies quickly disappear if Digital Storm does a poor job at picking out parts and putting them together, but rather than drop the ball, they hit it out of the park with the system they sent us. Let's break it down.
