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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Voldenuit - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Nice read, it's interesting to see what the boutique builds can do.My question is: what happens when you (manually) tame the voltages and power saving technologies in the system? Can it be brought down to idle more sensibly?
No question that this should not be expected of the end-user (especially any end user who would buy such a high end rig instead of building their own), but I am curious how efficient a build such as the Blackops can be made to run.
vol7ron - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
"especially any end user who would buy such a high end rig instead of building their own"When you are immersed with lots of work and little time, live in small dwellings like an apartment/studio, don't have spare parts to test damaged/DOA units, or just don't want to deal with one of the many complications/time that can come from a new build; then you might be one of those end-users that sees this as a viable alternative to building your own.
Afterall, sites like iBuyPower are great in the fact that you're given the power that an HP/Dell/Apple just can't give you and while there is a little premium, it's only slightly larger than building it yourself - definitely not the markup of the said named brands.
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Your question of efficiency is unclear. The computer is plenty efficient when it's "sleep"ing :) Of course you can scale the power down, but why would you want to? You're paying all this money not to. You could also remove it from SLI, but again, why would you want to?
I can see what you're getting at, but this isn't for a notebook, this is a gaming rig =D
marc1000 - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
I second your question."what happens when you (manually) tame the voltages and power saving technologies in the system? Can it be brought down to idle more sensibly?"
L. - Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - link
Yes.This computer is a joke.
Anyone who knows how to overclock will tell you this is overpriced, failed overclocking, cheap RAM and ... come on. Watercooling for this ?? this can be cooled on air any day (and maybe even with the stock cooler, around 80°C (lol) .
The guy above says people who have the money but not the time could be interested, I agree but this one is a relatively bad combo.
bijeshn - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Aren't there any desktops in the market sporting a crossfire configuration? All your benchmarks are comparing SLI configs with a single 5870 (AVA Direct Nano Cube). Are they really comparable?GeorgeH - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
The A-Data RAM ran flawlessly in the machine, but you'd rather see a different brand? Does <Brand X> RAM do something besides run flawlessly?You want a different 1200W PSU, but don't mention what's actually in the machine or why you want a Corsair supply? Why? Is the Corsair more efficient, or quieter?
Your machine runs circles around this because it lacks E-Sata? Really? E-Sata is a $5 bracket, and the machine comes with USB 3.0. Digital audio is a flaw, but how many PC speakers accept digital inputs?
You mention a price premium, but don't bother to spec out what that is? For the record the parts and OS will run you ~$2800, so it's about an $800 assembly and lazy overclock fee.
Bottom line this seemed like a really lazy review.
Kaboose - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
agreed, seemed rushed, not well thought out and sloppy. -1bah12 - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
The biggest flaw (and this is not Dustin's). Was the 1080p resolution game tests. IMO absolutely unacceptable, the type of person buying this rig would certainly "must have" a 30".This and yesterday's HTPC case review are 2 articles in a row where he is limited by testing equipment. I get it, he's new. But come on for pete's sake this is Anandtech one of if not the biggest tech site on web, get him a proper test bench or relegate him to news/editorials. Content for the sake of content is DT not AT.
1080p gaming on a $3,500+ machine...shameful.
ClownPuncher - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
30" or a surround setup with 3 monitors. There wasn't any reason to bench this thing at 1920x1080.landerf - Wednesday, December 29, 2010 - link
Not at all. 2560 displays are slow, expensive and downright a pointless pain to use. Everything is microscopic on them, and it's uncommon to spend 1/3 of your pc's price on the monitor. 1/8-1/10 is much more common. Having an absurdly highend rig I would like more than 1080p, but no more than 1400p