Digital Storm Gaming PCs

[Hellbent]

I want to get some racing games and my pc laptop is too beat up to really enjoy doom on anymore, and the macbook pro is just not a viable platform for gaming. Digital Storm computers look to be very good and a great value. Do you think they are a good way to go? I'm thinking of possibly getting the entry level Vanquish II.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/gaming-desktops.asp

[Armaetus]

https://www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds

Go down to "Next Gen Crusher", as that and other similar builds could be better if you had one put together for you instead of pre-built.

[Zed]

I agree with Glaice. It's better to build one yourself, it's usually cheaper, more likely to work as you want it, and more importantly, it's easier to update with new hardware when required.

[SYS]

You would save alot of money if you built the same spec yourself. Alternatively, build something yourself alot beefier for the same amount of money.

[DoomUK]

A pre-built PC is nice if you want to immediately play with it when it's delivered.

Personally, I'd rather spend a couple of hours on a build, for reasons stated above. It doesn't require special training or extensive knowledge of how computers work. I'm sure a child could do it.

[Jodwin]

Hellbent said:

Do you think they are a good way to go? I'm thinking of possibly getting the entry level Vanquish II.

Absolutely not, that basic Vanquish II is garbage for the money. The price/performance -ratio gets a bit better on the more expensive Vanquish builds, but you'd still get a better deal building it yourself.

[SYS]

If you want to upgrade to a better graphics card down the road, the 430watt power supply in the basic vanquish won't cut it.

As already mentioned not worth the money.
Essentially you're paying for the time, assembly, support and warranty.

[geo]

Last year I bought my own version of a Steam Box for $350. While it seems underpowered compared to 'gaming PCs' it sure plays every damn Steam game including the next gen stuff I have.

I guess gaming PC is a fancy way to say more money for a custom shell and fancy lights.

[Maes]

geo said:

I guess gaming PC is a fancy way to say more money for a custom shell and fancy lights.

Don't forget razor-sharp, aggressive looking decorations, names with a lot of "X"s and "K"s in them, and "1337" advertising like "T3h ult1m4t3 b0xx0rz f0r t3h fux0r h4xx0r 0v3rcl0xx0rz!!11!!onehundredand eleven!!!11!"

[Waffenak]

Building your own pc is always fun, you get to choose everything and tweak its performance. Its like tuning your car.

[MFG38]

Judging by the specs, the Vanquish II seems like a pretty good build. Not the most high-end PC on the market, of course, but it would be enough for me, since I never play games with graphics settings maxed out.

Anyway, from what I hear, pre-built desktops do tend to suck. I haven't bought a desktop PC since buying my first laptop in 2009, though, so I lack the adequate first-hand experience. But at least I know better than to buy an Acer ever again.

[Aliotroph?]

Bah! My Acer rules! It's small, fast, and well-built. It could use more USB ports and the removal of its DVD drive. I'd settle for being able to stick another SSD where the DVD drive is.

Gaming is really the one area where I always suggest people build their own if they can. The difference in price is nice most of the time, and PC games tend to get all fiddly, which often necessitates tweaking, driver installs, and sometimes hardware reconfiguration anyway.

People using PCs mostly for work and the web often seem to prefer paying for a machine with a nice service contract rather than extra performance. I like to direct them to a store that does customizable builds, but doesn't necessarily specialize in gaming PCs.

[Doominator2]

Not to mention that when you buy a commercial computer you pay 50% extra just for the brand name.