Digital Storm Vanquish 5 Gaming Desktop Review

[kewlguy239]

Digital Storm's Vanquish 5 is a VR-ready gaming desktop featuring an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 under the hood, all for an uncharacteristically-low price of $2,045.

Digital Storm Vanquish 5 Gaming Desktop Review : Read more

 

[esco_sid]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

 

[kewlguy239]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

I'm not going to debate that it's entirely possible to source the components for less money. However, I'll gently remind the community that these types of systems aren't meant for DIY enthusiasts. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, there is a market for high-end PCs for customers with zero technical knowledge. The price point is low for the market it's aimed at (see the AVADirect Avatar at $2,300), and its all about perspective. A $500 markup (as you estimated) may be (and often is) worth it to someone who lacks the expertise to build it themselves.

 

[neieus]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

I would agree with you also but I think their justification is not just trying to turn a small profit but also the after sale support warranty they'd provide as added value.

 

[MWP0004]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

I would agree with you also but I think their justification is not just trying to turn a small profit but also the after sale support warranty they'd provide as added value.

To be fair, building a computer is an incredibly daunting task for a first time builder. Let alone buying $1500 worth of parts and then being concerned about damaging something while building, incompatibilities, etc. So I can see where high-end prebuilts have their place. Not every PC gaming enthusiast is a PC enthusiast as well, I suppose.

 

[neieus]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

I'm not going to debate that it's entirely possible to source the components for less money. However, I'll gently remind the community that these types of systems aren't meant for DIY enthusiasts. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, there is a market for high-end PCs for customers with zero technical knowledge. The price point is low for the market it's aimed at (see the AVADirect Avatar at $2,300), and its all about perspective. A $500 markup (as you estimated) may be (and often is) worth it to someone who lacks the expertise to build it themselves.

Right after I posted my comments that thought came to mind also. This isn't a system for DIY like most of us here as they've done all the work for you. I see nothing wrong with their price personally and glad to see it wasn't in the $3000+ area which they sometimes can reach. After all this is the reason some of us decided to build our own being that it would be cheaper and having more control over what's placed in. That trade off however is that we have to do our home work on the parts and provide our own support with RMA etc.

 

[esco_sid]

Hmm did pcpartpicker build of same for $1553 not sure if its worth it for ~$500 markup i think would be more reasonable for about +300 and they pay less for the parts than costs us to build it.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZqbJpb

I'm not going to debate that it's entirely possible to source the components for less money. However, I'll gently remind the community that these types of systems aren't meant for DIY enthusiasts. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, there is a market for high-end PCs for customers with zero technical knowledge. The price point is low for the market it's aimed at (see the AVADirect Avatar at $2,300), and its all about perspective. A $500 markup (as you estimated) may be (and often is) worth it to someone who lacks the expertise to build it themselves.

I would have to disagree there are way cheaper systems with similar components such as http://www.microcenter.com/product/467634/G426_Desktop_Computer for $1700 its pretty close to what it actually would cost us ourselves and has same(almost) specs than the Vanquish shouldn't this win the award ?

 

[why_wolf]

hrm, at that price point if you're going to have an optical drive it should at least be a blu-ray capable one.

 

[mitchyams]

this is such an ugly looking build who would pay 2 grand for this garbo lmao

 

[sillynilly]

That case is so nasty - reminds me of the $10 cases you could pick up at Fry's (probably still can!)

 

[ashburner]

I paid around $1600 in November for a similar build from ibuypower. Except the ddr4 is 3000, the primary Ssd is an Intel 600p 1tb, and it has a secondary ssd in the form of an ADATA 480 gb. It also came with a bluray writer, mechanical keyboard and decent mouse, gaming headset, 3 free games, and a $100 Windows store credit. I definitely could not build it for that price.

 

[Willie D]

@ASHBURNER

WHAT!?!!

 

[Nuckles_56]

I'm sad that they used the EVGA NEX B PSU instead of one of the better EVGA models

 

[Metteec]

I am surprised they only overclocked it to 4400 Mhz. My i7-6000k is overclocked to 4500 MHz on a similar setup without much of an issue. For a premium build, they could have pushed this a bit more to make it seem like better value.

 

[TEAMSWITCHER]

"That case is so nasty - reminds me of the $10 cases you could pick up at Fry's (probably still can!)"

It's one of Corsairs' cheapest cases. It's not a bad case, just very basic.

 

[ashburner]

Here was my order from iBuyPower,

Item Quantity Subtotal Price
Gamer Paladin Z350 1 $1,712.00
Limited Time Offer 1 x [FREE] - 802.11AC Dual Band Wireless USB Adapter ($24 value)
Limited Time Offer 1 x [FREE] - iBUYPOWER High Performance Gaming Mouse Pad ($19 Value)
Limited Time Offer 1 x [FREE] - GAMDIAS Hephaestus II Gaming Headset ($49 Value) - (excludes ASUS Laptops)
Limited Time Offer 1 x [FREE] - iBUYPOWER MEK Mechanical Gaming Keyboard ($79 Value)
Limited Time Offer 1 x [FREE] - McAfee Antivirus PLUS ($49 Value)
Case 1 x Raidmax Horus Gaming Case - Black
Case Lighting 1 x iBUYPOWER RGB Smart Lighting (Software Controlled LED Lighting Kit) - [FREE] 1 Smart Lighting Strip - Top of the case
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction 1 x Basic - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System (Foam + Silent Fans) - Reduce System Noise
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache) - Intel® Core™ i7-6700K
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive 1 x PowerDrive Level 1 - Up to 10% Overclocking
Processor Cooling 1 x Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler - ARC Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade
Memory 1 x 16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-3000 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card 1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 - 8GB - MSI ARMOR OC (VR-Ready) - Single Card
Free Game Bundle 1 x [FREE Game Download] - Intel Holiday Gaming Bundle: Warhammer: End Times and Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6 Seige - w/ purchase of Intel Core i7 Processor Systems
Free Game Bundle 1 x [FREE Game Download] - Gears of War 4 - w/ purchase of Nvidia GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 Video Card
Motherboard 1 x MSI Z170A Gaming Pro -- - Free Upgrade to MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon -3x PCIe x16, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x M.2, DDR4 Memory w/ RGB LED
Power Supply 1 x 400 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS Bronze - Free Upgrade to 800W Standard 80 PLUS Bronze
Advance Cabling Options 1 x Standard Default Cables
M.2/PCI-E SSD Card 1 x 1TB Intel 600P Series M.2 PCIe NVME SSD -- Read: 1775MB/s; Write: 560MB/s
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 480 GB ADATA SP550 SSD -- Read: 560MB/s, Write: 510MB/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive 1 x LG 14x Blu-ray Rewriter, DVD Rewriter Combo Drive - Black
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card 1 x Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System 1 x Windows 10 Home + Office 365 Trial [Free 30-Day !!!] - (64-bit) w/ $100 Windows Store Gift Card (Intel Desktops Only)
Mouse 1 x iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Mouse
Warranty 1 x 3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Rush Service 1 x Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - [RUSH !!!] - Ship Out in 3 Business Days
Share your system information: Click for embedded code
Subtotal $1,712.00
Total Savings -$82.15
Ground Shipping $0.00
Total Price $1,629.85

 

[Pixdawg]

@Ashburner--what, exactly, is the "standard 80PLUS Bronze" PSU? IMO the PSU is the single most critical component and it's about the only one where they don't specify what you're getting.

 

[ashburner]

@Ashburner--what, exactly, is the "standard 80PLUS Bronze" PSU? IMO the PSU is the single most critical component and it's about the only one where they don't specify what you're getting.

The brand is "High Power" and the model # is HPL-800BR-F145 and it is 800W Certified Bronze. Apparently it's an OEM brand. Anyways, doesn't matter much to me since I swapped it out as soon as I receive the PC and put in a spare Corsair AX1200i Platinum that I had laying around. And knowing I was going to do that is why I didn't upgrade it. After I received it, I also added an additional 16GB of ADATA 3000 RAM and two Samsung EVO 850 1TB in RAID0 that I picked up for $220/ea during recent sales.

I know there has been a lot of trash talk about the 600p but I have been impressed thus far with this 1TB drive. I couldn't find any reviews of it online as they were all for the 256 and 512 capacities.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I agree for that price , they shouldn't have used as low end case.

 

[DotNetMaster777]

I think that a gaming Laptop will be better than this computer !!!

 

[skully93]

I spec'd out a lower end version of the Vanquish for $1250. i5, 1060, air cooling. Sure, it's not the fastest thing, but the parts would cost me $60 less. For that price I'm happy to pay someone else to argue with cables and spend hours patching Winblows for me. Plus then I have a single point of contact if something goes amiss.

For now, I play mostly a few year old titles at 1080p. Hardware only gets better/cheaper if you're not going bleeding edge. Back in my day, we walked uphill both ways and had svga resolutions, and we liked it 😛.

If you have more money (or credit) than brains, then by all means spend $3k on a rig. I've done that a few times, but hardware comes out fast, and you'll soon be eyeing 'upgrades' to eek out another 3fps.

 

[sillynilly]

"That case is so nasty - reminds me of the $10 cases you could pick up at Fry's (probably still can!)"

It's one of Corsairs' cheapest cases. It's not a bad case, just very basic.

Still fugly in my opinion. You can think it isn't a bad case - I do.

 

[BrownRecluse27]

I also have a 1tb 600p great for gaming