The following is, more or less, the entire story concerning my purchase from Digital Storm, including much unnecessary, yet somewhat relevant, information which may, hopefully, prove useful to someone. I have attempted to maintain some degree of flow and coherence throughout, but I fear that these aspects may be lacking in some areas. Also, I had to do a fair amount of trimming due to the 5,000 character limit.  
 
I don't think there's anything I can say about Digital Storm that hasn't already been said. Their work is excellent, and they show what appears to be a genuine desire to satisfy their customers and to work out any problems that may arise, if they are given this opportunity. I chose to buy my new machine from them because they truly appeared to be the best of all the other builders I looked into, and they were able to offer everything I was looking for in a new machine. Here is what I think of the two other builders I have actually dealt with before, for purposes of comparison:  
 
Alienware  
They offer decent products for some of the best prices among popular builders, but, as you may hear, especially on the Digital Storm forums, their customer support is lacking. I know this from experience as well, as it was quite a hassle to redeem the rebate on the laptop I bought from them 4 years ago. You may want to think of them as somewhere in between true high-end builders and commodity machine distributors like Dell.  
 
Falcon Northwest  
My previous favorite builder. I have nothing bad to say about them, and if you are looking for a highly customized paint job to showcase your machine, I can think of no builder more appropriate to go to. However, their builds tend to be a bit pricey. My new Digital Storm machine replaced the Falcon Northwest desktop that served me very well for years, even though it was a low-end model. If I had been willing to spend more money from the start of my search for a new machine, I likely would've gone with Falcon Northwest and looked no further. I am, however, glad that I did look further.  
 
Here are the reasons I decided I definitely wanted to buy a machine from Digital Storm, aside from the many glowing reviews I saw both here and on the Digital Storm forums:  
 
-They offered a case (the Antec 900, but they now offer the 902 instead) which would've been my pick if I had built my own system instead of buying one. This was, to me, a big plus at first (although I ended up choosing the Cooler Master HAF 932, and I'm glad I did as it's a wonderful case).  
-They offer the relatively new Core i7 CPUs, which I hadn't known much about and wasn't even considering buying until I saw that Digital Storm offered them, and, upon learning more about them, I decided I'd be willing to spend more than I had originally intended to get a Core i7-based system. (It appeared to me that Digital Storm was among the first builders to begin offering and working with the i7 extensively.)  
-They will overclock the hardware themselves if you want. This is a great value, first of all, because you can save money on a lower-end processor and overclock it beyond the stock speeds of far more expensive processors. What's more, their overclocking work is of course covered under their warranty. This brings us to-  
-The standard warranty is 3 years. Coupled with their tech support, which is lauded by many, your machine is well-protected for quite some time.  
-There are more different options offered on configurations than I've seen with other builders. One that I particularly like, which as far as I've seen isn't offered by many builders, is the option to set up a RAID with your HDDs. Like overclocking, this is something I could probably manage myself, but I'd rather have them do it so I can be assured it's done right and covered under warranty.  
-A couple of last notes: the expanding foam they use to secure the components inside the case for shipping is great, and I would've been very unsettled if my machine were shipped across the country with the large, heavy CPU cooler supported by nothing but its mounting fixture. Also, the cable management they are capable of is impeccable. I was somewhat saddened when I had to undo some of their neat and tidy work to install new components in my machine.  
 
In the ordering and building process there were a couple of hiccups, but nothing that Digital Storm deserves any blame for. In dealing with these issues, I had multiple contacts with Digital Storm customer service staff, and they were always helpful and professional. They were just more pleasant do deal with than the vast majority of customer service representatives out there, even considering that they must have to put up with some rather unpleasant customers at times.  
 
With all that said, my machine is wonderful and I do not regret in the slightest my choice of Digital Storm. I would have no problem buying from them again in the future.  
 
The tl;dr version:  
You are highly unlikely to regret doing business with Digital Storm.

I was searching for quite a while trying to find a company that provided customized computer builds; one that satisfied my requirements for both quality and customer service. That being said, Digital Storm was the first company I actually purchased from. I joined the forums on their website to attempt to get a finger on the pulse of the customer base, and I was surprised again and again throughout my time there. The customers are simply dedicated to the company, and the reason for this becomes apparent after having some interaction with the customer service staff. Prompt and knowledgeable replies from both customers and staff lead to me being able to buy my perfect machine within the course of about a week.  
 
Digital Storm also deserves some bonus points for their efforts to please their customers. My situation was slightly different from the average purchasers; I am currently in Afghanistan, making constant communication somewhat difficult. The staff made every effort to make sure I had whatever information I needed along the way.  
 
Simply put, after hearing all the horror stories from people buying from other customized builders, I will continue to buy only from Digital Storm. A perfect purchasing experience leading to the arrival of my perfect machine.. You can't ask for a better experience. In my opinion they are the best at what they do.

This review was modified by its author, indirian, on 6/24/09 4:29 AM.

This is my first review, and I'm not really sure where to start, so i will start with the discussion process...  
 
so i had roughly 2500 towards a new PC, just the tower it self, and digital storm was already on the top of my list, but i (being a fairly responsible consumer when it comes to research) first looked threw a few other sites, and they just didn't offer both the things i was really wanting, and the things i really felt i needed when purchasing a truly custom gaming PC (the main being a 3 year standard warranty, when i say standard i mean that's included in price) and i had seen a feature of theirs in a show on g4 were they showed off their self proclaimed benchmark breaker (for a very reasonable price)  
 
so when i finally decided on purchasing from digital storm (which wasn't hard, because the things they promised are truly rare, well achieved, and appreciated by this customer.)  
so i started by going on their forums where, not only did i find very knowledgeable associates of digital storm, but also previous customers and fans. so i got my build with some help from their online forums, (the main process is, you just start a thread, tell them your price range, games you plan on playing, and screen size and rez you plan on playing on).  
and usually (in my case anyway) within a half hour i had a response with a very respectable build, they supply an order ticket link, you follow, and from their you can do some of your own customizing...  
 
so i finished my order, saved the ticket, about a week later did an online purchase (they ask that when you save a ticket, you supply a rough time line on when you will purchase (like a week, a month, more than 3 months) i assume so they can get everything prepared)  
 
so exactly a week later (5 business days) i received my new, beautiful, nicely protected machine (and i believe there were roughly 7 stages of the build/ship process, and when each is completed, they email you with your PC's progress)  
 
and after everything was said and done, i got a beautiful, custom, very capable gaming PC all for well under 3000 (i will say, that yes you could build your own PC for roughly 300-400 cheaper, but you don't get the expertise, the well done overclocking, the nice packaging, or the very reasonable 3 year warranty, which can be upgrade to up to 5 years, and you have life time online customer service and threw the forums ), i really could go on for hours with how happy i am with my new PC, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed that much space... but with all that said, i would recommend digital storm 100% to anyone wanting to purchase a new custom, well built gaming PC

Digital Storm is a fantastic company that prides themselves on their craftsmanship and customer service. Being a lifelong Dell customer, I was shocked at how clean and professional the inside of my DS computer was. Had one minor issue in the sound card but Randy was very helpful in fixing the issue.

After researching several companies, I decided on Digital Storm for my gaming rig. I based my decision on their customer satisfaction, product quality and price.  
 
The order process was relatively easy. Their customer service reps were helpful and ensured billing, product reliability and shipping all went smooth. I received constant email updates about my PC. Digital Storm never kept you in the dark.  
 
When my rig arrived, it was packed VERY secureful and was everything I had in mind. It's super fast, well built and well worth the money. I highly recommend Digital Storm for the casual or serious computer enthusiast.

If you're looking for an easy site to use, great choice of software, and awesome customer service, you need not look any further than Digital Storm. I bought a computer with them after researching many of the competitors and the one thing I found in common with all of the Digital Storm reviews was one thing: they were all positive.  
 
Great tracking on what they were doing with your computer and what stage it was going through, I got it here and couldn't be happier. It was packed very carefully and got here in perfect condition, plugged in and was able to start using it.  
 
Well worth the money, and time, I spent to find this company. Let me save you the time and tell you now; this is the computer company to buy from if you want a safe, reliable machine. Look no further than Digital Storm.

If you are interested in buying a HIGH END computer / work station, Digital Storm is your BEST and MOST SAFE investment. I spent $10,500 and am very pleased with the performance and CRAFTSMANSHIP.  
 
I have purchased many computers from numerous companies. I think you all can say you had problems with non-Digital Storm companies. I have had absolute horrible experiences with some of the other popular companies.  
 
I don't think anyone can expect that the sophistication now required of today's computers does not require you to do some minor tweaking to configure your computer to your needs, no matter who you purchase it from. You may have to install some free software necessary for you to view some documents, such as Adobe Reader or Flash Player. I would rather spend a few minutes doing that than having my computer laden with those freebies as well as the unwanted adware that so many of these other companies dump on your computer. Have you ever tried cleaning your computer of that crap these other companies pollute your computer with?  
 
Digital Storm says what they mean. When they say they build your computer like it was their own, this IS NOT some fuzzy sales pitch. When you doubters finally invest in your DIGITAL STORM computer, you will see the care they put into making this computer for you the moment you unpack it. The shipping box is of a thick, solid construction. The packing material is strategically placed. They even put special packing in the case to protect your internal cards and components. They cable and wire components for air flow and your ease of access. With the size and weight of today’s components, I would verify the card seating and connections before I fired up any new computer, no matter what the packing care was. I have a HEAVY Tesla card in my computer and it did survive the 2,000 mile trip to my house without requiring reseating. I usually have to reseat the video cards of most computers that I have purchased, especially in an SLI setup. Again, I had to do nothing other than fire this baby up crunch data.  
 
Even though I feel I am fairly computer literate, I felt it far better to let Digital Storm do the building and configuring of my high end purchase. I did not want to spend $10,500 and build my own experimental computer. I let Digital Storm build the REAL THING. How many companies are going to take the risks and sacrifice their time to make a sophisticated computer to your desires? Many will not over clock your computer either.  
 
MINOR PROBLEMS: My computer took six weeks to get. I had Digital Storm build an unconventional computer. But, I got a well functioning computer. I bought a $7,000 computer from a COMPETIOR ten months ago and had to send it back to them four times and finally sent it back to them to keep.  
 
I had two Blu-Ray drives installed and one of them failed. Digital Storm sent me a new one and I simply installed it myself (plug and play). I can’t hold Digital Storm responsible for a vendor’s product. This is not a perfect world  
 
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE: I called Tech support because I could not get my wireless card to connect. Linksys forums are full of complaints about wireless cards. Well, Randy from Digital Storm did what the Linksys forums could not do. Randy quickly diagnosed my problem and did what Linksys could not do. He had me connected in no time. Then Randy took his time to look (via remote) for any potential problems that I may have and gave me advice on how to keep my computer tuned up and protected. I admire the patience and knowledge Randy possesses. Believe me, I am sure these techies have computer illiterate people screaming at them to fix the stuff they goofed up. It is comforting to know that I have Digital Storm there to back me up when I am in a computer frenzy. Who you going to call if you build your own computer? Oh, yah, these guys speak English too.  
 
Digital Storm like all of us that make up this planet is not perfect. But they do listen and try to please their customers. Digital Storm does not believe the customer is always right, but they will give you everything you pay for and more. I had Digital Storm make a price adjustment because I thought they charged me wrong for something. Well it turns out that I am not a very good reader and interpreted the price wrong. Even though I was wrong, Digital Storm did make a partial adjustment, I guess to help my embarrassment.  
 
I will be a repeat customer to Digital Storm. Take the worry out of computer buying. Go with Digital Storm’s TRACK RECORD. Go with a computer built by those that care. Need I say anything more?  

I searched a fair amount of time to find a PC Builder who would build me what I wanted AND stand behind what they built. After examining several companies, I chose Digital storm and I am so delighted with my choice and my new computer! I am not a computer expert but Digital Storm did not seem to mind that at all- they were always kindly helpful and patient with my questions. I know what I want is a solid, stable, fast and beautiful system and that is exactly what Digital Storm built for me. I have not needed tech support but I have to assume their support people are the same highly capable, intelligent, polite, helpful,kind and KNOWLEDGEABLE as every other employee whom I encountered in the configuration/buying process.  
Mrs. Ellis (Ms Pris) Sampson

Great computer and great company! The entire team from ordering to tech support really know what they are doing. Customer service is well above any other you will find in the industry. Did I mention the computer? I purchsed an Intel i7 with an EVGA motherboard and Corsair Solid State drives. The machine is lightening in an awesome case! Great job Digital Storm. You are doing what others have forgotten how to do wich is deliver a great product with great customer service. Well done.

computer came in great condition, helpful guidline to add/remove programs...came with all the supplies. calling the customer support line was great experience, they knew there products well and offered to help as much as you wanted.

It has always been a great experience working with them. They take great measures to insure that you will be happy with your purchase BEFORE you spend you hard earned cash. Working with the custom build options really lets you be in control of what you want and how much you want to spend. The customer service is prompt and knowledgeable. I have had nothing bad to say about the 2 purchases that I have made. I let my brother know about digital storm and he had no complaints about the purchase that he made either. I highly recommend then to people who are interested in purchasing a new computer. You get more bang for you buck than many other companies that I have looked into.

This was a very bad experience. It is not the computer, which at a Grand Total of $11,111.61 is not that good anyway.  
The purchasing process was a nightmare, it too a very long time, I was given many excuses with a very non caring tone, I was lied a couple time (ie my computer was almost ready, it was not) and it got so bad, at some point they did not have the part and suggest that I would purchase them from the manufacturer and send the parts to them!!  
Today, 05/26/09, after asking them how to get some extra cooling water for my system ( I wanted to the same as they used to better preserve my system) they offered to sell me a bottle of their "water" for $73 plus shipping!!!! That's SEVENTY THREE dollars.  
And to top it all, they have endless excuses, never once they were wrong through all this, the amount of excuses is endless and at some point they almost insinuated I was to blame because I had ordered something they were not used to.  
This might not happen often, but if you check their forums it happen more then it should, and when you spend that much money on a computer you can expect, demand, being treated with courtesy and by professional staff!

I found out about digital storm through searching forums and blogs about reliable and upstanding custom desktop builders. People raved about this website's staff and warranties. And I can tell you that I have called numerous times, with mostly novice questions and received exceptional service. The computer came and it was stupdenously fast and my techhy freind looked at the design internally and was impressed. Kudos.

For the longest time I've been shopping with DELL and have never been satisfied with the service they provide, and was tired of being put on hold while calling customer service. Dell seems to fight you all the way making things so difficult for you that you end up just giving up and excepting the junk you were sold. This doesn't seem to be the case with Digital Storm, you never seem to be put on hold and their knowledgeable technicians make troubleshooting the hardest problems seem easy. Yes they may be a little more expensive then others out their, but the quality of the product and the customer service is well worth those few extra dollars in my opinion. For these reasons I will only shop with them from now on, and I always recommend Digital Storm to anyone seeking a new computer.

Digital Storm is a great company. I have recived professional, helpful and timley service throughout the two months I spent researching what sort of DS computer to buy. The "Beast" looks great, runs smoothly and Windows Vista/harddrive had nothing installed on it unlike Dell and HP who bog thier computers down with all sorts of random junk.  
 
DS is also a great value. Everyone should purchase from them.  
 
Peace out,  
 
Chief