Digital Storm Lynx (i7 9700K + RTX 2070)

[crazyeyesreaper]

Digital Storm looks to please with the Lynx Ultimate Gaming PC. Featuring a balanced build with exceptional attention to detail, this fully loaded system delivers solid performance with a heavy dose of RGB illumination.

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[kastriot]

Great review like always, btw Win 10 Home for 2000$ machine if unforgivable.

 

[notb]

Great review like always, btw Win 10 Home for 2000$ machine if unforgivable.

It's a gaming PC. What's wrong with Home?

 

[diatribe]

You should be able to build the same machine for no more than $1,500. That's why kastriot feels as though they could have included Windows Pro.

Here's a similarly spec'd iBuyPower on Amazon fro $1,449.

 

[notb]

You should be able to build the same machine for no more than $1,500. That's why kastriot feels as though they could have included Windows Pro.

Here's a similarly spec'd iBuyPower on Amazon fro $1,449.

This one is on sale, originally $1650 - that's the price you should have mentioned.

Moreover, parts don't match. For example: iBuyPower has a Z370 mobo, not Z390. And I can't find the actual part list for this iBuyPower (where is it?).
I went to iBuyPower website and tried to get something very similar to Digital Storm Lynx - easily getting to ~$1800.

So assuming the price difference is $200, it's a no-brainer. I'd buy the Lynx any day.

1) Digital Storm gives a feel of high quality OEM. It's not Dell, Apple or Corsair (i.e. One), but they have an interesting custom case with nice features and layout. iBuyPower looks very generic - like something one would build from off-the-shelf parts.
iBuyPower is also quite a bit larger (55l vs 43l).
Lynx has a much better design, quite elegant in fact. It has a window and LEDs, but it's within what many minimalists would accept. I think it could even be tolerated in an office (as a workstation).
iBuyPower is ugly and very RGB.

2) I'm not from US, so I know both these brands mostly from articles, so you can correct me if I'm wrong. I've only see a single Digital Storm PC live.
AFAIK Digital Storm is a small, but respected OEM. I know they make very nice workstations as well.
iBoxPower is AFAIK a very cheap gaming PC integrator with bad support and Asian roots.

 

[cellar door]

$2000 USD and all you get is a lowly Realtek ALC887 audio on low end ASUS Prime Z390-P board.


Let that sink in folks...

 

[kastriot]

It's a gaming PC. What's wrong with Home?

Ah yes you are right i overestimated people who will buy this PC

 

[Vayra86]

$2000 USD and all you get is a lowly Realtek ALC887 audio on low end ASUS Prime Z390-P board.


Let that sink in folks...

Heh. Gotta get margin somewhere right.

But we have to be realistic as well. The time, knowledge and risk involved in DIY is not something everyone wants, has or can do. It'd be pretty nasty and disturbing to us, if companies could produce these boxes at DIY pricing.

All is well in the world

 

[SomeOne99h]

You should be able to build the same machine for no more than $1,500. That's why kastriot feels as though they could have included Windows Pro.

Here's a similarly spec'd iBuyPower on Amazon fro $1,449.

I have spent VERY long time looking at the specs of iBuyPower and CyberpowerPC, their Power Supplies are crappy even when they don't mention it, someone will look at it and mention it in the reviews section. Looking at the top review, he mentioned Thermaltake 80+ Smart Series 600w, an Okay PSU according to him. Their PSUs used to be crappy, from Sirfa and other brand I don't remember. But now it seems getting a bit better -though- still not enough.

 

[danbert2000]

Is this overpriced compared to what you could build yourself? Well of course it is, you are working for free when you build a computer, but these people aren't. This looks like a competent prebuilt for the PC gamer that doesn't have the skill, time, or desire to roll their own build. And you get some benefits that might make it worthwhile for those that are less computer literate than people that post on a hardware enthusiast news site.

For example, a 1 year parts, 3 year labor warranty on the whole computer, not just the individual parts, is useful for a lot of people. If it breaks, send it back. If you buy it with a good credit card, that becomes 2 years parts, and maybe 4 years labor. As is a Windows installation with chipset and GPU drivers preinstalled. As is a guarantee that the parts were tested together. There is nothing worse than the fear of putting everything together and worrying about whether one part will prevent the whole machine from booting, leading to hours of triage. The parts selection actually looks decent, too. Of course it's not the highest end PSU or motherboard, but it's at least specced right and can overclock out of the box.

I have played around with the idea of building computers on the side as a business. It's daunting to think about being on the hook for a faulty component, or paying myself a fair wage while building, testing, and installing the computer. I came away with something like $200 minimum and 20% of the total components cost, whichever is higher. And I wouldn't even be giving a warranty or anything. There's a reason it makes sense to learn this stuff and build it yourself as a hobby. You're looking to fill your time with a hobby. For everyone else that just wants a fancy-looking computer with adequate parts, this will do the job.

 

[TheMadDutchDude]

That's what most people seem to forget. Time is money, and money is time. It's that simple.

I too have thought about building them for people as a side gig, but the headaches caused by people not using them correctly is ... exactly that: a headache. It's impossible to stop people destroying things when they don't understand them from the get go.

 

[Noim]

I'm at a loss here.
How a rig with a 9700K/2070 combo can score 83.5 av.fps in TW3 @1080p when the 2070 FE coupled with a 8700K scored 114.3 av.fps @1080p?
What did I miss?

 

[notb]

Ah yes you are right i overestimated people who will buy this PC

I'd love to read your CV after such a shameful comment.

A potential client could be a datacenter architect. It doesn't matter. This is a gaming PC, a high-end alternative to consoles.

 

[hapkiman]

Great review like always, btw Win 10 Home for 2000$ machine if unforgivable.

If you have an old product key from Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro you can use it to upgrade to Win 10 Pro for free.

 

[RealNeil]

Good review.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

I'm at a loss here.
How a rig with a 9700K/2070 combo can score 83.5 av.fps in TW3 @1080p when the 2070 FE coupled with a 8700K scored 114.3 av.fps @1080p?
What did I miss?

Hairworks is enabled.

 

[3125b]

$2000 USD and all you get is a lowly Realtek ALC887 audio on low end ASUS Prime Z390-P board.


Let that sink in folks...

Exactly what I was thinking. My 8 year old Asus Z68 board has the same chip, and its just ridiculously bad. That Asus is still using it in a Z390 board in 2019 is just unforgiveable.

 

[danbert2000]

Exactly what I was thinking. My 8 year old Asus Z68 board has the same chip, and its just ridiculously bad. That Asus is still using it in a Z390 board in 2019 is just unforgiveable.

I got a better audio codec on a $100 Z97 ITX board. There's no excuse for cheaping out this much on audio. At least there are PCIe slots or USB headsets for other audio devices.