Though the death knell seems to be sounding for PCs, they're still the system of choice for power users and gamers. It's precisely those users that boutique system maker Digital Storm is targeting as it opens the cage door and lets loose the Aventum II PC powerhouse. First unveiled at CES back in January, the top of the range pre-configured model features a six-core processor, generous memory and storage, and a liquid-cooling system that's as attractive as it is efficient, sporting copper piping, huge radiators and unique venting. Power and performance don't come cheap though, so you might want to sit down before jumping in for a closer look.
The Aventum II system features Digital Storm's own Aventum RGB LED lighting system, runs Windows 7 Pro and has eight hard drive bays, a removable front panel for ease of access, and can support two power supplies. The in-house steel chassis includes temperature probes for monitoring five key thermal zones to allow the system to automatically regulate the computer's 22 chassis fans, though users can get their cooling control hands dirty too, via specialized software.
Rather than route performance-sapping heat away from core components through radiators like other liquid-cooled systems, the Aventum II benefits from a proprietary isolated exhaust chamber design that channels hot air under the power supply and out through the rear vent. The performance computer does include radiators, three 420 mm monsters in fact, which help keep key components cool while users unlock the system's performance potential. On select configurations, the cooling system also sports hand-crafted custom nickel-plated copper pipes inspired by high-end automotive cooling systems, giving each model an air of uniqueness.
Pre-configured systems start at US$4,999. For that wad of cash you'll get an Intel Core i7 4770K processor, 16 GB of 1600 MHz RAM, two Nvidia GTX 780 GPUs, a 240 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD spinning at 7200 RPM, and a DVD burner. This flavor comes with a 1050 W PSU supplying the power needed for all that computing oomph, but doesn't come with the copper piping.
The liquid-cooling system featuring those nickel-plated copper pipes is reserved for the Ultimate edition, which runs to $9,500. The top of the range Aventum II features a Core i7 3970X processor running at 3.5 GHz, 16 GB of 1866 MHz DDR3 RAM, three Nvidia GTX Titan GPUs, the same capacious storage as the starter model, but comes with a bigger power supply providing the juice.
Prior to shipping, each unit is put through a rigorous 72-hour stress test to make sure it meets the quality grade, and each purchase is backed by life-time US-based tech support.
Product page: Aventum II
