The HP Blackbird 002 was ordered on Hp's Blackbird website here: https://h20435.www2.hp.com/Default.aspx
The configuration process was simple with the latest hardware available on the Blackbird 002LC and LCi models. The LCi model has both the video cards and cpu liquid cooled for ultra gaming performance and was a main reason why I decided to get the Blackbird. There are some items on the configuration like the Voodoo mouse and keypad that are way overpriced. Also you can see that they are actually reselling them on ebay here for half of what they are trying to ship with your blackbird PC: http://cgi.ebay.com/Voodoo-Deathadder-Mouse-and-Tarantula-Keyboard_W0QQitemZ250296110907QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
There is no option for an extended warranty with 1 year being the default and only option I saw. The estimated delivery date shows up on the subtotal tab on the site and is averaging 2 weeks right now. This is actually much better than other competitive PC's like Alienware and Dell's Gaming XPS system which are averaging about 3-4 weeks (ouch!). From the time I bought my Blackbird to the time I got it, it was only 10 Days! There is no progress or status page that tells you what stage your PC build is in like Alienware or Dell but with a build speed like that, who needs it. There was an email confirming the order and an email telling you when the PC is shipped.
All the Blackbirds are assembled in Calgary CA, the plant Voodoo uses to make their PCs. Now the quality of the build is top notch and the internal wiring is very clean, organized, and tight. Just looks like they put a lot of attention and care into making each PC.
Here are the specs of my blackbird:
HP BLACKBIRD 002 LCi - Total Cost: $6,840
- Quad Core - Intel® Core2™ Extreme Quad-Core 3.2GHz QX9770
- 8GB 1600 MHz CORSAIR PC-12800 DDR3 SDRAM (4x2GB)
- CPU and Graphic Cards Liquid Cooling (Nvidia Graphics)
- EVGA nForce™ 790i Ultra
- Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX-280, with 1GB of GDDR3 SDRAM (LC)
- Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional
- RAID (0) Performance – 2 x 300GB 10,000 rpm SATA
- 1.1KW Power Supply
- Super multi-drive, slim slots with Lightscribe (DVD+/-R/RW+/-DL)
- Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate (64 Bit)
- Grisoft AVG Professional Anti-Virus - 1 year subscription
- CyberLink DVDPlay
- CyberLink DVDPlay HD/BD
- CyberLink PowerDirector
- CyberLink Power2Go
- CyberLink LabelPrint
- HP PC Doctor
- Recovery DVD
- 1 year limited hardware and 1 year technical support
The PC came in one big box with a total weight of about 80 lbs. The shipping was $150 and took about 2 days to get to my door. Opening up and assembling the PC was very easy. The PC itself weighs about 70lbs and feels very sturdy - full aluminum sides and steel top and bottom base.The one feature that almost every reviewer is highlighting about the case is the door panel taht swings open with just one pull. And I have to admit that it really is a big plus. The case really looks nice and is about the same size as the Alienware's case and a bit smaller than the Dell's XPS case. A window on the side to show off the guts of this machine would be nice. Intead, HP has the cases with glossy side aluminum panels with some abstract pictures.
Performancewise this thing is a beast and easily holds Counter Strike Source at 150 fps max constantly playing all maxed settings in 30 man pubs. Maxing out the fps to 300, it will drop to 200ish at gun battles or custom maps. The most recent game I ran with it is Fallout 3 with max settings and it runs very very smooth. I played fallout 3 on my old PC and the difference is very noticable. To take full advantage of 4+ gigs of ram you will need to select the Vista or XP 64 bit versions. Vista may be new and romured to be full of bugs but once you get used to it, you can never go back. Just like if you have xp, you can't go back to 2000 or heaven forbid if you have 2000 and go back to 98. Yuk. A downside to Vista is that many PC games I own like Kotor 2, Stronghold, Mass Effect can not run on Vista or are buggy on Vista. But New games are Vista compatible.
Liquid cooled CPU and graphics cards make this PC one of the quietest PC's I have. There are two fans on top that are the only noticeable fan/humming sounds that the PC produces when playing graphic intense games like Cyrsis for long periods of time.
To take advantage of the power of this PC I recommend hooking it up to an HDTV with hdmi cables.
Pros: The cool case with cool side door, liquid cooled CPU and graphic cards, alternative to Alienware and Dell gaming PC's, Quick build orders
Cons: No option for side window on case to show off the beastly innards
WoP Rating:
Performance: 4.5
Quality: 5
Value: 4.5
Overall: 5 ** WoP Recommends **
the total cost of the configured Blackbird was $6,840 - value is relative depending on each gamer, but if cost is not an issue most gamers would want to experience running the Blackbird on a HDTV.
#1 Selling Counter-Strike Source Guide On The Net. Guide with video lessons.
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