Dick Splash Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I wouldn't normally bother checking out a branded PC but this one from HP's pretty slick; No screwdriver required. Video. Video 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52LuAh8qf7Y. This month's PCG (US) has a magazine wrap and a witty advertorial about it too and as far as I can tell it's only sold in North America. I'm sure it won't be long before the likes of Antec knock out a similarly designed case. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamakazi Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 So All I have to say about it is that 3 500GB Hard drives in Raid-0...costs 920$ when the HDs can be bought for 100 each online and Raid costs nothing because the mobo they have supports onboard raid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrester Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 hmm, I think its a bit expensive for what you get..... I guess I could build such a system at 40% less(at least) If I got the parts from internet I never ever ever again buy dell/HP/Fujitsu-Siemens/Acer or any other brand PC, I build/have it built only..... saves a lot of money and with less hassle (motherboards dying at 13 months old cost $300 to repair and such) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hmm...something fishy I've just noticed in the PC Gamer (US) November 2007 issue. They gave this thing a 97% in their 'Hard Stuff' reviews. It covered two pages. That very same issue the Editor-In-Chief, Greg Vederman, announced he was resigning and was ".....moving to a new job in the tech industry, so this will be my last issue." Well.....guess where he moved to? HP, as the Business Development Manager for the HP Blackbird 002 Project. I think I'll threaten him for a discount before I blow the lid off this whole 'Enron' scandal. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Here, shows us the heavy duty packaging HP uses to deliver this PC to your door; DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Anyone have ideas of how much that would cost to build yourself? $5000 price tag, I`ll go for around $3000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I started to configure one from the base model. Once I got similar specs to the PC I'm building (lower CPU) and went over my budget before I even started on the goodies, software, monitor etc, I quit. It looks cool. If I had lots of money to blow, I'd do it. The rig I'm building is getting pricey, sure, but compared to what else I'd get for the same price... no contest. Building is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Building is the way to go. Plus, it's more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Kinda like working on a car. It's worth the scarred knuckles, broken tools and few beers to step back and say "Behold! What I have created!" Or is that only me? Disclaimer: I do not endorse the consumption of alcohol while assembling you're spiffy new l33t PC, especially with high end parts... unless you're damn good at it... like me. ... ehh, err Seriously though, building is cheaper, much more gooder, and a learning experience. I recommend it to anyone. I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutlink Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Kinda like working on a car. It's worth the scarred knuckles, broken tools and few beers to step back and say "Behold! What I have created!" Or is that only me? Disclaimer: I do not endorse the consumption of alcohol while assembling you're spiffy new l33t PC, especially with high end parts... unless you're damn good at it... like me. ... ehh, err Seriously though, building is cheaper, much more gooder, and a learning experience. I recommend it to anyone. I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. I am ready for building my own, money no option. I know it all on paper, but... I reckon i will only need help formatting and installing OS though. Need big power house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 Seriously though, building is cheaper, much more gooder, and a learning experience. I recommend it to anyone. I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. Yep.....that's the quote of the week folks! DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. I am ready for building my own, money no option. I know it all on paper, but... I reckon i will only need help formatting and installing OS though. Need big power house. I completely revamped mine yesterday. Changes Mobo, CPU, damn near everything. I'm excited. I think I got some good performance gains for a slight drop in price (ditched the X-Fi Fatality - got the Maximus Formula Mobo that comes with a soundcard). I just need to wait for my signing bonus to clear so I can buy the parts. Once I do, I'll photograph and write up everything. Seriously though, building is cheaper, much more gooder, and a learning experience. I recommend it to anyone. I'm probably going to document my build for those interested. Yep.....that's the quote of the week folks! DS We had a Cadre member say this during training - I think it was our Land Nav class back in Week 2 or 3 or something. Anyway, as soon as this SSG said this, my Drill Sgt looked at me with a look that said "I know you caught that. Did he really just say that?" So, from then until graduation, whenever the opportunity arose, my DS would say "Because it's what [Ruin's Last Name]?" I would respond "Much More Gooder Drill Sergeant!!" "That's right..." he'd say " Much more gooder." Too funny. Now, it's kinda stuck, and makes people laugh. Good story I think. The best was when we had a guy say "F* You Drill Sgt!" and rather than get smoked for 3 weeks, our DS cracked up and was crying from laughing so hard. But that's another story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Greg Vederman shows us how to optimise Crysis. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCO*AFZ* Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Raid 0??? what a joke. if one of those 3 drives fail, all is lost. Should have gone raid 5. Also without a seperate raid controller, it takes Valuable cpu cycles to run the raid especially on heavy transfers. Finally PROS Looks cool Premade BTX (note powersupply is on the bottom) + Liquid cooling Cons When configuring they don't tell you what brand the power supply is... Raid only supports slower mirror (RAID 1) or no redundancy (RAID 0) Can't choose Hard drives. If i bought that and ended up with maxtors i think i would kill someone Onboard sound with default config??? What the ??? At least you can add and xfi (so there is a good there) AVG antivirus ? LOL! You wouldn't believe how many trojans get past there free edition. I would hope there full is worth it. Recovery DVD? No seperate install so i don't get all the free aol crap when i reload it? Ruin... i'd take your pc any day over that, and i'm sure you would win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I'd take my PC too. I love this little beast. My girlfriend thinks it's pretty, haha, she loves the red lights. Bottom line, as we've said already, you just can't beat building your own. No contest. If you know what you're doing, or have good resources (thanks Roco), building your own will far outperform any retail PC of the same price. I'd love to stack my PC against the Blackbird or an Alienware of the price and see a comparison. Just the tower, and I've only got about $1750 in it, with cooling, lights etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 my Blackbird is chugging away at Ground Branch's Demo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 I've had some info from the HP lads in the US and they've confirmed that HP will be available in the UK by the end of the year. I've just got off the phone with their press office in the UK and they've advised me that it is already available at Harrod's in London but it's not on their website yet. It retails for £3,199. I'll add the specs later. It's also now in select retail stores in the US. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viiiper Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 It retails for £3,199. I'll add the specs later. It's also now in select retail stores in the US. DS £3200 ! talk about making a profit. How old is this tech? besides the case, I built my PC last year April, with similar spec. Not impressed with pop up USB , I like using my PC top for magazines, Floor intake, DUST ! One year ago I built April 2007 1x QX6850 (Quad 3.0Ghz) 1300 FSB 1x Zalman 9700led Ultra Quiet Cooler 1x BFG 8800 GTX OC2 1x Striker Extreme Mobo Asus (full RAID 0,1 & 5 supported twin Giga LAN, 10x 2.0 USB) 2Gb OCZ DDRII 800 (but can be replaced with 1300 DDR2) 1x 150GB Raptor boot for Vista 32 bit 1x 150GB Raptor boot for XP 32 bit 2X 750GB Segate for Data storage 2x Plextor DVD/CD multi burn 16X 1x Floppy 3.5" 1x Creative XiFi Pro Li-An PC70 Case (Alu) Galaxy 1Kwatt PSU Quad CPU & GPU support Total @ April 2007 £2100 If I added the second GPU I still be no where near the price they are retailing. Prices for parts have dropped since then. I suppose you could add another £1000 for the HP custom keyless case & liquid cooling? NO viii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Hasn't it been updated since? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 £3200 ! talk about making a profit. I suppose you could add another £1000 for the HP custom keyless case & liquid cooling? NO viii That's the thing. It seems that the overpricing of the components exposes the hidden cost of the case. Off the spec's I have received, if you purchase an identical PC in the US it will cost $3,810.01 and that includes the mandatory $150 postage. That's £2,046.42 So with a postage cost of $500-ish, it would still be cheaper buying one in the US and posting it to the UK. I assumed there was no mouse, keyboard, monitor and speakers. If that's the case, then more than a third of the Harrod's price is pure profit! DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 too many mod makers made better rigs than HP/Voodoo @ Xtremesystems forum...and yes, not sucking dust in from underneath. Many says the watercooling unit and HD cage is the selling point. Try telling that to those with two (2) tri-rads inside the case of a TJO7 or Stackers.... Hell, try beating this dude with a BlackBird: more pics more pics say hello to Mr charles h ....nices guy too...answers everyone's questions...except trade secrets of course. Blackbird is not even in the Million-Dollar-PC club Voodoo was freaking outstanding to begin with...they just didn't need to go drastically changing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 HP is supposed to be offering 1000 of it's Blackbird cases on a first come, first served basis sometime shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 HP is supposed to be offering 1000 of it's Blackbird cases on a first come, first served basis sometime shortly. per MaximumPC---SHOCKING!!!...must be their number one cash cow have a peak at Omen @ post #15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoQuarter Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Off topic @Cpl Ledanek: As a goof I priced out (sourced) the parts of the top end ($8300) of the murderbox offering, and even assuming a tricked out & bullet-proof $1000 plumbing system (for lack of info), can only come to the conclusion that that is one very, very, very expensive chassis to add parts to. They either have no shame or they are marketing strictly for the blissfully ignorant and idle rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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