HP Blackbird 002 BB5140rp Desktop PC (2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Core Q9450 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

This is hilarious. It's almost painfully embarrassing how bad people are getting ripped off by buying this "blackbird" gaming pc. If you want 2 know how much money you are going 2 lose by buying this POS, I suggest you take about 5 min of your time & direct your self 2 newegg, assemble a list of the same components which are listed in the above specifications & you will see you could build this yourself 4 less than half the price... literally. And yes ANYONE can build a computer, not just the "techies." I suggest if money holds any kind of sacred importance 2 you, like it does 4 so many us; please 4 the love of god, seek an alternative route.

Awesome machine. I wanted a big machine 4 easy upgrades that would not be outdated next year. I think I have found the machine! Very quiet. About a month old now. Loaded with 3-500GB & 1TB at the moment. Another TB on order. Excellent 4 video editing. Cut my time in half from my P4 @ 3.0 GHZ with 2GB Ram.
Again, I agree that it is expensive but well worth the price. Very large & heavy. But, I love how easy it is 2 swap hard drives & configure. Had a few quirks with Windows Vista but read a few blogs & tried a few different solutions & the Blackbird is screaming!

Great Product!

This is an awesome gaming machine. I researched different gaming machines, read all the reviews & went ahead & took the plunge. Yes it is expensive, but well worth the price. Very easy 2 set up, & very quiet. It is a large heavy machine, but how often do you move your computer? I've had it 4 a month now & no complaints at all.

Visionary designers & engineers from HP & VoodooPC have revolutionized the high-performance desktop PC with the stunning new Blackbird 002. Its innovative design features isolated thermal chambers, a maintenance-free liquid cooling system, tool-free accessibility, & cable-free hard drive installation. From next-generation games 2 demanding professional applications, the Blackbird 002 is up 4 your extreme computing challenges. The Blackbird 002 changes the look & feel of the high-performance PC with a completely redesigned cast-aluminum chassis. Its attention-getting shape combines stylish sensibility & cool practicality. The aluminum chassis can take more punishment than plastic. Tool-free entry makes it upgrade-friendly. The main case hovers over a single cast-aluminum foot, 4 a gravity-defying aesthetic that also allows air 2 circulate under as well as around the PC. This isn't a PC 2 keep out of sight?you'll want it up on a pedestal. 500GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive Five internal, hot-swappable hard drive bays enable future storage expansion Quiet, efficient heat management system uses separate thermal chambers, liquid cooling, & six-way airflow around the chassis. Up 2 7.1 channels onboard HD audio provides outstanding sound quality 4 total game immersion Hidden panel conceals convenient USB, FireWire, & audio ports as well as a 15-in-1 memory card reader 900-Watt power plant supplies ample energy 4 high-performance hardware Ample connectivity ports front & rear 4 high-performance computing needs Monitor is not included

HP's Blackbird 002 is the first PC system 2 combine HP innovation with VoodooPC's award-winning expertise in PC design & architecture, resulting in a desktop that delivers the look, versatility & performance gamers & high-end PC enthusiasts crave. Every element of the Blackbird 002--from its aluminum chassis 2 the cast-aluminum foot--contributes 2 its stunning look & extreme performance. It features patented, full system liquid-cooling 2 keep the processor running cool in even the most heated head-to-head gaming scenarios. And the system's removable side panel, completely open BIOS, & interior & back panel LED lighting make it convenient 4 gamers 2 get inside the machine 4 performance tuning.

424> HP Blackbird 002: Designed by gamers, 4 gamers.

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The Blackbird 002 changes the look & feel of the high-performance PC with a completely redesigned cast-aluminum chassis. The aluminum chassis can take more punishment than plastic. Tool-free entry makes it upgrade-friendly. The main case hovers over a single cast-aluminum foot, 4 a gravity-defying aesthetic that also allows air 2 circulate under as well as around the PC. And the 900-watt power supply has more than enough juice 4 today's high-performance processors & graphics cards.

Hardware features include a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9450, 500 GB of hard drive space (with four additional hard drive bays 4 expansion), 4 GB of Corsair Dominator 800MHz PC-6400 overclockable system RAM, multi-format & dual-layer LightScribe DVD±R drive, 7.1-channel onboard HD audio, next generation series 9 dual-SLIgraphics card from NVIDIA with support 4 Microsoft DirectX 10, & a hidden panel that conceals convenient USB, FireWire, & audio ports as well as a 15-in-1 memory card reader. It's preloaded with the Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1 operating system, which provides a stable, intuitive operating environment.

Rethinking PC Design
The HP Blackbird 002 PC was designed with two goals in mind: 2 bring innovation back 2 the gaming PC by delivering extreme customer-centric innovations, & 2 completely reinvent the look & feel of the performance PC. Its wedge-shaped design & vectored lines hint at the raw speed inside. The fins that line the top & front reflect a heat sink, paying homage 2 the Blackbird's extraordinary thermal management capabilities. And the tight fit & finish of the chamfered edges make it clear that this finely crafted machine is tuned 2 perfection.

It hovers over a single cast aluminum foot, capable of supporting up 2 600 lbs. The cantilevered design allows airflow under the chassis, making it possible 2 seat the 900 watt power supply at its base & enabling an array of hidden vents 2 funnel air through all six sides of the chassis, dramatically improving overall internal cooling.

Keeping Things Cool
One of the most important metrics 4 a performance PC is how cool & quiet it operates. Taking a cue from Voodoo PC, the first performance-PC manufacturer 2 effectively implement liquid-cooling, HP jointly developed a factory sealed liquid cooling unit 4 the Blackbird 002 PC with Asetek LLC, an industry leader in thermal management. Not only is liquid cooling more efficient than air-cooling, it is also quieter, which is why the Blackbird is the quietest performance PC in its class.

Heat is the enemy of performance PCs, & the three biggest heat generators are the CPU, the GPUs, & the power supply. The Blackbird isolates each of them in its own thermal chamber, ensuring that cooling air isn't contaminated with heat from one component on its way 2 cool off another. Regardless of performance BIOS modification, the LCi can handle the heat.

The uncluttered interior of the Blackbird drastically improves airflow & makes upgrading components as easy as possible. Inspired by Voodoo's Origami cabling solution, every individually measured wire is neatly tucked away & is easily accessible via a separate access panel on the chassis. Micro vents line all six sides of the Blackbird's aluminum chassis. These micro-perforations create a quiet, even distribution of airflow by constantly drawing cool air in & expelling hot air.

Maximum Power, Maximum Performance
At nearly four times the capacity of the industry-average 300-watt power supply, the Blackbird's 900 watt power supply features multiple high-current rails, providing plenty of energy 2 drive today's high-performance graphics cards & processors, with power 2 spare 4 the future. The power supply sits at the bottom of the chassis, enclosed in a cooling thermal chamber that prevents it from contaminating internal airflow with excess heat. All of the power cabling is completely modular, keeping the chassis uncluttered & providing easy access 4 component modification. Finally, the power supply is industry-standard, as per Voodoo DNA specifications.

The HP Blackbird 002 PC's performance BIOS lets you customize the speed, power, & cooling. In fact, all liquid cooled Intel Xtreme processors & AMD FX processors ship from the factory already overclocked, using the Voodoo method 4 reliable factory overclocking.

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400 height=428> The Blackbird 002 schematic.

The Basics

• Processor: With four execution cores, the 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 processor blows through processor-intensive tasks in demanding multitasking environments & makes the most of highly threaded applications. Part of Intel's "Penryn" line of 45nm processors, it features new hafnium-infused circuitry 2 reduce electrical current leakage in transistors & help this desktop run cooler. It also features Intel Trusted Execution Technology, which provides hardware-based mechanisms that help protect against software-based attacks & protects the confidentiality & integrity of data stored or created on the client PC.

  Whether you're creating multimedia, annihilating your gaming enemies, or running compute-intensive applications at one time, new quad-core processing will change the way you do everything. The Q9450 has a top-of-the-line 1333 MHz front-side bus (FSB), a whopping huge 12 MB shared L2 cache, & a nVidia nForce 780i motherboard. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; & a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU & RAM, & a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  With four complete execution cores in a single processor, you get four dedicated, physical threads help operating systems & applications deliver additional performance that enhance multi-tasking & multi-threaded performance across many types of applications & work loads. The Smart Memory Access feature improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth 2 provide data 2 the processor when & where it is needed. The Advanced Digital Media Boost feature effectively doubles the execution speed 4 instructions used widely in multimedia & graphics applications. And with the Intel 64 Architecture, the processor can access larger amounts of memory. With appropriate 64-bit hardware & software, platforms based on an Intel processor supporting Intel 64 Architecture can allow the use of extended virtual & physical memory.

• Hard Drive: The Blackbird 002 comes with a 500 GB SATA hard drive. The Blackbird's five hard drive bays--one 4 the system drive & four 4 up 2 5 TB of storage--give you the greatest number of RAID options possible. Create a RAID 0 4 ultimate performance, a RAID 1 4 maximum reliability & data protection, or a RAID 5 4 optimized speed & reliability. (RAID is a data storage solution that uses multiple hard drives 2 improve reliability & read/write speed. ) Better yet, Voodoo DNA's tool-free design allows the Blackbird's hard drives 2 be swapped out in about 10 seconds.

• Memory: The 4 GB of installed RAM (800MHz PC-6400, 4 x 1 GB) maximizes the capacity 4 this notebook, & it offers a top-of-the-line 800 MHz speed. Additionally, the Corsair 8500 memory is SLI-enabled 4 enhanced performance on Nvidia motherboards.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This PC comes with the Voodoo Razer DeathAdder Mouse & the Voodoo Razer Tarantula Keyboard.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion

222> A top port dock closes when not in use.

A top external port panel is built into the Blackbird 002, which can be closed when not in use. It includes the following:

• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 FireWire (IEEE 1394) port
• 1 Headphone & 1 Microphone jack ports (front)
• 15-in-1 memory card reader: supports SmartMedia, xD, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital (SD), Mini Secure Digital, Compact Flash I, Compact Flash II, IBM Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+

The back panel comes with the following external ports:

• 4 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 eSATA
• 2 PS/2 4 keyboard & mouse
• 7.1 channel audio jacks (6 jacks + 1 S/PDIF output)
• 2 RJ 45 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• 4 DVI-I ports (2 on each NVidia 9 Series video card with dual SLI configuration - only one active when configured in Dual SLI)

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit version) is the operating system 4 users with advanced computer needs, & it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center 4 watching DVD movies & accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) & 2 access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium & an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you 2 access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever 2 share files between other PCs in your household & 2 manage your laptop computer settings 2 more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools & technologies 2 help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting 2 a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you 2 manage & monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, & other activities.

Preloaded Software
Cyberlink PowerDirector, Grisoft AVG Professional anti-virus (1-year subscription)

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Blackbird 002 gaming PC, power cord, keyboard, mouse, & printed operating instructions. It's backed by dedicated HP Blackbird toll-free phone support & a one-year HP Limited Warranty.