Blackbird 002
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Final Thoughts

It's all too easy to see that the Blackbird is a smoking awesome machine. However, there are a few more things very much worth mentioning about the Blackbird that make it a wonderful PC.

Because the Blackbird is almost entirely tool-less and doesn't require anything more than your bare hands, upgrading any and almost all components are easy with just snapping out the old and putting in the new. We showed how it works with the hard drives, and here's a quick glimpse at how it works with additional PCI cards.

To add or remove any PCI cards, just snap that lever out of place and add/remove the card. Easy as that. We also see here the door hinge, which allows easy access to the door.


The motherboard comes with a very special button for easy work on the lights while the machine is on. It's made to cut off power to all buttons on the machine, including power. We (or rather, I) was pleasantly embarrassed to find the Blackbird not turning on. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one to make this mistake, or else our friends at HP are just being nice.

See the "LED SW" button? That's the culprit. It's a humbling experience when trying to start a computer and failing just because of a little button like that.


What impressed us most was the case. It's a wonderful design, acting entirely like a heat sink. The hardened aluminum is something we love, and it's just built to last for centuries, not years. Customizable, made like a tank and daunting to boot, it gives the Blackbird that overbearing personality we can't help but adore. Don't go looking for the case from another company though; HP is keeping this one to themselves.

The best thing of all, however, is probably that every computer part they used wasn't their own. The video cards, the motherboard, nothing is proprietary. HP just put it together, added their own cooling system, slapped it all together in their awesome case and gave birth to something legendary. There is no doubt: the Blackbird 002 is the best gaming PC we have ever seen. And all it took to get there was a little Voodoo DNA.



Highs
Awesome design in every way; easy to customize; great airflow system; excellent case for everything.

Lows
Very tall and very heavy; pricey.

Final verdict
The best gaming desktop we've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Absolutely wonderful.

95%

Mar 24, 2008

Review by James Pikover.

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