The HP Blackbird 002: The Ultimate PC for Gamers

There's only a handful of branded gaming PCs out in the market. Usually, gamers have to custom built their PC or look for a branded clone with the specifications they need. HP hopes to push innovation in the desktop PC industry by introducing the HP Blackbird 002, a gaming PC designed by gamers.

Design

The HP Blackbird 002 has a love it or hate it design, depending on your perspective. The Blackbird CPU is set on a single cast aluminum foot that can support up to 600 pounds, making the Blackbird 002 look like it's hovering in mid-air, and while most CPU chassis is made of plastic, the Blackbird 002 has a cast aluminum chassis that is significantly sturdier and more lightweight. Since the Blackbird 002's chassis is made from aluminum, it can withstand corrosion and is non-magnetic, making sure that it can withstand almost anything. The HP Blackbird 002's hover design is useful for airflow. The elevated case pushes air through the bottom side vents that allows airflow, cooling the PC's interior. Another feature of the Blackbird 002's design is that instead of unscrewing bolts and sliding the side panels to open the case, you only have to pull a latch and the side panel will swing open on its hinges.

Specifications and features

The HP Blackbird 002 is fully customizable and thus has no specific specifications, HP lets users choose from a set of configurations so that they can have control over what they truly need. Users can choose between an Athlon AMD X2 6000 3.0 Ghz processor, Intel Core2 Duo, or Intel Core2 Extreme processors, choice of graphic cards range from NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon, Dual-link DVI ports that support up to 2560 by 1600 pixels, support for analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels at 85HZ, DVI to VGA adapter, dual-display support for extended desktops and video cloning modes, and choice of ASUS or Intel motherboards.

Heat is the common downfall of most performance PCs and HP aims to prevent that with new innovative methods integrated into the CPU to cool down the Blackbird 002. The HP Blackbird 002 has separate thermal chambers for the CPU, GPU, and power supply, making sure that there is maximum airflow that isn't contaminated from the heat of the other chambers. The HP Blackbird 002 is also equipped with liquid cooling system that is more efficient than any cooling fans, making the HP Blackbird 002 one of the quietest gaming PC around. A series of copper heat pipes cool the other components inside the Blackbird 002. Another major feature of the HP Blackbird 002 that can appeal to gamers is that it can be upgraded without the necessity of tools, every component inside the Blackbird 002 can be removed and installed without tools.

Pricing and Availability

The regular HP Blackbird 002 will start shipping in November but HP is currently shipping the Blackbird 002 Dedication Edition for $5,500.