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Message: <blockquote data-quote="x-pert" data-source="post: 1431498" data-attributes="member: 837">Quoted from TechRepublic. (<a href="http://www.techrepublic.com%29" target="_blank">www.techrepublic.com)</a>Cracking open the HP Blackbird 002 DE LCi gaming PCby <a href="http://search.techrepublic.com.com/search/$%7Bmodel.bylineAuthor.authorName%7D.html" target="_blank">Mark Kaelin</a> | 02-05-08For hardcore computer gamers, there is no such thing as too much power when it comes to their personal computer; there is only the question: How much can I afford? The Blackbird 002 DE LCi is definitely in the "money is no object" category.Sporting dual ATI Radeon X2900 XT video cards, each with 512GB of GDDR4 SDRAMAn Intel Core2 Extreme Quad-Core 3.0GHz QX6850 CPU2GB 1066MHz Corsair PC2-8500 SDRAMThree hard drives in a RAID arrayLiquid cooling for the video cards and the CPU,This PC is a gamer's dream machine. And at about $6200, for many gamers, it will remain only a dream. HP loaned us a Blackbird 002 to review, and we just had to take a look inside.The Blackbird arrived in a solid trunk -- I never expected that. I guess FedEx and UPS could not be trusted.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186976.html?seq=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186976-500-499.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186977.html?seq=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186977-500-408.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>                The trunk filled with padding should protect the machine from almost any shipping bumps.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186981.html?seq=6" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186981-500-551.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>                The HP Blackbird 02 is certainly eye-catching. The plate on the side displays a fractal-like image.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186982.html?seq=7" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186982-500-514.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>There is nothing but DVIs out with Dual ATI Radeon x2900 XTs, each with 512 MB of GDDR4 SDRAM. In case you are wondering, that is some fast video memory.The onboard sound on the NVIDIA nForce motherboard supports 7.1 speakers. Creative Labs must be concerned.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186986.html?seq=11" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186986-500-325.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>                Access to the inside of the case is just a door latch away. There are no screws to contend with and the door is on a hinge.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186988.html?seq=13" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186988-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>One of the first things you notice about the Blackbird's interior is that some plastic pieces separate the air flow around the CPU from the air flow around the video cards. And this is even though everything is liquid cooled.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186989.html?seq=14" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186989-500-369.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186990.html?seq=15" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186990-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186991.html?seq=16" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186991-500-306.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>With all of those power connections you can understand the need for an 1100 Watt power supply. You can count on your electric bills going up if you are running a Blackbird 02 in your home.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186992.html?seq=17" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186992-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>The HP Blackbird 02 is really a product of Hewlett-Packards acquisition of Voodoo Extreme and their telltale cabling artistic expertise is obvious.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186993.html?seq=18" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186993-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>                Underneath all of this cooling apparatus is an Intel Core2 Extreme Quad-Core 3.0GHz QX6850 CPU.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186995.html?seq=20" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186995-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>With another plastic separator removed you can get a good look at the video cards. Even in the era of huge video cards, these suckers stand out.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-186999.html?seq=24" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/186999-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>As you would expect in a $6,200 PC, the RAM is high-quality, high-speed RAM from Corsair and each stick has its own heat sink.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-187000.html?seq=25" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/187000-500-374.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>                The liquid cooling system is completely closed so there is no real chance of leaking -- unless you start pulling things out.              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-187002.html?seq=27" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/187002-500-477.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a>              <a href="http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2347-13636_11-186975-187005.html?seq=30" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.techrepublic.com.com/gallery/187005-500-577.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></blockquote>

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