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"Dedicated Edition: Freaking Awesome and Fast! Beauty inside and out." on by gaijindragonslayer_2
Pros: Fast, FAST. Easy set up. Easy Upgrade.
Cons: Friends hate me for having the cash to buy it.
Summary: So as you know the purchase was not pleasant. HP America and FedEx though managed to make the experience 10 times worse.
However HP Gaming also known as Voodoo were in the end wonderful. They tried everything to get me my Blackbird 002. And today it arrived!
I am writing to you from this. Spelling errors will be due to the shock as a longtime Apple customer at what a truly modern, powerful computer looks like.
All computers should be built with the same honesty as the Blackbird 002 . Form follows function. The customer comes first. No crippling of the computer to encourage repeat purchase. The ability to go down to the local computer store and buy a drive, slip it in, cards etc., with ease makes Apple look like AT&T before they allowed us to buy our own phones.
Indeed the Blackbird looks as though it comes from the future. Indeed it does. This is not a closed system. Imagine a super computer, built by gamers for gamers that is like an unlocked cell phone. No limits!
Every aspect of this freaking fast beast is built with the gamer in mind.
Also the Blacbird 002 can be used for work. After Effects and Photoshop to the production of DVD's is smooth. As Apple adverts would say, it simply works.
In the future, if I want a new motherboard HP Gaming provides the tools recessed neatly inside the case.
The customer comes first. The gamer can customize this Blackbird for years.
It's also well within the norms for sound pollution, no louder than a small fan set on low.
The LED info screen on the back is very useful. It showed my keyboard was not connected correctly. Lights on the back make using the rear ports easy. The pop up card slot reader with firewire and USB 2 plus headphone and sound in is perfect.
I'll add to this review at a later date but for now, I have to give it:
1) Sales support 9/10
2) Tech support from Calgary 9/10
3) HP Gaming willing to work round the clock to sort out the problems 10/10
The purchase was a nightmare but the Blackbird 002 is a perfect dream machine.
I also happen to know that a lot of issues I encountered have been resolved and just the sign of a new company being born. Voodoo is HP Gaming but it's a whole new game!
The Blackbird 002 is one computer you can buy that does not make you regret the credit card repayments.
The HP Blackbird 002 represents a paradigm shift. A shock to the status quo like the internet user moving from the closed web content of AOL to the vast Cloud of sites and blogs we now use daily.
I kid you not this computer cannot be hyped, it's really that good. -
"I came! I bought! I love this system!" on by Kaywen78
Pros: Well built , Fast system.
Cons: Dont have any yet.
Summary: I bought the Blackbird002 Dedicated version as did my friend. We both had no problems with the purchase or receiving it. It may burn a hole in your wallet, but its worth it. Might have to head to the gym though to do acouple bench presses cause, Its the heaviest computer I've own at 72 lbs. In the box it comes with, it adds up to 112 lbs.
It took me about two weeks to get the Blackbird system. Got a phone call from them and picked it up. Thats one reason why I bought this system, because it was being built in Calgary. Didn't have to deal with carriers. Last system I had was an Alienware from 2003, my friend bought one too and the door got broken during shipping on his and something else was dented. Was a headache for him dealing with puralator and Alienware. I had no problems with mine. It really doesn't matter where and what you buy, some people will have a bad expierence and some people wont, no ones perfect.
Personally I can say is that the Blackbird002 Dedicated System is fast with a sweet looking design, very clean inside also. If your a gamer who wants to play the next gen games and have all the settings on high to see all the eye candy, then this system I recommend. You wont be disappointed. It ran my COD4 and world in conflict game smoothly. Cant wait for Crysis and UT3. -
"Unbelieveable. . I'll never build my own again." on by rule12b
Pros: Perfectly packaged, set up, and equipped
Cons: none so far. Price perhaps?
Summary: Ordered mine in early October with a custom set up. They were patient and knowledgeable while we sorted out what I wanted. They didn't upsell me and were straight up about the delay while they awaited cases. I was told I could expect it by mid-december.
It arrived on December 3, just one business day after it shipped. It was packaged beautifully with all of it's ancillary documents nicely packaged for safekeeping.
It is fast, flawless, quiet, and ready to go right out of the box. Added two additional drives with no issues whatsoever. The ease of expansion is unreal.
Its expensive sure, but I feel like I got every dollar's worth. I'll never build my own again. -
"Exceptional gaming rig - fast, rock solid, in the best case ever designed." on by kaps--2008
Pros: Superb case, design, performance, upgradability, expert support
Cons: Cost, but you get what you pay for, and it is big and heavy.
Summary: I have had my bird for about three weeks now and every day I find something else to love about it. It is a rock solid performer that is fast and beautiful. I upgraded from a Dell XPS 600 and this is the best upgrade I've ever made.
There isn't anything out there that I can't run with ease from Crysis to The Witcher to World in Conflict. These games are rendered exquisitly. The water in Crysis is so real that you think your monitor is going to get wet.
Even web browsing is bullet fast, so you know that the components are well matched.
When you look inside you're gonna be amazed by the perfection of the design. Everything is so well thought out. Upgrading is designed into the layout. This may be the most exceptional feature; there isn't a case like this on the planet.
BTW, Vista on this rig is a pleasure. It shows off the best that the box can do. Yea I hate approving my changes three times but I like the wealth of features.
Tech support is another great plus; these people are passionate gamers who love hardware. If you have an issue, they’ll fix it and fast.
A point about the merger of Voodoo and HP. HP has some really smart execs who knew that when they bought Voodoo the most important asset they got were the people. Their expertise in building the best gaming rigs on earth was a resource that was made of platinum and they are leveraging this asset. From what I understand you’re going to see the magic that they create in their gaming boxes in the rest of HPs line since gaming is gaining such a huge market. So if you get a Bird, then you’re going to be two years ahead of the market.
Pardon my passion but I love this box!!! Anyway, I'm going back to playing Crysis. -
"An incredible mess" on by Childstim
Pros: Great when it works
Cons: It usually doesn't work
Summary: I've had this computer for about two months. It has continually crashed to blue screen or frozen. I ran memtest on each of the four ram sticks and found two were faulty. HP replaced them, but the problems persisted. I couldn't boot without repairing each time with the system disk. Since the computer crashed/froze so often, that took a lot of time. I finally did a clean Vista install, downloaded an update on one of the system files, this required a reboot, and I got a boot disk failure message, and told to use the system disk to repair.
Since there was at that point NOTHING on the computer but the o/s, I was not encouraged, but I did it, got to the desk top, started to download another update and it froze.
The HP reps have been friendly and helpful, but haven't solved the problem. They are now telling me to pack up the monster and send it back to them so they can test it, a process that will undoubtedly take weeks if not months. I have no files, no computer, and no belief whatsoever in the Blackbird.
Based on the other reviews, which tend to be either 10/10 or 1/10, I conclude some of the Blackbirds are simply lemons, and I have one of those.
I rue the day I bought it.
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