HP Blackbird 002
Encyclopedia
The HP Blackbird 002 was a gaming and high-performance PC built by HP’s Voodoo Business Unit. It launched on September 2007 and won over 10 Editor’s Choice awards, one from C-NET, which gave it a 9.3 out of 10. The chassis was made out of brushed aluminum and it sat on a cast aluminum foot. The elevation provided by the foot opened a sixth side for additional ventilation
.
Tom mentioned his project to HP executives Phil McKinney, Todd Bradley, and Paul Campbell during a flight to San Diego for business meetings. By the time the plane landed, a plan had been hatched to secure funding and a support team to further develop the system and eventually bring it to market.
The first iteration of the system was scrapped. The Compaq team in Houston acquired by HP, helped create a new design. During this time, HP acquired Voodoo PC. With additional input from Voodoo PC founder Rahul Sood
, the HP Blackbird 002 with Voodoo DNA was launched in September 2007.
The HP Blackbird 002 has been replaced by the HP Firebird 803.
The Blackbird boasts performance similar to the Falcon Northwest
Mach V. If you open the unit you see "VoodooDNA" branding inside the case. The original version featured an ASUS
Striker Extreme 680i motherboard which supports Intel processors. It features four slots of DDR2
RAM, in basic configurations of 2 or 4 GB 1066 MHz. Another version featured an EVGA
780i SLI motherboard instead of the Asus Striker 680i.
The motherboard
can feature both Nvidia
and ATI
graphics cards, including Nvidia's SLI
. Both Nvidia and ATI options are available with liquid cooling
. The Blackbird 002 features flexible RAID
capabilities, with five hard drive bays. The system also features two multi-drives, a single bay for a Blu-ray and HD DVD-ROM.
There are three basic configurations: the first is fan cooled, second is CPU liquid cooled, and the third is both CPU and GPU liquid cooled.
Ventilation (architecture)
Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
.
History
The HP Blackbird 002 was originally a side project of an HP engineer named Tom Szolyga. Tom, a gaming enthusiast, began to build what he thought would be the best gaming PC. He requisitioned components together to form a high-performance system. At the time, HP had no immediate plans for the gaming PC business.Tom mentioned his project to HP executives Phil McKinney, Todd Bradley, and Paul Campbell during a flight to San Diego for business meetings. By the time the plane landed, a plan had been hatched to secure funding and a support team to further develop the system and eventually bring it to market.
The first iteration of the system was scrapped. The Compaq team in Houston acquired by HP, helped create a new design. During this time, HP acquired Voodoo PC. With additional input from Voodoo PC founder Rahul Sood
Rahul Sood
Rahul Sood was the founder of VoodooPC , and became the outgoing Chief Technology Officer for the Hewlett Packard Global Voodoo Business Unit...
, the HP Blackbird 002 with Voodoo DNA was launched in September 2007.
The HP Blackbird 002 has been replaced by the HP Firebird 803.
Performance and design
The Blackbird 002 features an all-aluminum chassis, which is uncommon in big-brand PCs. Every HP Blackbird 002 is configured to the individual’s preference and ships with an open BIOS to allow for user-controlled overclocking.The Blackbird boasts performance similar to the Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest is a personal computer manufacturing company located in Medford, Oregon, USA which was founded in 1992 by its current president, Kelt Reeves. The company began its existence focusing on high-end systems for Flight Simulation...
Mach V. If you open the unit you see "VoodooDNA" branding inside the case. The original version featured an ASUS
ASUS
ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboards, desktops, laptops, monitors, tablet PCs, servers and mobile phones...
Striker Extreme 680i motherboard which supports Intel processors. It features four slots of DDR2
DDR2 SDRAM
DDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
RAM, in basic configurations of 2 or 4 GB 1066 MHz. Another version featured an EVGA
EVGA Corporation
EVGA Corporation is a company that produces NVIDIA based consumer computer hardware, as well as Intel based motherboards. Founded in July 1999, its current headquarters is in Brea, California.- Products :...
780i SLI motherboard instead of the Asus Striker 680i.
The motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
can feature both Nvidia
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
and ATI
Ati
As a word, Ati may refer to:* Ati, a town in Chad* Ati, a Negrito ethnic group in the Philippines* Ati-Atihan Festival, an annual celebration held in the Philippines* Ati, a queen of the fabled Land of Punt in Africa...
graphics cards, including Nvidia's SLI
Scalable Link Interface
Scalable Link Interface is a brand name for a multi-GPU solution developed by NVIDIA for linking two or more video cards together to produce a single output...
. Both Nvidia and ATI options are available with liquid cooling
Liquid cooling
Liquid cooling may refer to:* The cooling of a liquid.* The cooling of machinery or devices by convection or circulation of coolants* Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, a garment worn by astronauts.* Liquid metal cooled reactor...
. The Blackbird 002 features flexible RAID
RAID
RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit...
capabilities, with five hard drive bays. The system also features two multi-drives, a single bay for a Blu-ray and HD DVD-ROM.
There are three basic configurations: the first is fan cooled, second is CPU liquid cooled, and the third is both CPU and GPU liquid cooled.
Aluminum chassis and foot
The system’s wedge-shaped aluminum chassis and cast aluminum foot is capable of supporting up to 600 lbs. The wedge-shaped design and fins that line the top and front of the chassis act as a heat sink. The cast aluminum foot allows airflow to pass under the HP Blackbird 002, adding more efficient cooling to the 1.1 kW power supply seated at the base of the chassis.Liquid cooling and thermals
The HP Blackbird 002 features full system, "maintenance-free" liquid cooling that draws heat away from the CPU, motherboard, and GPUs. The HP Blackbird 002 is also designed with three thermal chambers that isolate key heat sources, ensuring that cool air reaches all major heat-generating components.Tool-less architecture
All of the internal components of the HP Blackbird 002 can be removed and installed without tools via a removable side panel which allows quick and easy access to the interior of the system.Reviews and awards
- C-NET Editors choice
- PC MagazinePC MagazinePC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
gave it a 5/5 - Computer ShopperComputer ShopperComputer Shopper could refer to the following publications:* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United Kingdom* Computer Shopper - a home computer magazine published in the United States...
gave it 8.5 out of 10 - Wired Magazine gave it Best of Test
- Maximum PCMaximum PCMaximum PC, formerly known as boot, is an American magazine and web site published by Future US. It focuses on cutting-edge PC hardware, with an emphasis on product reviews, step-by-step tutorials, and in-depth technical briefs...
gave it 7 out of 10 - CPU Magazine gave it 4 out of 5