Reviewed on September 5, 2007HP's Blackbird 002 earns the highest rating this editor has ever given a desktop PC. Its design rivals the Apple Mac Pro, it takes risks that benefit your upgrade path, it's fast, and it's competitively priced. If you can afford it, and you want a high-end gaming PC, buy this one. End of story.TAGS:Voodoo, latch, media card reader, DNA, HP, video card, gamer, power supply, hard drive, games, Apple Macintosh, PC
Reviewed on February 21, 2009HP's Firebird 803 brings the influence of its Voodoo PC acquisition to the mainstream with a compelling design, admirable power efficiency, and strong bang-for-the-buck. What it lacks is any sort of graphics upgrade path. For some, the limited upgradeability kills the deal. For those still interested, this PC offers a complete gaming PC with conversation-piece design.TAGS:HP Firebird, Voodoo, design, HP, power supply, games, PC, video card
Reviewed on June 4, 2008The Maingear Prelude has the best bang for the buck among midrange gaming PCs. It also has a certain stocky visual appeal. It's missing a few features, and you'll have to jump through a few hoops to make upgrades, but on balance, this system is a great deal.TAGS:Maingear, Voodoo, Dell XPS, AMD, power supply, CPU, Dell, NVidia, games, PC