PC Gamer: Dell XPS 720 vs HP Blackbird 002

There is a great set of articles on PC Gamer between this month and last month. PC Gamer Magazine performed a review of the Dell XPS 720 last month, and I managed to grab a clipping of it. While reviewing the Dell XPS 720 PC Gamer says:

"Walking behind the XPS 720 H2C subjects you to a volcanic blast of very hot air-this box will heat up an average-sized room..."

They then go on to say...:

"...though the XPS 720 uses a closed-system thermo-electric cooler for the CPU, the noise level remains over-the-top. The XPS 720 roars like a lion when you turn it on, the optical drives tend to rattle...the reverberation inside the case amplifies the noise from the hard drive so when the hard drives are defragging themselves, the XPS 720 sounds like it's making coffee, or choking on its own blood."

Ouch!

The review was very well written - quite pointed - and it's clear that PC Gamer went through the Dell system in detail. In addition to finding the Dell XPS 720 system unbelievably loud they also docked Dell for using a proprietary power supply and proprietary motherboard which totally limit easy upgrades for the customer.

All said, kudos to Dell for still scored a respectable 84%, though lower than any other Voodoo system in history, I've seen much worse from boutique companies who "specialize" in gaming machines.

HP Blackbird is more flexible (much more flexible) than the Dell XPS 720. Blackbird 002 also uses industry standard components, high performance parts, a much better tool-less chassis, and it's also much quieter.

Well, what do you know, a month later PC Gamer did a review of an HP Blackbird 002 engineering unit (the production unit is even nicer!!), and the results come out loud and clear (well, not as "loud" as the Dell, but the results are certainly clear).

Blackbird 002 scored the highest *ever* review in PC Gamer Magazine, besting even the highest score from VoodooPC (95%).

PC Gamer starts out by saying:

“It’s sophistication is evident even in the choice of standard components. Unlike last month’s XPS 720 H2C from Dell that shovelled in over a terabyte of storage and set the CPU to “fry,” HP masterfully balanced cost, heat, and performance with Intel’s quad-core 2 Extreme QX6850…and chilled by an exceptionally quiet custom cooler, and a pair of DirectX 10-compatible ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTXs in Crossfire….”

Then they talk about the balance of creating a machine that's not only delivers performance, but also blends technology with value. The following is a series of quotes borrowed from the review:

“The results? A screamer, handily trouncing systems from Dell, Falcon-Northwest, Alienware, and everyone else…but where most high-end rigs stop at the benchmarks to collect their awards, the Blackbird is just getting started….Virtually every inch of the Blackbird demonstrates craftsmanship with gamers first and foremost in mind…”

“In fact, after a night with the Blackbird, no dumbass on the planet will ever go back to thinking, for example, that it’s acceptable to have to rip out a nice cabling job just to change a hard drive.”

“..the Blackbird reaches a pinnacle of utility and craftsmanship that’s beyond anything in a gaming rig…”

"How do you get the highest hardware score in PC Gamer history? This is how."

You need to pick up both issues (Dell issue Farcry 2 is on the cover and HP issue Halflife 2 Orange Box is on the cover) in order to READ THESE REVIEWS! I only included the thumbnails above... There is also an excellent article on gaming with Windows Vista. Highly recommended!

final score:
Dell XPS 720 84%
HP Blackbird 002 97%

Check out HP Blackbird over here...