HP Blackbird 002: Back in Black
by Jarred Walton on September 12, 2007 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Power Requirements
So just how much power does this system require when in use? There's obviously a reason power supply companies are releasing 1000W and larger designs. Not everyone needs that much power for a personal computer, but the peak power draw of the Blackbird 002 is easily enough to cause many 700W power supplies to fail.
We have summarized the power requirements in the following table. Idle power was measured with the system sitting at the desktop after being inactive for at least 10 minutes with the screensaver disabled. 100% CPU load was achieved by running Folding@Home SMP. Roughly the same power readings were recorded when running Cinebench R10, although Cinebench tended to show larger fluctuation than Folding@Home. For the gaming test, we wanted to make sure we were using a title that could make good use of the CrossFire graphics cards, so we selected S.T.A.L.K.E.R. We found an area with a lot of anomalies that tended to generate a higher power draw than average, although very likely there are other games that would require even more power. Finally, for our true torture test we load up both Folding@Home SMP as well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
As we hinted in the introduction, even at idle this system requires quite a bit of power. 370W is more than many personal computers use even in worst-case conditions. It brings back fond memories of NetBurst.... Once you start to push harder by running CPU/GPU intensive applications, things get even uglier. Our peak power usage is roughly twice what we measured at idle, and without a well ventilated office (preferably with air-conditioning) having this system running in your house can certainly result in uncomfortably warm temperatures. On the other hand, winter is just around the corner, so in another few months we might appreciate having a system like this near our feet a bit more.
As a final comment, quad-core processors are already known for requiring a lot of power. HP runs the CPU at 1.5875V, and that combined with the higher clock frequency means that the CPU is probably using nearly 200W all on its own. Overclocks like this definitely aren't going to be achievable with stock cooling, and even with some of the best air coolers you will still want to make sure you have a well ventilated case.
So just how much power does this system require when in use? There's obviously a reason power supply companies are releasing 1000W and larger designs. Not everyone needs that much power for a personal computer, but the peak power draw of the Blackbird 002 is easily enough to cause many 700W power supplies to fail.
We have summarized the power requirements in the following table. Idle power was measured with the system sitting at the desktop after being inactive for at least 10 minutes with the screensaver disabled. 100% CPU load was achieved by running Folding@Home SMP. Roughly the same power readings were recorded when running Cinebench R10, although Cinebench tended to show larger fluctuation than Folding@Home. For the gaming test, we wanted to make sure we were using a title that could make good use of the CrossFire graphics cards, so we selected S.T.A.L.K.E.R. We found an area with a lot of anomalies that tended to generate a higher power draw than average, although very likely there are other games that would require even more power. Finally, for our true torture test we load up both Folding@Home SMP as well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
| Power Draw Performance Comparison | |||
| HP Blackbird 002 | HP Blackbird "Q6650" | %Increase from Overclock |
|
| Idle Power | 370 | 317 | 16.72% |
| 100% CPU | 489 | 375 | 30.40% |
| Gaming (STALKER) | 661 | 564 | 17.20% |
| 100% CPU+GPU | 740 | 608 | 21.71% |
As we hinted in the introduction, even at idle this system requires quite a bit of power. 370W is more than many personal computers use even in worst-case conditions. It brings back fond memories of NetBurst.... Once you start to push harder by running CPU/GPU intensive applications, things get even uglier. Our peak power usage is roughly twice what we measured at idle, and without a well ventilated office (preferably with air-conditioning) having this system running in your house can certainly result in uncomfortably warm temperatures. On the other hand, winter is just around the corner, so in another few months we might appreciate having a system like this near our feet a bit more.
As a final comment, quad-core processors are already known for requiring a lot of power. HP runs the CPU at 1.5875V, and that combined with the higher clock frequency means that the CPU is probably using nearly 200W all on its own. Overclocks like this definitely aren't going to be achievable with stock cooling, and even with some of the best air coolers you will still want to make sure you have a well ventilated case.
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rsvdhd - Thursday, September 13, 2007 - link
Hi guys, there is a known bug with Crossfire 2900XTX and 3D Mark. There is a patch you can download to fix this issue.Thanks for the review, for more info check out http://www.hp.com/blackbird">http://www.hp.com/blackbird
rs
ddarko - Thursday, September 13, 2007 - link
Raul,Why not offer a broader ranger of CPU choices for the Blackbird? The only quad core processor offered is the most expensive one, the QX6850. Why not also offer the Q6600 and overclock it? I dislike the tendency of only offer the most expensive part. Being a gamer doesn't mean you should have to spend the most money; price/performance is an important consideration, especially when, as this review demonstrates, increasing CPU speed produces diminishing returns. I don't mean the Blackbird should be offered with Celeron processors but when an option exists like the Q6600 that is economical AND offers great performance, why is HP ignoring it? I'm disappointed that the Blackbird seems designed to wrestle the most money out of the buyer's pocket.
rsvdhd - Thursday, September 13, 2007 - link
Good question,We are offering a series of choices, including a full line of Intel processors. We are also offering both Nvidia and ATI video cards (depending on your preference). Right now we have the "dedication edition" for sale starting Saturday - but if you want to create your own configuration then go to www.hp.com/blackbird and you can hook it up in early October.
Thanks again, look forward to some big things -
mcnabney - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - link
72 pounds?!?!And a $6500 computer without a monitor included?
DigitalFreak - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - link
The Blackbird was originally dubbed the RS-71. So how did it become the SR-71? Well as it turns out, it's Lyndon Johnson's fault. In a speech where he advocated the funding to finish development and purchase of this line of airplanes, he flubbed his lines and repeatedly referred to it as the "SR-71 Blackbird" instead of its proper designation of "RS-71 Blackbird." In order to avoid embarrassing the President, the good folks at Lockheed and the Pentagon decided to quietly change the designation.The pilot's manual for the SR-71 has been declassified and is available online. Maximum speed is Mach 3.3.
strikeback03 - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
Where is the manual? That would be interesting to see.yyrkoon - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - link
Heh, I remember reading about the Blackbirds maximum speed when I was a kid, and I am now 41 . . . and no, no one I know works/worked for Lockheed Martin. Where did I read about it you ask ? In an illustrated Aircraft book bought from a local bookstore. This book also insinuated that mach 3.3 was its maximum *safe* speed, and that it actually could go faster.JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - link
The rumors are that it routinely broke Mach 3.6 and possibly even got near Mach 4.0 in certain tests. Maximum official altitude and speed records belong to the SR-71, but it's reasonable to say that the official records are likely lower than the actual maximums the plane achieved. Some feel that the SR-71 could have probably been pushed quite a bit further (rumor mongers and former pilots seem to think Mach 4.0 wasn't out of reach), but that this was never done because you pretty much don't mess around playing games with an expensive plane.yyrkoon - Thursday, September 13, 2007 - link
Supposedly this aircraft also leaked fuel while on the ground when fueled to full capacity. According to random 'literature' on the web, there were two reason why the Blackbird normally would not go faster than mach 3.2. First was shock waves which would narrow enough between mach 3.6-3.8 that could potentially narrow enough off of the nose to travel through the engines, thus stalling the aircraft. Second was heat, which would increase above mach 3.5 enough to effect the glass/windshield center divider.Inkjammer - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - link
Y'know, it seems like these "high end gaming machines" are becoming more and more expensive with each company's new iteration, the high end edition always more expensive than the previous. The Dell 720HC, the HP Blackbird 002, Alienware's ALX. They're all good machines, but at a price points that get more and more ridiculous.My home machine has two 8800 GTX in SLI, 4GB of RAM and an OC'd E6600 to 3.2Ghz. Sure, it won't detonate charts and graphs, but it'll come close with even the baddest boys thes companies can throw out. I still have yet to run into a game that does NOT play smoothly at 1920x1200. And it cost about $2,800. Everything is OC'd just fine, too. A Freezone, 7 Scythe SFlex fans... and I still have room to grow.
Yeah, yeah, it's always cheaper to build it yourself, that's an established fact. But these machines are coming out at 2 to 3x the cost of their components, and for what? Overclocked machines that use off-the-shelf Coolit Freezones and some fancy cable management? How much are you paying for design and name alone? For the cost of this machine I'd expect Mr. Freeze to personally hook up the cooling units himself and gaurantee absolute zero thermals. But not, y'know, before putting on a show and fighting Batman in my living room. For $6,500, I expect a show.