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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Sabresiberian - Monday, October 8, 2007 - link
Hewlett-Packard used to be synonymous with high quality small computing and scientific gear, but have become something less than that. It is nice to see them produce something that is once again aimed at the high-end market.I can understand why they didn't go with 64-bit, it's still early for that, but I agree it should have had 4GB ram. Easy to fix, but why should you have to fix anything in a $5500 system?
I'd buy one just to support HP's efforts if I could afford one :)
strikeback03 - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
No idea how great this encoder is (video isn't my thing) but http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html">Super claims to convert to H.264JarredWalton - Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - link
Seems to work fine, except it definitely doesn't support quad-core and possibly not even fully dual-core. :(Zak - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
Since when Radeon HD X2900 XT 1GB is the fastest card on the market? I'm confused. All reviews I read say that it's about as fast as 8800GTS 640MB. Because all that super fast memory doesn't give it any benefit since the GPU is lagging behind. It was beaten by 8800GTX and Ultra in all reviews, except for one game, I forgot which one. Can someone elaborate? I'm going to buy a new video card soon and I was intrigued by this card: 1GB of GDDR4 sounds impressive and the price is right. But then I started reading reviews and they cooled me off, this card is competing against 8800GTS, it's not even close to GTX or Ultra speed.Z.
wolfman3k5 - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
Regardless of what reviews say, because many reviewers are biased, I can tell you that I've tested a Sapphire HD2900XT 1GB GDDR4 and it's performance lies between a 8800 GTS 640MB and a 8800 GTX 768MB. Never mind touching the Ultra. Best bang for the buck is the MSI 8800 GTX, Anand will agree with me. Take care and good luck.JarredWalton - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
I'm not sure that I ever intended to give the impression that the HD 2900 XT 1GB is the fastest card on the market - in fact, at several points I specifically say the opposite. However, I'm sure that AMD CrossFire is merely an option and is not required. Obviously, the Dell 720 H2C comes out ahead in quite a few of the gaming tests, even with older drivers.
Also, a https://h20435.www2.hp.com/Default.aspx">"special edition" Blackbird went on sale today for $5500, and only 518 (don't ask me why 518!) will be made. That version includes dual 8800 Ultra cards and the Half-Life 2 "Orange Box" bundle, plus pretty much everything seen here. Not a bad price for the components, really, but still more than most people are willing to spend.
Zak - Sunday, September 16, 2007 - link
Thanks. I was just confused. I thought I missed something. Also, thanks to the other poster who replied. I will most likely get the 8800GTX then. 8800Ultra seems like a waste of money at $100 more. But I just got a 24" monitor, I may need all the graphics power I can get. SLI is out of question though, too expensive.Z.
JarredWalton - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
Apparently I messed up the link. Let's try that again:https://h20435.www2.hp.com/Default.aspx">HP Blackbird 002 Dedication Edition
Zak - Saturday, September 15, 2007 - link
I have to say I'm shocked to see this come out of HP, the most boring computer maker on the planet. The price is prohibitively high, but if I was on the market for computer of this grade I would very seriously consider this vs Dell or Alienware.Z.
Toronto699 - Thursday, September 13, 2007 - link
Blackbird Tech Support will be handled by Voodoo PC in Calgary Alberta Canada, Canadas Oil Capitol