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Voodoo reveals the new Omen dream machine
Integrated water-cooling, vertically positioned graphics cards, built-in LCD and a choice of glass, wood and leather finishes. What more could you want?
After teasing us with a frustratingly short video, not to mention setting fire to the Voodoo website, Voodoo has finally revealed its brand new Omen PC. Unlike the company’s previous Omen machines, which were based around a heavily modded Lian-Li chassis, the new Omen’s 22in tall chassis was designed completely from the ground-up by Voodoo, and very flash it is too.
The Lamborghini comparison
This marks a new strategy for Voodoo, which HP’s chief technologist of HP Gaming Worldwide, Rahul Sood, likens to Lamborghini after it was bought by Audi. ‘Ten years ago, Lamborghini made great cars that looked great and performed great,’ claims Sood, ‘but their quality control wasn’t the greatest. They sold around 200 cars a year worldwide and every one was hand built.’ Sood explains that this made it ‘difficult to get the same level of control that the Audi mobiles were delivering, but ten years later they’re now doing 2,500 cars a year, they’re quality control is completely different; it’s 1,000 times better and the cars are just amazing.’
HP plans to pull off a similar feat with the Voodoo brand. Basically, HP will continue to make HP-branded high-end gaming machines with ‘Voodoo DNA’ such as the Blackbird 002, while the Voodoo brand will be used for the PC-equivalent of luxury sports cars, taking advantage of HP’s higher level of engineering and quality control. ‘HP wants us to bring back Voodoo, like Lamborghini in 1998 to 2008,’ says Sood, ‘so they want us to make new products with a much higher level of engineering than we’ve had in the past.’
Sood says that the new Voodoo machines will be aimed at ‘customers who care about style and personalisation, and want something different - they’re just absolute technology lovers. This is what we refer to as ‘where art and technology fuse together.’ To start it off, Voodoo has just revealed a new Envy laptop (details to come), and a brand new Omen PC. So, without further ado, let’s meet the Omen.
Integrated water cooling
One of the main features of the new chassis is an integrated water-cooling loop, with hard bent copper pipes, as well as a quad 120mm radiator, pump and reservoir built into the system. As well as this, the loop also features some flexible tubing and leak-proof connectors next to the waterblocks so that you can easily upgrade your components if need be.
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Whilst I wouldnt disagree with most posters comments about the actual pc and cost, and yes we all know that the ergonomics of a case comes down to individual taste. However the one thing I do like, which so far seems to have drawn a few negative comments, is the ports on the top. Everyone seems to think it will look messy, but they are basing that on their own cases, and how they think it would look. Now we are not entirely sure how this case would look either, but it is meant to have a way of concealing the wiring etc, so maybe it will look better than you think. My first ever case mod was for a friend in a wheel chair, and I did exactly the same, I turned the motherboard 90%, so that the ports were at the top of the case, to make the plugging of cables easier for my friend. I added a small addition to the top, similar to the fan guard on the Antec cases, so that the wiring wasnt as obvious. Since then I've built another 4 similar cases for friends, who have their pc's on the floor, and find it easier to have access to all the ports on the roof. I just wish I had patented the idea years ago, might have made soem money out of it :). Never thought of it from the air cooling side of it tho, might be something I look into with my next mod
Comment by nobodys_inn at 1:16pm 16th June 2008
I would spend a lot of money on a case of this quality.. but the whole thing, no way. There are no truly nice cases on the market. Lian Li may be like BMW quality, but where are the ferraris and bugattis?
Comment by olatronic at 11:10am 14th June 2008
I still use my SMP PIII box that I got many years ago. Sure, this Voodoo costs 3k but is pointless to spend that much for performance alone (build it yourself dumbass). Sadly there will be enough fashion victims out there with the cash who think their money is well spent.
Comment by cmiller at 9:26pm 12th June 2008
instead of having your email notices pop up on a little lcd screen..why not have a small notification on your main screen, in frontof you?...let me just check if I've got any emails (crawls under table to look at little lcd screen)..nope none yet. Oh I need to look at a detailed map of an area on google earth...let me run it on a tiny lcd screen instead of just running it on my desktop. I don't think this machine is worth the money. Too heavy with a useless lcd screen and if you bought just the case and built the rest yourself, it'd be cheaper and just as good...but I wouldn't have a case with a silly lcd screen on it. You could buy/build a workstation with 2 quad-core cpu's for this, make a few tiny upgrades (soundcard, 8Gb RAM etc) and have a stupidly powerful machine...so even if I had the money, why should I buy this again?
Comment by EdArch at 5:50pm 11th June 2008
no points for reading the description. The ports may be at the top, but their is clearance for them to be routed out a purpose made hole in .. .wait for it... the back of the case ... just like a reg'lar pc, in fact, not being able to see the connectors it will probably look neater
Comment by NewParadigm at 8:44am 11th June 2008
CHASSIS • Strengthened aluminum construction • Hover suspended box design • Easy removable side and top panels • Built-in USB driven 7” Widescreen display Resolution: 800x480 • Dimensions Width (cm): 19.05 = 7.5 inches Length (cm): 58.42 = 23 inches Height (cm): 55.88 = 22 inches Weight starting at: ~45Kg =~100 lbs. LIQUID COOLING • Liquid coolant options: red, blue, green, purple and orange POWER SUPPLY • 1150W air cooled • 1300W liquid cooled MOTHERBOARDS • ASUS Striker Extreme II (NVIDIA 790i) PROCESSOR • Intel® Core™ 2 Micro architecture, overclockable, liquid cooled • Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Quad-Core 3.20GHz QX9770 12 MB of L2 cache; 1600 MHz FSB • Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Quad-Core 3.00GHz QX9650 12 MB of L2 cache; 1333 MHz FSB MEMORY • Four DIMM slots supporting up to 8 GB of main memory, overclockable 2, 4, or 8GB 1600 MHz CORSAIR PC-14400 DDR3 SDRAM GRAPHICS AND DISPLAYS • Supports both NVIDIA® SLI™ and ATI CrossFireX™, liquid cooled NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 ULTRA with 768MB of GDDR3 SDRAM ATI Radeon™HD3870 series • Includes support for next generation NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards STORAGE • Flexible RAID capabilities (0, 1) • Up to 6, no carrier, tool-less drive bays Options: • Up to 3 independent Serial ATA Hard Disk Drives (HDD) (Up to 3 TB of internal storage using drives with the following capacities): Seagate 500 GB SATA @ 7200 rpm Seagate 750 GB SATA @ 7200 rpm Seagate 1 TB SATA @ 7200 rpm Western Digital Raptor 160 GB 10,000 rpm Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB 10,000 rpm STORAGE (cont.) Options (cont.): • Up to 6 Solid State Drives (SSD) (Up to 384 GB of internal storage using drives with the following capacities): Samsung 64 GB SLC • One or two super multi-drive, slim slots with Lightscribe (DVD+/-R/RW+/-DL) Writes DVD-R discs at up to 16x speed Writes DVD+R DL discs at up to 4x speed Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed Writes CD-R discs at up to 40x speed Writes CD-RW discs at up to 24x speed Reads CDs at up to 24x speed • Optional upgrade for one or two slot Blu-Ray drive Writes BD-R discs at up to 2x speed Writes BD-RE discs at up to 2x speed Reads BDs at up to 2x speed Writes DVD RAM discs at up to 5x speed Writes DVD+/-R discs at up to 8x speed (SL) and 2x speed (DL) Reads DVD+/-R discs at up to 8x speed (SL) and 6x speed (DL) Writes DVD+/-RW discs at up to 4x speed Reads DVD+/-RW discs at up to 6x speed Writes CD-R, CD-RW discs at up to 8x speed Reads CDs at up to 24x speed AUDIO AND PERIPHERALS • Onboard Hi-Definition audio • Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer • Creative Audio Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional • Includes Voodoo Razer Keyboard and Mouse CONNECTIONS • Hidden top panel I/O ports (motherboard dependent) • 1 x PS/2 Keyboard • 2 x External SATA • 1 x IEEE 1394a • 2 x LAN(RJ45) port • 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 • 1 x Clr CMOS switch • 1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output1 x onboard LED switch OS • Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate 64-bit SP1 • Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64-bit SP1 VOODOO FUEL ESSENTIALS SOFTWARE • Security Grisoft AVG Professional (1 year base standard) Grisoft AVG Professional (2 year upgrade available) Grisoft AVG Internet Security (2 year license available) PC Doctor • Roxio 9.0 • CyberLink PowerDirector • CyberLink Power2Go • CyberLink DVD Play • CyberLink Label Print PRODUCTIVITY • Microsoft® Office Pro 2007 • Microsoft® Office Small Business Edition 2007 • Microsoft® Office Basic 2007 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCS • Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Installation DVD • Driver and Applications Recovery DVD TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Somebody please tell me that those aren't 3870s and Ultras! This thing also weighs in at 100lbs! That is the starting weight! So wherever you put it, thats where it's staying!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 3:44am 11th June 2008
The case... ok it looks alright, but I hate Silver cases... I agree with a previous comment about the total uselessness of the screen, I have my PC to the right of me on the floor, I cant see my fan controller's display, I would not be able to see that screen. sure the watercooling sounds interesting... but the ports on the top O_o... wtf... I like my ports at the back, I dont want to see about 8 or 9 cables coming out of the top of the case and draping over the back, it is totally pointless not to mention very ugly. Price tag is just stupid and thats only the start price...
Comment by bscorpion at 12:35am 11th June 2008
Look everybody, it's a bird...it's a plane... it's another "dream PC"!!! The only thing "shocking" about this thing is it's price, starting "at" $7000?!!! Why? Is it to pay for all the proprietary stuff that Sood is throwing into this thing? If any of that stuff fails that system has to go back to HP because "we" can't fix it! Isn't "Voodoo DNA" the same DNA that is in "everybody else's" systems? Or is he using parts nobody else has or can get? If not then the only thing different is the case. I don't want leather, I'll take mine in spandex with the bottom cut out. Unlike a Lambo, this thing will drop in value and performance faster than a stone dropped from atop the Empire State Building! Don't believe me? Then look at all the "Dream PCs" from '05-'07 and what they cost then, and what they're worth now, and the performance! This will be no different. This is a copy cat industry, and I understand what HP and Voodoo are "trying" to do. I just don't think it makes sense to do it.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 5:12pm 10th June 2008
Look everybody, it's a bird...it's a plane... it's another "dream PC"!!! The only thing "shocking" about this thing is it's price, starting "at" $7000?!!! Why? Is it to pay for all the proprietary stuff that Sood is throwing into this thing? If any of that stuff fails that system has to go back to HP because "we" can't fix it! Isn't "Voodoo DNA" the same DNA that is in "everybody else's" systems? Or is he using parts nobody else has or can get? If not then the only thing different is the case. I don't want leather, I'll take mine in spandex with the bottom cut out. Unlike a Lambo, this thing will drop in value and performance faster than a stone dropped from atop the Empire State Building! Don't believe me? Then look at all the "Dream PCs" from '05-'07 and what they cost then, and what they're worth now, and the performance! This will be no different. This is a copy cat industry, and I understand what HP and Voodoo are "trying" to do. I just don't think it makes sense to do it.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 5:12pm 10th June 2008
eeuuww... gold plated? bit mr T...
Comment by NewParadigm at 4:50pm 10th June 2008
but I don't like the highly polished look... for a start its a pain to keep it looking that way... and I find it a bit over the top and garish, kind of a petrolhead look, I prefer the understated look of brushed or satin metals.
Comment by NewParadigm at 4:50pm 10th June 2008
Those pictures are naughty. Get the computer to take it's clothes off so we can see it's sexy bits!
Comment by TWeaKoR at 4:42pm 10th June 2008
That is a really clean nice look. I really really want one :D
Comment by jonisaksson at 3:11pm 10th June 2008
i currently modify cases and i have 1 10 times better looking that that ` its highly machine polished stainless steel (high grade) gold plated in 24 carat gold ` im considering stocking and selling more @ 24-carat .co .uk
Comment by razzy34uk at 2:39pm 10th June 2008
i currently modify cases and i have 1 10 times better looking that that ` its highly machine polished stainless steel (high grade) gold plated in 24 carat gold ` im considering stocking and selling more @ 24-carat .co .uk
Comment by razzy34uk at 2:39pm 10th June 2008
I like the case as it looks well made. Not sure about the 90' rotation though, especially as it's supposed to be water cooled. Air flow isn't really a major factor when it comes to watercooling. As for the screen in the front. Thats just an over priced gimic for the silly. Who actually wants to lean down to check on a screen thats really to small to see anything useful? I would much rather they had experimented with wireless graphics. on such a small screen the bandwidth shouldn't have been much of a problem. I would much rather have a utility screen actually on my desk in front of my where I can just glance at it when I need to, or even place away from the pc itself like on the coffee table for it to notify me I am away from the main screen. A 7" screen that acts like a digital photo frame but then tells you all the system info you need or about your emails would be cool and useful.
Comment by PokerMuppet at 11:06am 10th June 2008
take note... we want beautiful cases to build our machines in ... if you want to know what that means, look at this pc. I'd happily spend a couple of hundred on a case that looked like this. No way I'd pay three and a half grande for a pc though... no matter how quick it was, it'd just be overkill for my needs... but I do want a stylish stunning case, back to my plans to scratch build one I guess
Comment by NewParadigm at 11:08am 10th June 2008
...Another PC out of reach of us mere mortals! Like the style - a monolith of metal and some neat ideas but I'd like to see how all this actually works before selling some of my organs to purchase one!
Comment by jamest at 10:31am 10th June 2008
certainly an incentive for me to do good on my degree, get lots of money and buy one of these!
Comment by richiedevil at 9:38am 10th June 2008
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