Voodoo PC Omen

Voodoo has been in the market of making flashy, high performance computer systems for some time. Even with HP's interest in the company that makes a limited number of systems, it is unlikely that their business would change much at all. But are their computers more than just a pretty face when it comes to performance? The Omen is offered with both AMD and Intel with either the NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFire. For this profile I look at the Intel with SLI tech. Let's take a look at what the Voodoo Omen has to offer ...
Processor: Voodoo's goal with the Omen is to make one of the fastest PC's available. As such, they only offer the Intel Core 2 Extreme models of processors. Users can elect to have the base dual core X6800 model or upgrade to the quad core QX6700 or QX6800. The dual core model is a bit better for gaming and applications not designed for multiple cores while the quad core performs better at certain multimedia applications. Voodoo includes a liquid cooling system to help cool down the processor and reduce noise.
Memory: Corsair has long been known for high performance quality memory modules. Voodoo elects to use either the PC2-6400 or PC2-8500 DDR2 for powering the Omen's memory subsystems. A default of 2GB of RAM comes with the system and the option to upgrading this to 4GB of total memory.
Hard Drives: A total of four hard drives can be purchased with the Omen system that allow it to have a wide range of storage capacities. Drive sizes and performance vary from a fairly small 74GB high speed Western Digital Raptor drives to the 750GB Seagate monster drives. For those looking for some additional performance or reliability, Voodoo does offer RAID configurations with the drives purchased.
CD/DVD Drives: The Omen comes standard with an 18X dual layer DVD burner that supports the LightScribe media for burning labels directly to compatible media. Users can elect to downgrade this to a LiteOn CD-RW/DVD combo drive. On the other hand, users can also upgrade this to the LG Blu-ray burner that also supports standar DVD media. A second drive of the three different models can also be purchased with the system.
Graphics and Display: Since the Voodoo Omen is about gaming and performance, they use the new GeForce 8800 series graphics cards from NVIDIA. Users can select between the GTS, GTX and new Ultra models. Regardless of the model selected, all of them come with liquid cooling solutions for lower noise operating and potential overclock. Either one card or two in an SLI configuration can be purchased depending upon your budget and your performance requirements.
Audio: The base audio selection for the Voodoo Omen uses the standard on-board audio solution. The most common add-on audio board selection is the Creative X-Fi series, of which Voodoo offers the XtremeGamer and Elite Pro versions. They also offer something different with the X-Meridian 7.1 DTS direct compatible audio card that is great for connecting into a DTS home theater sound system. No speakers are included but a choice between several Creative and Logitech speakers are offered.
Software: Software options are quite limited with the Voodoo Omen. Users can select between the Windows XP, Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate editions. They also offer the option of installing two different versions of these three operating systems onto the same system. Productivity software is not included but several versions of Microsoft Office are available. For those inclined to get a game or two with the system, Voodoo will also offer a few but the cost is roughly the same as buying it at retail.
Overall Impressions:

Voodoo has always been among some of the most expensive computer systems on the market. Each of these systems is built by hand and is very customizable in terms of its appearance. The standard system comes in a brushed aluminum case, but for an extra fee they will do a custom paint job of that case from a selection of about 20 or so colors. While this isn't something too unique, Voodoo will also do this process on your keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor to make the whole system match.

Outside of the aesthetics of the case and its color, Voodoo does put together a very powerful system particularly for gaming. The Intel Core 2 Extreme combined with the GeForce 8800 series graphics cards will definitely put out some spectacular high resolution 3D graphics. Noise typically is an issue for all these high performance parts, but that isn't a problem due to all the major heat components being liquid cooled inside of the Omen system.

If there is any fault with the Voodoo it is the fact that for the base price some of the default components aren't better than they should be. After all, who in their right mind is going to only need an 160GB single hard drive for a system of this caliber and price? And why aren't there more options in terms of proccessors or optional overclocking provided by many other companies?

The Omen is really there for bragging rights though. There aren't many other systems that can compete with the fit and finish that Voodoo has to offer. This is probably one of the big reasons that HP decided to get in on owning the prestige company to capture some of that highly profitable performance market segment.