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03/06/06
PCMag.com has posted yet another glowing review of the latest Falcon Northwest Mach V! Once again the veteran news site showers the machine with praise where it counts and criticizes on a weakness the system cannot defend itself against (price). Here's a clip from the review:
The Mach V (FX-60) is the pinnacle of Falcon Northwest's gaming-PC line, and it won't disappoint the company's rabid gamer following. This is a dream PC in all ways—from its stellar performance to its out-of-reach price.
This latest model is more or less an update of the Editors' Choice Falcon Northwest X2-4800 SLI we looked at in our last gaming roundup. The "more" is the new dual-core AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 processor rather than the X2-4800+. The "less" is the missing $545 custom paint job—but all the other distinctive features remain.
The machine's sealed liquid-cooling system requires no maintenance. The radiator sits on top of the case, and tubing is routed so as to not interfere with internal airflow. As on the previous Mach V, the graphics cards are air-cooled, but sound-deadening material surrounds the interior of the chassis, keeping noise to a minimum. Still, the Mach V isn't the quietest high-performance PC out there (though it's likely to be quieter than a home-built).
Go here to read the rest of the review. 02/06/06 Have you picked up the latest copy of Entertainment Weekly? No? Well, if you had, you would have been witness to a surprise appearance in the magazine of none other than our very own Falcon Northwest! In the "Oscar 2006" section of the magazine, George Clooney is seen giving direction to one of his actors in his latest film Good Night, and Good Luck. Sitting next to George on the table is an official Falcon Northwest coffee mug! Only owners of Falcon Northwest computers have privy to such a rare item, so you know what that means! George Clooney (whom some think of as the modern day Cary Grant [well, I wouldn't go that far]) is a BIG fan and OWNER of a Falcon Northwest machine! It doesn't get much cooler than that! Click on the picture of George for a closer look!
__________ Also today, obscure website Gamecloud has posted a rather interesting interview with Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves! Here's a snip:
Gamecloud - First, Falcon Northwest is considered to be the first real gaming PC maker. How hard is it to keep up the standards that the company has and to keep up with the company's rivals?
Kelt Reeves - The standards are pretty strict around here, and sometimes they can be tough on us. We've thrown out WSXGA laptop screens because there was one tiny dead pixel in the upper corner that could really only be seen when certain colors are displayed... it's heartbreaking. But that's the reason we do it - because no one else is crazy enough to. As for keeping up with our rivals, honestly that's not too hard. There are really only a handful of super-boutique vendors, and we generally all get the newly released parts at the same time. The rest is just the care and skill in which they're put together and supported.
Gamecloud - The Mach V is Falcon's flagship product. How hard is it to keep up with the top-of-the-line PC hardware that gamers expect from the Mach V?
Kelt Reeves - We’re all gamers ourselves here, so it’s fairly easy. We just offer the kinds of equipment we’d want to use ourselves. The only real difficulty is keeping tabs on all the not-yet-released products, which always garner more interest than the released ones. I often joke that if the product has been released, it’s too old for my clientele.
Go here to read the rest of the interview!
01/18/06
FALCON FAN PAGE EXCLUSIVE! WOW! I don't have a lot of information on this yet, but if you take a close look at the picture above (Click to make it bigger) that I obtained from an inside source at the Falcon Northwest labs, you can see what appears to be a FragBox with two 7800 GTX 512MB cards in it! Also, snuggled in the corner there is what appears to be a new Falcon Northwest power supply (600 Watts?)! My source tells me the configuration is running smoothly so far......stay tuned for more information!
01/15/06
Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves was interviewed by ABC News! Kelt was asked to comment on the "new" trend of companies like Dell churning out "custom" PC's for their customers. Of course, any real fan of Falcon Northwest realizes that they have been doing this "new" thing for many years now, and big companies like Dell and Gateway are just now realizing the importance of giving their customers what they want. Here's a clip from the article:
While major manufacturers like Dell dip their feet in the waters by offering a limited number of choices to give their computers a touch of personality, boutique shops like Alienware and Falcon Northwest have been at it for years.
Since 1992 Falcon Northwest has been making personalized, hand-painted computers that reflect the specific requests of the buyer.
"Basically the greatest common theme is that there's virtually no commonality," said Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves. "Everyone has their own take on what their colors are, what their custom graphics are and so we found that just about everybody has their own idea of what a PC should look like."
Falcon Northwest mainly produces "gaming PCs," filled with all the latest, greatest and most powerful parts in order to display all the features of cutting-edge video games.
Reeves employs an artist who uses auto paint to create or recreate artwork depending on the buyer's desires. The artwork alone can cost up to $1,500 and the computer can run up and over $3,000-$4,000.
"We often joke about it by calling it the 'spousal rationalization factor,'" he said. "Basically the guy can spend as much as he wants on a gaming PC — as long as it fits in with the décor."
Go here to read the entire write up!
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Speaking of Dell computers, Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves was also asked to comment on Dell's recent announcement that they would be offering a "Quad" SLI option in their XPS gaming machines. Here's a snip from the article on The Inquirer.net:
On the other side of the coin, Kelt Reeves, President of Falcon Northwest, offered a different perspective: "Dell's Renegade announcement looks like more of a PR stunt than an actual product launch. "The biggest question you have to ask yourself is that if the Renegade won't even be available until April, won't there be another graphics refresh coming soon that would make paying this much for quad G70s pointless?"
I posed several questions to Kelt in response to his statements. Again, our questions are in italics:
Do you feel that it is fair to the public to announce a product that for all intents and purposes is not available?
Considering Nvidia's very public stance on paper launches, do you feel that NV has let down the market with a product that is available in such limited quantities as to make it impossible to get?
If you were a high end computer peripheral vendor, who would you choose to partner with to bring a cutting edge, potentially unstable technology to market?
Point your favorite web browser here to check out the rest of the article.
12/04/05
__________ Computerpoweruser.com has posted "gaming machine" roundup review from it's January issue, and of course it includes a Falcon Northwest Mach V X2 4800+ system. This review is a mixed bag at best and overall CPU gave the system a 4 out of 5. The Mach V did well on the PCMark test, besting all other systems, and of course garnered solid scores in the gaming section. Here's a snip from the review:
Falcon opted for a 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ @ 2.7GHz. The overclocked dual-core proc isn’t a surprise, but we did a double-take when we saw the CPU’s cooling. Falcon finally traded in the old heatsink-fan combo for a Sanyo-Denke watercooling system; a radiator and 120mm fan sit just under the chassis’ roof. Falcon says the system won’t need a coolant refill for seven years.
The Mach V’s guts include two 256MB BFG Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX video cards and 1GB of Corsair PC3200 CL2 Pro memory (two 512MB DIMMs) that plug into an Asus A8N-SLI Premium mobo. For storage Falcon chose two 300GB Maxtor DiamondMax 10 drives (RAID-0) that sit just behind a 120mm fan. The drive cage can store another four drives.
We didn’t expect the Mach V to take top honors in 3DMark05 (the dual-core processors couldn’t top the overclocked FX-57s in other rigs), but we weren’t disappointed with the system’s 12209 score. The 4800+ really showed its punch in PCMark05, beating out all other systems in the category with a 6471.
Go here to read the rest of the review.
11/30/05
Ever hear of a magazine called Celebrated Living? Yeah, me neither. But, apparently it's a rag that is available to American Airlines "Premium Class" passengers only. Basically what that means is it's a magazine that is not intended for the Hoi Polloi of society like you and me. ;-) Anyway, be that as it may, they feature in their Winter 2005 issue a "Gift Guide" that features the best of the best. Be it clothing, furniture, what have you. You know where I'm going with this. The article of course features Falcon Northwest products. Two, in fact. The Falcon Northwest FragBox and the Falcon Northwest FragBook. the article doesn't do so much as review the products as it does just lay them out to look pretty next to other high couture items. You kinda need to squint to see the FragBox, just look under the $216.00 jeans for children. (!). ;-) Click on the thumbs below for a closer look.
__________ Next we have a very interesting article from Tech/Gaming magazine ExtremeTech that pits a Falcon Northwest AMD Athlon64 FX-57 (Socket 939) gaming monster against a machine built by old time CGW Tech Editor Loyd Case. Falcon was asked to send its fastest system to go head-to-head against Loyd's machine. Even though Loyd doesn't need to worry about warranties and shipping, and is writing and running the benchmarks, the Falcon Northwest machine held it's own against Loyd's beast. Both machines were overclocked to 3.0 GHz, and Loyd's machine had dual liquid cooled GeForce 7800's. Check out the results and the rest of the article by clicking on the thumbs below.
11/12/05
Stalwart gaming site PCMag.com has posted (thankfully!) an accurate and well written review of a Falcon Northwest product! Not only does the site praise the Falcon Northwest X2-4800 SLI gaming monster of a machine, but also bestows upon it the coveted "Editors' Choice" award! Here's a snip from the review:
Falcon Northwest is one of our memorable purveyors of high-end PCs, and the company has certainly delivered with the X2-4800 SLI. This is a gaming system through and through, though at these prices you must be a gamer interested in the best 3D gaming experience to even consider buying one. If you have the roughly $6,000 for a system, you'll be getting a well-made unit with a kick like a mule.
Falcon Northwest offered us a choice of custom automotive colors on the X2-4800 SLI system, and we chose a "Sage Brush Pearl" matching a 2005 Acura MDX SUV. It came out nicely, with the "6-foot-deep reflection" that you see in a brand new car. The only thing to be careful about is that it is car paint, and can nick fairly easily. Keep your keys and other sharp metal items away from the case, and be sure to keep a buffing cloth handy for fingerprints.
The site also compares the Falcon Northwest rig with the likes of Alienware, Dell, iBuypower (!), Overdrive Torque (HAHAHAHA) and Polywell. Guess who comes out on top! Go here to read the entire review, go here to check out that side by side comparison table and last but not least, click here to check out the side by side benchmark scores!
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Uber Falcon Northwest fan Carlos Haro is back for another round of praise! Carlos just received his brand new FragBox and couldn't be happier about it! He also registered over at HardOCP and gave them a rash of hell in their forums over their recent review of a FragBox (as detailed in the post below). Head on over to the letters page to check out Carlos' letters!
11/05/05
Back at the end of October, Gaming/Tech Website HardOCP posted a review of an AMD 64 FragBox 2. I originally did not post this review because the score was very low, and as I have experienced in the past, when a Falcon Northwest product scores low in a review, there is usually something wonky going on. I spoke with Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves about the review and he hoped that the web site would be posting a retraction or reevaluation concerning the review soon, and then I would be able to post a link to the review with good conscience. Well, the response or retraction to the review was posted, and I must say this just made the situation worse. I then asked Kelt if he would write up a Fan Page exclusive rebuttal to the review so I could post it here, and he graciously obliged. The original review of the FragBox 2 can be found here . The retraction or correction, or whatever it is can be found here . Kelt's rebuttal is as follows:
Reviewing the Review: The HardOCP FragBox Evaluation.
When I first saw HardOCP’s ‘correction’ page added to our review I was stunned, and frankly, impressed by HardOCP. Normally reviewers will never admit to mistakes, much less correct them. But a forum firestorm has since ensued on at least two websites, and it’s pretty obvious now that Kyle’s opinion of the ATI chipset, printed once on our review and again on the revision, has completely overshadowed the entire point of the correction.
To this day, Kyle & Chris have both been extremely active on theirs and other forums defending their position from people now questioning the review. I had decided to just bite my tongue and let the review fade. But it’s been more than a week of this, and if they’re going to keep restating and restating the opinion that torpedoed our review (and their own correction) it’s time our side was heard.
First, and most importantly, why I complained about the review at all: The MSI/ATI board performed well in this review. Its performance was, according to Chris “Extremely fast.” For MSI and ATI to be unjustly accused of the instability was premature and proved wrong, and that was my primary point to have corrected. To HardOCP’s credit they (technically) corrected it. However, their first line bold statement of “ATI Not the Problem” was pretty much nullified by Kyle’s restating and elaborating even more vehemently his opinion of the ATI chipset, based on some other review he’d done in the past. He said it “might be fine for email and Web surfing boxes, but it is not a good solution for gamers.” That this chipset actually performed very well in gaming in this review, which was the supposed point of their correction, just seemed to fuel Kyle’s hatred of it. Although the correction begins with “ATI Not the Problem”, by the end of the page most readers seem to be leaving with Kyle’s opinion that the ATI chipset is a problem.
The whole issue in this review is that the videocard developed some slight breakdown at HardOCP – after it passed our burn-in. It passed our 14 hour loop of 3DMark05 at 1600x1200 4x/8x in an 85F room, as well as the rest of our 3 day burn-in tests. When we received the FragBox back from HardOCP, 3DMark05 would BSOD with an “NV4DISP” error after 5 hours of looping at 1024 in a 74F room. The card was breaking down, but not showing any corruption or other obvious signs of failure. If it was a more pronounced error, we could’ve diagnosed it on the phone and just overnighted them a new one.
Kyle & Chris have made a big deal of the fact that our technical support suspected it was the motherboard/memory causing the issue, and that HardOCP called several times over a week and we couldn’t fix this over the phone. Since the graphics card seemed to be running fine during the review, and CPUs rarely go bad, the motherboard or its interaction with memory seemed to our technical support, and to Chris, to be the most likely culprit of the BF2 lockups. And we freely admit when this board first came out we needed to get some BIOS tweaks done to fix a memory timing issue with a specific game title. This BF2 lockup after hours of playing was acting similarly, so we kept an open mind. We were ALL proven wrong in suspecting the motherboard. How does our being mistaken in our suspicion in any way make HardOCP any less wrong themselves? They admitted they were wrong, but still use our tech support’s emails thinking it may be a motherboard issue as some sort of ‘defense’ in their forum posts. Huh?
HardOCP’s mistake was posting that it was a motherboard/chipset issue before the problem was actually diagnosed as a bad videocard. Had they even chalked that up to one flaky motherboard, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Instead, Kyle said it was the unstable nature of the ATI chipset. He went further in saying that it was a bad choice for gaming, and continually states on the forums it’s a “low end chipset”.
But by HardOCP's own testing, the FragBox was “extremely fast” in gaming. It wasn’t the cause of any instability. So what’s their real issue? I suspect that it’s not an NForce4 chipset is the issue. I too prefer the NF4 chipset. I prefer SLI. I prefer 600 Watt power supplies at a minimum. I prefer 4 or more drive bays. I believe in these things so much that all of our full-sized desktops have these as standard equipment. However, preferences on full sized desktops have to give way to a “power per cubic inch” reality in Small Form Factors and laptops. If small PCs had every feature everyone wanted, there would be no need for anyone to make larger systems. You have to review a product based on the category it’s in. The FragBox is so powerful reviewers often forget it’s a SFF. HardOCP should put it up against a Shuttle-based SFF and then see what looks “low end”.
For the record, when creating the FragBox we tried every uATX 939 pin we could get our hands on, and both NF4 models that were available overheated with an FX-55 processor by the time they had booted into Windows. We suspect their V-Regs just couldn’t handle the load. There simply wasn’t another uATX board made that will run an FX-57 and 7800GTX. Do we get props for being able to run these in our SFF? No, we get pounded on because they didn’t like the chipset we did it with.
So what’s the alternative? No one at HardOCP has suggested a motherboard that would’ve done the job better, because there wasn’t one. And this one did its job well. So would they have liked to see the FragBox be just another proprietary ITX form factor Shuttle clone with a 300Watt proprietary power supply?
As it stands today, that MSI motherboard and chipset have already been discontinued, and we’re testing a variety of new ATI AND Nvidia based successors. As anyone can clearly see by our use of an nVidia graphics card on an ATI chipset, we are beholden to no supplier. We use the best parts for the job, always.
On the topic of bad scores, what exactly are HardOCP’s evaluation standards? I’ve said before I can accept our scores, but in digging deeper are they fair compared to the other vendors HardOCP has reviewed? Company reputations are on the line in these reviews, and this is important to all of us “reviewees” going forward. For example:
From Velocity Micro’s 2nd HardOCP review: [italics added]
Starting with this review, we are going to be cracking down on overclocking and general instability. I don't think there's anything more devastating than having a system not perform after you've spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on it. From now on, any artifacting stemming from intentional overclocking will get 5 points automatically docked from the stability store. We will be more lenient when it comes to hardware failure, as even with the most vigil burn in processes there are component failures caused by shipping or ESD, but there is no excuse for reckless overclocking."
Falcon Northwest’s review:
Normally, we reserve a score this low for systems that are recklessly overclocked; in our case, we received a system that, no matter what, was unstable in the one game we bought it for, Battlefield 2. "
It seems to me that far from being “more lenient when it comes to hardware failure”, they were just pissed that the failure occurred in their favorite title. If it had locked up in Lego Star Wars only, would that have made them think differently? And if so should it have? Our system wasn’t 100% stable and our score should suffer for that. But should that vary by the reviewer’s favorite game? Honestly, I think some of the harsh score is because they expected perfection from a Falcon Northwest machine, as do I. But I firmly believe BFG makes the best video cards available, and despite this one minor breakdown, I would unreservedly use them again.
What does this mean for the next vendor that has a part flake out on them? They’ve already said they screwed up on our review by not going through with a repair, so my guess is no other vendor will ever even have a chance to score lower than a 2. Lucky us.
Going forward, HardOCP has some decisions to make. Are they going to review with their heads or their hearts? Are they going to have an evenhanded standard about a hardware problem, or just score on how pissed they are? Are they going to review it as a customer, or are they going to overshadow Chris’ customer perspective and hands-on eval with Kyle’s opinions? If Chris agrees the motherboard wasn’t the instability problem and corrected that, why didn’t HardOCP correct our scores based on that? For instance: “Gaming - 8/10 The only reason we docked Falcon in this category was their decision to include the MSI motherboard.” If Kyle hated that chipset so much, he shouldn’t have bought a system based on it. But then, he didn’t do the review. He never even saw the system, as he lives in a different city than Chris. He just threw his opinions on top of Chris’, and because he’s the big dog at HardOCP, that’s what most people heard. When Chris corrected the mistake, Kyle heaped enough opinion on it to make sure it got lost. Which begs the question: who’s the system reviewer at HardOCP, and why wasn’t the correction entirely his to make?
Lest this sound harsh to their program, I should end this on the proper note. It’s clear that HardOCP has started a review program that is a first in the industry. I wrote this because I believe in what Kyle & Chris are doing and I want it to succeed. If they can just get to the point where they’re reviewing products for what they actually are, and not what they feel they are, I think they could have the best system review program going.
Kelt Reeves
Well, there ya have it! I knew something was up with that review! Thanks to everyone who brought this to my attention!
10/11/05
Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a roundup of all of the top gaming machines that pits Falcon Northwest against all of the wanna-be system builders and their "lightning fast" machines. Guess who came out on top? The big FNW of course! Here's a quote from the article:
"...the Falcon Northwest was the faster machine in all of the benchmarks. This is what we would have come to expect for two reasons: the system settings and the fact that this is a Falcon machine."
Here's a link to the actual article, and here is an Excel spreadsheet of all of the benchmarks that the machines were put through, and who came out on top.
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The Falcon Northwest FragBox is becoming the modders choice for everything from watercooling to custom graphics, and as such a lot of modding forums have been showcasing the amazing work of these DIY wizards. The latest is from Hard Forum were one of it's members went all out on a watercooled system. Check out the post right here.
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...and last but not least, we have yet another fan letter from a satsified Mach V owner! This time Dr. George Richardson MD sends his regards and big thank you for the tremendous customer service he received when purchasing his Mach V. Go to the letters page to check it out!
09/06/05
Usually when we receive fan letters they are from new Falcon owners who are singing the praises of their earth-shattering, fast as greased lightening computers and want to redeem themselves from buying a Dell or Alienware machine the first time around. But today I have something different for you. I have two; yes TWO fan letters from long-time Falcon owners who want the world to know that Falcon's pass the test of time with continuing fast speed and reliability. Go to the letters page to check ‘em out!
08/21/05
Falcon Northwest At QuakeCon!
Falcon Northwest made a prominent appearance at QuakeCon this year by not only having a system displayed in the BYOC area, but they also provided the machine that was used by John Carmack during his keynote speech! The thumbs below are of the Quake 4 machine used by Mr. Carmack during his speech, and the Doom 3 custom painted rig used out on the floor! Click on the thumbs for a closer look!
07/17/05
Internet reviews Illuminati CNET.COM have not only named the Falcon Northwest FragBox2 the top gaming desktop, but have also posted a glowing review of said system. The review includes the tried and true written version filled with conjecture and ill-conceived benchmarks, but also includes a video review that reveals just how cool this little gaming system is! Here's a snip:
The good: Beautiful, luggable case; packed with high-end hardware, including Intel's new Pentium 4 570 processor; blazing performance.
The bad: Case is hard to open and crowded inside; questionable RAID benefits; noisy; pricey.
What's it for: Playing games, editing video, and running other performance-intensive applications.
Who's it for: Serious gamers who want a system that's easy to lug to LAN parties.
Essential extras:A monitor; some speakers or headphones; a screwdriver.
The bottom line: If you can afford it, the Falcon Northwest FragBox 2 will keep you fragging happily for years to come.
Go here to read the rest of the review!
07/13/05
If you are like most gamers, you spend a lot of your time dreaming that you could own a custom painted, fully loaded Falcon Northwest Gaming PC. But, for one reason or another (you're broke because you spend more time gaming than working) you can't afford one. Well, don't say I never did anything for you! Falcon Northwest and the producers of the movie The Island are giving away a fully loaded, custom painted Mach V gaming rig! Not only is it a wicked fast machine and beautiful to look at to boot, but it is also signed by the cast of the movie (Obi-Wan Kenobi not withstanding). Go here and click on the "Win a custom PC signed by the cast" link once you enter the site to sign up to win! Ever wonder if that massive RAID 0 configuration on your Ultimate Gaming Machine really loaded games faster, or it was just an unnecessary feature that was only good for bragging to your friends about? Well, Fan Page reader SPC Robert Adams did, and not only will you get to read his letter on the letters page, but you'll also read Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves' response to Roberts query! Go to the letters page to check it out!
06/26/05
I recently received a letter from a soldier over in Iraq asking about Falcon Northwest Fragbooks and how he could hear from owners of the machine before deciding whether or not he should buy one. A few days after that, I received a letter from Mollie. She just bought a FragBook and is very happy with it! What a coincidence! Go to the letters section of the site to read both letters!
05/13/05
PCMAG.COM has posted a glowing review of the brand new Falcon Northwest FragBox 2 (AMD Athlon 64 4000+)! Giving the diminutive gaming machine a score of four out of five, uh, circles (?). The editors loved the system and withheld the almighty "five out of five" for what I can only gather to be the lack of a monitor (?). Here's a snip from the article:
BOTTOM LINE
PROS
CONS
Go here to read the rest of the review!
05/12/05
The June issue of PC Gamer magazine has the first review of the newly revamped Falcon Northwest Talon series of budget-minded gaming machines. Using phrases like "stellar performance" and "reasonable price" during the course of the review, PC Gamer absolutely loves this hip little machine! Click on the thumb above to read the entire review!
04/16/05
Tom's Hardware Guide Falcon Mach V Review
Tom's Hardware Guide has posted its first Falcon Mach V review! The site pits the Mighty Mach V up against an Alienware Aurora 7500 and a Planet Computers XLI (?). I've never heard of the second company, and we all unfortunately know who Alienware is. Tom definitely gives the biggest kudos to the Falcon Mach V, from its performance to its aesthetic quality; Tom just seems to like the Mach V the best overall! Here's a snip from the review:
As with the Alienware, I was impressed with the packaging. Spray-in foam was cast inside bags at the top and bottom of the system, which would not allow it to move around when handled by the parcel carriers. There was also a cloth surrounding the case so the special paint job would not be scratched.
...
Attached to the cloth covering the case was an individualized instruction poster for me. It had the exact system on it and even bore my name. After unveiling the shrouded case, I was impressed with the paint job. Automotive paint applied properly on a case just looks so nice.
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The second box contained the keyboard, mouse and recharging stand, a manual, diskettes, and cables. The keyboard and mouse were also painted to match the case. Now this is what I am talking about when it comes to presentation! People will drool over your system from a distance and approach so they can appreciate it up close as much as you do.
...
In total, three boxes that arrived. The last was the most surprising. It arrived a day after the system and was filled with various goodies: a Falcon mouse pad, t-shirt, coffee mug, and a bag of Falcon Fuel (a special blend of coffee made by The Bean Forge.)
...
The Falcon system overclocked is the clear winner in the benchmarks. Looking at the 3DMark scores, it won by over 50 marks. In all the others it was on par with the Alienware or slightly ahead.
Go here to read the rest of the review!
03/11/05
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems has sent out an official press release detailing their newly revamped Talon line of economic gaming systems, check it out:
Falcon’s New Talon line packs serious firepower for gamers Medford, OR, March 10, 2005 – Falcon Northwest, a custom computer maker serving the enthusiast and PC gamer markets, is pleased to announce a complete overhaul of our Talon product line of mainstream gaming PCs. Talon now incorporates a suite of new standard hardware, including a new SilverStone case, massive 650 Watt power supply, and the award-winning ASUS A8N-SLI motherboard (based on NVIDIA nForce4 SLI MCP technology) with support for 939-pin AMD Athlon™ 64 processors. Incorporating these components as standard equipment in our mainstream line marks a significant turning point in gaming hardware for Falcon Northwest, providing serious firepower for cost-conscious gamers. “Talon’s new standard equipment now reflects where we feel the majority of the enthusiast PC industry is headed,” said Kelt Reeves, President of Falcon Northwest. “With 650 Watts of power, Talon is ready for the high-power demands of future processors and graphics cards. Socket 939 AMD Athlon 64 processors are the standard platform for this product line. Twin 120 millimeter fans provide cooling. And perhaps most significantly, nVidia’s SLI technology is now in every AMD Athlon 64 processor-based desktop system we offer.” “Falcon Northwest and AMD share a common goal, as we both continue to find ways to bring mind-blowing technology to a wider range of PC enthusiasts,” said John Morris, AMD Marketing Manager. “NVIDIA’s SLI technology has been embraced by the gaming community, and AMD64 technology continues to be the leading processing technology available to support it.” Introduced late last year, NVIDIA SLI allows the use of two NVIDIA graphics cards to power one 3D image, nearly doubling the framerate of 3D games. Even with a minimum equipment configuration, the new Talons will be SLI-Ready – using only one graphics card but with power and cooling designed to accept a second graphics card when the user is ready to upgrade at a later date. “Gamers looking for an edge have always turned to NVIDIA and Falcon Northwest as their gaming platform of choice,” said Drew Henry, general manager of MCP business at NVIDIA. “Now that Falcon Northwest has standardized on NVIDIA nForce4 SLI core-logic solutions across their entire line of Talon PCs, gamers with even a more limited budget can take advantage of the cutting-edge technology and performance that NVIDIA and Falcon Northwest have always provided. And they can be assured of having a system that is future proofed.” The Talon line has been in production since 2000 at Falcon Northwest, and has traditionally been a more cost-conscious option for gamers and enthusiasts than our flagship Mach V line. Talons will now be configurable with a host of processor, memory, graphics and optical drive options available. Available for order now, the new Talons will begin shipping Mid-March. Pricing starts at approximately $1,600. Visit www.falcon-nw.com for more information. About Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest has been building high end PCs for game players and enthusiasts since 1992. Widely considered the creator of the "Gaming PC", Falcon has been building systems long before PC gaming became the huge market segment it is today. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
03/09/05
Falcon Northwest Computer systems has completely revamped their Talon line of economical super gaming computers, and of course the Falcon Northwest Fan Page is the first to bring you a sneak preview! Just click on the thumb above to take a look at the new ad touting the greatness that is the second coming of the Talon! Also, here's a short blurb from the new Talon part of the Falcon Northwest website that will go live tomorrow: Our Mach V systems get the lion's share of the attention with their uber-options like custom paint, water-cooling, and components so cutting edge sometimes they haven't been released yet. But for a lot of our customers our Talon line is a more practical option. We decided it was time Talons started making some noise of their own. So we took the most powerful motherboards and power supplies available in our Mach V line, put them in a new steel & brushed aluminum case, and made sure it was ready for anything you could throw at it. That's right, Talons are now customizable! Just like its bigger sibling the Mach V, Talon is no longer a model A, B, or C. It's a configurable platform. Sure, it's getting a major facelift, but every Talon is ready for anything with some serious standard equipment lurking inside. While still budget-conscious, Talon now includes a set of standard features that would make other "high end" PCs green with envy.
01/26/05
I have been keeping the lid on the latest announcement from Falcon Northwest for about a week now, and have been finally given the go ahead to tell you all about it! Falcon Northwest, in an unprecedented move that no other system maker on the planet would dare do, have announced the availability of their FragBox 2 case for sale directly to the publice! That's right, the FragBox 2 case is now available to all of you Do It Yourselfers out there who have always wanted to try their hand at building a system of their own! Now you can use the case that Falcon Northwest designed and developed to build you very own FragBox! Check out the official press release below.
Now Available to Do-It-Yourself PC Builders For Immediate Release Medford, OR, January 25 - Falcon Northwest is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our exclusive “FragBox” Small Form Factor case as an option for “DIY” PC builders. Falcon’s complete FragBox systems have been on the market since the summer of 2004, and have won many awards from leading PC magazines. However, until now the only way to get a FragBox case was in a fully built Falcon system. The FragBox is a shoebox sized PC that is unique in the Small Form Factor (SFF) market. The FragBox is alone among SFF PCs in accommodating any ATX-standard size power supply, of any wattage, and a standard micro-ATX motherboard. Along with its well designed airflow, it can accommodate any combination of the fastest (and hottest) CPUs and add-in boards available today. With two internal hard drive bays, a 3.5” and 5.25” external bay as well, FragBoxes can pack the same punch as the most advanced tower PC. Its small size and integrated handle make it the perfect weapon for those who take their systems to LAN parties, or just value desk space. The DIY version of the FragBox comes with blue internal case lighting & side windows, the infamous skull logo illuminated on the front, and an optional 520 Watt SilverStone power supply created especially for the FragBox. Also available is the new “FragBag” carrying bag for the FragBox or other SFF PCs. For more information, please visit http://www.falcon-nw.com/fragbox_case.asp
About Falcon Northwest
Contact
01/14/05
As most of you know, every year Computer Gaming World magazine publishes its annual "Ultimate Gaming Machine" competition article which pits a half-dozen or so of the fastest computers from some of the biggest names in system builders out there against each other for the coveted prize of being named the "Ultimate Gaming Machine". As you've probably already guessed, every year sans maybe one, Falcon Northwest Computer Systems has come out on top and lead the pack as the fastest computer gaming machine manufacturer on the planet. Until this year. I received several inquiries from my readers as to why Falcon dropped out of the competition this year. The article with the latest competition published in it only gives cryptic details as to the whereabouts of a Falcon Northwest machine - "Two of our past UGM Favorites Falcon & Alienware withdrew from the UGM competition after Intel forbad them from overclocking the company's CPU's". Well, that didn't sound quite right to me, so I went right to the source, Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves for a response:
That's mostly true. Actually we didn't withdraw - we just didn't send anything to UGM this year.
In the fall Intel sent us a letter threatening in a not so subtle way that if we continued to make available, or send to review, systems with overclocked Intel CPUs, that they would take action against us to protect their "brand equity". Alienware was the only other vendor to receive the Intel letter from what we understand. This year's UGM was at a critical time where AMD-based SLI was in the lab and clearly what we wanted to show, but just not quite ready (as you can see by the instability exhibited by the winning machine). So UGM submissions were due in at a weird time. Back in the old days of UGM, if your system was unstable you were disqualified. We just wouldn't send hardware out like that. On the Intel option, only Alienware & Falcon had our hands tied.
Which would mean any overclocked Intel system from any other vendor would get some nice press taking our stock Intel out in the benchmarks.
The only way to win was not to play. Kind of sad to miss UGM for the first year ever though.
Intel has since reversed their position on this. Or as they like to call it "clarified".
-Kelt
There ya have it. I knew there was more to that story! ;-)
12/13/04
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems' Frag Box was recently featured quite prominently on the ABC News program Ahead Of The Curve. The show primarily reports on the hottest crazes in the field of technology and computers, and this time around decided to do a piece on Valve's Half-Life 2. Now, you may ask, how does this involved Falcon Northwest? Well, not only did ABC News choose to use a Frag Box on the program to show off the game, but they went as far as placing the Frag Box right on the desk next to the reporter showing off the game! The system is visible throughout the segment, and I must say, looks very cool! The link below is to a stream of the segment, just click to bask in the glow of Half-Life 2 and the almighty Frag Box!
"Half-Life 2" Craze - ABC News Now - Ahead Of The Curve
11/02/04
Have you always wanted a Falcon Northwest Mach V, but live on the income of a poor sharecropper? Ever fantasized about playing Half-Life 2 on a system that can run it in its fullest resolution with all of the latest whiz-bang effects on? Well, here's your chance to win the ultimate Falcon Mach V gaming machine! PC Gamer magazine is running a contest to win one of these massive rigs, and all you need to do it send 'em an e-mail letting them know you want one! The contest runs until December 1st, so you have plenty of time to enter. Just click on the thumb above for the advertisement describing how to enter and send in your e-mail! It's just that easy! ;-)
10/18/04
The latest issue of CPU Magazine (November) has a great profile on the new FragBox 2 that really isn't a review per se, but more of a high level overview of "what you get for your money" if you decide to choose the FragBox 2 as your new gaming machine. Click on the thumbs below to take a gander at the entire article!
10/06/04
Ever wonder why Falcon Northwest computers are so expensive? Ever wonder why even though they are expensive, they don't always post the fastest benchmarks when compared to some of their competitors? Did you ever think that maybe some of those head to head "Ultimate Gaming Machine" contests are not necessarily on the up and up? A Mach V and Falcon Northwest Fan wrote a very civil and well thought out e-mail to me a few days ago, and I in turn passed it on to Kelt Reeves. Kelt gets down and dirty in his response to this fans queries as to why Falcon lost a recent head to head competition with one of it's competitors, and why sometimes not all is at it seems in the OEM computer manufacturing field. Go to the letters page and check out Kelt's response!
09/28/04
Having trouble finding an NVIDIA 6800 Ultra or a ATI X800 XT PE (or any variant of each)? Well gamers-depot.com has an interesting article that goes in-depth to find out why the cards are so hard to find at your local computer shop. Also, in order to have relevance to this page, we find that Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves is quoted regarding his take on the situation. Go here to check out the article!
The new G4techTV did a feature on it's Screen Savers show that pitted the Falcon Northwest Frag Box up against the Monarch Hornet and the Voodoo Doll. The results were predictable, with the Falcon Northwest rig coming out on top not only because it was wicked fast, but also because the FragBox is simply the coolest SFF computer that money can buy. Here's a snip:
Each box has its own redeeming qualities. For value, you’ll be digging the Hornet Pro. Short of building one yourself, you'll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper custom-built box. For pure size and portability, the Voodoo Doll takes the prize. You sacrifice expandability but you won’t get a hernia hefting this thing around. Although it’s the most expensive, the FragBox 2 is where the future of SFF PCs is heading. It’s big and heavy but still smaller than your standard cases. Falcon has taken the limitations off of building a powerful PC in a small package and finally allows the little brother (SFF PCs) to take on big brother (a standard-case PC). If you absolutely must have a SFF PC and have the loot to boot, get the FragBox 2.
Go here to read the entire review!
09/01/04
As I noted in my previous post, the Falcon Northwest FragBox was chosen for inclusion in the new film Ocean's 12. However, as most of you know, until the final cut of the movie is released, you never really know what is going to end up in the movie that we see on the screen at our local multiplex. The good news is that the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly has a small story on the film, and shows what is supposedly a screenshot from the movie showing Bradd Pitt, George Clooney, et al plotting their next great heist and lo and behold if it isn't the FragBox sitting right there under Bradd Pitt's, well, armpit! We won't know for sure until the movie is released, but this is another good indication that the FragBox made it into the final cut!
08/28/04
Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves received quite a surprise in his e-mail a few days back! It seems the producers of the upcoming movie Ocean's 12 have decided to place a FragBox in the movie! The movie, as far as I know, revolves around a major robbery of a museum, and the FragBox will play an important role in a couple of major "planning" scenes that involve the characters deciding how they are going to pull off their heist. The thumb above depicts the FragBox in all of its glory sitting on a table in what appears to be the culprits secret lair, which was shot in Malta last month. The FragBox itself was used to run the maps and diagrams of the museum the robbers are planning to hit. Now whether or not the scene above or subsequent scenes shot with the FragBox appear in the movie itself is totally up to the director. However, it sure looks very cool nestled in there with the rest of the gear! Click on the thumb above for a closer look!
08/24/04
PCMag.com has just posted the very first review of a Falcon Northwest FragBook and although the results aren't what I would have liked, it becomes clear that Falcon is at a definite disadvantage on a very important aspect of the review. The Dell system, which is reviewed alongside the FragBook, has an ATI 9800 Mobility Radeon installed, and the FragBook is stuck using a 9700. The Dell comes out on top in most of the benchmarks for this reason alone. From what I hear, Dell being the omnipresent uber computer maker that they are has an exclusive on the 9800 card for a month. As soon as that exclusivity is lifted, I can guarantee that you will see the FragBook take over as the leader in gaming notebooks, right beside all of Falcon Northwest's other products on their respective fields of battle. Here's a quick snip from the review of the FragBook TL:
Okay, so you won't want to carry this attention-grabber all day in the heavy metal Black Ops briefcase that's included (combined, the two top 17 pounds), but that case is a cool extra perk. Mostly, you can let the hot-looking but cool-running FragBook TL speak for itself. Even the 15-inch SXGA+ screen commands attention. Super-bright and crisp, the LCD is chosen to meet Falcon Northwest's "Pixel Perfect" standards and guarantee. Spot just one dead or stuck pixel, and Falcon will replace the panel at no cost to you, even if you notice such a problem a year after purchase.
We also loved the color-matched optical mouse when gaming. The keyboard is average among notebook keyboards; only the most die-hard IBM ThinkPad fans would notice the comparatively shallow plunge depth on the FragBook.
Powered by a 2.0-GHz Intel Pentium M 755 and a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 GPU, the FragBook TL performs a lot like a desktop in 2D applications. Although the FragBook is also strong in 3D, the new Dell Inspiron XPS (with the latest ATI Radeon 9800), will fare better. Unlike the 10-pound Dell, though, the 6.4-pound FragBook is actually practical as a portable, delivering 4 hours 23 minutes on our BatteryMark test (and almost nine hours on the included second battery). There's no doubt this beauty is ready to move.
Make your way over to here to read the rest of the review!
08/10/04
Now that Doom3 has arrived, I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves to get his take on the game itself, what it takes to run it at blazing speeds and just how important it is to remember to update those drivers! ;-) 1. Now that Doom 3 has finally been released, what are your first impressions? DOOM3 is very cool, and I'm really enjoying it. If you can call fear and panic "enjoyment" ;-) It's not the most innovative gameplay in the world, though. I'm 3 hours in and pretty much it's shooting in the dark and having stuff jump out and go "boo!" at you. It's not the way the game plays so much that I like, it's the "experience" of it I'm enjoying. The environment - the intense graphics, the absolutely evil surround sounds, are all amazingly well done. Being in the dark with muffled sounds of your comrades screaming and dying in other rooms is really intense. The only things that hold it back from being all it could've been are silly little things. Like why I can have a plasma rifle, but no duct tape to strap my flashlight to it, is a bit illogical in such a realistic graphical setting. But these are minor quibbles. It's a game everyone should experience. 2. Have you had a chance to benchmark the game on a Mach V, or one of your other rigs? Yes, we've actually been using DOOM3 demos as torture-tests for all of our PCs since it came out. They're all custom recorded demo loops though, so the end framerate score is only applicable to that loop. Just to give you an example of one though, a 1024x768 3 minute demo at high quality on a high end Mach V averaged 120 fps! For more hardcore and scientific benchmarking, you should look for upcoming magazine reviews. 3. Which Falcon Northwest gaming system would you recommend to someone who wants to get the most out of the game? All of our current offerings can handle DOOM3 really well. However, this is one of those cases where Nvidia just frankly kicked ATI's butt. Carmack recommends nVidia for DOOM3, and the benchmarks prove why. An NVIDIA GT will beat an ATI Platinum at DOOM3. We've also seen that 2 gigs of RAM can help at high texture detail levels. And as always, the fastest processor is a no-brainer. But DOOM3 has proven to be a remarkable "scalable" game. Some of our customers with fairly old Mach Vs have told us the game still looks good and smooth on Mach Vs with Ti4600s in them. This is at 800x600 and low detail mind you, but the designers did a remarkable job of making the game accessible to lots of people. But there's just no comparison to a 3.4EE with a 6800 Ultra and a great set of 5.1 surround speakers... >:) 4. What’s the number one thing someone can do to get the best performance and experience from the game on a system they bought from Falcon Northwest? This may sound like a "duh", but updating to the latest drivers and Direct X version are really important. I know of one mutual friend of ours *cough* Seth *cough* who should've known that simple advice. ;-) Evidently it greatly improves framerate and clears up some graphics-banding issues on older systems. And definitely play with the lights off and the surround speakers up! 5. Has the game made you scream like a little school girl yet? ;-) Of course not! However, I have "yelped" many times. This is the perfectly natural and proper reaction of all brave and manly space marines when surprised by imps leaping thru stairs at you. Thanks for your time, Kelt! As for those drivers, here a list of everything you need to update your system for maximum Doom 3 playability! Direct X - Version: 9.0c - Release Date: August 4, 2004 nVIDIA Drivers - Version: 61.77 - Release Date: July 27, 2004 - Windows XP/2000 ATI Drivers - Version: 4.7 - Release Date: July 7, 2004 - Windows XP
08/06/04
Gaming rag Maximum PC has published the very first review of a FragBox2 and the results are phenomenal! The perennial hot shot game geek tome gives the box an overall score of 9 and it's coveted "Kick Ass" award (classy, huh?). Anyway, the mag sings the virtues of the rig and really only faults it for its noise factor at speed, although there is no mention of this in the review itself, only in the "Verdict" section at the end of the article. The FB2 absolutely obliterates the "zero point" system that the magazine uses as a benchmark vehicle and although they say the box is not as fast as their dream system, there is no data in the article to back up such a claim. Here's a snip: We have to admit that we didn't expect the FragBox II to be much of a match for this year's Dream Machine, but when Falcon showed up with this monster, we started sweating bullets. Its performance is even more amazing when you consider the size of the FragBox II. Click on the thumb above to read the whole review!
08/04/04
Next Generation FragBox Blurs the Lines Between Small Form Factor and Full-Sized PCs Medford, OR, August 3rd – Falcon Northwest, a custom computer maker serving the enthusiast and PC gamer markets, today announced FragBox 2, the world’s first unlimited Small Form Factor PC. A PC about the size of a shoebox, the original FragBox was introduced last fall to critical acclaim. But the original FragBox was limited by the same issues that have kept all Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs from achieving mainstream success. Most SFF PCs use proprietary power supplies and motherboards to achieve their small size. With the average SFF power supply outputting only 220 watts, they are not equipped to run the fastest power-hungry graphics cards and CPUs. Heat dissipation in small cases is also a roadblock to creating SFF PCs that are as powerful as full-sized desktops. “FragBox 2 solves the problems that plague Small Form Factor PCs” said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. “With its 520 Watt power supply and excellent cooling design, there isn’t a component made that we can’t power and cool in a FragBox 2. With PCI Express and two hard drives, FragBox 2 has the most power per cubic inch of any PC out there.” “With its innovative design and screaming performance the original FragBox was a gamers dream," said Ujesh Desai, general manager, desktop product division at NVIDIA. "Now, Falcon Northwest has gone one step further. The FragBox 2 is the first small PC to meet, and even exceed, our recommendations for powering our flagship GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card. FragBox 2 is a must if you are playing the latest and greatest games like Doom3 and Far Cry." Available for pre-order now, FragBox 2 will begin shipping in early September. The first versions will be based on Intel’s latest 925x chipset PCI Express motherboards. AMD based versions are expected to be available later this fall. The FragBox 2 is completely configurable with industry standard components, and pricing will vary with configuration. Visit www.falcon-nw.com for more information.
About Falcon Northwest
07/27/04
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems has once again bestowed upon this lowly website the honor of being the first place any human being outside of the super-secret Falcon Northwest facility will be able to see a new product! This time around Falcon Northwest re-invents itself and betters an existing product! The "FragBox2" as it's being called in-house, is a redesign of the original FragBox using Falcon Northwest's own design team to come up with a new Small Form Factor case. The system will come in two versions. A FragBox with a window and a FragBox without a window. The FragBox without a window will be customizable with whatever type of paint job you want, while the big news is that both versions will be without restrictions (for the most part) on components that can be installed in them. That's right gang, a SFF case with no restrictions! Put whatever you want in it! Consider it the "Mini-Me" version of the full sized Mach V EXOTIX machine! Both machines also have beautiful light-up faces that feature either the Falcon Northwest logo or the FragBox logo. The world of fully portable LAN gaming just went full throttle cool! A configuration page for the new FragBox should be up by the end of the week, and pre-orders should begin then also. Stay tuned to this site for further updates and new pictures of this major addition to the Falcon Northwest line! Click on the advertisement for the new FragBox at the top of the post to see a larger version, or just go here .
07/15/04
We've got two new fan letters for ya all today! Both from two new Mach V owners, and you guessed it, they only have the best to say about their systems! One a long time computer user who decided finally to go with the best, and the other a very enthusiastic first time buyer! Go on over to the letters page to take a look!
07/04/04
Once again, Falcon Northwest Computer Systems has taken the time to bestow upon this lowly website another exclusive! This time, the Falcon Northwest advertising team has sent over the very first FragBook advertisement for you to lay your steaming, peeled eyes on! Click on the thumb below to take you to the Gallery section of the site to take a closer look at this very cool ad!
06/30/04
20 Questions with Kelt Reeves. The Definitive Interview. Part 2.
Once again, Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves takes time out of his busy schedule to sit down and answer some hard hitting questions for his biggest fans! This time around Kelt tackles the gaming magazine industry, the competitions attempt at making SLI their own product, and takes a stab at explaining the good and bad aspects of the legacy that will forever be a part of the Holy Trilogy! ;-) Go here to read the thrilling conclusion to this exciting interview!
06/22/04
Mach V Rates A Perfect Score!
I never thought the day would come folks! The editors over at PCMag.com have finally taken that last step on the long journey of enlightenment and made peace with the Gods! They have thrown down the gauntlet for all of the reviews to come from this day forward and actually given a piece of Falcon Northwest gaming equipment a Perfect Score! I know, I know, it's hard to believe they didn't fault the mighty Mach V for its high price or lack of business software, but it's true! The Mach V has finally taken its place on the top step and been declared the finest gaming system on the face of the earth! Here's a snip from the review:
We've come to expect a quality product from Falcon Northwest, and the newest evolution of the Mach V is no exception. The enginers at Falcon enter the fray with a system that overclocks the front side bus, hence the CPU, while chilling the processor with an innovative liquid system.
The hermetically enclosed, purified water system keeps the CPU cool enough to do some serious searing on our benchmarks. The Mach V took the crown in our Business Winstone and 3D gaming tests when compared to desktops with mainstream chips. Heck, it even puts a few high-end Athlon FX or Pentium 4 Extreme Edition systems to shame. The 10,000-rpm Raptor SATA drives (in a RAID Level 0 config) and smoking new nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra help out, as well.
Go to this place to read the rest of the review!
06/16/04
20 Questions with Kelt Reeves. The Definitive Interview.
It's been a long time coming, and we've worked hard to ask the questions you wanted to hear the answers to, but now we're finally rolling this groundbreaking interview out! President of Falcon Northwest Kelt Reeves took a lot of his personal time to sit down and answer all of my questions with complete honesty and candidness so we could give you the ultimate interview with the inventor of the gaming computer! And this is just part 1! Go here to read the first part of the interview, and check back very soon for the sizzling conclusion!
05/29/04
One of the most common questions I get as webmaster of this site is "Why does Falcon Northwest use (fill in a piece of hardware here) and not use (fill in another piece of hardware here)?" Falcon Northwest is constantly praised and belittled for the choices they make in the hardware they choose to build their systems, and as a result don't have the time to respond to every inquiry about why they chose to use brand A over brand B. So now, as a courtesy to it's current customers and those thinking of buying a Mach V in the future, Falcon Northwest presents the Falcon Select section of their corporate web site. This part of the site gives background and facts concerning why Falcon Northwest selects a certain manufacturer to provide components for its systems. Here's a snip from the intro:
Many people come to our site looking to see what components we use and recommend. It's easy to see the huge range of great products we offer just by looking at our system configurers. But there are some companies and parts that we don't just offer or recommend in our systems, we truly believe in them.
Our clients are usually purchasing a system that's going to be their workhorse for the next few years. So we have to take the long view of a component's future, and we've been around so long that we usually have a clear view of the track record of the company that makes it. For us it's not just about a particular product, but the company we have to work with to bring it to you. How well do these companies support their products? Are they reliable? Who's really innovating?
Go here to check out the entire page!
05/20/04
EXCLUSIVE!
Falcon Northwest was kind enough to send along two Hi-Res shots of their brand new FragBook gaming notebooks! The two notebooks featured in the shots are from the TL line that Falcon offers. Look at that shine! Click on the thumbs for a closer look, and go here to pick one up for yourself!
05/19/04
Over the past few days I have received two very cool fan letters from Falcon Northwest gaming system owners. The first one is from a new owner that hasn't even received his Mach V yet, but couldn't wait to tell us how great his purchasing experience went! The second one is from a long time gamer who just purchased a new FragBox Pro and wanted everyone to know that this is the system to buy if you want the best bang for your buck! Go to the letters page to check 'em out!
05/11/04
Falcon Northwest was kind enough to send along an exclusive pic of their latest case for graphics card giant ATI! The Mach V that you see in the pic below will be used at this year's E3 shindig to showcase ATI's latest graphics card offering, the X800! Click on the thumb for a closer look.
05/05/04
The latest issue of Computer Gaming World features an article entitled The Ultimate $2,500 Gaming Rig. The magazine invited seven of the top system manufacturers to send them their budget-priced high-end machines for an all-out bloody cage match to the death in a head-to-head competition. Who came out on top with an Editor's Choice Award? Why, the Falcon Northwest Mach V of course! Falcon indeed needed to scrimp and cut a few corners to come in under the $2,500 wire, but come in under they did, and in the process wiped the floor with the competition! Most impressively the rig beat all comers with the highest framerates on all of the games tested! CGW editor William O'Neal faulted the system only for it's single optical drive and his desire for a CD-RW drive instead of a close-to-top-of-the-line processor. For the full story, click on the thumb below!
04/28/04
TechTV, which is commonly referred to as Geek heaven, is giving away a Falcon Mach V EXOTIX super machine that features a portrait of nVIDIA corporation's local babe on campus Dawn! You remember Dawn as the spokesmodel for the much maligned 5000 series video cards nVIDIA released a while ago. Well now you can have a little bit of this sexy goddess all to yourself! All you need to do is go to TechTV's LAN Party Sign-Up page get registered for their weekly LAN Party (which features multiplayer Far Cry! WooHoo!), watch "The Screen Savers" this week and wait to see if you win! The final chance to win this amazing machine is this Thursday, so hurry up and enter. Also, watch "The Screen Savers" during the LAN party for a second chance to win when they reveal a secret word that you can enter at their web site to take another stab at winning this beauty!
04/27/04
FragBox Pro owner and all-around Falcon Northwest fan Dusan Janic sent along a picture and description of a very interesting Mod that he did to his beloved FragBox Pro. It seems Dusan was a bit worried about the internal temperature of his FragBox Pro and wanted to see what he could do about lowering it to a more stable level. As you can see from the Picture above (click for a closer look), Dusan took it upon himself to make some drastic changes to his system. "As far as the side holes, I made a pattern on some paper, taped it to the plexiglas and used a drill press. The video card had been running in the 80+ Celsius range which made me a little nervous. After the holes were added it stays in the low 70's." Dusan also noticed that ever since he received his new FragBox Pro he hadn't been using the included floppy drive, and that's when his ingenuity and know-how took over once again. "What started this is I wasn't using my floppy drive at all - I use one of those little USB flash drives. At first I was going to put in an 8-in-1 media card reader, but that really didn't seem all that exciting. I had seen some 5 1/4 sized displays before, I just wasn't sure they made them any smaller. After some searching, I found some on the CrystalFontz site. It was a pretty easy install, but I did have to remove the video card to get at one of the side screws. What some people may not know is that the top of the FragBox is hinged and opens after unscrewing the front top two screws. The display is USB driven, and the software to customize the display is free for download at the same site. The software interfaces with MotherBoard Monitor 5 and Fraps, so I was able to pipe temps and frame rates to the display." Ever since he implemented this mod, Dusan has been able to monitor his internal system temperature on the fly, framerates of any game he happens to be playing on his FragBox Pro or any variety of system data that he desires! Excellent mod Dusan! Thanks for sharing!
04/24/04
is Live!
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems announced today it's new line of notebook systems for the serious mobile gamer! The systems come in two varieties, the FragBook TL - which is for the gamer on the go that wants power, but doesn't feel like carrying around a 10-pound behemoth just to game at the local coffee shop. Then there's the FragBook DR which is the no-compromise, no holds barred Mach V desktop replacement for the gamer that doesn't mind a little more weight as long as it's portable and you can play Far Cry on that long flight to Kazakstan! Speaking of flights to war-torn countries, probably my favorite feature of the new laptop systems is the Black Ops briefcase that it comes with! These brushed aluminum cases are unbelievably cool! The systems are fully configurable, and are available custom painted in any way your little brain can imagine! I will have more information soon on these new powerhouse laptops from the finest computer manufacturer on the planet! Keep an eye out for exclusive news and pix! Go to the Falcon Northwest Corporate Site to get the entire lowdown and order your own FragBook!
04/19/04
Online uber giant PC Magazine has posted a relatively new review of the Falcon Northwest FragBox Pro, which is faulted by the writer only for it's compact case (?)....But as far as I can tell, that's kinda the idea behind the FragBox, isn't it? Here's a snip from the article:
Pros: Powerful components in a compact package. Attractive case with window panels shows off internal artistry. Bargain price for a hand-built, high-end PC. Better performance and upgradeability than similarly priced "gaming" notebooks.
Anyway, click here to take a closer look at the review!
The nVidia 6800 launched this week. The launch event was a huge deal in San Francisco, and Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves was asked to be a part of it. The 6800 Ultra is a huge leap in performance, so much so that when the presentation got to the part where they showed the 3DMark score, there was a noticible gasp in the audience from the 750+ people in attendance. Although nVidia was not clear on which system had achieved these scores, the key note speaker said something to the effect of "this is the kind of results you can get when we send a card to people like Kelt (Reeves, of Falcon Northwest), Rahul (of Voodoo PC), and Kevin (of Alienware PC)". There is a video of the launch event at nVidia's website here
Below you will find the screenshots of the 3DMark scores achieved. Just so there is no doubt as to what this card can do with the right machine. Keep in mind that these shots are at default runs with no tricks. However, I don't want to mislead any of my readers. This was heavily overclocked, so I can't guarantee that level of performance on every system.
Although Falcon Northwest is taking pre-orders now, it's going to be several weeks before they'll have the shipping 6800 Ultra cards. Falcon also does not know how high they'll clock, or what the drivers will look like. In our experience though, nVidia has always refined both their hardware and software and made them run even faster than the early iterations of the cards these tests were run on. All the reviewers are getting 12500+ scores, which is still double what the current generation can do.
04/06/04
The May issue of Computer Gaming World has a very cool review of the the Falcon Northwest FragBox! The review is extremely complimentary to the product and the people that build it, faulting it only on Falcon's choice to use integrated audio as opposed to a sound card for the FragBox's aural duties. Unfortunately, as I see it, if Falcon went with a separate sound card, this would render the front audio ports unusable, and take away one of the many useful options of this very transportable system. Otherwise, the review is glowing, and you can take a look at it yourself by clicking on the thumbs below!
04/02/04
Exclusive! Falcon Northwest has passed along another exclusive for the fan page in the form of a brand new ICON advertisement that will be running in gaming rags near you very soon! If you look closely at the ad, in the lower righ had corner there is a box that highlights the new custom painted keyboards and mice that you can now order with a brand new custom Mach V! Click on the thumb of the new ad below to go to our gallery section, and/or on the thumb of the keyboard and mouse to take a closer look at them!
02/25/04
Long time Geek-Boy review page ExtremeTech has gone and slapped up a so-so review of the Falcon Northwest FragBox Pro. I think the reviewer had a mindset from the beginning that he wasn't going to like this system, and carried that attitude throughout the entire review. He touches on all of the same old reasons every other reviewer doesn't like Falcon Northwest products (price, price and price) and seems personally insulted that Falcon decided not to take up an extra PCI slot to install an unneeded soundcard so the systems audio would be up to his personal specifications. I think the reviewer loses site of what this system is all about. The FragBox was designed for the gamer on the go. It is not intended to be used as a main system. It is sleek, stealthy and low on weight to make it more transportable. Falcon kept that in mind when picking components for the system and sticks to their philosophy for the FragBox of getting the best performance from the fewest amount of components. Here's a snip from the review:
The simple question is, how much is Falcon's fit and finish worth to you? We quickly spec'ed out building a small form factor system using an FIC IC VG61 mobo/case with the Intel 865 chipset, and outfitted the system with the same components Falcon used. The bill of materials costs including a copy of Windows XP Home Edition came to about $1,550, meaning that you're paying $250 for the "Falcon touch." Granted, the boys at Falcon know their craft well, and have been making solid gaming rigs for many moons. But if you're at all DIY-inclined, is a ready-to-rock system worth a 16% markup?
Then again, for $250, you're not only getting a system that's ready for action, you're also getting support and a warranty from Falcon should something go awry. And for what it's worth, you also get those funky blue mood lights that just look cool. But the main upside to going Falcon is the warranty/support that comes with the system, whereas if you build an SFF machine yourself and something goes wrong, you're pretty much on your own. If you're OK with that, then you can save yourself $250 bucks, and have the pleasure of bringing your own (trans)portable gaming rig to life.
Wanna read the rest of this review? Click here to check it out! Quick Notes: New Falcon Mach V owner Jeff Lipes wrote in to share his thoughts on the process he went through to find his new computer, and the experiences he had with other boutique manufacturers. Go to the letters section of the site to read his story! Do you have something cool to say about Falcon Northwest? Want the world to know? Now there are two places to send your thoughts! Either send them to me here at the Fan Page at VincentVega@falconfanpage.com or head on over to the Falcon Northwest page on the RESELLERRATINGS.COM site and let the world know how you feel about the fastest and most reliable computers on the planet!
02/11/04
If you are a regular reader of Computer Gaming World magazine, you'll have noticed that they recently did a complete make-over of their layout. Included in this make-over of the site is a new section of the magazine called "Check Out". In this area, CGW gives it's best recommendation on what type of gear you should by based on the amount of money you have to spend (usually a High-End, Midrange and Budget Pick). In the LAN-boy rig section of the area, CGW has for the last two months not only prominently featured the FragBox as their Budget Pick, but has also give the rig the honor of a front page presence at the beginning of the article! Click on the thumbs below for a closer look!
Quick Notes: The fan page letters just keep pouring in! Click on over to the letters section of the site to check out a new glowing Mach V review from a first time owner!
02/04/04
I have just slapped up two new fan letters - one from a 70 year old Mach V owner, and the other from a very enthusiastic FragBox owner! Head on over to the letters page to take a look!
01/29/04
Gone Gold guy Rich LaPorte was kind enough to post a sort of "year and a half" update of his reflections on the performance of his EXOTIX Mach V! I've posted the entire write-up below so you can take in all of Rich's enthusiasm for his rig!
Good Afternoon. Over the past couple of days, I've mentioned the games I've been enjoying, particularly from the latest offerings during the Holiday season. There is something that has impressed me as I boot up each latest offering that I've been meaning to mention as well... that's my Falcon Northwest Mach V. (For those of you not familiar with it, the details are here.)
It has now been a year and a half and to my amazement, the rig still eats up anything I throw its way. I have never owned the same exact rig for so long without doing some sort of upgrade to it. Not only that, I still haven't had to "clean up" my Windows install as I did so many times in the past with my "homebrew" rigs. Super.
One of the other amazing things about it, especially because I had heard complaints about this particular item in the past, is how quiet it still is. To this day I have to check the front lights to make sure the rig is turned on if I should have the monitor hooked up to my XBOX instead. Even touching it doesn't clue me in, it stays so cool and still.
I am completely sold on Falcon Northwest, even more then I was before. This is like doing an 18 month bench test on the unit and it hasn't as much as hiccupped. Actually, I do have one hiccup to report, but it is not Falcon's hiccup, it's with one of their accessories... the ProMedia 5.1 Speakers and it just happened this past week.
Falcon Northwest was kind enough to include a set of ProMedia 5.1 Speakers with my rig. Talk about a slice of heaven! These are something I've always wanted, but never had the nerve to buy myself. I always bought low end speakers no matter how "high end" my tastes may have been. I was always putting my dough into faster components, instead of better sounding ones. To say the Gaming Gods smiled down on me with these is an understatement.
Unfortunately, over a period of three or four days, the sound would just cut out completely. At first I thought it was driver specific, but after a series of troubleshooting, I came to find that the rig itself was fine... it was a mechanical problem with the speakers. In order to get them running once again, I had to play with the "On-Off" switch and eventually, sound would come back. What was a once in a blue moon thing, started happening regularly.
The thought of going from top of the line 5.1 speakers to $20 Radio Shack specials made me make a call to the Speaker company, Klipsch. (If I had purchased the unit, I would have called Falcon Northwest, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. ;D) Once again, the Gaming Gods smile...
It seems that the company, which has a ONE YEAR WARRANTEE on the speakers, has been having this exact problem with this "no longer in production" set and has extended its warrantee to THREE YEARS. They are sending me a FedEx label, so shipping is free, and they will repair or replace the speakers. How cool is that? (If you happen to own a pair of the originals, you may want to give the company a call.) So not only has the rig itself been a stand out, so have the companies Falcon Northwest deals with. For now,
Let me get to work to work.
Quick Notes: Falcon Northwest just recently update their EXOTIX gallery to be more streamlined and easy to navigate! If you have ever wanted to see all of the amazing EXOTIX cases all displayed in one place, or are thinking of purchasing one yourself, just go to the Falcon Northwest Corporate Site click on the picture of the EXOTIX case at the bottom right of the page, and be ready to be blow away!
01/21/04
What may very well go down in history as the silliest computer gaming machine roundup review has just been posted over at GameSpy . The site pits the Falcon Northwest FragBox shuttle case computer against Alienware Area-51 and Dell Dimension XPS desktop systems. Hmmmm. I'm not sure how to continue. I think the mistake is an obvious one. It's kind of like that game were you need to figure out which one doesn't fit in this picture! Why GameSpy didn't just ask Falcon Northwest for one of their desktop systems is beyond me, but I guess we'll never know. I don't really need to tell you, but the FragBox came in last in all of the benchmark scores that were thrown at it, but of course that's because it's not in the same league as the other two systems. The FragBox is meant as a LIGHTWEIGHT, PORTABLE GAMING SYSTEM. NOT ONE THAT YOU WOULD USE TO COMPARE TO A DESKTOP SYSTEM! The FragBox is also only $1,000. The Dell comes in at $3,500, and the Alienware comes in at around $6,000. Man! If I am going to pay $2,000 to $4,000 more for a gaming system, it had better perform faster than a $1,000 LAN Party box! Blah. Go here if you want to read the rest of this review.
01/15/04
Ever wonder what kind of computers the pros in broadcasting use when they need the fastest, most reliable rigs on the planet? Well wonder no more my friends! If you are familiar with the television station TechTV then you are aware of the wonderful show called The Screen Savers that is hosted by Uber Geeks Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton. The show covers all that is technology from computers to PDA's, to digital cameras, this show has it all! But what makes it really cool is every Thursday they host a LAN Party that you can join, and can you guess what computers they use to power that LAN Party? Falcon Northwest Mach V's, of course! As you can see from the screen shot above, the show uses a whole wall of Mach V's to power the LAN! If you want more information on the show, and how to join the weekly LAN party, go here .
01/10/04
PCWorld.com has posted the closest thing to a perfect review of a Mach V system that I have ever seen from them! The article gives the Mach V 5950 Ultra a score of 4 1/2 stars out of 5! Faulting the system only for it's high price (suprise!) and the fact that the editor's needed to download new drivers for the included GeForce FX 5950 video card (the system was sent for review in September...no wonder they needed to download new drivers! It's January!). Here's a snip from the review:
The Mach V 5950 Ultra's name hints at supersonic speed--appropriate for a rig aimed at hard-core gaming fanatics. The solidly constructed steel chassis, whose front panel has a wave-like design, comes loaded with a cornucopia of high-end components.
Topping the list is the 2.2-GHz Athlon 64-FX 51 CPU, AMD's consumer-level 64-bit processor; paired with 1GB of DDR400 memory, it earned a mark of 139 on PC WorldBench 4. Of the three machines we've tested that were equipped with this processor, the 5950 Ultra posted the lowest score; but the difference from top to bottom is a negligible three points, and this machine is among the five fastest PCs we've ever tested.
More impressively, in our toughest graphics tests, the system achieved the highest frame rates to date in both Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Unreal Tournament, at 1600 by 1200 resolution and 32-bit color depth. We did have to update video drivers for the GeForce FX 5950 graphics board, however, to correct the blocky, gray figures and bleached-out textures we saw in Return to Castle Wolfenstein at resolutions above 1024 by 768. The system's 19-inch NEC MultiSync FE991SB-SK flat-screen CRT displayed rich colors on photos, games, and DVD movies.
Make your way over here to read the entire review!
12/27/03
Well, lookie here folks! Falcon Northwest's powerhouse Mach V system made the cover of Computer Shopper magazine! There isn't a full length review inside, but the capsule summary that is included gives the system an overall score of 9.0! Click on the thumb below for a closer look!
12/18/03
Hey Gang, the Ziff Davis Group of PC gurus have voted the Falcon Northwest FragBox "PC of the Year" in their 2004 Holiday Game Guide! The Game Guide is a special issue ZD puts out every year that is edited and produced by both Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World. Click on the thumb below to read the entire love-a-plenty article!
12/16/03
In a joint press release today, NVIDIA and Falcon Northwest Computer Systems announced standardization of NVIDIA-only graphics cards for it's FragBox gaming systems. The complete press release is below.
GeForce FX 5600 Ultra and GeForce FX 5950 GPUs Selected to Power Ultra-Portable Gaming PCs SANTA CLARA, CA-December 16, 2003-NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, announced today that Falcon Northwest has standardized on NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX graphics processing units (GPUs) in the stylish and portable Falcon Northwest FragBox line of gaming PCs. The FragBox ships with the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra GPU, while the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 is the GPU of choice in the FragBox Pro. “After exhaustive testing and troubleshooting, it is clear that NVIDIA is the way to go with our FragBox line.” said Kelt Reeves, President of Falcon Northwest. “NVIDIA provides the FragBox with graphics solutions that are not only faster than the competition, but run cooler and with much better reliability in the harsh environment of a small form-factor PC.” “Falcon Northwest caters to a demanding clientele with their high-performance, custom-built PCs,” said Jeff Fisher, executive vice president of worldwide sales for NVIDIA. “The blazing speed, cinematic image quality, and unmatched stability of our GeForce FX line is exactly what Falcon Northwest’s customers require.” The Falcon Northwest FragBox is designed to pack an amazing amount of computing power into a fast, lightweight, and affordable package. The small 12-inch by 8-inch case is light enough to carry to a LAN party and stylish enough to be the show piece of a home entertainment system. The Falcon Northwest FragBox line, equipped with NVIDIA GeForce FX graphics, can be purchased at http://www.falcon-nw.com/fragbox.asp.
About NVIDIA Certain statements in this press release, including any statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing alternatives, market acceptance of the Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Certain Business Risks," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
12/09/03
Sorry about the lack of updates guys and gals, but I have been having a hell of a time with my web hosting service, and I needed to learn how to edit the page in a whole new way which caused a few delays. The good news is, I have a BIG update for all of you!
First up is a brand new advertisement for the FragBox which was just sent to me by the Falcon Northwest advertising department. The ad features what can only be described as a grrrrl gamer holding her beloved FragBox with the tag line "Not all gamers are equally equipped." Well, I won't go into how many meanings that could have, I'll just leave that to your imagination. ;-) The ad on the left is the actual one that will appear in gaming magazines soon, and the one on the right is one of the "alternate" takes that FNW has graciously allowed me to post also. Click on the thumbs below for a closer look!
Next up is a new Mach V FX-51 review from that long heralded and much maligned web site CNET. The reviewer gives the system an overall score of 8.7 out of 10 (Very Good!). But faults the system for it's large monitor (?) and lack of front-mounted USB, FireWire or audio ports. However, the editor's do admit that the system is the fastest they have evey had in their test labs! Here's a snip from the review:
With its Mach V line, Falcon Northwest spares no expense in building the fastest game system money can buy. Configure one of these machines, and you can rest assured that you're getting the latest technology, superior craftsmanship, top-notch peripherals, and a strong warranty to back it all up. Most important, you're also getting gaming and graphics performance that's second to none--which is only right, considering the system's astounding price (our test system came with a $5,644 price tag). In fact, our test PC yielded the highest 3D graphics and gaming scores we've seen to date, thanks to its Athlon 64 FX-51 processor, 1GB of fast 400MHz memory, and Nvidia's reigning speed leader, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra.
Good review. Outrageous system. GREAT Christmas gift! ;-) Go here to read the entire review!
10/22/03
Falcon Fuel Coffee Announced!!
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems announced today the arrival of a very special "high caffeine content" coffee blend for it's Mach V owners. Here's the official press release:
“Falcon Fuel” High-Caffeine Coffee Why does a computer company have its own brand of coffee? Because we can. Medford, Oregon, October 21, 2003 – Falcon Northwest is pleased to announce that each of our high end “Mach V” class PCs will be shipping with some new extras: First, the world’s coolest coffee mug. Second, the world’s coolest coffee: Falcon Fuel. Created especially for Falcon Northwest by The Bean Forge coffee roasters, Falcon Fuel is a high caffeine content blend, designed to give our PC game-playing clientele a delicious alternative to guarana-laden soft drinks. “Our Mach V series of gaming PCs mainly appeals to gamers who are twenty-something and older, a coffee drinking audience.” said Kelt Reeves, President of Falcon Northwest. “We’re thrilled to now include Falcon Fuel as a fantastic extra for our PCs - one that I know our customers will really enjoy.” The Bean Forge is the new online presence for Kaffe 101 coffee roasters, who have been micro-roasting fine coffees since 1991. “Falcon Fuel is a fun blend for us,” commented Dave Herold, owner & roastmaster of The Bean Forge. “We’ve never had a company request a custom blend with caffeine content as a primary feature before. It took quite a few cupping trials, but the end result is a coffee that’s as smooth as silk. Falcon Fuel is actually a wonderful blend for anyone who prefers mellow coffee.” Availability A bag of Falcon Fuel is now shipping with every Falcon Mach V class gaming PC. It is also available in any quantity at http://www.beanforge.com About Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest has been building high end PCs for game playing and enthusiasts for more than a decade. Widely considered the creator of the "Gaming PC", Falcon has been serving gamers since long before gaming became the huge market segment it is today. Falcon's product lines range from the most elite of high end systems with the custom painted, custom built "Mach V" line, all the way down to the sub $1,000 portable "FragBox", for gaming on the go. And every system is backed with Falcon's legendary customer service and support. Visit Falcon on the web at http://www.falcon-nw.com . About The Bean Forge The Bean Forge is the new online presence for Kaffe 101 coffee roasters. Makers of the finest micro-roasts since 1991, The Bean Forge is now taking Oregon’s local favorite national. The Bean Forge creates custom coffees the old-fashioned way: roasted, blended and bagged by hand. The Bean Forge has a wide array of blends to select from, as well as corporate gifting and custom “vanity” blend creation services. Visit The Bean Forge on the web at http://www.beanforge.com
Along with the announcement of Falcon Fuel, Falcon Northwest sent word that they have updated their "extras" content. Extras are those cool little unexpected treasures that have always come with a purchase of a Falcon Northwest computer. Very little was known about the extras package up until now except for the fact that you could only get these items when purchasing a system from Falcon Northwest, and that they where updated and refined frequently. But for the first time anywhere, I have an exclusive picture of all of the base extras that come with a new system. I say "base" because at the very least you'll receive these items, but ya really never know until you receive your system what the exact coolness factor or quantity of items will be! Click on the thumb below for a closer look!
10/21/03
I have just a few little News Bites for you today. The first is a little unusual, because I don't have much more to go on than just a slightly out of focus screen grab. But according to my sources, the Falcon Northwest FragBox was reviewed on CNN in a segment called "Big Video Game Hunting" which was part of a news brief where they talked about the latest gadgets that a gamer must have. I don't have any other details, but the screen grab below shows the host waxing poetic about the mighty FragBox!
My next bit of news is an interview with Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves that obscure gaming site HomeLan Fed did with him recently. The interview covers the same ground that this very site already has for the most part, but has some interesting quotes from Kelt on the state of the gaming industry and Falcon's decision so far not to offer a gaming laptop. Go here to read the interview! And last but not least, brand new gaming site 1 UP has a contest running to win a brand new custom Athlon64 3200+ Mach V EXOTIX gaming rig! Go here to register to win!
10/16/03
Maximum PC's November issue steps up to the plate and kicks out the jams with an overwhelmingly positive review of a Falcon Northwest Mach V with the new AMD Athlon 64 FX-1 processor! The review has very little if anything negative to say about the rig, going so far as to say that this Mach V is faster than even their own Dream Machine that the Max PC editor's slap together each year! Click on the thumbs below to read the entire review!
10/04/03
As many of you may have read on some of the gaming sites out there, Tokyo was host to a game conference last month much like our own E3 show. Falcon Northwest created a very special case for ATI for that show, and I have exclusive picss of it to share with you today! It's a beautiful EXOTIX Laserworks case with the ATI logo on one side, and the ATI Radeon "Gargoyle" on the other. Click on the thumbs below for a closer look!
09/29/03
FragBox PRO Announced! In an offcial announcement today from Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves, Falcon Northwest Computer Systems details the availability of a suped-up version of their already wildly popular FragBox! Here a snip from the announcement:
Falcon Northwest is pleased to announce FragBox Pro!
In just a little more than two months since it was introduced, the FragBox has become an amazing success. FragBox has already been featured on two magazine covers, in several console publications, won two Editor's Choice awards and was even featured on CNN Headline News. The response from our customers has been equally overwhelming, and FragBoxes have sold as fast as we can build them.
Originally we designed FragBox to be an "extra" PC for gaming enthusiasts who already owned a tower, and LAN-party players. We cut the price to the bone to make FragBox affordable enough to own as an extra system. What we didn't count on was the overwhelming response from younger gamers and people who wanted a small form factor PC as a primary system. The only negatives that have ever been said about the FragBox were that it lacked a re-writable drive, and it could use more graphics horsepower for use as a primary system.
So to give those people the extra power they want, we've made FragBox Pro! Featuring an ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128 meg graphics card, a DVD +/-RW drive, 120 Gig 7200 RPM hard disk, 1 gig of 400 MHz memory and an intel 2.8GHz CPU running at 800 MHz FSB on the "Springdale" i865 chipset - FragBox Pro upgrades almost every aspect of the original FragBox. FragBox Pro provides more than 55% more performance in Direct X 9 games, yet it's still just 14 pounds and 8 inches wide. FragBox Pro is priced at $1,795, and the original FragBox is still priced at $995. Both are available online at www.falcon-nw.com or by calling (888) FALCON-1.
Pre-orders are being accepted now, and FragBox Pro shipments will commence on October 1st. A full feature list and FragBox photos are available at http://www.falcon-nw.com/fragbox.asp
09/24/03
Thanks go out to Fan Page reader Jon Scott for sending in a link to the latest PCMAG.COM Mach V review! This time around the website does a side X Side comparison of three systems from manufacturers Voodoo PC, Velocity Micro and of course Falcon Northwest. The three systems were chosen based on the fact that they offered the latest 64-bit computing architecture from AMD. All three systems blow away any standard 32-bit system on all tests sans a three filter Photoshop multi-tasking benchmark, where Intel's Hyperthreading technology on an older system truly shines. The site slips up a bit by going on price alone to find an Editor's Choice award winner among the systems, even though the Falcon Northwest EXOTIX system won most of the benchmark tests (yawn, same old story). Click on this link right over here to read the rest of the review roundup.
09/17/03
I can't decide which one is more popular, the new FragBox from Falcon Northwest, or the new LaserWorks option on the Falcon EXOTIX cases! Both are innovative and the best of their kind in the business, so it's definately hard to choose which one I like the best! Today though, I have another beautiful example of a LaserWorks case that was developed for ATI by Falcon Northwest for ATI's appearance at the Tokyo Game Show. Click on the thumbs below for a closer look at this new case.
If you are at all interested in how Falcon Northwest achieves such a beautiful effect with their cases, I would recommend surfing over to the Falcon Northwest corporate site scrolling to the bottom of the front page and clicking on the "LaserWorks: Our latest Mach V Exotix option" link to get a step-by-step tour of this exacting process!
09/05/03
Falcon Northwest's newest gaming rig, the FragBox, seems to be making quite an impression on the gaming community! First the PC Gamer review that gave the system an Editor's Choice award, and now a front cover story-full featured review in the latest issue of Computer Gaming World! Although the magazine does not bestow an Editor's Choice Award on the mighty mini FragBox, the author of the review William O'Neal closes the article by giving the system a score of four out of five stars, and remarking "It's not the fastest PC available, but I love this machine so much that I'm not sending it back." I think that's award enough don't you think? When the hardware review editor is keeping the machine for himself, I think that says a lot about his impressions! Click on the thumbs below to read the entire review!
09/01/03
If you happen across the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine on the store shelves, make sure you pick up a copy and check out their review of Falcon Northwest's FragBox! The mag gives the ultimate portable system an Editor's Choice award with an overall score of 91%! Here's a snip from the "Final Verdict" section of the review:
HIGHS: Super small; powerful; easily transported; fantastic price; loads of external ports.
LOWS: It's definitely not the fastest or most upgradeable machine on the planet.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't have much room on your desk? Go to lots of LAN parties? Buy a FragBox.
An excellent review overall, with the writer only bashing the FragBox for not being the fastest comp on the planet (what do you want for $995.00?). Click on the thumb below to bring up the entire review for your reading pleasure!
08/27/03
Falcon Northwest has sent along some new shots of it's latest version of the much hearlded and sought after Half Life 2 case! This version features a white left side of the case with LED lit Half Life 2 logo, and a right side of the case with some magnificent artwork showcasing Gordon Freeman's lonely walk down the road of human salvation. These are very nice cases! The third thumbnail is the latest advertisement from Falcon Northwest that will be appearing in a gaming rag near you soon. The ad features the new case with the latest Falcon tag line, "What does your PC say about you?". Click on the thumbs to take a closer look at this beautifully made case!
08/16/03
Overall computer guru website CNET has posted a side by side comparison review of the latest batch of "LAN Paty PCs" manufactured by Polywell (Mini Qbox 845-3000), ABS (SPC 5), Monarch (Hornet) and of course the Falcon Northwest FragBox. Although the site does not give the overall recommendation nod to the FragBox, it does recognize it for beating some much more expensive systems on gaming performance, and also noted that the equipment was precisely targeted for it's core audience. Here's a snip:
The Falcon Northwest FragBox is nicely built for gamers on the go, with its easy portability and capable, if not customizable, features.
The good: Light and mobile; great bang-for-the-buck performance; lots of ports.
The bad: Not configurable; no printed documentation.
Gamers on the go know that lugging bulky towers and CRTs to LAN parties can sure cut down on the fun. Falcon Northwest's 2.66GHz FragBox offers a capable and affordable solution. When combined with a small, 15-inch LCD, the FragBox is a light and portable gaming package, with a wireless keyboard and mouse to keep wires from tangling. It uses the same case as the decidedly more high-end Polywell Mini Qbox, and though the Qbox will attract a wider audience with its TiVo-like functionality, FragBox makers keep costs down by including features that serve the target audience precisely.
If you want to check out the entire head-to-head comparison, click here .
08/08/03
WIN A FRAG BOX!
Pseudo girly magazine Stuff is giving YOU a chance to win a complete Falcon Northwest FragBox system! All you need to do to enter is go to the Stuff magazine website, answer a few really silly questions, give 'em your e-mail address and you are good to go! Click here to enter, or just click on the thumb below. Good luck!
08/06/03
The laser cut cases just keep on coming! The latest Mach V EXOTIX case to feature this new technique is pictured below, and if you are a gamer with any knowledge of hot games, I don't need to tell you that the case features the logo of the hugely anticipated sequel to Half Life! Click on the thumb to get a close up look!
Quick Note: Gaming site ign.com has posted it's follow-up review of the Falcon Northwest FragBox, giving it an overall score of 9.0, and only really having qualms with the system's video card. Here's a snip:
The component that will cause gamers most concern is the video card. The MSI 5600 Ultra 128MB is a solid mainstream card that offers good value and good, but limited, performance. It can't keep pace with a 9700 Pro, but it can get close at some settings. And, of course, Falcon needed something affordable. For this reason you can't really bitch that you're not getting a 9800 Pro or something high-end. As you'll see in the benches, the card performed well. And it's red with plenty of shiny metal!
That said, the video card will obviously be the first part upgraded by most users. The 5600 Ultra has plenty of life left in it, and NVIDIA has a good track record for performance enhancing drivers, but once HL2 and Doom III are on shelves gamers are going to want to play with everything maxed.
The sweet spot for the card, and the system as a whole, is 1024 x 768 with light AA and AF. This is not a system on which you will be able to run demanding games at super high resolutions with 8XAA and 8XAF enabled, nor is it supposed to be. And that is something that you must keep in mind with the FragBox. You simply cannot ask for cutting edge performance from a sub-$1,000.00 machine. It's not gonna happen.
The review is overall positive and gives Falcon huge kudos for doing so much with such a small package. Go here to read the rest of the review!
07/25/03
In my last post I featured a brand-new type of EXOTIX case that Falcon Northwest has started to offer to it's customers. These cases still have amazing paint jobs, but now also have the added coolness of laser cutting! I received a very cool finished shot of a new case featuring the "Dreamworks" motion picture production company logo that features this new technique, and I think it's the coolest laser cutting case to come along so far! The first pic is of the left side of the case with the High-Intensity LED's lit, the second shot is of the right side of the case with the logo painted on the case and the third shot is an in production "behind the scenes" shot taken before the case was completed. Click on the thumbs for a closer look!
07/20/03
Two more EXOTIX cases roll off of the assembly line, and they are a couple of beauties! The first one is a way cool StarCraft case that really shows off the detail that is possible when you have the right artist working on your case. The second one not only shows off a cool paint job, but also Falcon Northwest's newest technique for case personalization, Laser Cutting! Falcon's craftsmen used a 20,000 deciwatt industrial cutting laser to make a razor fine (within ten thousandths
of one inch) cut-out of the new MAX PAYNE 2 logo, after which Falcon followed up the procedure by positioning 40 high intensity LED's behind the logo to make it really stand out! The Falcon Fan Page will have more details on this technique soon, but for now, just click on the thumbs below to take a closer look!
07/17/03
Gaming news sight Gamers Depot.com has posted the first public review of Falcon Northwest's new FragBox! The review, of course, is glowing. Pointing out that the FragBox is not a barn burner, but is more than capable of running today's games at 1024X768 resolution at respectable frame rates. Here's a snip: While it’s quite obvious that the “sweet spot” for this PC is playing at resolutions of 1024x768 – that should be fine assuming you pick up Falcon’s recommended 15” LCD flatpanel – for that size of an LCD gaming at 1024 is perfect. They’re not trying to build a “barn burner” PC here; for that you can turn to their Mach V series. The review covers all aspects of the FragBox from aesthetics to performance, and ends up with this statement: Falcon has succeeded on quite a few levels with the Fragbox. They’ve built a highly-competent solution at a very affordable price – all in a lightweight package that would make any of us proud to take it to the next LAN party. In fact, we had it at our last GDFest, and it was the PC that Ubi Soft showcased Far Cry on, and it garnered all kinds of “googling” from on-lookers. Thanks Falcon for delivering what us gamers need to keep us going on the go! The systems ends up with a score of "5 drips" which is, from what I can gather a complete "drool" in their rating system! ;-) Go here to read the rest of the review!
07/10/03
The EXOTIX computer case by Falcon Northwest. Truly a piece of art. Falcon has now refined their technique in producing these beautiful cases, for sure. Today I have another example of what can be done when only your imagination is the limiting factor involved in creation. Below is the latest EXOTIX case to roll off of the assembly line at FNW, and as always another fine example of artistry it is. This one's theme is the upcoming sequel to MAX PAYNE - MAX PAYNE 2: The Fall Of Max Payne. Click on the thumb below for a closer look.
07/08/03
Letters, letters, letters! I receive quite a few Mach V and Talon fan letters every month, but I like to store them up and post them all at once so you can get a great overview of how happy Falcon Northwest customers are with their purchases! I've posted four new fan letters this time around, so go to the letters page to check 'em out!
06/25/03
A new review! I've slapped up a review for what I consider the most beautiful computer peripheral ever made. The MAPP mouse. The MAPP mouse is a limited edition mouse that you can get only in Japan or through a specialty reseller like Shinza . The mouse was designed by Anime artist Masamune Shiro, and trust me, is very cool! Go here to read the review, or just click on the thumb below!
06/21/03
The web version of the New York Times slapped up an interesting article entitled "Ultimate Machines For Serious Gamers". From the title, it's pretty easy to figure out that the article was written by someone who really has no idea what a "gaming" machine is, and was probably assigned the article by their senior editor. However, Falcon Northwest does get a nod or two, as evidenced by this snip from the article:
Falling between Alienware's low-priced aesthetic and Voodoo's sky's-the-limit approach are Falcon Northwest and Hypersonic. Both companies use cases from Cooler Master, which are smaller than the cases used by Voodoo and Alienware; barring customization, they are indistinguishable except for the logos. Falcon and Hypersonic offer straightforward rectangular computers that stand apart from typical PC's only because they use the same auto-body paint applied by Voodoo.
Falcon, in business since 1992, is generally acknowledged as the pioneer of the gaming PC concept. Hypersonic was founded in 1997, a year after Alienware. It is the newest player and the company most likely to be ignored in gaming machine roundups; the other three are sometimes referred to as the Big Three, and Hypersonic has yet to persuade gamers to make that the Big Four.
....
Falcon and Voodoo offer customized images on the sides of their cases; this is a specialty of Falcon, whose Web site displays a gallery of paint jobs that include an American flag, an evil clown and the use of a paint that changes color with the light and costs $2,100 a pint. Falcon can give you a simple pared-down look, or a style that is far more impressive - and expensive - than Voodoo's.
....
You will not necessarily get a better PC if you decide to go with the more expensive companies, but you will get a more elegant one. Voodoo's well-built, impeccably designed machine is an impressive monster that wears its price on its sleeve and is the perfect choice for people who buy $100 ballpoint pens. If I had my choice of the PC's evaluated for this article, I would probably have taken the Falcon, which was straightforward, gave me no problems and, unlike the Voodoo, fit in the PC cabinet of my desk.
As you can read from the final paragraph lifted from the article, the reviewer picks the Falcon Mach V as his favorite (does it ever get boring to win all the time?), but in the end picks no clear winner between the combatants, and ends up really just writing an advertisement for the boutique system manufacturers (not that that's a bad thing). ;-) Click here to read the rest of the article if the mood strikes you.
06/17/03
Remember the Frag Box that I mentioned a few posts back? Remember the guy who created the logo for the Frag Box, Barry Smith? Well, he runs a little web site called ink tank that features his artwork and his daily comic strip. Barry sent word that he had documented his purchase of a brand-spanking new Mach V on his page! He goes into pretty good detail on the process of deciding what he wanted in his rig, why he chose to go with a Mach V, and the experience of opening the "big black boxes" when his Mach V finally arrived on his doorstep! It's a great read, and highly recommended! Go here to read the entire article, or before you go, click on the thumb below to check out the awesome custom case that Barry designed for his new Mach V!
06/10/03
If you pick up a copy of the latest issue of Computer Gaming World, you are most certainly in for a treat! The latest issue not only features a Falcon Mach V on it's cover, but also features an amazing review of a Canterwood (800 MHz FSB) 3 GHz Pentium based system within it's pages! The system receives the coveted "Editor's Choice Award" and is hearled as "hands down the fastest machine I've tried thus far" Here's a snip from the article:
When it comes down to it, Falcon makes rigs that aren't for the faint of heart. At more than $4,000, it takes a discerning palate to know exactly how to appreciate the subtleties the Mach V brings to the table. Subtleties aside, however, the fact remains that the Canterwood-based Mach V I tested here is hands down the fastest machine I've tried thus far. If pure speed is what you want, you'll be hard-pressed to outdo this machine.
Another awesome review to be sure! Click on the thumbs below to read the rest of the article!
06/04/03
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems today released a sneak peek of the latest addition to their blindingly fast line-up of super computers, THE FRAG BOX! Here's a quick run-down on the new box from Falcon Northwest president Kelt Reeves: The FragBox was designed for LAN Gamers, and for those who've thought about going to LAN parties but haven't wanted to deal with the hassle of unplugging all the cables from their home system and schlepping a 40 pound tower and 50 pound 21" monitor around for an evening's fun. The FragBox is only 8" wide, 8" high, 12" deep; weighs only 14 pounds; and has an integrated handle that makes toting it around a snap. Best of all, it's priced so affordably that no one will have to sacrifice a fully loaded desktop to add a FragBox to their arsenal. We plan to introduce the basic FragBox unit later this month at $999.00.
Intel 2.6 GHz Processor
It's a lot of power for a little box. In addition we'll have lightweight flat panels, headsets, and other LAN-friendly accessories available. Check out falcon-nw.com soon for the official announcement! Wow! This thing looks way cool! I'm not a big LAN gamer myself, but with this thing in my arsenal, I may have to change my ways! If only for the satisfaction of seeing all of the envious eyes turn my way when I walk into a LAN party with this baby! Frag Box Trivia: 1. Did you know that the Frag Box name was suggested by yours truly? That's right gang, the Falcon Northwest Fan Page webmaster himself is now immortalized forever by the Falcon Northwest Frag Box! 2. Did you know that the Frag Box logo was designed by Barry Smith from inktank.com ? More details to come! Check back often for more updates on this amazing new computer!
04/30/03
Eagle-eyed reader M. Wells sent along an email letting me know about a review he saw of a Falcon Mach V on the cable TV show Tech TV. After seeing the review, he went to the Tech TV website and found the page that mentioned the on-air review and sent it along! While the site does have a cool picture of the rig, which I've posted above, it really doesn't go into much depth on what the show liked or disliked about the Mach V. The page lists the components, and mentions a battery of tests in passing, but never really goes out on a limb to recommend the system. Here's a snip: Falcon Northwest delivered a solid system that didn't give us a single problem during testing. We were a little disappointed that the front-accessible FireWire port was wired using a loop-back into the case from a three-port PCI card. Why Falcon Northwest didn't use a FireWire card with an internal connection remains a mystery, as the looped cable on the back of the case detracted from the case's otherwise clean appearance. Go here to read the rest of the review!
04/26/03
Falcon Northwest sent along a pic of their case being displayed at the CeBit show this year. As you can see from the picture, the Falcon case is keeping company with some very cool prototype cases that will be introduced by CoolerMaster in the near future. Click on the thumb below to make it big!
04/18/03
I have another blistering Mach V review for you this morning. It's from PC Magazine.com, which actually documents a head-to-head competition between Falcon Northwest, Dell and Gateway. Falcon whipes the floor (again) with the competition and wins 11 out 13 benchmarks! The site does not give Falcon the Editor's Choice award, but hands that honor to Gateway's latest offering, for what reason I have no idea. Both systems received the same score. I am guessing that the final decision probably came down to price (yawn). Here's a clip from the Falcon Mach V review:
The word enthusiast comes up in reviews surrounding a flagship platform, and few companies live to serve enthusiasts like Falcon Northwest. Its Mach V Exotix systems are beautiful, thanks to custom paint jobs like the EverQuest scene ($695 direct) on our review box. And the systems are powerful, thanks to the latest in technology.
The Mach V is the only true implementation of the new platform here, and it comes with the highest price. The machine has the first 10,000-rpm SATA drives we've come across: two 36.7GB units from Western Digital. They're in an 875P-supported RAID 0 configuration, providing somewhat modest storage at blistering data-transfer speeds.
Extra storage comes from the Sony DRU-500A Dual RW DVD/CD drive, which burns all formats of DVD and CD except DVD-RAM. Disc-to-disc work is handled by another 16x DVD-ROM, and there is a floppy disk drive. Besides the Microsoft Windows XP Home OS, the only other software is entry-level video editing and Roxio EZ CD Creator.
Though all the machines we looked at here rely on the Audigy 2 for a FireWire port, only Falcon Northwest has a cable connecting that port to a front-panel jack. The price doesn't include any speakers to attach to the great sound card, however, or a monitor to connect to the top-notch ATI Radeon 9800 Pro.
The system certainly has everything a true gamer would want, with a wicked paint scheme to boot! Go here if you want to read the entire roundup.
04/13/03
The latest issue of CPU magazine has a bit of an unusual feature in it's pages this month. The magazine asked the three top game system manufacturer's to send them their best of the best systems, and the magazine would showcase them. When I say "showcase" that's exactly what I mean. This was not a head-to-head competition between the three manufacturers (Alienware, Voodoo and Falcon Northwest). It was merely an article that showed just how far you could go with a gaming system if you had "money is no object" financial backing. It's quite obvious from the article that Falcon Northwest was really the maker who took the magazine's advice and went all out. The system that Falcon sent along to the magazine is not just a Tippity Top Of The Top Box system, but also included a complete home theater system that runs from the computer and includes a top of the line Klipsch home theater speaker system matched to an Aragon Pre/Pro and amplifier! This is, by far the finest of the finest, and is described in the article as being "like driving a Ferrari while eating Filet Mignon with Ali Landry riding shotgun". I think that means they liked it! Click on the thumbs below to read the entire Falcon Northwest "showcase" feature:
04/03/03
I received an interesting e-mail from Falcon Northwest fan Rob Valk a few days ago, and I thought I would share with you what he had to say. Rob is from the Netherlands and is seriously into case modding. Although he did not say if he owned a Mach V himself, he did let me know about a special project that he had just completed. It seems the word "Valk" in dutch means "Falcon", and Rob had been searching for a logo to etch into his case window that would reflect the meaning of his name. He found the Falcon Northwest logo on-line, and after getting the OK from Falcon, etched the design into two pieces of Plexiglas and created the work of art you see below! Click on the thumbs for a better view.
03/26/03
Falcon Northwest in Maxim?
That's right kids! Falcon Northwest's Mighty Mach V is featured in the April issue of Maxim magazine in an article titled Da Love Shack. As I'm sure most of you know, Maxim is geared towards the 20 to 30 something male in search of the best of everything. Be it wine, women or song, Maxim has a suggestion for whatever you're in search of, and this article details what a "great bachelor pad needs" and what you'll need to survive once you "trade up from cinder blocks and plywood". The first page of the article displays a seductively posed model sitting on a particularly attractive home theater chair, and if you squint your eyes just right and look way in the background of the picture, you'll see the Mach V sitting in the corner with a guitar sitting on top of it. While the Mach V is not displayed in the way we would all like, it is kinda cool to see the machine getting some main stream press, right along side the half-naked women and the tips on how to keep your lady satisfied. ;-) Click on the thumbs below to read the article. The Mach V EXOTIX is featured in the first thumbnail.
03/15/03
Although Falcon Northwest and Maximum PC (formerly boot) magazine have had their ups and downs as far as accurate benchmarking and solid reviewing ethics is concerned, it seems the magazine has gotten the story straight as of late. A good example of this is the latest (April) issue of the magazine, that does nothing but heap praise on a particularly eye-catching version of a Mach V EXOTIX machine. Giving the rig 10's all around except when it came to the hard-drives included in the system. MAX PC falts Falcon on their choice of using the 2MB cache version of the 80GB IBM 180GXP hard drive run in a RAID 0 configuration, as opposed to the 8MB cache version. What is noteworthy about that observation is the fact that MAX PC points out that this would have no effect on the machine as far as framerates go, only slowing the beast down modestly during game load times. Overall a great review, with the Mach V coming in with a respectable score of 9. Click on the thumbs below for a closer look at the review.
03/07/03
Falcon Northwest has a long-standing tradition of one, kicking the competition to the curb in every one-on-one competition they've ever had the honor to be a part of and two, to win every "Editor's Choice" award presented by a gaming magazine. In most cases on multiple occasions. So, having said that, I must be honest in telling you that I was not surprised at all to find the latest iteration of the Mach V EXOTIX machine once again holding on to the "Editor's Choice" award in the April issue of PCGamer Magazine. The magazine could fine no fault in the machine. Which is good for Falcon, but bad for me because I don't get the opportunity to point out the moronic inconsistencies that the editors of the magazine usually display when reviewing a Mach V, but instead must limit my comments to positive, overflowing praise for the editors, who apparently took the time to get it right this time. ;-) Here's a snip from the review:
FINAL VERDCT
HIGHS: Great power at a reasonable price; top-quality custom paint job; 3000+ CPU; well-cooled and exceptionally quiet(sans GeForce FX).
LOWS: They won't let us keep it.
BOTTOM LINE: AMD or Intel, NVIDIA or ATI, PCs don't get any better than Falcon's newest Mach V.
A great, well-deserved review. Falcon Northwest once again proves they are the best in the business by not only providing the fastest, most reliable machine on the planet, but also the most beautiful. Click on the thumb below to read the rest of the review!
03/04/03
As a long-standing traditon, the Falcon Northwest Fan Page has always been the exclusive "distributor" of the latest Falcon Northwest ads, and again as always we carry on that tradition. As most of you who read the gaming rags might have noticed, Falcon has started a new advertising campaign featuring a tag line that reads "What does your PC say about you?". Featuring the coolest EXOTIX cases the company has produced. The Gallery section of this site has just been updated with the first three ads from this advertising blitz that feature the beautiful American Flag Case, the Everquest Case (which you can purchase for yourself, if you're so inclined), and the exciting Lamborghini Yellow Case! Go to the Gallery section of the site to check out the new ads, or just click on the EQ thumb below.
02/23/03
O.K., so we dropped the ball on this review and missed it 11 days ago, but we're bringing it to you now, so don't whine. No one likes a whiner. Anyway, PCMag.com has slapped up a review of Voodoo, Polywell, ABS and Falcon Northwest machines. The review is unusual in the fact that they compare Falcon's new AMD 3000+ Barton with Intel P4 3.0 GHz and 2800+ Mach V's that they already had in house along with the competitors machines. The review shows the P4 3.0 GHz and 3000+ going at it neck and neck, and the review also gives a nod to the included 500-watt Cambridge Soundworks THX 550 5.1 Creative speakers and 19-inch NEC 1920NX flat panel display. In benchmarks, the Mach V beat the Voodoo machine (the next closest competitor) in four out of five benchmarks, and came in $3,200 cheaper in price! The Mach V lost in the 3DMark benchmarking suite because Voodoo decided to send in the migraine inducing wind tunnel vortex-developing GeForce FX card. PCMag.com made no mention of the cards incredible noise, nor did they mention all of the warranties that were voided because Voodoo paints all of it's components to match the cases they custom paint for their customers. Here's a clip from the review:
With Falcon Northwest, build-to-order takes on extra meaning—and extra cost. There's no denying how beautiful some of the Mach V Exotix cases can be, with their optional sports-car quality paint jobs. This time, we were pleased by a deep blue metal case reminiscent of a once-popular Jaguar XJS finish. You can always opt out on the custom paint job and save $399 off the $4,795 sticker price, but PC enthusiasts willing to pay to play might hardly notice the difference.
The Athlon 3000+ processor and 1GB of DDR memory maintain high gear with the addition of two 80GB 7,200-rpm hard drives set to a RAID (Level 0) configuration. We were a little surprised to find that a Mach V costing this much came with no writeable DVD, just a 16X DVD-ROM and fast 48X CD-RW. We also would like it if Falcon Northwest would implement an add-on to the metal case that allows for front USB and Firewire connectivity. This system comes with four USB 2.0 in the rear, and one Firewire on the Creative Labs Audigy sound card.
Audio from that sound card is ported to a mammoth, 500-watt Cambridge Soundworks THX 550 5.1 speaker system. This speaker setup is pricey, but provides amazing sound (and nearly rushes of wind) to whatever room it's placed in. Video is just as impressive, with the still formidable 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro feeding a beautiful 19-inch NEC 1920NX LCD monitor whose 25-ms latency is excellent for video playback.
Creating video files is a natural for high-end machines like this, but the Mach V only comes with Roxio Easy CD Creator, making it ready for just audio work out of the box. Once you add your own video software, as pros do, the machine will churn bits as fast as you like. While it only took first place (among the reviewed 3000+ systems) in our two gaming tests, it was a close enough second in the others to please us. Parts and labor are covered for three years, with the first year including overnight service.
If you want to check out the rest of the review, go here .
02/12/03
I have been receiving a lot of e-mails asking me what Falcon Northwest's stance is on the new and heavily criticized nVIDIA GeFORCE FX video card. Well, your questions are about to be answered by Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves! Kelt recently commented on the GeForce FX card in an article on PCWorld.com that profiled the card and asked for comments from OEM system builders. Here's a snip from the article:
For years, betting on nvidia's next product was a sure thing, but some high-end PC builders say they're not sure the GeForce FX is a winner.
"We'll be offering it," says Kelt Reeves, president of gaming-system manufacturer Falcon Northwest. "But we probably won't be actively recommending the card. It will only be right for people with very high-end resolution and anti-aliasing needs."
Given the long delays preceding the release of the GeForceFX--gamers and system-builders have been waiting for it since well before the chip's announcement--others are sure to consider the product a bit of a letdown.
"We're disappointed mainly because of where it is chronologically," Reeves says. "The card is fast, but we were announced as a launch partner at Comdex. The hype has been going on for so long, it would have had to go over the top to [measure up]."
If you want to read the rest of the article, go here to check it out.
02/11/03
Falcon Northwest continues it's now legendary tradition of producing the most beautiful computer cases on the market by shuttling out a case based on one of the supreme super cars in existence today, the Lamborghini Diablo! This example is a 1996 Diablo that was once owned by football superstar Jerry Rice, but is now in the collection of a gentleman who resides in southern Oregon. The case is painted Lamborghini yellow to perfectly match the car's finish, and I must say, is gorgeous! Click on the thumb below for a closer look!
02/07/03
PCWorld.com has posted a glowing review of a 2.25-GHz Athlon XP 2800+ Mach V that broke just about every benchmark record that the site had established up to that point, and solidly placed the Falcon Mach V squarely in second place on that sites "Top Recommended" systems (behind only a Gateway Media Center system, for what reason I have no idea). The Mach V garners every bit of praise a system of this caliber deserves, and is only marked down because of it's price (what else is new!). Here's a snip from the full review page:
WHAT'S HOT: With its candy-apple red case and brushed aluminum front panel, this gaming system is as good-looking as it is quick. Outfitted with a 2.25-GHz Athlon XP 2800+ CPU and a whopping gigabyte of DDR-333 SDRAM, it garnered a PC WorldBench 4 score of 132--one of the fastest systems running Windows XP Home Edition we've tested to date.
The system's power is complemented by a 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro video card with 128MB of memory, and 22-inch NEC MultiSync FE2111SB monitor--a perfect combination for gaming or movie watching. The Mach V earned impressive numbers in our high-end gaming tests, with fast frame rates even at a demanding 1600-by-1200 resolution. And the monitor displayed bright colors with crisp details in our image quality tests.
Audiophiles should be pleased when they hear the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speaker set (five satellites and a bass unit). It includes a center speaker for rounding out the sound from all of the channels. Paired up with the Creative Labs Audigy sound card, the speakers sent out powerful bass and crisp, clear treble notes in our audio and DVD movie tests.
Other high points include twin 180GB hard drives and a front-panel, 4-in-1 media reader that takes Memory Sticks, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and Secure Digital card storage media from digital devices like MP3 players and digital cameras. The system also has a near glut of optical drives--three to be exact: DVD-ROM, CD-RW, and DVD-RW. (The one drawback--possibly--is that there are no open external drive bays left.)
It's all about love except for the price (I wonder if potential Ferrari owners haggle over the price....)! Anyway, steer your hot steaming eyes to this page to read the rest of the review!
01/30/03
I always like to receive feedback from the readers of this page, whether they are Falcon Northwest fans or not. Most of the long letters of praise or questions concerning the Mach V or Talon a particular reader just purchased usually ends up on the letters page. But every so often I get a short message from a new or long-time owner that may not be a long work of literary prose, but deserves exposure none the less. So I decided that since it's been kind of a slow month for Falcon Northwest news, I would share three of the best short "to the point' comments I have received recently. Take a gander, and let me know if you would like me to continue to post comments like these.
Hello,
Feel free to add this to your Falcon Fan Page.
I have had a Falcon now for a number of years and words can not describe
what owning a Falcon is like. I have had NO trouble with my computer
(outside of operator error). I love my Falcon and plan to get another
Falcon in the furture. Lets face it,if i can get another Falcon, there's no
point in owning any other computer, PERIOD!! The two times I have had to
call tech support I was always treated very well,and I felt that the
person on the other end of the phone was very professional. There should
be no other choice if your looking for a great computer, custom built or
prebuilt, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE.
Thanks Falcon,
Dave Lampkins
Vincent,
My old Hewlett-Packard computer bit the dust in mid December. At that time all I was really interested in was searching the internet at 56kbs. While I had a few games, most of the new one's couldn't fit on a 200MHZ, 2G HD, 32K RAM system. So I decided why not make 2003 a year of going full out and start gaming?? Remembering some reviews of Falcon-NW (mainly Forbes) I decided to go with them.. The other gaming companies might be good options, I don't know - sometimes you just have to decide. So I called Falcon NW, talked to Jeremiah and decided to go and get a Talon 5.2 with NIC to change to cable modem...10 days later the system arrived..a day before XMAS.
So far both the cable modem and Talon have been stupendous. My main interest is Formula 1 racing games and this is great now to be Jim Clark driving the Nurburgring in "Grand Prix Legends" or Michael Schumacher driving Monaco in "F1 2002" with a force wheel MS steering wheel.. And this is with an old 14' monitor/basic 2 speaker system that is left over from the HP. I should upgrade both by next XMAS or 4th of July..maybe even Groundhog day...this will truly be a Ferrari system instead of a McLaren. Hopefully it will last for years and when it is time to upgrade, very very likely I will go Falcon Mach V.
Jim O
Vincent,
First off. Good job on the site.
I just ordered my second MachV last week and can hardly wait for its arrival. My first was a 1Gig AMD, GeForce2 64meg vid card with 256meg of PC133 RAM. After enjoying the stability and speed of this system over the last two years it was an easy choice to buy another one. (I never considered buying anything else!!)
Brian Kubli helped me with my first system and didn't push me to things I didn't need. When I called last week it was Brian who answered again!! I guess Falcon doesn't have the turnover that most PC manufacturers have. Once again he helped me pick out the system of my dreams. I am getting an AMD 2800+, GeForce4 TI4600 vid card (I am not fond of ATI drivers!!!) with 512meg of PC2700 RAM. And the new NForce2 ASUS motherboard. All the reviews I have read said this should be a solid performer. Plus I can upgrade to the GeForce FX should I feel the need since the MB is 8X AGP.
Keep up the good work.
A devoted Falcon Owner.
Ken
01/10/03
Mega review and all-around computer website CNET has posted yet another glowing review of a massive Mach V gaming computer! This time around, the site focuses in on a system that sports AMD's 2.25GHz Athlon XP 2800+ CPU, 1GB of 333MHz DDR SDRAM, and an ATI 128MB Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card! This system did not post the same kind of benchmark scores that Falcon's Pentium 3.0 system did last month, but it certainly held it's own, and was proclaimed the fastest AMD system the sight has ever reviewed! Here's a snip from the article: Falcon Northwest has built its reputation on selling premium systems that cater to the gaming needs of a highly demanding clientele. The latest iteration of its Mach V is no exception. Based on AMD's 2.25GHz Athlon XP 2800+ CPU, a whopping 1GB of 333MHz DDR SDRAM, and ATI's 128MB Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card, this system combines top-shelf components with Falcon's superior craftsmanship and support. But such attention to detail doesn't come cheap. At $3,995, the custom-painted, Athlon-based Mach V is pricey, but it will save you hundreds compared with the 3GHz P4-based Mach V we recently reviewed. Besides, this system is the fastest AMD-based system to pass through CNET Labs to date. The machine received an overall rating of 8.6 and came highly recommended by the editors of the site! Go here to check out the rest of the article!
01/04/03
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Falcon Northwest corporate site has gone through some interesting if not subtle changes to make it more user friendly and informative. One of the coolest fixes made to the site is it's expansion of the EXOTIX part of the page. There are many more images of Mach V custom painted cases, including what Falcon calls one of it's "most popular" cases, pictured below (click to enlarge):
If you are interested in seeing more of these amazingly painted cases, check out Falcon's special EXOTIX web site!
12/21/02
Website BayArea.com has posted an article that apparently appeared in bay area newspaper The Mercury News which highlights the growing trend of what they call "souped-up PC's". Of course Falcon Northwest is featured in the article, but with only a passing nod to their custom painted PC's, and a picture of an older custom Mach V. Here's a snip:
A trio of computer makers -- Alienware (www.alienware.com), VoodooPC (www.voodoopc.com), and Falcon Northwest (www.falcon-nw.com) -- creates specialty gaming machines for prices from $2,000 to $6,000. VoodooPC soups up its hot rod machines with custom-painted cases; it even sold a $38,000 gold-plated computer to a gamer in Saudi Arabia with an F-16 cockpit in his basement.
For those of you who are current or former Computer Gaming World magazine subscribers, you will recognize the expert interviewed in the piece to be former writer for that rag Loyd Case. Loyd was a well respected and much loved columnist for the magazine for quite some time, and definitely knows his stuff! Go here to read the rest of the article.
12/19/02
Have you seen Falcon Northwest's newest incarnation of their hipper-than-thou website? Completely redesigned to be easy on the eyes and even easier to navigate, Falcon Northwest brings the ease of self-configuration, system information, Frequently Asked Question foresight precognition and Support self-flagellation to your finger tips! Don't forget to check out the new graphics under the "Explore Falcon" section and especially don't miss our front and center link that Falcon has so graciously bestowed upon this humble page! Go here to check out the new page, or just click on the graphic above!
12/09/02
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems once again teams up with the finest in the business to bring you the fastest, most reliable gaming machines ever created! This time Falcon is in cahoots with graphics stalwarts nvidia to realize the greatness that is a Mach V with nvidia nForce2™ processor technology! The press release below details this partnership between two of the top names in the industry, and contains some great quotes from Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves and executive vice president of worldwide sales at nvidia, Jeff Fisher.
Falcon Northwest Breaks Performance Barrier with NVIDIA nForce2-Based MACH V PCs
Fully Customizable Desktop PCs Deliver Blazing Fast Performance and Advanced Features for Hard Core Gamers
For further information, contact:
Bryan Del Rizzo
NVIDIA Corporation
(408) 486-2772
bdelrizzo@nvidia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SANTA CLARA, CA—DECEMBER 9, 2002—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today announced that Falcon Northwest, one of the industry’s preeminent manufacturers of customizable, high-performing desktop PCs, has selected NVIDIA nForce2™ processor technology as the recommended platform for its line of award-winning Mach V™ gaming PCs. Gamers and hard core PC enthusiasts who place a premium on performance and speed can immediately order Mach V desktop PCs that take advantage of the leading performance and advanced features offered by the NVIDIA nForce2-based Leadtek WinFast K7NCR18D-Pro motherboard and the AMD Athlon™ XP 2800+ processor with 333MHz frontside bus memory technology.
“Gamers and hard core enthusiasts gravitate towards the coolest components, and those that give them the bragging rights when it comes to performance,” said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. “As evidenced by our recent review in PC Magazine issue 22, where our NVIDIA nForce2-based Mach V trounced the higher priced competitive solutions, the NVIDIA nForce2 platform outperforms, outpaces, and outclasses every other PC motherboard solution available today, making it the perfect technology foundation for our Mach V gaming PCs.”
With a starting price of just over $2,000, the Falcon Northwest Mach V systems include the faster AMD Athlon XP 2800+ processor, 512MB of PC2700 DDR memory, Coolermaster SocketA CPU Heatsink and Fan, 52X internal CD-ROM drive, and a Enermax Whisper 350 watt power supply. Using Falcon Northwest’s innovative online ordering system, customers interested in the Mach V gaming PC can fully customize their selection, choosing from a dizzying array of PC components, including coolers, gaming peripherals, fast memory modules, and removable storage devices. For those customers looking for a truly unique computing experience, Falcon Northwest also offers the Mach V Exotix upgrade program, a specialized custom design service that allows customers to personalize their Mach V system by selecting from a variety of color schemes, special imported paints, and custom graphics that are professionally applied to the outside of the mid-tower aluminum case.
“Falcon Northwest has done an awesome job in making their Mach V desktop PCs some of the most sought after customized gaming rigs in the country,” said Jeff Fisher, executive vice president of worldwide sales at NVIDIA. “Falcon’s Mach V systems contain the technology that makes gamers and hardcore enthusiasts green with envy—and we’re happy that our NVIDIA nForce2 platform processors are now available as part of this awesome computing platform.”
The Mach V series of gaming PCs can be customized online at www.falcon-nw.com and can be ordered over the phone by calling 888-FALCON-1 (888-325-2661).
About Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest Computer Systems, Inc. is an Oregon based manufacturer of high-end personal computers for game players and PC enthusiasts. Our MACH V series not only invented the category we now know as “Gaming PC’s”, but have led this emerging market since 1992. Falcon PCs are unique, hand crafted right down to their automotive grade custom paintwork and graphics. We make PCs for those who expect more from a computer. For more information about Falcon Northwest and our products, please visit www.falcon-nw.com
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corporation is a market leader in visual computing technology dedicated to creating products that enhance the interactive experience on consumer and professional computing platforms. Its graphics and communications processors have broad market reach and are incorporated into a wide variety of computing platforms, including consumer digital-media PCs, enterprise PCs, professional workstations, digital content creation systems, notebook PCs, military navigation systems and video games consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and employs more than 1,400 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.nvidia.com.
Certain statements in this press release, including the statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing alternatives, market acceptance of the Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Certain Business Risks," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
# # #
11/27/02
Smooth Creations is the name of the automotive painting company that Falcon Northwest depends on to create it's amazing custom painted cases for it's customers. Smooth Creations owner Jim Saling sent over some amazing pics of their latest creation with hopes that I would post them on this site. It took about a millisecond for me to decide if the case deserved the exposure. I truly think Jim and his partners have once again designed an amazing rig that anyone would be proud to own. Click on the thumbs below for a high-res look at this amazing case!
11/14/02
Reviews, reviews, reviews! We've got 'em for ya! No less than three mentions of the mighty Mach V today! So, without further adu, let's see how well we faired.... The first review is on PCMAG.COM, this review is very cool because it not only pits the Mach V against other PC's, but has, wait for it, TWO Mach V's in the competition! A Mach V AMD Athlon XP 2800+ and a Mach V Intel Pentium 4 3.0HT! As you probably guessed, these machines simply wiped the floor with the competition. Here's a snip from the write-up:
If you have the money, how could you not adore a custom Mach V system from Falcon Northwest? The metal cases are painted with the same quality as sports cars, and you can customize them with any logos, images, or colors you desire. If gaming, content creation, or video editing is your passion, then $4,000 to $5,000 might not seem too much to pay.
We tested the Mach V AMD Athlon XP 2800+ ($4,140 direct) and the Mach V Intel Pentium 4 3.0HT ($5,240). The Intel box Falcon submitted features a realistic American flag paint job that counts for $695 of the cost, and the AMD system had a black, almost mirror-like finish that added $545. Note that all this will cost you even more, as no monitors or speakers are included in the price quotes.
These are not just visual beauties. Falcon Northwest has proven to be a master of the enthusiast PC. Between the two Mach V systems, Falcon managed to snatch the top spot on all our performance tests. Interestingly, it's an even split: The Athlon-based machine took first on four tests, as did the P4 model.
"Falcon managed to snatch the top spot on all of our performance tests", The second review is on PCWORLD.COM, this one sets up a grudge match between three 3.06-GHz P4 systems, each containing 1GB of PC1066 RDRAM and running Windows XP Pro. The problem is, we never really find out who was the winner. It's more of an expose' on Intel's new hyperthreading technology. Kind of a waste of a possible Mach V competition slaughter, but whattya gonna do? Here's a snip:
PC World tested three shipping 3.06-GHz P4 systems, each containing 1GB of PC1066 RDRAM and running Windows XP Pro. (For now, hyperthreading works only with Windows XP and Linux 2.4.x, which can recognize the technology and use it as they would physical dual processors). The P4 systems tested included Falcon Northwest's Mach V ($3288), Gateway's 700XL ($4158), and Dell's 8250 ($3419). Each PC was loaded with high-end components and ready for the most demanding computing tasks.
The shipping comparison machines consisted of Falcon's Athlon XP 2800+ Mach V with 1GB of DDR333 SDRAM ($2786) and Xi's MTower DPR with two Xeon CPUs and 512MB of PC800 RDRAM ($3924). Both comparison systems also run Windows XP Pro; all Intel systems were tested with hyperthreading both on and off.
On the PC WorldBench 4 test suite, hyperthreading showed little effect. That's no surprise, given that the multiprocessor-aware OS imposes its own overhead, and Intel predicted that standard business applications (such as those in PC WorldBench 4) would show little performance gain when run individually.
The Athlon XP system scored 130 on PC WorldBench 4, besting all three P4 systems as well as the dual-Xeon unit. In fact, the score for each P4 system was either the same or slightly worse with hyperthreading turned on; the Falcon experienced the biggest drop, scoring 127 with the feature disabled and 121 with it enabled.
Go here if you want to learn more about Intel's new technology that promises dual processor speeds from a single processor. And last but not least, CNET.COM slapped up a true knock-down drag out, no holds barred competition between four 3.06GHz P4-based systems from Falcon Northwest, Dell, Gateway, and Xi Computer. Falcon, of course, came away with the Editor's Choice award, garnering an overall score of 9.0. Here's a bit from the article: Got money to burn? If you can spend it on designer handbags, jeans, and water, why not spring for a designer computer? Enter the eminently configurable, superfashionable Falcon Northwest Mach V. We looked at a $4,645 configuration--just one of the customizable possibilities--of this highest-end machine. A good chunk of this nosebleed-high price pays for its 3GHz Pentium 4 processor, the fastest processor currently on the market, and top-notch peripherals, such as the audiophile-quality Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 digital speaker system, to say nothing of the $515 custom-painted Coolermaster ATC-110 case. Though dauntingly expensive, the Mach V is physically stunning and ideal for gaming, home theater, video authoring, and almost anything else. Overall an excellent review. I highly recommend you read the rest of this review on the CNET website, as it is pretty comprehensive, and goes over a lot of the features the system has to offer, accompanied by a plethora of pictures. Go here to check out the review.
11/06/02
German news site Der Spiegel has posted an article detailing in their words "America's paint fetish" when it comes to having our computers customized with wild colors and artwork to make them unique and interesting. Unfortunately the site is in German, so most of us in the west will have a hard time reading it. But never fear, the Falcon Northwest Fan Page comes through once again for ya and provides the following translation of the article courtesy of someone very close to Falcon Northwest! Check it out:
Paint Fetish for Gamers
One who goes with his PC into the world of three-dimensional games sooner or later needs a more capable machine. For the true gamers in the USA, even that is no longer enough.
Ashland/Mesquite --- “Imagine your favorite color. And then think of it in sparkling metallic under a coat of clear laquer…the vehicle (or companion) of your dreams.” No, that’s not a bad advertisement for an automobile. It’s about the ultimate finish for the case of the Mach V. For $399 US and after a two-week wait, promises the manufacturer Falcon Northwest, a computer tower will become a fetish, lifetime guarantee on the paint included.
But it’s not just any machine. It is, according to the immodest self-assessment of the manufacturer, “the first and last word in the field of gaming PCs.” With a final price of up to $10,000 US, the Mach V is among the most expensive high-end machines that are being built for gamers at this time.
In spite of the high price and a generally sinking demand in the PC market, firms like Falcon Northwest or Alienware have very full order books. “Business is phenomenal. We can’t catch up anymore,” says Falcon founder Kelt Reeves. At this time a customer must wait from three to five weeks. But that’s okay, the fans of photorealistic PC games wait patiently and pay almost any price for their new toy.
Reeves, who founded Falcon Northwest about ten years ago at the same time as the beginning of the 3-D game “Doom,” has a lucrative market niche. The growing complexity of computer games, with their photorealistic graphics, brings the usual commercial PC quickly to the edge of its capability. Analyst Michael Gartenberg from Jupiter Research got carried away, remarking “Games are, after the decoding of the human genome, the most demanding thing there is.” Roger Kay from the market research firm IDC believes nevertheless that the market for more and more beautiful and unusual PCs will not continue to grow. “That is just something for fanatics. By far the majority of computer buyers still consider the price,” he told the US news agency AP.
Falcon founder Reeves sees it differently. In his experience, for the fans of PC games it’s no longer just a matter of speed, graphics, and sound. “The desire to boast of beauty and power is growing.”
This trend toward self-expression is also apparent at the conventions of game fans. It sparkled and glittered in the municipal hall of the Texas town of Mesquite when around 1300 gamers met there in the middle of August to network. Among the dull gray-beige there are mixed more and more view-windows, gleaming ventilators and light organs. A participant, Melinda Buckley from Valdosta, built her machine as a miniature model of a tank from World War II. “When I have the money for it, it will get a remote control,” she said.
There are a few pictures of cases from Falcon Northwest and other manufacturers on the site. If you want to check them out, go here .
10/30/02
A quick update for you today - As of November 1st, all of Falcon Northwest's custom Mach V class systems will come with a 3 year parts & labor warranty as standard. This also includes (as it does currently), 1 year of Falcon Northwest's "Falcon Overnight" two-way overnight shipping policy (where if you have a problem with your Mach V within the first year of ownership, Falcon Northwest will pick up the system from your home, ship it back to their facility, fix it, and ship it back to you, all on their dime). Of course all the components in the Mach V's are still covered by the manufacturer's individual warranties as well. If you are currently an owner of a Mach V and would like to upgrade your current 1 year parts & labor warranty to the new 3 year plan, this will be available at a cost of $199.00.
10/24/02
Former Falcon Northwest employee Julian Cordle went on assignment for the fan page to get an exclusive interview with Falcon Northwest General Manager Bradd Berdleman, and came back with some very interesting answers! Bradd talks about customers reactions to the new EXOTIX cases, ATI's resurgence into the gaming industry, and what he is planning to have for lunch this Friday! A fascinating read for sure! Go here to read the interview!
10/16/02
Up here in Washington State where I live, we have a week-long event called SeaFair every year in July. Along with Hydro-plane races and parades, the number one attraction of this celebration of our countries' independence is the appearance of the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels are an elite group of Navy and Marine Corps fighter pilots that travel across the country doing air acrobatic shows to the delight of millions each year. As it says on the official web site of the Blue Angels, their mission is to "enhance Navy Recruiting and credibly represent Navy and Marine Corps to the United States and it's armed forces to America and other countries as international ambassadors of goodwill." If you ever get a chance to check out their show, it's a must see. I've seen it a hundred times and every single time it makes me feel proud to be an American. Falcon Northwest's latest EXOTIX case also gives a great feeling of pride in the strength of America and is one of their most beautiful cases yet. Click on the thumb below for a closer look.
10/11/02
Falcon Northwest just keeps racking up the awards over at Computer Shopper! In the November issue Computer Shopper names it's top 100 products of 2002, and Falcon comes in at number one in the desktop systems category! There's also a couple of cool blurbs in the mag. One showing the actual list of the top five systems, which Falcon landed on the top of, and an article that talks about the paint jobs that a lot of computer manufacturer's are offering these days, with a special highlight on how cool Falcon's offerings are! Click on the thumbs below to read the articles!
10/02/02
Two, count 'em, TWO press releases in involving Falcon Northwest were released yesterday. The first involving Falcon's use of nVIDIA's new nForce2 technology in conjuction with AMD's Athlon XP 2800+ processors. Here's a clip from the release that includes a quote from Falcon Northwest President, Kelt Reeves:
"I'm amazed at what nForce2 and the AMD Athlon XP 2800+ can deliver," said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. "Based on our analysis, it’s delivering better performance with DDR333 than equivalent 1066 RDRAM based systems--and at a considerable cost savings. Teamed with the fastest Athlon XP processors to date, nForce2 and Athlon XP is dollar-for-dollar the best gaming platform on the market, and we look forward to building blazing fast systems around these innovative and impressive technologies."
If you want to check out the rest of the press release, go here .
The second press release published yesterday talks about AMD's new Athlon XP 2800+ processor, and how it will initially only be available in custom gaming rigs. Here's the whole thing:
AMD Athlon™ XP Processor 2800+ Will Boost Performance For Gamers And PC Enthusiasts
— New Faster Front-side Bus Will Enable AMD Athlon™ XP Processor 2800+ to Pack Powerful Performance Punch on Real-World Applications —
SUNNYVALE, CA -- October 01, 2002 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced Fall availability of the world’s highest performing PC processor, the AMD Athlon™ XP processor 2800+ featuring an advanced 333 front-side bus (FSB). With data throughput gains of up to 25 percent, the AMD Athlon XP processor 2800+ will boost performance across the board on real-world applications. AMD also announced Fall availability of the AMD Athlon XP processor 2700+ with the advanced 333 FSB.
Limited edition desktop systems featuring the AMD Athlon XP processor 2800+ targeted at PC enthusiasts and gamers are expected to be available in late November exclusively from premier enthusiast PC manufacturers ABS, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, MicronPC and Voodoo PC. “Digital entertainment, particularly gaming, is driving the need for innovative technology to enhance the overall computing experience for today’s PC users,” said Ed Ellett, AMD vice president of Client Business. “The AMD Athlon XP processor 2800+ with its advanced 333 FSB is the ultimate processor for PC customers who demand the highest levels of performance.”
“With Unreal Tournament 2003, we've raised the bar and delivered a game that allows PC users to turn up the detail high enough to challenge the most powerful personal computer systems available,” said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games Inc. “The AMD Athlon XP processor 2800+ is totally up to the challenge. It will deliver the kind of awesome performance demanded by most serious gamers.”
AMD partners with industry-leading graphics solutions and chipset developers to help ensure that platforms based on AMD Athlon XP processors provide customers with world-class system performance. The AMD Athlon XP processors 2800+ and 2700+ combined with such innovations as AGP 8X and PC3200 DDR SDRAM will deliver exceptional software performance. “Our nForce2 platform processors were designed to support AMD's faster 333 FSB, and we are truly amazed with the performance of the new AMD Athlon XP processors 2800+ and 2700+,” said Drew Henry, general manager of platform business at NVIDIA. “nForce2-based systems and motherboards featuring NVIDIA and AMD processors will offer consumers the perfect blend of price and performance, and deliver a platform primed to take advantage of today's popular digital media and business applications.”
“The VIA Apollo KT400 chipset is engineered to take full advantage of the new AMD Athlon XP processors 2700+ and 2800+ with the advanced 333 FSB, delivering the maximum 2.7GB/s of memory bandwidth to the processor,” said Richard Brown, director of marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “As the only Socket A chipset with AGP 8X currently available in the marketplace, the KT400 will be the chipset platform of choice for gamers and enthusiasts looking to upgrade to the new advanced 333 FSB enabled processors.”
Availability
Limited edition desktop systems featuring the AMD Athlon XP processor 2800+ are expected to be available in late November exclusively from premier enthusiast PC manufacturers ABS, Alienware, Falcon NW, MicronPC and Voodoo PC.
AMD has begun shipping samples of the AMD Athlon XP processors 2800+ and 2700+ to computer manufacturers for system availability expected in late November.
Pricing
The AMD Athlon XP processors 2800+ and 2700+ will be priced at $397 and $349, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities. For pricing on other AMD processors, please visit: http://www.amd.com/pricing.
About the AMD Athlon™ XP Processor
The AMD Athlon XP processor features QuantiSpeed™ architecture, 384KB of on-chip, full-speed cache, and support for AMD's 3DNow!™ Professional instructions for enhanced multimedia capabilities. The AMD Athlon XP processor is compatible with AMD's Socket A infrastructure, and supports the advanced 266 or 333 front-side bus (FSB). AMD Athlon XP processors are manufactured using AMD's 0.13 micron copper process technology in Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany.
About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor’s 500 company, produces microprocessors, Flash memory devices, and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $3.9 billion in 2001. (NYSE: AMD).
AMD on the Web
For more AMD news and product information, please visit our virtual pressroom at www.amd.com/news/virtualpress/index.html. Additional press releases are available at www.amd.com/news/news.html.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, 3DNow!, and combinations thereof, and QuantiSpeed are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.
As these new EXOTIX cases roll out of the factory, I get more and more questions about what can and cannot be painted on these amazing cases. I've said it once, I've said it a million times, your imagination is the only limit on these designs! You can have anything that is physically possible to paint put on your case. Be creative! Put your clan logo, your mother's picture, your dog's smiling drooling face! Whatever! Go for it! Speaking of coolness, here's another example of what a very hip logo can do for your humdrum computer chasis, this one was slapped together for the system that will take on all comers in this year's Ultimate Gaming Machine contest for Computer Gaming World magazine. Click on the thumb to enlarge the picture.
09/20/02
We knew this day would come, it was inevitable. Falcon Northwest must use the absolute best components in it's systems, and amazingly enough ATI has knocked nVIDIA off of it's proverbial pedestal and released the fastest video card that money can buy! ATI and Falcon Northwest officially announced it's collaboration yesterday in this official press release:
ATI's VPU takes over as Falcon Northwest's high-performance graphics card of choice Wednesday, September 18, 2002 MARKHAM, Ontario - ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:ATY, NASDAQ:ATYT) today announced that the new feature-rich RADEON™ 9700 PRO has been chosen by Falcon Northwest to power their Mach V custom built extreme gaming systems. The visual processing unit (VPU) from ATI is also blazing a trail at Falcon Northwest, with 90 per cent of buyers choosing the RADEON 9700 PRO as their card of choice. By incorporating eight parallel rendering pipelines, Microsoft® DirectX® 9 support, AGP 8X support and a fully programmable floating point architecture, ATI's RADEON 9700 PRO has earned its place as a truly revolutionary graphics chip, delivering high-speed performance and cinematic quality to the gaming and enthusiast market. "ATI's RADEON 9700 PRO is the fastest thing on the planet right now, and we're pleased to make it a part of our Mach V line of gaming PCs," stated Kelt Reeves, President of Falcon Northwest Computer Systems. "The RADEON 9700 chipset has come charging out of the gates to become the undisputed speed champion. ATI is the new card of choice in our Mach V gaming PCs." ATI's RADEON 9700 PRO incorporates revolutionary architecture focusing on performance, precision and programmability. The feature-rich VPU also includes SMARTSHADER™ 2.0, SMOOTHVISION™ 2.0, HYPER Z™ III, and VIDEOSHADER™, the industry's first architecture to use programmable pixel shaders to accelerate video streaming. "The unparalleled success of the RADEON 9700 PRO line-up of graphics boards showcases ATI's commitment to providing gamers with the ultimate graphics experience," said Matt Skynner, Director, Graphics Partner Marketing, ATI Technologies, Inc. "ATI set the bar higher than ever with the launch of the RADEON 9700 PRO VPU. Falcon Northwest's customers are showing their strong support through their purchase choices, confirming that the RADEON 9700 PRO is by far the best board on the market." The Falcon Northwest Mach V gaming systems are currently available with the new RADEON 9700 PRO at www.falcon-nw.com. Copyright 2002 ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice. About ATI Technologies ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world's foremost visual processor unit (VPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console and handheld markets. With 2001 revenues in excess of US $1 billion, ATI has more than 1,900 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY). Contact Information For media or industry analyst support, visit our Web site at http://www.ati.com .
Other ATI Contacts:
For Information:
For investor relations support, please contact:
09/15/02
The wait is over. My time has come. I have been desiring, nay, lusting for a Mach V EXOTIX case since they began rolling out of the Falcon Northwest build facility a few short months ago, and now I have my own. It's not just any old case. No. That would not do. I thought long and hard about what I wanted on my Mach V and could only come to one conclusion. The melding of two of my favorite things on earth. The Falcon Northwest Mach V and the Honda S2000. What could be better? Two powerhouses put together to form the best of the best. I am calling it....
Click on the thumb below to learn more.
09/05/02
Hey guys and gals! I have another cool Mach V review for you from PCMAG.COM! This time the mighty Mach V is in "competition" with the likes of Dell, Gateway, IBM and MicronPC to try and hold it's ground as the fastest in the land. Do I really need to go into detail on how well the Mach V did? Here's a snip of the Mach V part of the article. I think it says it all:
The Falcon Northwest Mach V Exotix managed to attain clear performance supremacy on our benchmark tests. And, as with any custom-painted Exotix system, the Mach V takes top honors for looks, too. Forgoing the custom case will knock over $630 off the $3,816 sticker—good, considering that the price does not include a monitor or speakers.
Helping the new Intel chip along is 512MB of fast 1,066-MHz RDRAM, as well as two 80GB hard drives in a RAID Level 0, or striped, configuration. These components—plus the new ATI Radeon 9700 card—guaranteed success on our business and graphics tests. Performance-wise, we couldn't find a thing to dislike.
The terrific Creative Labs Audigy sound card couples with a DVD drive and software decoding to offer true six-channel support. At this price, some kind of DVD-writable drive would have been nice, in lieu of the included CD-RW.
The powerhouse ships light on software, with Windows XP Home and no productivity suites. But gamers won't mind much. This is really a power user's dream machine—even if adding a monitor and speakers puts it well into the price realm of fantasy for most. When spending this much, however, you'll have to add a little more to get three years of warranty coverage, as the Mach V has only one year standard.
Although PCMag does hem and haw about the systems price, they do admit it is the finest system in the roundup by stating "The Falcon Northwest Mach V Exotix managed to attain clear performance supremacy on our benchmark tests". But, unfortunately because the Falcon is a bit more expensive than the others, they gave the Editor's Choice Award to the Dell which came in a somewhat distant second in the benchmark scoring. It's the old adage that I have been using since I started this page almost four years ago, you get what you pay for! You want the fastest rig on the planet, well those parts don't come cheap, and the techs that put these beauties together deserve to be paid the big bucks! Just keep that in mind when deciding which gaming computer to buy!
Go here to read the entire PCMag review, and go here to see the results of the benchmarks that PCMag ran on all of the systems (this chart really shows how much the Falcon Mach V dominated the competition).
08/30/02
The Falcon Northwest corporate page has posted some new EXOTIX cases in their gallery section for you to drool over. The coolest new one that hasn't been featured on this site is probably the one Falcon did for Maximum PC magazine. It's a very cool looking case that is painted like a vintage BMW. Click on the thumb below for a shot of the Maximum PC cover featuring this rig, and go to Falcon's gallery page for a shot from the article itself that shows some details on how the painting process for this case worked!
08/26/02
CNN.COM has posted an awesome article on the latest trend of souped-up PC's that not only have a lot of power, but also look awesome. Of course, they had to go to the source of this trend and get a few comments from Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves, who, as we all know, he invented the gaming PC! Here's a snip:
Ashland, Oregon-based Falcon Northwest began by building a few high-end systems for gamers wanting the three-dimensional world of demons and weapons to run smoothly.
With today's games striving for photorealism, there's plenty of demand for more power.
"Business is phenomenal," Reeves said. "It's more than we can handle, actually."
Kelt Reeves, who formed Falcon Northwest about 10 years ago when id Software Inc. released the iconographic game "Doom," is widely considered the creator of the gaming computer market.
Amazing! Just amazing! In all of my years of running this page, all I have wanted is for someone to give Falcon Northwest and Kelt Reeves the credit that they deserve! Finally! Some recognition! If you would like to read the rest of this excellent article, just click here .
08/22/02
Sorry for the lack of updates guys, it's just been a little slow around the office lately. But I do have another exclusive for you, and I hope that makes up for the lack of fresh goings on.
Do these new EXOTIX cases seem to be taking on a life of their own? For the love of God, they are by far the most popular computer gaming machines that Falcon Northwest has ever offered! And they're not just being made for you and I, but gaming companies are also jumping on the bandwagon and demanding their own custom rigs! In the pix below you'll find a couple of cases that Falcon designed for graphics board manufacturer ATI, and they're a couple of beauties! These cases are currently being used at tradeshows and conventions to show off ATI's latest foray into the graphics board market. Click on the thumbs for a larger view....
08/06/02
Once again The Falcon Northwest Fan Page comes through with another exclusive! Presented below for your perusal is the latest Mach V "EXOTIX" hand painted case! This one has a WWII bomber motif, and is one of the cooler cases to come out of the Ashland compound in quite sometime! Click on the thumbs to take a closer look!
Quick Update: Long time reviewer and friend of the Falcon Northwest Fan Page, Ryan McCaffrey, has moved on to greener pastures and scored himself a gig over at AVault . His second review, this one for Warcraft III, has just been posted here . His first review, for Soldier Of Fortune II: Double Helix, which I somehow forgot to post (Doh!), can be read on this page . Send congratulations and well wishes to Ryan on his first major gig to this e-mail address. Excellent Job Ryan! Keep up the great work!
07/30/02
They just keep rollin' in! This week I've got a letter from Mach V fan Carl Tsui, who chose his Mach V after careful consideration of another brand. Take a click over to the letters page to read Carl's reasons for his decision (speed, cool blue lights, and a well made case are a few of them...)!
07/23/02
Fan letters? Do we have fan letters? We have so many fan letters, it'll take me two weeks to post them all! Today's is from a Falcon Mach V owner who calls herself "Deleriously Happy DeAnna" and I don't think I need to tell you why she is so happy! Go to the letters page to read about DeAnna's incredible Mach V experience!
07/19/02
The Falcon Northwest corporate page has unveiled a new "EXOTIX" gallery highlighting some of the cool cases that Falcon has produced for it's customers. There are a couple in there that I haven't seen before, but most have already been featured as exclusives to the Falcon Northwest Fan Page. These cases are pretty amazing, and if you are on the edge as to whether or not you want to spend the extra dough to customize your case, these shots may tip the scales for you. Go here to check out the gallery, or just click on the thumbnail below!
07/16/02
Newly christened Falcon Mach V owner Steve Whitfield is REALLY enjoying his new Falcon Mach V! How can I tell? Well, Steve took the time to write two fan letters! One about his experience with Falcon Northwest, and their superior customer service, and one praising this very site! Go to the letters page to read Steve's wonderful prose.
07/09/02
PC World.com posted a review of a 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 Mach V back at the end of June, and unfortunately it slipped through our radar at that time, but we've got it for you now! It's a pretty good review, nothing too spectacular, but it does garner a four star rating from the site and end with the same old downside comment of "It's gonna cost ya", like we've seen a million times before. Here's a snip:
This Falcon Northwest Mach V--a different configuration than the slightly older Mach V that's based on a 1.73-GHz Athlon XP 2100+ CPU--is well equipped for entertainment. The 19-inch, flat-face ViewSonic P95F monitor rendered delicious colors and sharp, easily readable text. The top-of-the-line Xtasy Ti 4600 graphics board paired with the display to deliver excellent gaming performance, with smooth motion and crisp, clear images at all resolutions. The PC itself is also nice to look at: The stout aluminum case of our test system came with red lacquered side panels (you can choose any custom automobile paint color, though the spray job will cost you $399 extra). The system arrived well equipped, but still had six open drive bays (three suitable for removable-media drives) and three open PCI slots for further expansion. On the audio front, the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 speakers delivered full, powerful sound in our CD audio tests and excellent surround sound from DVD movies (which looked sharp and played smoothly).
Loaded with Intel's new 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 and a gigabyte of 266-MHz DDR memory, this Mach V scored 122 on our PC WorldBench 4 tests--one point better than a Dell Dimension 8200 with the same configuration; it may derive some of its speed from the twin 60GB hard drives connected to a RAID controller.
Overall a good review with a high recommendation to those who demand the best from their gaming experience. Go here to read the rest of the article.
07/02/02
I recently received another great fan letter from a new Mach V owner that I thought all of you would enjoy reading. This one is from Matt Reba, and Matt extols the virtues of owning a Mach V in a very familiar story about dissatisfaction with his current run-of-the-mill computer, and his eventual re-birth into the world of Super Computer Gaming after purchasing a Falcon Mach V! But don't let me take all of the wind out of Matt's sails, go to the letters page and read the letter yourself!
07/01/02
Remember that CNET.COM review I posted details on way back on May 23rd? The Mach V that was reviewed was a custom ordered "Taxi Cab" design EXOTIX paint job. At the time I didn't have any good shots of it, but Falcon Northwest has been gracious enough to send along a shot for all of you to take a gander at. I will withold judgement at this time, but let's just say it's a little different. Click on the thumb below for a larger version.
06/25/02
The Chicago Tribune website has posted an interesting article on the state of the high-end PC market which includes comparisons between the likes of Dell, Hewlett Packard, Alienware and of course, Falcon Northwest. It's a very good read, but really is aimed at the general consumer, as it provides very little detailed information on what you get for your money, and stops short of saying that it's actually worth it to spend the money to get the best. Overall an informative article if you are looking to make the plunge into high-end PC Gaming. The article is not that long, so I've posted it below in it's entirety:
Game enthusiasts power their PCs for play
By Steven L. Kent. Special to the Tribune. Steven L. Kent is a freelance writer based in Issaquah, Wash
Published June 24, 2002
Some video games are better suited for a PC than a game console.
First-person perspective shooters--including "Quake," "Half-Life" and the coming "Doom II"--are popular examples. Others include strategy games and, obviously, those that require a mouse.
While consoles are ideal for sports simulations and even adventure titles, certain game genres are simply best on a loaded PC.
But real PC gaming power comes at a price--and a hitch.
Even though many new games, such as LucasArts Entertainment Co.'s "Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast" and Take 2 Interactive's "Age of Wonders II," say they will work on a PC with a Pentium II or faster, the publishers really mean the games will barely run--expect jagged graphics and painfully slow performance.
You can run spreadsheets with standard graphics cards and minimal memory; but Bethesda Softworks recommends 256 megabytes of random access memory (with Windows XP/2000) and an Nvidia GeForce2 or an ATI Radeon 7500 video card for your PC if you want to play "Morrowind," the third installment in the "Elder Scrolls" game series.
For ideal gaming conditions, PCs need processing speed, an up-to-date graphics card and sufficient memory. Entering a "Team Fortress" frag-fest with anything less and you'll get bounced.
While big computer-makers such as Hewlett-Packard offer game-ready PCs, smaller companies, such as Alienware and Falcon Northwest, specialize in gaming computers.
PCs targeted at gamers
For gamers who like their play fast and furious, but also want the PC to handle mundane tasks like manipulating a spreadsheet, we tested three new PCs specifically designed for gamers.
Each PC was tested with "Age of Wonders II," "Morrowind," and a considerable amount of "Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror," a first-person perspective Special Forces simulation game published by Microprose.
All three PCs played these current, graphic-intensive games admirably. But computer games become more demanding every year. The last "Age of Empires" strategy game had two-dimensional graphics. "Age of Mythology," Microsoft's follow-up to the popular "Age of Empires" series, will have a new 3-D graphics engine and new hardware requirements. And don't bother trying to run next year's "Doom III" on that old Pentium II.
For powerful entry-level gaming, the HP Pavilion 762 handles very well for the price--$1,843 retail. The PC comes with a 2.26 gigahertz Pentium 4 processor, 256 megabytes of DDR RAM and an Nvidia GeForce4 Ti4200 graphics card.
Another bonus: The Pavilion comes with a 17-inch monitor and a Klipsch Promedia 2.1 (two-speaker) audio system. It looks and sounds sweet. And when the next generation of graphic cards from ATI and Nvidia are released, users can easily upgrade with this PC.
While "Tactical Ops" might have been more exciting on a 20-inch screen and the world of "Morrowind" might have been more intimidating with four-speaker surround sound, the Pavilion 762 handled all of the games well.
The thieves, soldiers and skeletons in "Morrowind" moved smoothly, and the cyber-terrorists in "Tactical Ops" died in a perfectly acceptable manner.
More power needed next year
Next year's games, however, may be a different story. The Pavilion 762 runs current games with all of the options; but, if you do not upgrade the graphics card, you may find some games running at a slower frame rate or with slow graphics by Christmas 2003.
The ultimate PC-gaming experience, though, costs serious money.
The Mach V computer from Falcon Northwest, available only through the Falcon Northwest Web site, is a made-to-order PC. The standard configuration costs $3,325--and that is without a monitor or speakers.
While there's no logical reason to buy a Porsche just to drive to the grocery store other than it makes the trip very quickly, there are a few practical reasons to pony up for the Mach V.
Why buy a high-end PC?
Everything on the Mach V is built to absurd specifications. From its 512 megabytes of RDRAM to its lacquer-finished case--coated with $350 a pint paint that changes colors from different angles--this is the Porsche of gaming. The Mach V has the fastest processor--a 2.53 gHz Pentium 4--and graphics card currently available.
The Mach V is a toy for zealots--mere enthusiasts need not apply. Unlike a Porsche, the Mach V will not crash--and if it does, a responsive technical team is ready to help.
You can play demanding games like "Morrowind" on slower computers by altering the frame rate and lowering the details in the graphics.
But you won't need to erase clouds from the skies or dumb down landscapes with the Mach V because this puppy plays every game at its highest specification.
It will be able to handle next year's crop of games with aplomb as well.
Playing games on the road
For those who like to take their games on the road, Alienware's Area-51m laptop is a good--albeit clunky--choice. The laptop, which retails for about $2,890, plays games as well as most high-end PCs.
The Area-51m has a 2.4 gHz Pentium 4 processor and 512 megabytes of DDR RAM.
Because most laptops are filled with fans and circuits, updating graphics cards in laptops is difficult.
Still, the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics card in the Area-51m easily handled demanding games such as "Morrowind" and "Tactical Ops."
You will want to make a few adjustments before playing strategy games or shooters on Area-51m, or any other laptop.
Area-51m comes with a mouse, and you need it. Trying to survive a simulated SWAT mission with a laptop touch pad is like trying to dribble a basketball with your hands tied behind your back--you deserve the headache if you try it.
Area-51m handled the sights and sounds of "Morrowind" well, thanks to a good 3-D card, nice audio and a 15-inch liquid crystal display.
Unfortunately, this is a very big laptop, weighing in at 9.6 pounds. And if you want to play games while flying, beware: The screen is too big to open in most airplane seats.
Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune
06/17/02
Man, oh Man! Those EXOTIX cases just keep rolling in! Today I have a custom case that was created for Gone Gold webmaster Rich LaPorte. As you can tell from the clickable pic below, it's a beauty! After you've taken a look at the case, go here to read Rich's detailed account of receiving his Falcon Mach V, and his impressions of this monster machine once he gets it up and running. This is by far the most in-depth analysis of a Mach V experience that I have ever read, and definitely sets the bar for any Mach V fan letters to come. A must read!
06/11/02
The guys and gals over at the PC Magazine website have hoisted up a new twin Mach V review! When I say "twin", I mean they have two Mach V's up for inspection, an AMD XP 2200+ barn burner and a Pentium 4 2.53 GHZ silcone melter! Both of the systems completely destroy the competition (in this case, an unsuspecting Dell Dimension 8200) and go way above and beyond to prove once again that Mach V's are no ordinary computers! If you take a look at this chart , you'll see that the dual Mach V's literally ate up the competition! Here's a clip from the article:
Which brings us to our test results. While a true head-to-head comparison, isolating the chip subsystems, would be ideal, this Click here
to view the results of our performance tests.
roundup aims to review the fastest available shipping configurations that consumers can actually buy. Still, you can use the results to compare overall system performance and match speed to your needs and budget. For example, the Falcon systems are tweaked for optimal performance, using the fastest memory available and dual hard drives in a RAID Level 0 (striping) configuration. And while all the systems came equipped with nVidia's GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics, the Falcon systems overclocked the standard 300-MHz engine clock and 650-MHz memory clock to 310 MHz and 685 MHz, respectively.
All in all, the two 2.53-GHz P4-based units (from Dell and Falcon) outperformed the ones based on the Athlon XP 2200+. The only exception occurred on our Business Winstone test, where the Athlon-based Falcon, because of various tweaks to its system, beat the Intel-based Dell. Otherwise, the faster FSB in the Dell, and the FSB and dual-channel PC-1066 RDRAM in the Falcon entry, helped these machines top the two Athlon-based models. The P4 systems also had the edge on our 3-D tests, outperforming the AMD systems by a small margin.
The review then divides up the Dell and Falcon systems and gives them each a review of their own, here's a snip:
Both of our evaluation systems were Mach V "Exotix" models, meaning they received a customized paint job, a $400 option for the designer crowd. The Exotix models have ten layers of automotive-quality paint in almost any color, complete with a baked-on clear-coat finish, and are available in solid, metallic, or color-shift finishes with embedded logos upon request.
The P4-based Mach V produced the highest results on all of our benchmark tests. The AMD system scored well on Business Winstone, narrowly edging out the Dell machine, but took last place on our Content Creation Winstone test.
There's little doubt that these Mach V units are two of the fastest machines on the market, but they're also among the most expensive (note that the prices do not include extras such as a monitor, speakers, or writable DVD drives, as do the others here). And because of their "extreme" performance enhancements, they may not be the best choice for most business applications. But if you're into gaming or have a need for speed and a flair for style, the Falcon Northwest Mach V units are hard to beat.
"There's little doubt that these Mach V units are two of the fastest machines on the market..." I like that quote. Kinda brings it home and sells it to the innkeeper, huh? It's nice to see the mainstream press finally give Falcon Northwest it's kudos. They still hammer about the price, but we all know the response to that. Overall the Dell got the Editor's Choice award (don't ask me why), because if you look at the performance chart, the Mach V blew away the Dell! Must be that price thing rearing it's ugly head again. But anyway, it's still nice to see the Mach V in the mainstream press, and the picture that precedes this post will be featured on the cover of PC Magazine next month, so check it out! If you're interested, you can go here to read the rest of the review!
06/06/02
Remember those "EXOTIX" custom painted cases that Falcon Northwest rolled out just a short time ago? Ever wonder what was possible using this amazing painting method? Well, the first couple of cases are beginning to roll out of the paint room, and we've got an exclusive look at one of them! Falcon owner (three times over) Tom Ewing was gracious enough to send in a few pics of his custom painted beauty for all of you to peruse. This is a gorgeous looking case, people! The shine on it is so lustrious that everything on the walls and ceilings are caught in the reflection and you can see it in the photos! By far, the finest looking Mach V I have seen to date! Click on the thumbs below for a closer look:
Thanks for sending in these very cool pictures Tom! I am having a custom case painted as we speak, and when it's done, I'll post some pics. Stay tuned, it's going to be very cool! Want to have an "EXOTIX" case custom painted to your specifications? Go to the Falcon Northwest Corporate Site and click on "EXOTIX" at the top of the page!
06/01/02
Hey gang! I want to take a moment to thank all of you out there who take the time to write in to tell me about your experiences buying and using Falcon Mach V's and Talons! It really makes me feel like all of my efforts doing this page are not for naught. Speaking of letters, new Falcon owner Sean Jennings sent me a fabulous letter detailing his experience dealing with Falcon Sales Support, and his initial impressions of his Falcon after receiving it. Go to the letters page to read Sean's impressions!
05/23/02
CNET.COM has posted a mostly favorable review of a Windows XP Home; Pentium 4-2.4GHz; 1GB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Nvidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 128MB; 2 x IBM IC35L040AVVA07 40GB 7,200rpm loaded Mach V. That was, for some reason painted like a taxi (don't ask me to explain, I have no idea what the idea was there). But anyway, the reviewer was mostly very nice, and gave the aforementioned accolades to the Mach V as it so deserved. Here's a snip:
Most people think performance PCs are like racecars: slick and pretty but too high-maintenance. We wanted a system that would be fast when needed but designed to withstand the wear and tear of daily computing. After considering the mind-numbingly conformist Power Mac and a generic but custom-built PC, we opted to go with Falcon Northwest, a company that custom-builds the fastest PCs available--and can put them in chassis that only look better with every scratch and ding they get. The result: a Mach V with a custom New York City taxi paint job--and a very fat fare.
When configured in late March, the Mach V came equipped with a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 running on an Intel i845E chipset--and, thus, DDR SDRAM--with a 533MHz frontside bus (FSB). A whopping 1GB of memory and a RAID array with two 40GB drives topped off the high-power configuration. While the price tag was an epic $4,895, it was worth it; the Mach V performs roughly on a par with similar systems running the same CPU on a 400MHz FSB with pricier (but faster) RDRAM. Furthermore, it lags behind the fastest 2.53GHz/533MHz FSB Dell Dimension 8200 by only a maximum of 5 percent on our application- and game-based performance tests.
I appreciate the fact that the reviewer does not fault the system for it's price, but in fact accepts that you get what you pay for, and appreciates the quality of the systems build and performance:
The Mach V's spacious CoolerMaster case, with its optional $399 Exotix custom paint job, will accommodate a good dollop of future upgrades and motherboard swaps, so your system won't end up on a scrap heap next year when the need to increase speed takes hold. Even with a plain-old silver version of the case, this is still a pricey system. But as well as being fast, it's also better constructed than most of the PCs that drive through our Labs, with a surprisingly old-fashioned feel of solidity. If you're going to throw your budget out the window, throw it at a Falcon Northwest Mach V.
I wish I had a better picture of the case with it's "Taxi Cab" paint job, but the pictures on the CNET site do not enlarge when you click on them. But according to Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves, the larger, clearer pictures of the Mach V should appear in the August issue of the print version of the site (Computer Shopper Magazine). The Mach V ends up being chosen as the #1 system in the computer round-up (being compared to systems from Dell, Voodoo, ViciousPC and Gateway) and walks away with the Editors Choice Award! Wake me up before you Go Go here to read the rest of the review.
05/11/02
I've got two new Falcon Northwest Mach V reviews for you today! The first one comes from ExtremeTech. They apparently asked Falcon to send them an Athlon system, but then put it up against a slew of Pentium 4 systems. The Mach V still held it's own, winning an overall score of 8 out of 10! The only systems that beat it where the homebrewed ExtremeTech systems (coincidence?), but Falcon flatly defeated systems from manufacturers Alienware, Gateway and Compaq. Not bad for a system that carried an Athlon XP 2100. Here's a snip:
Falcon Northwest dubs this system the "Exotix" due to the very slick looking case. It's a Coolermaster ATC-110 that's been airbrushed a deep shade of green. Our pictures don't do it justice. We liked the inclusion of the Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro, which was the best keyboard of the bunch.
Inside the case is an MSI nForce 420D motherboard. The storage system is also slightly exotic, consisting of a pair of Western Digital 1000BJ special edition hard drives configured as a RAID 0 array. For that, you get 200GB of fast storage, though if one of the drives goes south, you lose all the data.
The company also uses the somewhat exotic eVGA GeForce4 Ti 4600 card. The eVGA card is notable for its use of a heat pipe supporting the cooling fan, allowing the card to bleed heat on both sides of the PCB.
The Mach V ran all of our benchmark suites with nary a single hiccup. It did, however, crash to the desktop twice during an extended network session of Red Storm's Ghost Recon. Other games ran without any crashes for extended intervals, however.
All in all, the Mach V Exotix represents a different take on an enthusiast PC--and it's reasonably priced, to boot.
Overall, the Mach V held up under the pressure, and if Falcon Northwest would have known it was going to be placed up against Intel 2.4GHz systems, it could have forgone the $400.00 EXOTIX paint job and been one of the fastest and cheapest systems in the roundup! Go here to read the rest of the review.
The next review is from PCWorld, it's a short, simple straight ahead review that pretty much says the same things all Falcon Northwest reviews say: It's the fastest system on the planet, but it's also one of the priciest. Same old, same old. You get what you pay for, people. If you want the best, you need to be willing to pay for it. Here's snip from the article detailing what they liked about the system:
WHAT'S HOT: The Mach V 2100+ comes in a sleek silver midsize tower with a sheer front panel (a door swings open for drive access) and glossy black sides. Its score of 125 on our PC WorldBench 4 tests falls just a single point below the highest Windows XP Home system we've tested--another Falcon system with an Athlon XP 2000+ CPU that benefited from a gigabyte of DDR memory.
Gamers will appreciate the PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics board with 128MB of memory, and the excellent ViewSonic P95f flat-front 19-inch monitor that came with our test system. The Mach V earned the highest rating at all resolutions and color depths during our gaming tests, with sharp contrast and bright, rich colors.
And you won't find much better sound than the Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 five-speaker set (unless you opt for Klipsch's 5.1 version, which has six speakers in all, including a center speaker, available from Falcon for an additional $100). They delivered thunderous bass and crisp, clear treble notes in our audio and DVD movie tests.
The review wraps up with the usual kudos, calling the system "a gamer's delight as well as a high-octane machine for burning CDs and DVD movies." Congratulations to Falcon for consistently proving they are the best of the best. They join the ranks of Ferrari, Martin Logan, McIntosh and Ibanez (a little obscure for ya? O.K., in order: The finest sports car manufacturer, the finest loudspeaker manufacturer, the finest pre/pro amplification manufacturer, and the finest electric guitar manufacturer). Sorry, I'm in a mood. ;-)
Point your browser here to read the rest of the review.
Eight months.
05/02/02
Our illustrious in-house reviewer Ryan McCaffrey is once again pumping out the reviews, and has graced us with another of his prose pounding feedback sessions. This time Ryan tackles one of the most eagerly anticipated titles of the year, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Not suprisingly, Ryan gives the title two big thumbs up and honors it with the much coveted "Falcon Worthy" award, an award only handed out to the best of the best in computer gaming, silicon frying software! Go to the reviews page to feast your steaming eyes on the review!
04/26/02
Remember that great picture I posted a few weeks ago of the Dodge Viper and Falcon Mach V, both sporting the same paint job? Well, I've posted the actual Mach V advertisement that picture was used in! The ad appears in a few PC magazines this month, but I've got it right here for you in two sizes for your pleasure! Go to the gallery section of the site to check it out!
04/19/02
CPU (Computer Power User) Magazine has published a review of a Mach V AMD Athlon XP 2000 in it's April 2002 issue. Now this magazine is brand new (this being only it's fifth issue), and is still going through it's growing pains, but does a pretty good job of letting us all know how great the Mach V is. Here's a snip:
Falcon Northwest has been putting speedy systems on hard-core users' desktops since 1991. Not surprisingly, most of Falcon's customers are serious gamers, including a 76-year-old lady who likes to play Everquest online with her grandson, according to Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. The company runs a three-day burn-in period for each system, and each system must also pass more than 200 quality checks before it goes out the door.
The article goes on to talk about the system specs and benchmarks:
The Falcon Northwest system sliced through the SYSmark2001 and 3DMark2001 benchmarks we threw at it. The overall score was 192, with an Office Productivity score of 186 and an Internet Content Creation score of 198. The Falcon's 3DMark2001 Overall score was 8,564, which is just plain scary.
We ran the Quake III benchmarks next. The Falcon system posted a silky smooth frame rate of 209fps at a resolution of 800 X 600 during the Demo1 test. We increased the resolution to 1,600 X 1,200 and clocked the frame rate at 129.3fps, which is still pretty speedy. The Falcon system cruised through the Quake III Crusher demo, as well, with a frame rate of 124.7fps at 800 X 600 and 102.3 at 1,600 X 1,200.
Finally, we ran the Serious Sam demos. The Falcon's average frame rate in the first demo, Metropolis Coop, was 77.3fps. The frame rate during the Memphis Suburbs demo was 79.9, which is practically equal to the frame rate posted by the Alienware system. If you want PC horsepower, this system has it with plenty to spare.
That last paragraph alludes to the problem I have with this review. CPU magazine throws down the gauntlet and asks Falcon Northwest, Voodoo Computers and Alienware Computers to send them their speediest monster machines, does a plethora of back breaking and CPU burning benchmarks, and then at the end of the article, fails to declare a winner! So, what exactly is the point of this article? I have no idea. It does a good job of saying how great the systems are, but really, gives no advice on which system to buy. Hmmmmm. Very strange. Anyway, it does have a very cool picture of the insides of the Falcon Mach V, which you'll find below (sorry about the quality of the scan, I was using the article as a coaster for my BAWLS during an all-night Serious Sam marathon). I have also posted below the Mach V guts picture a scan of the magazines' cover so you can find it on the newsstand if you want to read the rest of the article (since the magazine does not have a web site as of yet). Just stroke the thumbs to make 'em bigger.
04/15/02
Happy tax day everyone! If you happen to be one of the lucky few who actually get money back from the government around this time of year and are looking for a place to spend it, I might have the perfect review to convince you to spend that government kick-back on a brand-spanking new Mach V! AMDZone has posted a very comprehensive review of a Mach V Athlon XP2000 system that is extremely complimentary, if not a bit stiff in the writing department. They only knock the system for it's price (don't they all?), but end up the review with the obvious facts. Here's a snip:
Negatives
Cost is probably what most people would consider a negative with a high end system of this type. It depends upon your point of view and is quite subjective in some respects. The fact that tech support is not 24/7 may be a turnoff for some, but many of you reading this may never need the typical tech support unless a component happens to fail.
Positives
There are few computer companies that you can purchase a custom and expert made computer that uses only top components. You will never get that at one of the top 10 OEMs. The Mach V could be the fastest system you could buy today. It is definitely is refreshing to see a computer company that puts such an emphasis on machines built by people who know computers, and are able to use that knowledge to tweak systems to be top performers.
With a plethora of components to choose from you can customize a system to suit a variety of computing needs. Not only are Falcon Northwest's systems high configurable and powerful, they are also have a look thanks to the Cooler Master aluminum cases that exude a bit of class that a plastic painted case just doesn't match. With their custom, but expensive, paint jobs available you can have any look you want as long as you don't mind the extra costs.
Conclusion
The Falcon NW Mach V powered by the Athlon XP 2000+ has proved to be an excellent performer. Falcon could be almost exactly opposite of a company like eMachines with their focus on high performance and customization. If you are will to spend some cash you can get one of the highest performing, and better looking systems available from any computer maker today. If cost and 24 hour tech support are priorities then look elsewhere, but if you have money to spend and want the best performance it can buy then look to Falcon and the Mach V.
If you would like, you may go here to read the rest of the review.
04/10/02
Hey there gang, today I serve up to you another outstanding game review by our local game-guru/"I thought he was dead" game reviewer Ryan McCaffrey! This time Ryan gives the big thumbs up to the amazing WWII FPS Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault. Ryan pretty much agrees with everything you've already heard or read about the game, but puts his own unique spin on it in a way only he with his unique wit and charm can pull off. Go to the reviews page to check it out!
03/26/02
There's an interesting article over on News.Com profiling the top Computer Gaming Machine Manufacturers that's worth your time to read if only for the quotes from Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves (who does an excellent job explaining this whole "customization" phase that computer cases are being subjected to these days). The article gives necessary kudos to Falcon, but does drop the ball by not letting it's readers know that Falcon was the first Computer Gaming Machine Manufacturer, and locating it's operations in Ashford Oregon, instead of Ashland, Oregon, where Falcon has been doing business for years. Here's a snip:
Hot-rod fever
Reeves said it's surprising, the lengths to which gamers will go to soup up their machines.
"I'm just stunned that people are spending more money on their case than the CPU," he said. "It's kind of like the custom street rods. A lot of people want to brag about having the coolest PC, especially if they're going to LAN parties."
Catering to such a demanding clientele is no easy task, however. While mainstream PC manufacturers use name-brand components only for high-profile items such as video cards and CPUs, anyone spending $3,000 and up on a gaming PC is likely to scrutinize every component down to the power supply and cooling fans.
"In general, they're much more savvy users," Reeves said. "You've got to pay attention to every single part of the PC. If there's a single weak link in the chain, it all falls down."
Point your cursor here to read the rest of the article.
03/12/02
Have you ever dreamed of having your Mach V supercomputer in the same color and finish as an exotic sports car? How about with the same smooth as silk clear coat as a Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, Porsche Boxster S, or Honda S2000? Well, your dreams have come true! Falcon Northwest proudly presents the Mach V Exotix! These computers are still as fast as a Ferrari 360 Modena, but now can look as good also! You can have your Mach V painted in any color that you can find for an automobile, exotic or not! Click on the thumbnail below to see the very first exclusive shots of this new monster side by side with a Dodge Viper! (Click on the thumb to view full size)
More details on this awesome case are now available, and are up on Falcon's Corporate site ! Check it out!
02/21/02
Hi gang! Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've got a good one for you today! The first ever Falcon Northwest Sale! Every Falcon Northwest system is currently on sale, and you can find the lowest prices ever on Talon's, and even the mighty Mach V's! Here's an example of an incredible price on the top of the line Talon:
Talon 4.2 - 1800+ System
Includes:
PRICE: $1345.00
$1,345? Oh My God! I think I need a new computer! Go directly to the Falcon Northwest Corporate Site to check out all of the details on these incredible prices!
PC World.com has posted a new review of a Falcon Northwest Mach V Athlon 2000, and really has nothing but good things to say about the system, as evidenced in this snip:
Falcon Northwest's decked-out Mach V Athlon 2000 will play games, DVD movies, and crunch numbers with the best of them. Our test system included an Athlon XP 2000+ CPU (1.73 GHz), 1GB of DDR memory, and a total of 82GB of storage space on two hard drives (which the system addresses as one fast drive thanks to the system's Ultra ATA RAID controller). It's not surprising that it nailed a PC WorldBench 4 score of 126, the highest we've recorded for a system running Windows XP Home edition. That's 5 percent higher than its nearest competitor, a Xi Computer 1800+ MTower SP running an 1800+ Athlon XP CPU (1.53-GHz) with 512MB of DDR RAM.
PCWorld takes the lame route as others have and will again by complaining about the price of the system (Hey, when you buy an S2000, do you complain about the price, or dream of the ride?), but in the end say the system is the fastest on the planet, and if that's what you want, it's the system to buy.
If you've got the cash, you'll be hard pressed to find a better preassembled entertainment system than this Mach V.
Go here to lay your eyes upon the editorial expanse that is this review.
01/31/02
New gaming site (well, I've never heard of it before) HomeLan Fed has posted an interesting if not completely original interview with Falcon Northwest President Kelt Reeves. The interviewer asks several questions of Kelt that have already been asked on this very page, but does come up with an original one or two, like the following:
HomeLAN - With NVIDIA and ATI the only two graphics chip companies that really support high end gaming, do you feel that there is no longer any real competition in this particular part of the industry?
Kelt Reeves - Oh there's competition, but frankly it's no longer a game I want to play. I'm sure by now you've heard about what ATI did with their drivers when the Radeon was released (lowering image quality to increase benchmark scores), that got exposed on the net a while back. At Computer Gaming World's last Ultimate Gaming Machine competition, we came in second for the first time in 9 years. The caption under our system's picture read something like: "Who knows? If Falcon had used a Radeon 8500 they might have won this one". It says a lot about the nature of ATI and nVidia when even knowing our outcome at that competition, I still would not have changed our system one bit. Lowering image quality just to put out winning numbers is slimy competition. nVidia is heavy handed with their competitors, but they put out quality products and aren't misleading their customers. For
Falcon Northwest, the only choice is nVidia these days.
Not a really in-depth interview, but none the less a good read if only for the quick wit of Kelt. ;-) Go here to read the rest of the interview.
01/25/02
If you check out the latest issue of Computer Shopper Magazine you'll find an article entitled "cnet editors top five". I think you can already guess who received one of those top five spots! Here's what the editor's had to say about this Athlon 1800 XP monster:
One of the most sophisticated gaming systems we've seen. Manufactured with incredible attention to detail and loaded with top-shelf components, including an overclocked CPU and graphics card.
You can click on the first thumb to see a larger view of the Computer Shopper article. The second thumb is Falcon Northwest's actual trophy that Computer Shopper gave them for winning a spot on last year's "Top 100 Products of 2001" list. Click on that thumb also for a larger view of this prestigious award!
01/10/02
The Falcon Mach V attitude is based on speed and reliability. What would be the best way to represent that? The might and power of the United States Air Forces comes to mind! I think that's what Falcon had in mind when it rolled out it's latest ad (which, in my opinion as an overly patriotic American, portrays not only the power of the Mach V, but of our country as a whole). Click on the thumb below, or go to the gallery to peruse this latest advertisement!
01/08/02
Remember when AMD released it's first 1000 MHz processor? It was a major milestone in the world of computers and processors right? It also seems like it was just yesterday, huh? Well, get ready for another milestone! AMD announced yesterday that they now have the 2000 MHz processor available for purchase! In celebration of this, Falcon Northwest now has systems available with the new processor in them, and has rolled out a modified version of their popular "1000 MHz Speed Limit" advertisement that ran exclusively in Flight Journal magazine. Go to the gallery to check out the new ad!
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