VoodooPC's Omen series of high-end gaming machines feature either Intel (Omen i121) or AMD (Omen a121) processors. Both systems are priced at around five grand-- a huge investment for even a hard-core gamer--but since AMD's FX-57 processor is cheaper than Intel's fastest single chip CPU, the a121 comes with a few extra goodies thrown in at the baseline price.

In addition to the AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 CPU, the a121 includes 1GB of Corsair XMS Xpert Illuminated Memory. The i121 ships with Intel's excellent 3.73GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor but only 512MB of the same memory. It costs an additional $90.85 to double up to a gig of RAM.

Both systems provide the option of upgrading to a dual core processor. Intel's 3.2GHz Dual Core P4 EE is arguably the fastest consumer processor available, but it will run $429.53 over baseline. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is a more cost effective upgrade at $71.59.

Either flavor of system has support for NVIDIA's new SLi (Scalable Link Interface) technology, letting you connect twin graphics boards that work in tandem to deliver unprecedented gaming performance. The only difference in the configuration is that the AMD system already features two NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics boards each with 256MB of video memory. It will run you $447.59 to give the i121 a second 6800 GT.

But that's where the differences end. After you've chosen what processor company to give your loyalties to, you can peruse the rest of your Omen system. The large tower has undergone VoodooPC's BAM process--it's been brushed, anodized, and machined to protect the interior components and give the metal case a textured appearance. You can also opt for an Allure finish to the exterior in a variety of colors, although it adds $498 to the price of your system.

A window on the side gives you a view into the well-organized and streamlined interior, including the light show of the "electric veins" of the illuminated cabling. The chassis features a mixture of ATX and BTX form factors, allowing for quieter cooling of the warm components, and liquid cooling of the SLi graphics boards.

Hard drive storage starts out at a decent 80GB, although you may want more if you'll be doing some massive game installs or MP3 file storage. Upgrading to a 160GB 7200rpm is only $34.76. If you need even more space, the quarter-terabyte 250GB drive is $86.61.

If you want faster hard drives to increase your gaming performance, you can opt for 10,000rpm drives--a 36GB drive is $63.86 over baseline while a 74GB drive is $157.89. The Omen systems support RAID configurations, letting you pair twin drives for faster reading and writing or mirroring data for an automatic backup of your main drive.

The optical drive is a plain DVD-ROM drive that will play DVD movies but lacks any write capabilities. You can exchange it for a high-speed 52X/32X/52X CD-RW drive for about the same cost. You can upgrade to a Pioneer 16X DVD+/-RW Double Layer drive for $51.13, letting you burn to DVD, rewrite to DVD-RW, and also burn to the new 8.5GB-capacity Double Layer media.

There's no floppy drive on the system, but there is a 6-in-1 media card reader that lets you easily transfer files and photos from a digital camera or a PDA.

Windows XP Professional is the default operating system, although you can save $63.80 on the price of your Omen by stepping back to Windows XP Home. Another option is a move to Windows XP Media Center 2005 and an NVIDIA Dual TV Tuner. This $328.27 upgrade lets you turn your Omen into a personal video recorder, inputting a television signal and watching or recording your favorite TV shows on your system.

There's no monitor included at the starting price, although VoodooPC has a variety of flat panel displays that you can pair with your system. A silver 17-inch iiyama TFT display can be had for $319 or a 19-inch Samsung Syncmaster LCD is available for $490. If you opted for the Allure coloring, you can extend that to your monitor as well, although it will cost you more than $400 for the paint job.

You can also color coordinate your input devices. The Saitek Ultimate Gamer Illuminated Keyboard and Command Pad is available for $44 and cordless sets from Logitech start at $92.59. The optional painting will run you $80.

Audio is integrated, although it's excellent 7.1-channel sound. If you need a dedicated sound card, you can upgrade to the SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS for $93.13. There aren't any speakers included with the system, but VoodooPC has a good selection to choose from including the Creative Gigaworks THX 7.1 set for $488. And at this point of building up the cost, you might as well get the speakers in matching colors as well, at an additional price of over $300 for the set.

The one-year VoodooPC warranty can be extended to three years, but it will add another $356.98 to the cost of your system. The built-in Gigabit Ethernet connection gives you a high-speed connection at your local LAN party and lets you connect to your broadband modem at top speeds.

VoodooPC's Omen systems are frighteningly gratuitous, but if you want power and style in one package, there aren't many gaming systems that can match their allure.

Pro: Very powerful configurations, tower all about aesthetics
Con: No monitor, hugely expensive

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Voodoo Computers
Unit 1 2419 52nd Ave SE
Calgary, Alberta T2C 4X7
888-708-6636
http://www.voodoopc.com

Warranty
1-year limited