HP Phoenix h9-1120t System Review: HP's Gaming Desktop Round Two with Tahiti and Ivy Bridge

Conclusion: Good Idea, Tough Sell

When I reviewed the initial launch of the HP Phoenix, I felt like it was a good idea and essentially competitive. True, the Sandy Bridge-E model we reviewed was never going to be that compelling, but the chassis design is solid and the thermals are good. We needed a commodity gaming system, something that consumers could grab off the shelf without going through the hassle of configuring a system from a boutique. Unfortunately, it's not working out that way.

Despite having an opportunity to innovate in an underserved market, HP has opted to do the same old OEM thing: gouge the end consumer on "premium" hardware and price themselves right out of competition. The models available from Best Buy are online only, so there goes that convenience. There are models available at Fry's, but they're the same retail ones Best Buy wants to sell you online, and the price-performance is completely out of whack.

The old adage that there are no such things as bad products, only bad prices...it holds true here. CyberPower and iBuyPower are both making serious inroads into retail and they're not going to be the kind of cushy competition that Alienware is. HP seems to have re-entered this market with the impression that they're going to leverage their buying power to drive down costs while still charging a premium, but that's the same kind of thinking that's been slowly killing Lenovo.

Taken on its own, I like the Phoenix. I like the idea of a commodity gaming system. If HP could hit a reasonable price with it and get it on retail shelves, I think they'd have a very strong contender. The problem is that they haven't and/or won't, and so their retail "gaming machines" continue to use chintzy sub-$150 video cards while intruding boutiques offer better bang for the buck. When you take into account that you have to order online to even start to get a good deal on one of these machines, suddenly you're inhabiting a space where vendors like iBuyPower, CyberPower, AVADirect, Puget Systems, Origin, and more are all willing to compete for your gaming dollar, and they're all willing to give you more power with better customer service.

I want HP to succeed and do well in this market. The Phoenix is a fantastic idea and a solid product, and it's one of the few bright spots of real innovation that HP has demonstrated over the past six months while a revitalized Dell, a continually evolving Toshiba, and a very hungry ASUS have continued to make major inroads on all fronts. But HP needs to stop thinking like they're an old, entrenched company. Releasing a good product at a price like this, it might as well be swept under the rug. Get hungry, HP! If you can get the price on this thing lower, you'll have a killer product on your hands. As it stands, though, it's just not worth the sacrifices just to get an HP label on the front of your gaming system.