6/13/08 – Falcon Northwest has been in the performance computing market for many years. In fact, the Mach V is probably one of the oldest named models in existence. Of course, a Mach V from ten years ago is not going to be anything like one available now. In fact, the Mach V is available in a wide range of configurations including those based on AMD or Intel processor. For this profile, I'm examining one based off the Intel desktop product line. Let's take a look at what they have to offer ...
Processor:
The latest incarnation of the Intel Mach V system from Falcon Northwest uses the 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme processor line. Users can pretty much select either the Duo E8400 or E8500, quad core Q9450 or the Core 2 Extreme QX9770. Unlike many other companies, there is no overlocking of these processors from Falcon Northwest. The default Mach V configuration uses a air cooler but users can upgrade this to a liquid cooling solution if they so desire.
Memory:
Falcon used to provide a fair amount of options when it came to the DDR3 installed in the Mach V system. This has changed to essentially either a 4GB or 8GB amount of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory modules. That is slower than what most companies are offering but Falcon is offering a greater amount of memory than most companies are offering.
Hard Drives:
For data storage, Falcon Northwest offers a selection of five different hard drives that range in size from as small as 250GB all the way up to the one terabyte models. A total of four drives can be installed into the system for storage capacity up to 4 terabytes, provided you are willing to spend that much for the drives. Another option is the MTron 32GB solid state drives that are some of the fastest on the market, albeit expensive and limited in capacity. This gives the system a great range of flexibility for pricing and storage to meet a wide range of budgets. Options for RAID 0 or RAID 1 are available.
CD/DVD Drives:
DVD burners are a standard feature on most desktop and notebook systems that people don't think much of them. The Mach V comes standard with a LiteOn 20x burner or an option for a Sony or Plextor model instead. One unusual option is a Sony DVD-ROM only drive which makes almost no sense due to the costs of DVD burners. They have at least begun offering an LG HD-DVD/Blu-ray reader and DVD burner combo drive.
Graphics and Displays:
Now that Falcon is using an NVIDIA 790i Ultra based board, the system has one again achieved some outstanding graphics options. Users can select 8800 GT, 9800 GTX or 9800 GX2 cards. Options for multiple cards include either two or three 9800 GTX cards or dual 9800 GX2 allowing for either a triple core or quad core SLI configuration. For those wishing to use an ATI product, they do offering just the Radeon HD 3870 X2 card that lags behind the NVIDIA offerings. Several Samsung monitors are available for those wishing to get an LCD panel with the system.
Audio:
The default audio configuration for the Mach V system is to use the 7.1 on board audio solution. While this may be fine for most basic computer audio, it lacks much of the performance and features that can be found for PC gaming. Because of this, Falcon Northwest offers the hardware accelerated X-Fi audio line of cards. Users can select between the basic, Elite Pro and Fatal1ty versions of the card. Speakers are separate and several options from Logitech are available.
Software:
Software options for the Mach V are extremely limited. They have updated the system to use the Windows Vista Home Premium by default, but users can select either the Ultimate edition or 64-bit versions of either of these. Windows XP Professional is still available for those not wishing to have Vista. Application software is extermely limited with nothing included by default. Several versions of Microsoft Office are available for those needing productivity software.
Overall Impressions:
Performance wise, the Mach V can be configured anywhere from a fairly mainstream desktop computer system all the way up to a top of the line gaming platform. The majority of people looking at the system are probably doing so because of the name recognition that comes with owning a Mach V system and the available options for customizing the case of the system.
One thing that Falcon Northwest doesn't do with the Mach V is factory overclocking. All of the setups from Falcon Northwest use the standard clock speeds. This may limit their performance a bit from other companies that provide this service but it does provide for a very stable and still fast computer system.
Falcon Northwest offers their Exotic graphics as an option for all of the Mach V systems. This very expensive process can provide a unique shade of color that is applied to the system and guaranteed for the life of the system. Those wanting something more can elect to have a flag painted on the case or flames. Falcon even does custom graphics jobs as well, but the costs of these can get extremely expensive.
So, is the Mach V something that people should consider getting? That answer really depends on how much disposable income you have to put into the look of the system more than its performance. A system of equal performance can be purchased for thousands less than what a similarly equipped Mach V system would cost. The only real difference will be in the exterior look of the system and possibly the really expensive large screen LCD monitor that you can buy with the money saved from getting a less expensive machine.
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