If the venerable desktop PC platform has any real "homebase" of customers left, it's in the enthusiast market where "cool" refers more to looks and performance rather than, say, CPU temperature.

Laying down the gauntlet ahead of CES 2009, whose first official day is tomorrow, HP this morning unveiled a slew of PCs, including a slimmed-down version of the power-packed Blackbird 002 that we profiled in September 2007. The new Firebirds will be available in two configurations, though whereas choice and extensibility were the themes for the Blackbird, the Firebird clearly appears geared toward a more budget-conscious enthusiast who may be just happy enough to be able to enter the "coolness" bracket.

Neither system is completely decked out, though both feature parts from Intel and Nvidia (so AMD was shut out in both departments). The Firebird model 802 will come equipped with Intel's Core 2 Quad 9400 clocked at 2.66 GHz, with 6 MB of L2 cache and 1333 MHz FSB; and will feature 4 GB of DDR2 memory and a 500 GB SATA hard drive. That's not DDR3 memory, though 1333 on the front-side bus is pretty adequate; and that HDD only rotates at 5400 RPM, not 7200. The model 803 boosts the CPU to a Core 2 Quad Q9550 at 2.83 GHz, with 12 MB of L2 cache; and boosts the storage capacity to 640 GB, though at the same spin rate.

What will distinguish the Firebirds more than their quad-core CPUs -- which are good, though not top-of-the-line -- are the Nvidia parts that hold everything together and make it all visible. Both models will feature the nForce 760S SLI chipset, which is specifically designed for motherboards with smaller form factors. Small form factor reduces the footprint, making the Firebirds look almost cute and darling while seated next to their big brother Blackbird. The chipset is also designed for power conservation...if you can believe it, since SLI typically means "turn up the heat."

And both models will have dual Nvidia GeForce 9800S cards (thus the SLI) with 512 MB of GDDR on each one. Again, not top-of-the-line, but certainly very good. It's a safe bet, though, that HP will offer a certain degree of upgradability with both models, though with this reduced form factor, it will be interesting to see how far that goes. Voodoo's Web site this morning is promising "loads of expansion" for the Firebirds, though it describes that expandability as being on the outside through USB ports, not the inside.

And while once again, the Voodoo team has come up with a beautiful design that most likely involves some, though maybe not all, of the production techniques applied to the Blackbird, a glimpse of the online gallery this morning suggests that getting inside the system is not what Firebird users -- unlike Blackbird users -- will be expected to do first. Availability is promised for this upcoming Friday, though starting prices have yet to be revealed.

12:30 pm MST January 6, 2009 - This afternoon, Rahul Sood, the CTO of HP Global Gaming and the man who founded the Voodoo division that HP acquired in 2007, told BetaNews that he sees the Firebird as a potential prototype for an emerging PC form factor -- conceivably, something that survives the downward trend in desktop PCs.

Comparing the Firebird models to the Blackbird 002, Sood told us, "I think it's important to note that the HP Firebird has been designed for a much broader group of gamers and power users. We think we've done a great job of turning the entire category of performance computing on its head with the HP Firebird, and firmly believe that what we've announced today is the future of this category. What I mean is that the HP Firebird fills a void that has revealed itself in the marketplace -- a category of user that wants performance, wants style, wants innovation, wants power in their PC, but doesn't want to pay a high price or guzzle energy from their walls. This conscientious group of power users is also, in fact, in the majority of power users out there: they will never fully utilize the expensive, energy-intensive components that some of the bigger rigs offer.

"On the other hand, the motherboard and form factor we created with Firebird is super tight. Imagine if users were able to buy a board, with the MXM cards, and create their own modded PCs! With an external power supply, the possibilities are endless," Sood added, hinting at the possibility of other projects involving Firebird's slimmer form factor.

"I liken the HP Firebird to an energy-efficient super car," Sood said. "Behemoth SUVs were all the rage not so long ago, but collectively, people are looking to something that makes more sense in light of the environment and the economy. That's the HP Firebird in the PC space."