Falcon Northwest

{{Infobox company

| name = Falcon Northwest

| logo = Falcon_Northwest_Logo.png

| type = Private

| industry = Personal computers

| founded = 1992

| founder = Kelt Reeves

| hq_location_city = Medford, Oregon

| hq_location_country =

| area_served = Worldwide

| key_people = Kelt Reeves, President

| products =

| num_employees =

| num_employees_year =

| parent =

| website = [https://www.falcon-nw.com/ falcon-nw.com]

}}

Falcon Northwest is a private company headquartered in Medford, Oregon. It designs, assembles, and markets high-end custom computers. The company was founded in 1992 and was one of the first to specialize in PCs built specifically for gaming.

History

Falcon Northwest was founded in April 1992{{cite web | last=Slagle | first=Matt | title=Gamers Go for Custom Looks | website=Los Angeles Times | date=September 2, 2002 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-02-fi-techanother2-story.html | access-date=April 8, 2019}}{{cite web | last=O'brien | first=Bill | title=Boutique PC builders: When you want the very best | website=Network World | date=November 16, 2010 | url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/2194714/boutique-pc-builders--when-you-want-the-very-best.html | access-date=March 13, 2019}} by gamer hobbyist and former pilot Kelt Reeves. Falcon Northwest released the first pre-built computer model intended specifically for gaming, the Mach V, in 1993,{{cite news|quote=When Falcon Northwest shipped its first Mach V system in 1993, it was the only gaming PC available, meaning its components were selected for their ability to support the more complex graphics and . . . |date=November 1996|newspaper=Horizon Air|title=Gaming Ground}}{{cite news|newspaper=Computer Gaming World|date=January 1999|title=Falcon Northwest Mach V|url=https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dg78brpzbvq2w9q/AABWT9mHp5X4o4AXFpBFIBJea/1st%20Gaming%20PC/cgw%20jan%2099%20hires%20-%20highlighted.jpg?dl=0}}{{cite news|title=Gamers Go for Custom Looks|publisher=Associated Press|date=September 2, 2002|quote=widely considered the creator of the gaming computer market.|first=Matt|last=Slagle|url=https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dg78brpzbvq2w9q/AAD8sZ5H351VgucSBKyTKNSXa/1st%20Gaming%20PC/LA%20Times%20-AP-Sep%202%202002%20-highlighted.pdf?dl=0}} starting the "gaming PC" category of computer products.{{cite web | last=Ung | first=Gordon Mah | title=Reviewed: Falcon Northwest Mach V with triple Titan X cards rips the lid off our gaming tests | website=PCWorld | date=April 6, 2015 | url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2904849/reviewed-falcon-northwest-mach-v-with-triple-titan-x-cards-rips-the-lid-off-our-gaming-tests.html | access-date=March 14, 2019|quote=Falcon Northwest, the company credited with creating the 'gaming PC' category}}{{cite web | last=Herold | first=Charles | title=BASICS; Ultimate Machines For Serious Gamers | website=The New York Times | date=June 19, 2003 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/technology/basics-ultimate-machines-for-serious-gamers.html | access-date=April 9, 2019|quote=Falcon, in business since 1992, is generally acknowledged as the pioneer of the gaming PC concept. }} The company was founded in Florida, but later moved to Coos Bay, Oregon, then Ashland, Oregon, and finally Medford, Oregon.

In the late 1990s, Falcon grew to $3 million in annual revenues{{cite web | last=Malik | first=Om | title=Workstations are now Gamestations | website=Forbes | date=November 18, 1998 | url=https://www.forbes.com/1998/11/18/feat.html#966d5685d3d8 | access-date=March 13, 2019}} and opened a new manufacturing facility in Oregon.{{cite journal|title=Start-up heaven|newspaper=Oregon Business|volume =22|issue=19|date=October 15, 1999}} Later on, the company collaborated with Intel on early liquid cooling components. Intel worked with Falcon Northwest in secret, in order to avoid the appearance of endorsing overclocking by selling liquid cooling products under its own brand.{{cite web | last=Patrizio | first=Andy | title=Bless the overclockers: In the data center world, liquid cooling is becoming king | website=Ars Technica | date=February 4, 2019 | url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/02/cheaper-greener-cooler-how-liquid-cooling-came-to-dominate-the-data-center/ | access-date=March 13, 2019}}

Products

File:Falcon Northwest PC Lineup Summer 2022.jpg

Falcon Northwest sells high-end computers that are optimized for gaming, scientific, or military applications. As of 2013, about half of its sales were from gamers.{{cite web | title=Xconomy: Going Big and Bad: Custom PC Makers Build Hot Rods for 4K Gaming | website=Xconomy | date=October 8, 2013 | url=https://xconomy.com/new-york/2013/10/08/going-big-bad-custom-pc-makers-build-hot-rods-4k-gaming/ | access-date=March 14, 2019}} Falcon's computers are consistently highly ranked in benchmark tests, but cost $1,500 to over $10,000 depending on the user's configuration.{{cite web | last=Walton | first=Jarred | title=Falcon Northwest FragBox SLI: Dare to Dream | website=AnandTech | date=May 3, 2006 | url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/1999 | access-date=March 14, 2019}} Many Falcon PCs are sold with custom paint jobs,{{cite web | last=Walton | first=Jarred | title=The $3K Titan V is the fastest graphics card, even though it's not for gaming | website=pcgamer | date=January 3, 2018 | url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-3k-titan-v-is-the-fastest-graphics-card-even-though-its-not-for-gaming/ | access-date=March 14, 2019}} high-end graphics cards,{{cite web | last=John Darling | first=The Mail Tribune | title=Medford firm wins high-end gamers | website=Mail Tribune | date=March 25, 2004 | url=http://mailtribune.com/business/medford-firm-wins-high-end-gamers | access-date=April 8, 2019}} and special low-latency components. Though it was originally known for tower desktops like the Mach V, and also sells laptops, as of 2017 Falcon is best known for its smaller, portable mini-PCs.{{cite web | title=Falcon Northwest's Tiki is the sleek sports car of VR PCs | website=TechCrunch |first=Darrell|last=Etherington| date=April 23, 2017 | url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/23/falcon-northwests-tiki-is-the-sleek-sports-car-of-vr-pcs/ | access-date=March 14, 2019}}{{cite web | last=Case | first=Loyd | title=Falcon Northwest Tiki Review: Gaming Monster in a Petite Package | website=PCWorld | date=June 27, 2012 | url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/258374/falcon_northwest_tiki_review_gaming_monster_in_a_petite_package.html | access-date=March 13, 2019}}{{cite web | title=Falcon Northwest | website=Falcon Northwest | url=https://www.falcon-nw.com/ | access-date=March 14, 2019}}

Their products include:

Mach V - Desktop tower PC
Talon - Desktop tower PC
FragBox - Small Form Factor (SFF) PC
Tiki - Micro-tower PC
TLX - Thin & light class laptop PC
DRX - Desktop replacement class laptop PC

==Reception==

In benchmark tests by Maximum PC in 2018, Falcon Northwest's Tiki mini-PC performed better than a tower computer with a high-end graphics card, but was also the most expensive computer the reviewers had ever used.{{cite news|date=Spring 2018|first=Jarred|last=Walton|title=Falcon Northwest Tiki|newspaper=Maximum PC}}{{cite web | title=Falcon Northwest Tiki (2017) | website=PC Magazine | date=January 27, 2017 | url=https://www.pcmag.com/review/351350/falcon-northwest-tiki-2017 |first=Matthew|last=Buzzi| access-date=March 14, 2019}}{{cite web | last=Ackerman | first=Dan | title=The Falcon Northwest Tiki review: A compact powerhouse for virtual reality | website=CNET | date=April 13, 2016 | url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/falcon-northwest-tiki-2016-review/ | access-date=March 14, 2019}} Similarly, Falcon's FragBox mini-PC was praised by Tom's Guide in 2017 for its appearance and power, but the configuration cost $5,000.{{cite web | last=Andronico | first=Michael | title=Falcon Northwest FragBox Review: $5,000 Worth of Awesome | website=Tom's Guide | date=February 25, 2017 | url=https://www.tomsguide.com/us/falcom-northwest-fragbox,review-4209.html | access-date=March 14, 2019}} Tom's Guide said it was "one of the best options out there" for consumers that have the budget for a high-end portable gaming computer.

PC Magazine said in 2018 that the Talon tower gaming PC from Falcon Northwest set records in benchmark performance tests and has high-quality components but was too expensive for most consumers.{{cite web | title=Falcon Northwest Talon (2018) | website=PC Magazine | date=January 31, 2018 | url=https://www.pcmag.com/review/358833/falcon-northwest-talon-2018 |first=Matthew| last=Buzzi| access-date=March 14, 2019}} The same publication gave Falcon's Mach V desktop gaming computer a 5 out of 5.{{cite web | title=Falcon Northwest Mach V | website=PC Magazine | date=June 17, 2004 | url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1614223,00.asp | access-date=March 13, 2019|first=Joel Santo|last=Domingo}} A 2015 review in PCWorld, praised the Mach V's performance but noted the high price that comes with buying a computer running three graphics cards.

In 2022, PC Magazine reviewed the Falcon Northwest FragBox,{{cite web |last=Jefferies |first=Charles |date=December 13, 2022 |title=Falcon Northwest FragBox (2022) Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/falcon-northwest-fragbox-2022 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=PCMag}} Talon,{{cite web |last=Jefferies |first=Charles |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Falcon Northwest Talon (2022) Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/falcon-northwest-talon-2022 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=PCMag}} and Tiki.{{cite web |last=Jefferies |first=Charles |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Falcon Northwest Tiki (2022) Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/falcon-northwest-tiki-2022 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=PCMag}} In each case, the reviewer gave the computer a 4.5 out of 5 rating. The reviews praised the three models' performance, noise, and build quality, though, like previous reviews, noted that all of Falcon Northwest's products had a high price as a result.