Falcon Northwest Shows off $4,500 Tiki at PAX
Check out Falcon Northwest's latest custom-painted Tiki!
Falcon Northwest is at PAX Prime this weekend, and the company is bringing something special along for the ride. The company has a one-of-a-kind Nvidia GeForce themed Tiki that will be on show at Nvidia's booth. While the color is certainly eye-catching, it's what's inside that grabbed our attention. Falcon Northwest says the hardware under the hood tops out at about $4,500. Peep the spec list below:
- Nvidia's GeForce GTX TITAN
- Liquid cooled, overclocked Intel Core i7-4770K
- 960 GB SSD storage
- ASUS Republic of Gamers Maximus VI Impact motherboard
- 8 GB of 1866 MHz RAM
- 2 TB WD drive
- Windows 8

Falcon is also going to be giving the system away, so if you're at PAX, you might actually get to take this baby home (provided you attend the
"Nvidia Gaming – from mobile to 4K, we've got you covered" session on Monday morning).
Flacon Northwest sent us a Tiki way back in August 2012, when it first debuted, and we were so impressed, we gave a custom painted Tom's Hardware Tiki away to one of our readers. Check out Meet The Tiki: Core i7-3770K And GeForce GTX 680 In A Mini-ITX Box? for all the gory details and the full gallery of photos.
Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
If you can make the same PC for $2829 then perhaps you should do so
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
If you can make the same PC for $2829 then perhaps you should do so
The point isn't whether he can do it or wants to do it....the point is where does the rest of the cash go
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
Power Supply, 3 year warranty, Support (not outsourced), Airbrushed case, Labor.
Of course to a veteran PC builder it seems overpriced, but to someone who has never built a PC or has no interest to, and wants quality of parts and service, it isn't all that bad.
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
If you can make the same PC for $2829 then perhaps you should do so
The point isn't whether he can do it or wants to do it....the point is where does the rest of the cash go
To the people who sell the product? Where the hell else would it go? It's a premium product with a premium price point. A Ford Mustang costs marginally more to manufacture than a Ford Focus, yet demands a much higher price point for the exact same reason. Consumers are willing to pay that price. It's not unethical and it's not cheating.
It's just like buying an Alienware laptop. There's about a $500 markup for the rubberised body and sleek cooling. If money isn't really an object, it's the best that can be bought. If one is operating on a budget, buy something else with the same internals for much cheaper. Whether or not the testing, custom case, and automotive grade paint is worth the markup that the Tiki demands is entirely up to the purchaser.
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
$150 on the liquid cooling is low. Assuming a custom loop, the pump alone can cost $60-100, not to mention the block $50-100 and a res ~$30.
GTX Titan: $1000
i7 4770k: $330
960GB SSD: $600
Asus VI Impact motherboard: $230
8GB 1866MHz RAM: $100
2 TB WD HDD: $110
WIndows 8 OEM edition: $89
Liquid Cooling loop: $150 (this is over estimating the cost).
Case: I don't know the name, so lets go with something reasonable at $120.
The total cost of these parts + shipping of $100 is $2829. I know a lot of work goes into these computers, but is double the price really justifiable?
You have to read the article about the Tiki here on Tom's to see the work it went into designing the case. It's very unique and probably the slimmest mini-itx that can fit a freaking GTX TITAN, sadly you can't buy such a case, I even emailed Falcon asking but they have no plans to sell them as their core business is building PC's. Also, the base of the case is granite! That's what really makes the price escalate, also the custom paintjob.
It might be more future-proofed as games get move multi-threaded.
It might be more future-proofed as games get move multi-threaded.
There are some unforgivable things considering this price tag. C'mon, 1866 MHz DRAM?? The least you could expect for this price is 16 GB @ 2400 MHz (C10).