Hewlett-Packard Co. said Thursday it has agreed to buy high-end gaming PC maker Voodoo Computers Inc., giving the computer and printer company access to an elite group of hardcore hobbyists willing to shell out several thousand dollars for turbocharged customizable machines.Palo Alto-based HP did not release terms of the deal, which was announced after the market closed as a congressional panel finished grilling Chief Executive Mark Hurd and other HP insiders over the boardroom spying scandal that has claimed three board members and three top HP employees.

HP’s deal with Voodoo is part of a larger trend of big PC makers snapping up high-end gaming equipment companies to capture a lucrative market with higher growth rates and fatter profit margins, said Roger L. Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc.