HP Pavilion XE783 For Under $700 At Wal-Mart
Written: Dec 17 '00
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Pros: Inexpensive, CD-Writer Is Included, Printer, 700 MHZ.
Cons: None
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| coldsteel7's Full Review: HP Pavilion XE746 PC |
When it comes to computers, I normally don't put much stock in name brands. I have had great success purchasing the lower end computers, and find that you often get much more for your money. My last computer was an Acer 166 MHZ, which has performed admirably. However, I have been watching for a good deal on a machine that runs faster than 600 MHZ. I found my machine at Wal-Mart, for the exceptional price of $697. The computer is a Hewlett Packard Pavilion XE783. It comes with plenty of accessories, which convinced me that the time to buy has arrived.
The System
The Hewlett Packard XE783 boasts a 700 MHZ Intel Celeron Processor. The Hard Drive has a 30 Gigabyte capacity (Ultra DMA). Although I would prefer a 128 Megabyte memory card, I settled for the 64 Megabyte SDRAM memory card, which allocates up to 11 Megabytes for Video Memory. The graphics are supported with an Intel Direct AGP 3D graphic card. The expansion slots include one available bay, two available slots, and a front access serial port (in case you want to add a plug and play joystick).
Monitor
The monitor is certainly nothing to write home about. The bulky V50 15 inch monitor has a 13.7 inch viewing area. This monitor may find it's way to my old computer, and might get replaced with a larger model. The one luxury that I have yet to afford myself! The monitor in this package supports up to 1024 x 768 high resolution graphics. The swivel base that comes with the monitor assembles easily, and provides limited movement.
Printer
This package included a Hewlett Packard Deskjet 610 CL printer. Although this printer is far from state-of-the-art, it was an improvement on the Canon BJC-250 that I have been using for the past couple of years. The Printer came with a label kit for making CD labels, and Jewel Covers. There are also a couple of graphics CD's thrown in, to make your digital photographs more interesting. The printer is slow, and the ink cartridges are expensive to replace. The printer has a whopping 4 page per minute capacity (unless you are printing in color, which will drop your productivity to one page per minute.) However, the price of the package makes the printer seem like a sheer bonus.
CD-Writer
The ONE item that I have been waiting for is a CD-Writer. I figured that I would wait until I found a reasonably priced computer package that had a CD-Writer before I updated the computer dinosaur that I had been using. The CD Writer is not high-performance, but it will certainly do what it is designed to do. I do not plan on burning numerous CD's, so this package should meet my needs perfectly. The burner is called a CD-Writer PLUS... but I haven't figured out what the "plus" is yet (other than that you GET one!)
Software Package
This system also has an impressive software package. The pre-installed Windows software is the Millenium Edition, which is a welcome change from the Windows 95 that I have been running, because I didn't feel like shelling out a hundred dollars for Windows98...and didn't want to pirate it. The software also includes Microsoft Works 2000, Microsoft Money 2000, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, Quicken Basic 2000 and Napster. There are also several games, to include links to internet games. Windows Media Player and MusicMatch Juke Box are also included. The system comes with a brochure offering two free software titles, but shipping costs $9.95. I guess that is still reasonable, since the titles are fairly expensive. The options include Tomb Raider III, Total Annhialation: Kingdoms, Freddi Fish 3, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 2000, PhotoMontage 2000, After Dark Games, Backyard Football, V-Rally, Printhouse 2000, Need For Speed III, TripMaker 2000 and Virtual Pool Hall.
Other Features
The HP Pavilion XE783 has a one-touch keyboard with internet access, Polk Audio speakers with Power Port technology, a v.90 K56 Flex Data Modem and a standard mouse. I was a little disappointed with the mouse...I have become spoiled with my "scroll-down" mouse, so I installed that one, instead. You would figure a newer system would come with a mouse that had SOME technology to it. The mouse that came with this system was a no-frills, two-button mouse. I was also surprised that the system did not include a mousepad, which seems to be a standard accessory on most computer systems.
The best thing about this system is the value. I have been checking internet auctions, internet retailers and traditional computer outlets. This system offered the greatest variety of options for the most reasonable price. The cheapest system that I have found with the CD-Writer was the Compaq at Best Buy. That system had similar capabilities as this system, but was priced around $1000.00. This system also comes with the $400 rebate from Compuserve, in exchange for a 36 months internet contract. However, the system does not require that you obtain the rebate. For under $700, I didn't need the rebate, anyway! I would highly recommend this system to anyone trying to update their older systems. If you require more advanced technology to run your applications, you will just have to pay the price...if not, enjoy a great deal...check this out at Wal-Mart.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 697
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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