Hewlett Packard Pavilion -- simply the best?
Written: Jul 08 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: User-friendly, cheaper than most desktops, great memory/software, comes with monitor,
Cons: Lots of pre-loaded programs/software which may bog down running memory
|
|
|
| heidilr's Full Review: HP Pavilion 6633C |
After running on a computer with only 250 Mhz for over a year, I was more than ready to upgrade to something bigger and faster. I'm one of those people who are impatient about loading time and get frustrated if I have to wait more than a few seconds for either a program or an Internet page to load.
I shopped around for about a month, but since I live in the outback of Maine (Ok, not truly the outback, but when every decent store is an hour away, it feels like it), I didn't have much choice in where I shopped for a computer. I could have bought off the Internet, through Staples or perhaps Wal Mart online, but decided that I preferred to see and touch the product before I purchased it (I'm very tactile, too, I suppose....impatient, and tactile... wonder what that says about me?).
Anyway, I ended up driving an hour away to Wal Mart, where they had three computers to choose from. They had this computer, the HP Pavilion 6633C, with 500Mhz, 20GB (the product page says 15 GB, but mine is 20GB), a CD RW, 2-button scrolling mouse, a 15 inch monitor, a quick-key keyboard, and my favorite software (MS Word, MS Encarta, Windows 98, and Quicklink III). They also carried two other computers, one with 500Mhz and only 8 GB, no monitor, etc. for around the same price, and another computer with 550Mhz and a 17inch monitor, but with only 4 GB memory.
For me, the most important features, since I'm a writer and an Internet surfer, were the speed (500 Mhz) and the memory (20 GB). Not only am I impatient when it comes to waiting for pages/programs to load, I hate worrying about memory if I use my Intel PC camera pack (taking pictures, which takes up tons of space). I also wanted the CD RW for storage of my precious manuscripts and articles, so I could have back-ups in case something happened to my computer.
People choose their computers for different reasons, some people want memory, some want speed, some want user-friendly capabilities. However, this HP Pavilion offers practically everything.
Ease of set up and use HP gives you a large, fold up poster with exact diagrams on how to set up your computer. If you are an advanced user, this may not be needed, but for those who are fairly new to the computer world, this is a great quick picture of how to install/plug all those wires in.
Once your computer is set up and turned on, HP has several "wizards" which take you through the process of setting up software, email, and internet connection. HOWEVER, for the advanced user this becomes a chore and even silly since the computer comes pre-loaded with so much JUNK that it takes up desktop running memory and bogs down other programs. I ended up deleting half of the pre-loaded software, including HP's "Internet" box, which is a little yellow box that stays on your desktop with a bunch of quick-links to things like shopping, email, traveling, etc. (all pre-set to their own stuff through Yahoo and AOL). These quicklinks can be re-set to your own links, but to me it wasn't worth the hassle. I just deleted the program since it takes up valuable running space.
The only other problem I found to setting up this computer is the speakers. The package I got came with two large speakers (wonderful ones, too) which mount on the sides of your monitor. HOWEVER, these are extremely difficult to install and took two people to do it. One to hold the monitor, the other to squeeze the speakers with all their might and latch them on the little buttons. They both popped off after about a day or so and I haven't been able to get them back on since.
Software/Programs HP gives you several software packages pre-loaded on this computer, which I loved, but some users don't like haven't that all done for them. I was happy about the McAffee virus scan, the MS Word, and Windows 98, though, and can't find anything to complain about in the software department. The CD RW is easy to use with their program, as well as the Quicklink III (fax program). Overall, this computer is set up to be extremely user-friendly and most programs can be utilized even by the least proficient computer user.
Overall I believe this computer can't truly be beat for the price -- I paid $899 for all this great memory and speed, a monitor, plus got the CD RW, along with great user-friendly software. Advanced users, like me, may find the "bogging down" of running memory frustrating at times, but like I said, after deleting most of the pre-loaded programs, this computer is fairly fast and has great storage on it. For the price, it can't be beat!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 899
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
heidilr
|
|
Location: Alpine, NY
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 19 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.