NOT FOR SERIOUS USERS
Written: Sep 03 '03
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Pros: Inexpensive and ready to compute
Cons: Needs memory expansion, more hard drive
The Bottom Line: Not the PC for everyone, but for many casual users this is a great buy.
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| tmm2112's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion 551w (P7519AR#ABA) PC Des... |
HP, like most computer companies, is whittling the price tag for home office computers, and that's a good thing. Sometimes they cut a little too close to the bone, but its pretty easy to make corrections yourself.
In my case, I purchased the 551w because my old 200 Meg machine just wouldn't cut the mustard anymore with current software and games. I was looking at buying a new monitor and CD-ROM anyway, so I decided to just put my money into a new system. I found a ready-to-go system at Wal-mart for about $700 with the computer and monitor, no printer. It came pre-loaded with XP, which took some work to get used to, but was worth it in the end.
My two biggest complaints were the size of the hard drive and the RAM supplied, 30 gig and 128 Meg, respectively. Luckily, my old 20 gig IDE from my old computer was compatible, so that problem was solved, but I did have to purchase more memory. Luckily again, I found two 256 meg sticks on sale at Tigerdirect.com and gobbled them up fast. My machine's performance went from nice to waaay cool in the same amount of time. You see, XP needs at least 128 meg to run properly, so if you run any kind of demanding software, you need way more than 128 to get the thing to run smoothly.
Now the fun begins. My old machine had no USB ports; this one does. USB is a great way to add devices. Lot's of them are plug-n-play and USB 1 is fast, USB 2 even faster. And this machine comes with 4 USB ports, two in front and two in back.
One thing HP does (and other PC makers, I suspect) is add false doors on their cabinets that cover the front of storage devices like CD and DVD reader/writers. This is probably because they want to capture a certain look, but it causes some problems. Most CD players come with a volume adjustment dial and headphone jack right on the front of the player. This HP door covers those up, making them unusable. This forces the user to plug the headphone jack into the rear of the computer. That's a dark, murky place that I don't like to visit. It also means the headphone needs an additional 2 feet or so of length to reach from beneath my desk to my head and many headphones don't come with cables that long. Bummer.
Another gripe I have with not only HP but the whole computer industry is the intensity that they are holding on to the floppy disk & drive. Why? Flash memory is far superior and very compact. Flash readers should come pre-installed on most PC's. And for those who don't like flash, CD reader/writers are cheap, as are the CD's, so let's stop messing around with the silly little floppies, guys.
The mouse provided with this PC is the stale old ball mouse with a wheel in the center. It works OK, but after a few months use begins to capture dirt like there's no tomorrow. I clean my work surface but somehow this thing is a dirt magnet. Soon it will be replaced with a laser mouse, as all ball mice should.
XP took some getting-used to, but is fine to use once you are familiar with it. However, I've already begun to experience strange errors and shutdowns that the MS website seems oblivious to. Looks like another great MacroHard product.
I mentioned upgrading my memory sticks and a note should be included on how difficult it was. I had to remove the entire shroud that holds both my hard drives in order to reach the memory ports and the shroud over one of the fans. Please, HP, put these ports in a more accessible location. I expect to do some yanking and tugging to change out a hard drive, but the memory should be pretty simple. At least the side panel comes off easily.
I consulted with tech support to confirm certified brands for memory and it was helpful, though time consuming, so I would give them a B.
One of my favorite uses for my PC is to rip music CD's and burn mixes using MP3 software. Of course, this also turns my PC into a giant jukebox. The speakers that came with this PC are fine for low volume listening, such as when I listen to a song while working at the PC. But when I want to fill the room with music or blast the door off the hinges, these simply won't cut it. I'm looking into a new set with a sub woofer right now. Get ready, doors.
The keyboard provided is pretty nice. Keys have a nice snap to them and ther are special function keys along the top that allow me to quickly open my MP3 software, log on, etc. They are easily configurable.
Here are most of the specifications to this PC. You can find more on the HP website.
Manufacturer Part Number P7519AR#ABA
Optical Drive Type CD-RW
Processor Type Pentium 4
Audio / Video
Audio Output Type Sound card
CD / DVD
Read Speed 40x
ReWrite Speed 8x
Write Speed 16x
Hard Drive
Capacity 30 GB
Controller Type (2nd) None
Key Features
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Processor Pentium 4 1.6 GHz
Recommended Use Home Use
Memory
Installed Cache Memory 256 KB
Installed RAM 128 MB
Maximum RAM 2 GB
Miscellaneous
DealTime Product ID 20292779
Package Qty. 1
Modem
Max. Transfer Rate 56 Kbps
Type Fax / modem
Motherboard
Bus Speed 400 MHz
Networking
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet
Type Network adapter
Other Drives
Floppy Drive 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy
Removable Drive Type None
Processor
Installed Qty. 1
Max Qty. 1
Processor Speed 1.6 GHz
Overall, I'd say this is the right PC for casual users like myself who use it for online activities, running the basic software (MS Office) and managing digital photos. Heavy-duty users of graphics software and serious gamers would not care for it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 700
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
tmm2112
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Location: Columbus, MS, USA
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 9 members
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