CNET editors' review
- CNET editors' rating: stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/22/2009
- Updated on: 01/13/2010
We've been fans of HP's Pavilion Slimline desktops for a few years now. With the right combination of components, they can tackle both general productivity and home entertainment chores with aplomb. The $869 Pavilion Slimline S7310t is no different from its predecessors, offering a Blu-ray drive, wireless networking, and speedy performance in a tidy package. You might find a self-contained all-in-one PC like the
If you've browsed the desktop aisle at a Best Buy in recent years, the SlimLine chassis should look familiar. Its compact, glossy black design will fit both physically and aesthetically almost anywhere, from an office or next to a stack of home entertainment components. An HDMI video output on the graphics card lets you connect it directly to an HDTV, and its wireless networking capability helps keep cable clutter to a minimum.
| HP Pavilion Slimline S7310t | Sony Vaio JS250J | |
| Price | $869 | $1,099 |
| CPU | 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 | 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 |
| Memory | 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM | 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9500 GS graphics card | 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 500GB, 7,200rpm | 500GB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | Blu-ray/dual-layer DVD burner | Blu-ray/dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) |
Keep in mind the Pavilion SlimLine S7310t is a custom PC. Its starting configuration sells for as low as $380, but you can add an even larger hard drive than our review unit, as well as a quad-core CPU, bumping the price tag more than $1,000. We find Sony's Vaio JS250J makes a strong comparison against our $869 SlimLine review unit.
Unlike our HP, the Sony is an all-in-one. It also costs about $250 more than our review system, coincidentally about the same price as a reasonably decent 22-inch monitor (larger than the Sony's 20-inch LCD). Factor in the cost of the extra display, and the comparison playing field becomes a bit more level.
Because of its self-contained design, we'd pick the Sony with no hesitation for a secondary entertainment center in a kitchen or other space-constrained area. However, aside from the different form factors, the HP and Sony systems are actually quite similar. HP has the advantage in its discrete graphics card and a faster CPU, but both have a Blu-ray drive, wireless networking capability, and a 500GB hard drive. Given its lower price than the Sony, the HP comes away from this comparison looking like quite a good deal, especially if you already own a display in need of a PC to match.
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ZT Group's impressive $699
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