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Editors' note: This review is part of our 2010 retail laptop and desktop back-to-school roundup, covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.
Asus finally gave the Essentio CM5671-05's chassis a makeover, but its good looks and 1TB hard drive don't change the system's unremarkable components. If you limit your common tasks to Web browsing and media playback, you'll be satisfied with the Essentio CM5671-05; however, if you edit digital media, you should spend a little more money and buy the HP Pavilion p6510y.
Asus redesigned its Essentio desktops this season, giving the line a chassis that takes a much-needed aesthetic departure from the boring, boxy shape of older models such as the Essentio CM5571-BR003. Once hidden behind a front panel on the old case, the media card reader is now prominently placed on an angled lip at the top of the chassis along with four USB ports and two audio jacks. The system's optical drive and expansion bay complete the chassis' front panel.
| Asus Essentio CM5671-05 | HP Pavilion p6510y | |
| Price | $500 | $530 |
| CPU | 2.8GHz Intel Dual-Core E5500 | 2.8GHz AMD Athlon II X4 630 |
| Memory | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 128MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip | 256MB (shared) ATI RS880 integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 1TB, 7,200rpm | 750GB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | 10/100/1,000 Ethernet LAN | 10/100/1,000 Ethernet LAN, 802.11 b/g/n wireless |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
The Asus Essentio CM5671-05 closest competitor is the HP Pavilion p6510y, a similar midtower that bundles more features in a slightly pricier configuration. Both systems' have 4GB of system memory, but the HP has a faster quad-core AMD processor that is better suited for multitasking and multithreaded programs, as you can see in the performance charts.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Rendering multiple CPUs | |
Rendering single CPU |
The HP makes a compelling argument for its purchase with a victory over the Asus Essentio CM5671-05 in three out of four of our benchmark tests. The Gateway DX4840-03e we include in the comparison costs $100 more than the Asus and has a faster CPU clock speed with its Core i3 processor, so its unmatched triumph in our tests isn't surprising. Based on the test results, the HP is the best system for running multithreaded applications--such as certain media editing programs--that can take advantage of its quad-core AMD chip. It even bested the Gateway with its Core i3 processor in our multicore Cinebench test. Not one of the systems in this price range is a true performance PC, but the HP comes across as the better basic productivity PC than the Asus does.
The Asus has plenty of space available inside for upgrades. It has a standard PCI slot for an aftermarket video card, two PCI Express slots, and a single 1x PCI Express slot for further expansion. You can also add two more sticks of memory--two slots are occupied by 2GB sticks already--and another hard drive to the open bay.
