Entered CNET Catalog: 08/27/2004
SKU: CNETHPSA4000T
Manufacturer: HP
Manufacturer description
This full-ATX Compaq Presario series is loaded with performance and flexibility features to keep you going for years. The SA4000T PCs have Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading Technology for better multitasking and the new Intel 915P Express Chipset, which enables the horsepower for new applications like 3D-intensive games and broadcast entertainment. The SA4000T has a PCI Express x16 slot, which provides up to twice the bandwidth of AGP 8X and supports the latest graphics cards. SA4000T PCs support DDR2 memory, which provides higher memory bandwidth than DDR memory for faster performance. SA4000T PCs are equipped with Serial ATA hard drives, the latest hard drive technology offering faster transfer rates. Or, add a FastTrak Serial ATA RAID controller bundled with two Serial ATA hard drives (80GB or 160GB 7200 RPM). Choose between two configuration options ("RAID levels") that offer different benefits.Product summary
The good: Clever removable hard drive; strong application performance; convenient media-card reader.
The bad: No bundled multimedia applications; you pay a premium for the top-end Pentium 4 560; high-end graphics card not offered; blurred image on bundled LCD.
The bottom line: We like the Presario SA4000T's innovative removable hard drive, but we question pairing a high-end P4 processor with a midrange graphics card.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 09/10/2004
As configured, our Presario SA4000T test system has 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory and uses Intel's Pentium 4 560 processor; clocked at 3.6GHz, the 560 is the top processor in the P4 line. Of course, you'll pay a premium for that speed. The sweet spot in the P4 line is the P4 540, which is clocked at 3.2GHz and priced $300 less than the 560 model on the SA4000T's online configurator. (Oddly, the difference in price in the same two processors on the HP m1050y Media Center is $440.) Unless you engage in DV editing, animation, CAD, or other intensive graphics tasks, you can save money by choosing a slower processor. The SA4000T's SysMark 2004 score of 210 is outstanding, but it's only 12 percent faster than that of the MPC ClientPro 545, which uses the more affordable 3.2GHz P4.
HP does scale back on the SA4000T's graphics card, however. Our test system came equipped with ATI's midrange Radeon X600 Pro, which uses the new PCI Express interface (your only other choice is the budget X300). Its 3D graphics scores on Unreal Tournament 2003 underline the point that this system is built for demanding business apps but not serious gaming. The SA4000T trails systems such as the Dell Dimension 8400 that use a high-end GPU, but it serves up enough oomph for its intended digital-content-creation tasks.
The Presario SA4000T really shines at media handling and storage. Two 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7,200rpm SATA drives come arranged as a single 160GB drive RAID 0 volume, which speeds drive performance by combining the two drives into one virtual drive (rather than treating them as two separate volumes). In addition, the Presario adds a removable 160GB Personal Media Drive, which slides into a slot on the front panel--giving you an easy method for backing up or sharing files--and connects externally via USB 2.0.
The SA4000T's midtower case doesn't provide much room for expansion; similarly high-end systems typically give their owners more room to tinker. You get one free external 3.5-inch bay, should the system's three hard drives not suffice. Below the system's nine-in-one media-card reader sits an open, front-accessible 3.5-inch bay; above the reader, there's one unoccupied 5.25-inch bay. Our test system included a standard CD-ROM drive along with an 8X double-layer DVD+R drive.
The double-layer drive lets you use high-capacity 8.5GB discs, which can hold entire DVD movies--extras included. If movies are your thing, however, you'll want to improve upon the audio and video output of our test system's bundled 15-inch LCD. The Compaq FP5315 includes onboard speakers (no separate speakers were included with our evaluation unit), but the resulting sound is tinny and weak. Image quality was merely adequate at its native 1,024x768 resolution; a slight blur made small text and fine detail difficult to see. And without a DVI connector, the monitor doesn't allow you to use the digital connection that the system's Radeon X600 Pro provides.
Offers for third-party apps comprise the majority of the Presario SA4000T's disappointing software bundle. For the amount of multimedia-friendly hardware, from the double-layer DVD+R drive to the Personal Media Drive, we were surprised to find only Microsoft Works 7.0 (with Money 2004/MSN Encarta Plus). We've seen far less capable systems sporting many more bundled applications. Unfortunately, you'll need to drop more money into programs to use the system to its best advantage.
The Compaq Presario SA4000T is protected by a standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty, which includes 24/7 toll-free technical support for that year and depot service (HP pays shipping both ways). HP offers extensive support through its Web site, including drivers, troubleshooting help, and an array of FAQs and other information.
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BAPCo SysMark 2004 rating | |
SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | |
SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating |
To measure application performance, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's SysMark 2004, an industry-standard benchmark. Using off-the-shelf applications, SysMark measures a desktop's performance using office-productivity applications (such as Microsoft Office and McAfee VirusScan) and Internet-content-creation applications (such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver).
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Unreal Tournament 2003 Flyby-Antalus 1,024x768 | |
Unreal Tournament 2003 Flyby-Antalus 1,600x1,200 4xAA 8xAF |
To measure 3D gaming performance, CNET Labs uses Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2003, widely used as an industry-standard benchmark. We use Unreal to measure a desktop's performance with the DirectX 8.0 (DX8) interface at a 32-bit color depth and at a resolution of 1,024x768 and 1,600x1,200. Antialiasing and anisotropic filtering are disabled during our 1,024x768 tests and are set to 4X and 8X, respectively, during our 1,600x1,200 tests. At this color depth and these resolutions, Unreal provides an excellent means of comparing the performance of low-end to high-end graphics subsystems. We report the results of Unreal's Flyby-Antalus test in frames per second (fps).
System configurations:
Cyberpower Gamer Infinity 8000
Windows XP Home; 3.6GHz Intel P4 560; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB Nvidia PCX GeForce 5750 (PCIe); WDC WD1600JB-00EVA0 160GB 7,200rpm
Dell Dimension 8400
Windows XP Home; 3.6GHz Intel P4 560; Intel 925X chipset; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon X800XT PE (PCIe); two Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA; integrated Intel 82801FR SATA RAID controller
HP Compaq Presario SA4000T
Windows XP Home; 3.6GHz Intel P4 560; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon X600XT (PCIe); two Seagate ST380013AS 80GB 7,200rpm, Serial ATA; WinXP Promise FatTrak S150 TX2 controller card
HP Pavilion a650e
Windows XP Professional; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3700+ (Socket 754); Nvidia Nforce-3 chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 (AGP); WDC WD2500BB-22FTA0 250GB 7,200rpm
MPC ClientPro 545
Windows XP Professional; 3.2GHz Intel P4; Intel 875P chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce FX 5700 (AGP); two Seagate ST3120026AS 120GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA; integrated Intel 82801ER SATA RAID controller
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 User Rating: 
8/10
I actually have one, and like it!
Pros: The front ports, and Personal Media drive is really nice, and the X600 runs Half-Life 2 really well, so I like it.
Cons: I wish that it had a better internal design - too many wires .
