-
Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"This is a great computer, although to really appreciate it you need to add some more hardware."
Pros: Great DVD-burner drive, incredibly fast processor
Cons: There is only space for one additional hard drive, TV-tuner not included
Summary: This is a great computer as it performs well today, but has all the expandability for the future. This computer works very well, if you install additional hardware. I installed a TV-tuner card, a graphics card, and bought a remote control. This stuff is necessary if you want to appreciate Windows Media Center, the pre-installed operating system. The TV-tuner card lets me record live television, the graphics card allows me to watch recorded TV on my couch, and the remote control lets me control everything from a distance. This is still a very competent PC for doing other tasks, like word processing and surfing the Internet. If you are going to be recording a lot of TV then you may also wish to purchase an additional hard drive, either that or burn your shows to DVD with the included DVD-drive. Another thing that was great about this computer was the support from HP. I had a question about things that I could install internally in the computer, so I e-mailed HP. They responded to my e-mail in under an hour with a clear and helpful response. The last thing which I liked about this computer was the processor. It has a really advanced processor which in the future can be upgraded to run 64-bit software. This means that if you change to a 64-bit version of Windows you can run programs at a much faster speed. AMD makes this processor which is far better than any comparable processor from Intel. 64-bit processors are good because at the moment all software runs on 32-bit drivers, these are much slower and many software designers are starting to design 64-bit drivers. In conclusion I found that this computer was a great system with little drawbacks and will probably last many years for my needs.
- 2 replies to this review
-
The websites HP sent me to for upgrades seemed sleazy and unresponsive...that's MUVEE MAKER, what a bunch of schlocks...took my money but didn't send me the key code to use it and wouldn't respond to my email. I had to nix the deal thru my credit card provider.
Then there's the TV Tuner card that i assumed was in there somewhere. maybe it is but i sure can't find it. There's nothing in the owners manual concerning how to watch TV thru the internet, just a bunch of idiotic pre-loaded samples of junk i'd never watch. And there's no S-Video jack for recording from another source...another purchase i'll have to make.
BUT!! The hard drive is HUGE (to me) and application i install work seamlessly. I do a lot of photo editing and i record old cassettes to CD's. I can store hours and hours of this stuff and i've hardly made a dent in the hard drive. But in the case of audio, i get frustrated with Window's Media Player and all the moronic categories that confuse me. I'd like WMP to be more like a CD and Cassette recorder with simple knobs and buttons. I don't need any help sorting my music.
The price i paid with a rebate was about $600. Can you beat that? And the Media card slots, all the USB and other ports, the dozens of games (which I mostly deleted), the handy location of ports and in/out jacks on the front panel, and the empty bays for upgrades make it the best $600 i've parted with EVER. I love this little babe! -
The websites HP sent me to for upgrades seemed sleazy and unresponsive...that's MUVEE MAKER, what a bunch of schlocks...took my money but didn't send me the key code to use it and wouldn't respond to my email. I had to nix the deal thru my credit card provider.
Then there's the TV Tuner card that i assumed was in there somewhere. maybe it is but i sure can't find it. There's nothing in the owners manual concerning how to watch TV thru the internet, just a bunch of idiotic pre-loaded samples of junk i'd never watch. And there's no S-Video jack for recording from another source...another purchase i'll have to make.
BUT!! The hard drive is HUGE (to me) and application i install work seamlessly. I do a lot of photo editing and i record old cassettes to CD's. I can store hours and hours of this stuff and i've hardly made a dent in the hard drive. But in the case of audio, i get frustrated with Window's Media Player and all the moronic categories that confuse me. I'd like WMP to be more like a CD and Cassette recorder with simple knobs and buttons. I don't need any help sorting my music.
The price i paid with a rebate was about $600. Can you beat that? And the Media card slots, all the USB and other ports, the dozens of games (which I mostly deleted), the handy location of ports and in/out jacks on the front panel, and the empty bays for upgrades make it the best $600 i've parted with EVER. I love this little babe!
Where to buy
HP Pavilion A1210n (Athlon 64 2.2GHz, 512MB RAM, 200GB HDD, XP Media Center):
$654.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
eCOST.com
|
$654.99 |
|
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/hp-pavilion-a1210n-athlon/4864-3118_7-31518256-1.html){kind=small}