HP Pavilion Elite E9180F Desktop PC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've become a big fan of the HP Elite line since I bought mine last year. I've built and rebuilt (too) many systems over the years and I worked many years as an electronic technician. I can't recall seeing a retail computer that had better build quality. I have seen better quality systems, but they were not anything you could generally buy in a store and they cost 2x-3x more than this. If you want to spend that kind of money check out Alienware or Voodoo. The main negative I can give you about the Elite systems is that they aren't very upgradable. Part of how it competes with more expensive systems with similar specs is by cutting the motherboard down to a fairly minimal design. This one has room for one more graphics card (the Intel X58 Express supports Nvidias SLi enabling it to run two Nvidia PCI Express 16x graphics cards) and one PCI 4x card for whatever else you may want to toss in there. The nice thing is that this system is so loaded you probably won't need to add anything. Considering all the heat generating stuff inside it's pretty quiet. Just a soft fan noise. The main downsize is the large case, but that's pretty much standard for a system with these kinds of specs.
Let's go through the specs:
2.66GHz Core i7 920: The Core i7 is the best CPU you can buy today. There are faster i7s than this but I wouldn't stretch my wallet much more. The i7 has four cores, running two threads each, so it looks like eight CPUs to your system. You don't always need eight threads, so if you're running a game it can shut down some of those cores and up your clock speed. It has three DDR3 memory channels controlled by a fast on-die controller and each channel is running at 1066Mhz. All that feeding into a giant 8MB cache shared between the four cores, which each have another 1MB cache. It all adds up to a whole lot of fast.
9GB RAM: Nine? Do you need nine? I'm not sure. But that's 3GB per channel and that's a lot of fast memory that will pretty much guarantee you will not see any memory bottlenecks. You will probably throw this computer away before you will need to upgrade the RAM.
1TB HDD 7200 RPM: Considering the kind of user who is going to buy this system, 1TB, while a lot, seems reasonable. Just remember to pick up an external 1TB drive and back that thing up. There's no such thing as a reliable HDD anymore.
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 1GB DDR3 Video card: I've been telling people to stay away from Nvidia lately because of some serious manufacturing issues that they have been less than forthcoming about. The GTS 250 however is built on a later (55nm) process and doesn't have the problems associated with the previous generation. In fact the GTS 250 is pretty much a 9800+ built on the new process. It's a good performing card and can handle any game on the market. And if you want you can pick up another in a year or so and start using the SLI in this thing to run two graphics cards (if this intimidates you take it down to your local computer store and they can have you up and running in thirty minutes). That good future proofing.
BLU RAY: It has a blu ray drive, which is cool but I can't really see using it for much. Still, now if you want to watch a hi-def movie on your computer, you can.
HP Pocket Media Drive bay ad HP Personal Media Drive bay: these haven't been quite as handy as I hoped. The "Pocket" media drive might be handy if you need to hand carry large files. They're generally too small of drives to use for system backups. The "Personal" media drives are just regular hard drives that can plug into a slot in the front of your computer. My complaint is that since personal drive is tightly packaged in platstic (to keep it small) the HDD cooling fan kicks in right away and just keeps running. It's much louder than my computer. For your money you'd be better off buying a larger form factor external drive or a Home Server (which I did, and I love it, but that's another review).
Ports: Ports for everything. Front ports for Firewire, USB 2.0., head phones, microphone, speakers, and a card reader. The rear has more USB and FireWire along with an E-SATA port (great for external HDD). Two DVI connects for two DVI monitors. There is a VGA connector if you really need it along with HDMI.
In short for your money you'd have trouble finding a better built system with real gaming specs. If you live to add stuff inside your computer you won't like the limited internal expansion. But if you just want to get a fast computer and have it work, this is a good buy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite E9180F Desktop PC

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite e9000, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you¿re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite e9000¿s flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home or office décor.What's in the box: Pavilion e9180f desktop PC, HP USB keyboard, HP USB optical mouse, power cord, Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe software, muvee Reveal Premium, HP MediaSmart Software Suite, Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Reader 8, HP Easy Backup and Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days of complimentary live updates.

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite E9180F Desktop PC

HP Pavilion Elite E9140F Desktop PC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just purchased this item and I'm impressed with the Speed of this box. With the AMD Phenon II 925 Processor at 2.8GHz is way faster than my old Intel Hyper-threaded (hyperthread was garbage.. freezes up a lot) box. Video/processing power makes it the Multi-media heaven box.
The same machine costs so much $$$ more if you customize it online at HP.com. I didn't get a monitor for my price.
Pros: Awesome CPU, lots of freebies for the price, tuner, extra memory, SD/CF reader, extra memory for video (1GB memory ATI not Nvidia),
Neutral: Green (drive to save energy) Western Digital 1TB drive at 5400rpm but with a 32MB cache. Speed tests on Tom's hardware is awesome and faster than many other ones out there including Hitachi. However past experience with WD indicate reliability issues. I guess I'll see.
This one uses 3 platters instead of 4 which is less moving parts and saves energy. Maybe with less moving parts and at a slower rpm, this one will last longer. My Hitachi/IBM drive still is going strong with 4+ years.
Cons: HP doesn't include a recovery disk. Even the low end Lenovo desktop includes it for FREE. That's is awful for a HP to skim on that since we are buy a [..]+ computer here. I had to pony up around [..] for them.
Overall, I like the HP Media Drive Bays for backups are great for backups. Everything is very easy to access and use.
*************************************************
Update 1: Found Personal Media Drive slot has bad cable or something. It would not recognize the HP PMD thru the PMD drive bay. Need to send in for repairs under warranty.
HP support is avg to bad. Bounced around 5 times in 1 night. Better to call in the US daytime.
*************************************************
Update 2: Received desktop fixed by HP back in a few days from HP. Faster than I though. Media Drive works now.
But HP has stolen my right rubber feet on the front side. So another call to HP on another issue.
*************************************************
Update 3: Rubber feet never came on the week as promised even though calling them to confirm it would arrive.
*************************************************
Update 4: Called HP again and a night HP tech works are totally clueless and said they will escalate case. Found out 2 days after, they didn't escalate the case when call back the morning HP tech crew. I guess the HP night support crew is an answering service only.
*************************************************
Update 5: Took 2 weeks and did receive the missing part.
Expected Quality of product after fix: Probably a 5 out of 5.
HP Support (US morning crew) 4 out of 5.
HP Support (US night crew) 1 out of 5.
HP QA of Product: 2 out of 5. (you wonder why so many returns on HPs). They have no QA (Quality Assurance). The issue that I encountered could have been avoided if they did their QA.
Recommendation:
You get what you pay for in price and quality. I do recommend AMD processors (the little guy).

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite E9140F Desktop PC

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite e9000, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you¿re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite e9000¿s flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home or office décor.What's in the box: Pavilion e9140f desktop PC, HP wireless keyboard, HP wireless optical mouse, power cord, Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe software, muvee Reveal Premium, HP MediaSmart Software Suite, Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Reader 8, HP Easy Backup and Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days of complimentary live updates.

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite E9140F Desktop PC

MSI AE2220-25SUS 21.6-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This review is being updated as of late March 2010 to maintain accuracy. MSI has added models to their already long lineup. The TV tuner in my first 25SUS failed, the keyboard was DOA, and Amazon replaced the entire unit. More on that below, but I have to give Amazon 5 stars for their outstanding customer service. As always, be sure of your warranty and return policies. Plus: Lots of good user comments at the bottom of this review.
This review is about MSI's Wind Top "Multi Touch" (touch screen) AE2220 25SUS. The 2220 Series now apparently has seven models, the 25, 26, 27, 66, and 69SUS, and now the 236 and 237US. You can also find the 1900, the 2010, the 2020 and the 2200 series in MSI's ALL-In-One line of PC's. The here reviewed AE2220 25SUS probably qualifies as the top model of the entire line as of this date (now see AE2220 237US also). If you do a search for this specific model you will find a very good (and very positive) review at Benchmark Reviews, one which also links to an exhaustive Lavalys EVEREST configuration report. And as noted below, check YouTube.
Not to confuse the issue, but there is also an "AE 2220 Hi Fi" glowingly reviewed on the web, although the model is NOT listed on MSI's U.S. website as of this date and does NOT appear to be available in the states. "Hi Fi" elements may be built into the 25SUS. A highly configurable and more expensive AE 2240 model is supposed to appear in the second quarter of 2010. MSI has also shown concept 3D and hybrid projector machines. MSI breeds computers like rabbits. There are 21 models in the Wind Top line on MSI's US site (msicomputer) right now, and it ain't gonna get any simpler unless they start shooting some of them.
Be aware that as of the date of this review the AE2220 pictures on Amazon are outdated, including those of the rear panel. I have posted some user pictures which should be of some help. If you do a search for this unit you will find pictures of a black rectangle mounted in clear plexiglass, and that seems to be what is shipping. It is what I received. Further, the specifications listed on Amazon (and elsewhere) are sometimes incomplete and incorrect. Go to msicomputer (the U.S. site, not the Global) to very carefully check the specifications of the All-In-One model you are considering. Some have touch screens and some do not; some are XP, some Vista, some Win 7, now there are three 64 bit models; there is a variety of processors, hard drives and on-board memory in the Wind Top line, and I have found no way to do a side-by-side comparison. The 25SUS and the 2220-237US may be the only ones with a built-in hi definition capable TV tuner.
What is it? This is an "All-In-One" (AIO) PC, that new generation of computer which combines all of its components--save for the keyboard, mouse and power supply--into the same space occupied by (in this case) a 21.5" diagonal monitor. It really is a hybrid: It is a quite powerful "multi" touch screen PC running Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit; it is a computer monitor, because it has inputs; it is a high definition capable television with a built-in tuner; it is a high definition video playback device with a built in Blue Ray DVD player and it is also an advanced audio playback device with incredible on board sound. Wireless 802.11b/g/n integrates it seamlessly into your network.
AE2220 25SUS: Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit, Intel® Core 2 Duo T6600 (2.2GHz), NVIDIA® GeForce 9300 Integrated Graphics (256MB VRAM), 21.5" Multi-Touch Widescreen (16:9), 1920 x 1080, 1080p, 4GB DDRII 800MHz SDRAM, 500GB SATA2 Hard Disk Drive, Blu-Ray Disc(tm) playback, CD/DVD playback/burning (no Light Scribe mentioned), 802.11b/g/n (Wireless), HD Audio, 2.0 Speakers with SRS Premium Sound, 1 x S/PDIF-OUT, 1 x Microphone-IN, 1 x Headphone-OUT, 1.3MP Webcam with Microphone, 4-in-1 Card Reader, 6 x USB 2.0, 1 x eSATA IN, 1 x VGA Monitor-IN, 1 x HDMI Monitor-IN, 1 x LAN jack (RJ45). Dimensions 21.81" W x 15.89" H x 2.42 D", about 26 pounds.
Ships with the All-In-One CPU, wireless keyboard and mouse, external power supply, remote control, HD TV antenna, antenna to coax adapter, documents, NO OS media.
You can put it on your desk, which is really cool, but this thing is just begging to be placed on your kitchen counter or hung on a wall. It's being sold as a piece of interactive art, and it's an attractive idea. You must disassemble and remove the support stand to install a standard VESA wall mount. I will send you a link to this information if you ask in the comments below. In the kitchen or den it becomes a touch screen source for news, weather, sports or whatever, be it on TV or the Internet; a beautiful display for digital photographs; an Internet radio, with superb on board sound; a complete media center with high definition DVD playback and, well, on and on. Further, among competing models by other manufacturers the MSI Wind Top line offers exceptional value.
This is not really a gaming machine, although it will run up to mid-level games quite well. True gaming machines generate a lot of heat and therefore need lots of cooling, and the All-In-One configuration is not yet where serious gamers should be looking. This low power consumption PC--something like 90 watts under full load--was NOT built with gamers in mind, and criticizing the 25SUS on this basis is not only silly but a waste of time. One can, however, theoretically hook up a gaming console to this machine through the HDMI port (I have not personally done so) and use it as a 1080p gaming monitor.
Unfortunately I both love this machine and am shaking my head. It should be a 5 star product, but I am docking it 1 star for documentation and 1 for hardware issues to give it a 3.
I started my search for a new desktop with several criteria in mind: I wanted a reasonably powerful Windows 7 64 bit machine (the 25SUS is 32 bit) and I really wanted a built-in TV tuner. I looked at everything in the all-in-one genre, particularly Sony and HP; I liked the Sony, and then came across this one. It seemed to have everything I wanted in a compact design and at an incredible price point for what was offered, particularly the port configuration where HP was lacking. Plus, it was cutting edge, sort of. I know MSI components very well, MSI has a terrific reputation and this one was getting very good ink.
Now for the problems. The first lies in MSI's documentation, which is absolutely abysmal ("Yeah, we hear that all the time" an MSI tech told me on one of my calls). When you are looking to buy a product of this caliber you want very good, highly accurate and detailed pre-purchase information, and preferably a simple way to do comparisons among models. You CAN get what appear to be accurate technical details on specific models at MSI's U.S. site (msicomputer), NOT the Global--this is another source of confusion--and I strongly suggest that you do. Still, much of the information on the web is generic, lacking in critical detail, sometimes conflicting and occasionally written in poor English.
Take the operating system. It is listed almost everywhere as "Windows 7 Home Premium", with no reference online or in the manual as to whether it is 32 or 64 bit. You may see the CPU listed as "64 bit capable" but this is irrelevant. Most new computers in this league, including laptops, are today shipping with 64 bit systems. This is not a minor detail. The 25SUS is shipping with a 32 bit system (now three AE 2220 64 bit models at msicomputer, see below), and the only way you can ascertain this is to go into the machine's functions and directly check the specification. I ran the the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor on my machine and it states that the system is 64 bit compatible. Why MSI chose to ship a 32 bit system is anyone's guess, although they may have had reasons for so doing. Further clouding the issue, MSI lists 64 bit drivers on its website alongside the x86 drivers for this machine. So, don't be surprised if 64 bit systems suddenly and spontaneously appear in the Wind Top line...
UPDATE: Apparently in "MSI Speak" if the system spec doesn't specifically state "64 bit" you can assume it's 32 bit. MSI is now listing three "Windows® 7 64 bit Home Premium" models at msicomputer, the AE 2020-098US, the AE2220-236US, and the AE2220-237US. The 237US appears to most closely match the 25SUS in hardware specs, but may now be the top of the line unit given a slightly larger hard drive and the 64 bit operationg system.

A 64 bit bump on the 25SUS would not be for the faint of heart, given the MSI support mess, although we'd like to hear from any of you who are so brave.
OK, so you go to the manual and download it in advance, right? The "manual" for this unit, if it can be called that (Revision V1.1), is for the AE 2220 "series" and is an absolute disaster. It makes no distinction among five models, even though there are significant differences among them. Worse, the "information" therein is incomplete, conflicting and downright inaccurate. Update: MSI now lists a manual Revision 1.2 downloadable for the AE2220 series at msicomputer. The manual is a definite improvement, but is still sorely lacking.
And now let's move on to the hardware problems, which are exemplified in Revision 1.1...
...like MEMORY. The manual specifically states that "2 DDR2 667/ 800 SO-DIMM slots (200 pins/ 1.8V)...Supports the maximum of 8 GB". BUT, online specifications for the 2220 series state that the amount is fixed and CANNOT be changed. In fact there is a removable cover on the back of the machine concealing two 2 GB (4 GB total) chips and no open slots. Whether these can be bumped to 2 x 4 = 8 GB is anyone's guess; as of today Crucial's scanner comes up blank and support is quoting...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: MSI AE2220-25SUS 21.6-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium)

MSI Wind Top AE2220-25SUS All-in-One Desktop AE2220-25SUS 1102

Click here for more information about MSI AE2220-25SUS 21.6-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium)

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-210F Desktop PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Instead of a review, I'm including an abridged version of a letter I sent to Mr Mark Hurd, the President of Hewlett Packard



Dear Mr. Hurd, On April 27 at 2 PM I received a Pavilion Elite Desktop that was defective and "dead in the box." I've been buying computers since 1992 and can accept this but not what followed. (Repair Order #803.........)
From 6 PM to midnight I talked to people in India whose English was barely intelligible making the process extremely difficult. They had me doing tests over and over and sitting on endless hold in between. This was incompetence. Around midnight I was asked to do a "System Restore?" and told by your Tech he would call back---he never did and I was to find that this is common.
On April 28, convinced that the problem was beyond the abilities of your offshore people and not wanting to go back to people I couldn't understand, who never called me back, and who put me on endless hold; I requested (per your guarantee) someone to make a housecall here in Seattle, which was denied. I tried to access American support to no avail and ended up calling Sales--at least they spoke English. They essentially told me "I was on my own" and I thought of the phrase--"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
On April 29 I got your Filipino station and repeated the same process for hours. One particularly grating aspect was listening ad nausea to your parroted message about being able to get home service while I languished on endless hold. This is deceptive and a rotten lie. My machine was brand new----a fact that wasn't even noticed by your techs until the third day. After 20 hrs of my personal time had been chewed up, the dead machine was finally pronounced unfit and carted back by FedEx on April 30.
On May 1, in one final exhaustive attempt to throw salt in my wounds, I received an email double charging me, and my Visa card was billed an extra $50 to boot. Come on Mr. Hurd, you are a great big Fortune 500 company, how hard is it to fix these things.....things I would expect if this was a David Packard startup in his Palo Alto garage. Best Regards A---- E----


Post Script---Yes there is a post script to all this. Hewlett-Packard again sent me a brand new machine---machine #2. After the initial setup, I couldn't get on the Internet. Once again I called your techs in India (Repair order #------858----). After about 5 hours, including a "face to face" and the usual endless tests, I went to bed. Since I wasn't willing to spend another 20 hours on the phone I sent the machine back for a refund. Two bad machines in a row strains the credulity and the bounds of coincidence, but your people were merely sanguine about it all.

The original deal was that I gave HP a price they advertised and they gave me an operational Core i7 machine or they would come out and do an in-house repair. I felt cheated. I got my money back but lost 25+hours of my personal time. Hewlett Packard is a good example of a giant global faceless octopus of a company with ubiquitous advertising, cheap prices and shoddy rubbish products. One of the sales guys told me that if HP used American techs it would add $400 to each machine----so that's why Apples cost more?! Believe me Mr. Hurd, gone are the days I'll do business with HP again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite HPE-210F Desktop PC (Black)

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-210f PC, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you’re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-210f PC's flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home décor.

Get 7% OFF

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite HPE-210F Desktop PC (Black)

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-240F Desktop PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Instead of a review, I'm including an abridged version of a letter I sent to Mr Mark Hurd, the President of Hewlett Packard



Dear Mr. Hurd, On April 27 at 2 PM I received a Pavilion Elite Desktop that was defective and "dead in the box." I've been buying computers since 1992 and can accept this but not what followed. (Repair Order #803.........)
From 6 PM to midnight I talked to people in India whose English was barely intelligible making the process extremely difficult. They had me doing tests over and over and sitting on endless hold in between. This was incompetence. Around midnight I was asked to do a "System Restore?" and told by your Tech he would call back---he never did and I was to find that this is common.
On April 28, convinced that the problem was beyond the abilities of your offshore people and not wanting to go back to people I couldn't understand, who never called me back, and who put me on endless hold; I requested (per your guarantee) someone to make a housecall here in Seattle, which was denied. I tried to access American support to no avail and ended up calling Sales--at least they spoke English. They essentially told me "I was on my own" and I thought of the phrase--"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
On April 29 I got your Filipino station and repeated the same process for hours. One particularly grating aspect was listening ad nausea to your parroted message about being able to get home service while I languished on endless hold. This is deceptive and a rotten lie. My machine was brand new----a fact that wasn't even noticed by your techs until the third day. After 20 hrs of my personal time had been chewed up, the dead machine was finally pronounced unfit and carted back by FedEx on April 30.
On May 1, in one final exhaustive attempt to throw salt in my wounds, I received an email double charging me, and my Visa card was billed an extra $50 to boot. Come on Mr. Hurd, you are a great big Fortune 500 company, how hard is it to fix these things.....things I would expect if this was a David Packard startup in his Palo Alto garage. Best Regards A---- E----


Post Script---Yes there is a post script to all this. Hewlett-Packard again sent me a brand new machine---machine #2. After the initial setup, I couldn't get on the Internet. Once again I called your techs in India (Repair order #------858----). After about 5 hours, including a "face to face" and the usual endless tests, I went to bed. Since I wasn't willing to spend another 20 hours on the phone I sent the machine back for a refund. Two bad machines in a row strains the credulity and the bounds of coincidence, but your people were merely sanguine about it all.

The original deal was that I gave HP a price they advertised and they gave me an operational Core i7 machine or they would come out and do an in-house repair. I felt cheated. I got my money back but lost 25+hours of my personal time. Hewlett Packard is a good example of a giant global faceless octopus of a company with ubiquitous advertising, cheap prices and shoddy rubbish products. One of the sales guys told me that if HP used American techs it would add $400 to each machine----so that's why Apples cost more?! Believe me Mr. Hurd, gone are the days I'll do business with HP again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite HPE-240F Desktop PC (Black)

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-240f PC, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you’re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-240f PC's flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home décor.

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite HPE-240F Desktop PC (Black)

Lenovo IdeaCenter A600 30114MU 21.5-Inch Full HD All-in-One Desktop Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Got this PC from Amazon about 1 month ago, promo price at 899. Good deal, but there are better alternatives. I should have considered the HP's first
Some Pros
- All in one,
-Easy setup, works out of the box
- slick keyboard, mouse, remote etc.
- nice camera and other features
- have not tried the Bluray player yet, but DVD's work great
- Media Center with TV option is excellent, plug right into the cable and you get all the basic's with recording capabilities
- Bluetooth functionality is great if you need it
- 1TB hard drive
Now for the considerations before you buy
- All in one, so not too easy to change accessories, parts etc
- Only 4G RAM, a bit limited
- Hard drive makes an annoying clicking, if you are recording with the included webcam you can actually capture the harddrive noise (very irritating)
- Limited Tilt on the monitor
- NO HDMI or other video in, cannot use this monitor with any other video source, stuck with the current setup
- it's big enough to take up your desktop

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lenovo IdeaCenter A600 30114MU 21.5-Inch Full HD All-in-One Desktop

The future is now, and it's in stunning high-definition. Introducing the Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one with 21.5 inch Full HD widescreen display and 4-in-1 remote control that functions as a motion-drive games controller, internet telephone handset and more. This sleek computer delivers the functionality of a Windows 7 desktop computer in a spacesaving design that will look at home anywhere in your house, and with Lenovo Enhanced Experiencefor Windows7 you'll enjoy fast boot and shutdown, rich multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools.Best of all, it's from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad notebook.
Lenovo IdeaCentreA600 All-in-one Key Features
BREAKTHROUGH STYLE

Space-saving, all-in-one stylish design fits anywhere in the home
Ultra-slim design, just 1.06 inch deep
Large storage capacity, ideal for videos, music and games
The upgradeable all-in-one, easily add memory and hard drive capacity
Wireless keyboard and mouse

BREAKTHROUGH ENTERTAINMENT

Intel Core 2 Duo processor P7450
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
21.5 inch Full HD 16:9 widescreen display
6-in-1 card reader, USB2.0 and IEEE1394 connectors
Integrated Wi-Fi
Dolby Home Theater with subwoofer speaker
Unique 4-in-1 remote control with motion-drive gaming
HD graphics and DDR3 memory for all-round performance
Blu-ray Disc player
Integrated TV tuner

BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Bright Vision automatic brightness control protects your eyes in poor light conditions
OneKey Rescue System for quick and easy data recovery with antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC

A BETTER WINDOWS 7 EXPERIENCE

Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 provides a faster, richer and easier way to use your PC

OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition
Intuitive controls
Wireless keyboard and mouse
Integrated TV tuner
Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7

Click here for more information about Lenovo IdeaCenter A600 30114MU 21.5-Inch Full HD All-in-One Desktop

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-230F Desktop PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Instead of a review, I'm including an abridged version of a letter I sent to Mr Mark Hurd, the President of Hewlett Packard



Dear Mr. Hurd, On April 27 at 2 PM I received a Pavilion Elite Desktop that was defective and "dead in the box." I've been buying computers since 1992 and can accept this but not what followed. (Repair Order #803.........)
From 6 PM to midnight I talked to people in India whose English was barely intelligible making the process extremely difficult. They had me doing tests over and over and sitting on endless hold in between. This was incompetence. Around midnight I was asked to do a "System Restore?" and told by your Tech he would call back---he never did and I was to find that this is common.
On April 28, convinced that the problem was beyond the abilities of your offshore people and not wanting to go back to people I couldn't understand, who never called me back, and who put me on endless hold; I requested (per your guarantee) someone to make a housecall here in Seattle, which was denied. I tried to access American support to no avail and ended up calling Sales--at least they spoke English. They essentially told me "I was on my own" and I thought of the phrase--"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
On April 29 I got your Filipino station and repeated the same process for hours. One particularly grating aspect was listening ad nausea to your parroted message about being able to get home service while I languished on endless hold. This is deceptive and a rotten lie. My machine was brand new----a fact that wasn't even noticed by your techs until the third day. After 20 hrs of my personal time had been chewed up, the dead machine was finally pronounced unfit and carted back by FedEx on April 30.
On May 1, in one final exhaustive attempt to throw salt in my wounds, I received an email double charging me, and my Visa card was billed an extra $50 to boot. Come on Mr. Hurd, you are a great big Fortune 500 company, how hard is it to fix these things.....things I would expect if this was a David Packard startup in his Palo Alto garage. Best Regards A---- E----


Post Script---Yes there is a post script to all this. Hewlett-Packard again sent me a brand new machine---machine #2. After the initial setup, I couldn't get on the Internet. Once again I called your techs in India (Repair order #------858----). After about 5 hours, including a "face to face" and the usual endless tests, I went to bed. Since I wasn't willing to spend another 20 hours on the phone I sent the machine back for a refund. Two bad machines in a row strains the credulity and the bounds of coincidence, but your people were merely sanguine about it all.

The original deal was that I gave HP a price they advertised and they gave me an operational Core i7 machine or they would come out and do an in-house repair. I felt cheated. I got my money back but lost 25+hours of my personal time. Hewlett Packard is a good example of a giant global faceless octopus of a company with ubiquitous advertising, cheap prices and shoddy rubbish products. One of the sales guys told me that if HP used American techs it would add $400 to each machine----so that's why Apples cost more?! Believe me Mr. Hurd, gone are the days I'll do business with HP again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite HPE-230F Desktop PC (Black)

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-230f PC, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you’re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-230f PC's flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home décor.

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite HPE-230F Desktop PC (Black)

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270F Desktop PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Instead of a review, I'm including an abridged version of a letter I sent to Mr Mark Hurd, the President of Hewlett Packard



Dear Mr. Hurd, On April 27 at 2 PM I received a Pavilion Elite Desktop that was defective and "dead in the box." I've been buying computers since 1992 and can accept this but not what followed. (Repair Order #803.........)
From 6 PM to midnight I talked to people in India whose English was barely intelligible making the process extremely difficult. They had me doing tests over and over and sitting on endless hold in between. This was incompetence. Around midnight I was asked to do a "System Restore?" and told by your Tech he would call back---he never did and I was to find that this is common.
On April 28, convinced that the problem was beyond the abilities of your offshore people and not wanting to go back to people I couldn't understand, who never called me back, and who put me on endless hold; I requested (per your guarantee) someone to make a housecall here in Seattle, which was denied. I tried to access American support to no avail and ended up calling Sales--at least they spoke English. They essentially told me "I was on my own" and I thought of the phrase--"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"
On April 29 I got your Filipino station and repeated the same process for hours. One particularly grating aspect was listening ad nausea to your parroted message about being able to get home service while I languished on endless hold. This is deceptive and a rotten lie. My machine was brand new----a fact that wasn't even noticed by your techs until the third day. After 20 hrs of my personal time had been chewed up, the dead machine was finally pronounced unfit and carted back by FedEx on April 30.
On May 1, in one final exhaustive attempt to throw salt in my wounds, I received an email double charging me, and my Visa card was billed an extra $50 to boot. Come on Mr. Hurd, you are a great big Fortune 500 company, how hard is it to fix these things.....things I would expect if this was a David Packard startup in his Palo Alto garage. Best Regards A---- E----


Post Script---Yes there is a post script to all this. Hewlett-Packard again sent me a brand new machine---machine #2. After the initial setup, I couldn't get on the Internet. Once again I called your techs in India (Repair order #------858----). After about 5 hours, including a "face to face" and the usual endless tests, I went to bed. Since I wasn't willing to spend another 20 hours on the phone I sent the machine back for a refund. Two bad machines in a row strains the credulity and the bounds of coincidence, but your people were merely sanguine about it all.

The original deal was that I gave HP a price they advertised and they gave me an operational Core i7 machine or they would come out and do an in-house repair. I felt cheated. I got my money back but lost 25+hours of my personal time. Hewlett Packard is a good example of a giant global faceless octopus of a company with ubiquitous advertising, cheap prices and shoddy rubbish products. One of the sales guys told me that if HP used American techs it would add $400 to each machine----so that's why Apples cost more?! Believe me Mr. Hurd, gone are the days I'll do business with HP again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270F Desktop PC (Black)

Get serious about computing with the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270f PC, a stylish, high-performance PC for your most demanding digital tasks. Premium performance levels enable an enhanced experience whether you’re working, e-mailing, editing photos or videos, gaming or connecting with friends online. The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270f PC's flexibility and expandability let you add devices and features to support your growing needs. The elegant, chrome-accented design is sure to attract attention in any home décor.

Click here for more information about HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270F Desktop PC (Black)

HP TouchSmart 600-1155 All-in-One PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wanted to try a touchscreen in the kitchen area and this seemed to be the fastest available with the largest screen. I was always just grabbing the iPad to check email and calendar stuff but sometimes I couldn't find it, having left it somewhere else in the house. So now I have had the HP touchsmart for a month and I think it is very good but there is room for improvement. First, the screen is big and gorgeous. It is responsive and accurate for touch applications plus windows 7 and the processor is fast. It is quiet and boots rapidly which is key for me. The touch apps though are a mixed bag. The Calander app is a huge dissapointment since it is supposed to sync with google and it doesn't at all. It is a key component of why I got the computer so the family can share the calanders we all have and access everything. Maybe there will be an update? The recipe app is useful as it loads recipes you can find online. The notes app is ok as you can leave post it notes on the screen for others to see. The picture app is like Picasso from google with quick access to an online photo service. In comparison to the iPad, of course, the apps have a long way to go but Hp has taken a step in the right direction. I would pay $5 for apps for this Touchscreen if they were as good as the ones on the iPad I use everyday (like Calengoo, Informant, or some of the games). Maybe HP should have an app store for this? In any case, I am very happy with my purchase and would do it again. I looked at the Sony Vaio but didn't feel I needed to pay extra for the name and I am happy I didn't. Plus, the wireless connection worked perfectly out of the box and recognized my HP Printer upstairs immediately. Setup was a breeze and took 5 minutes max. Highly recommended if you want to try out a touchscreen desktop.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP TouchSmart 600-1155 All-in-One PC (Black)

Your world at your fingertips. Use your fingers to immerse yourself into your work and play. With natural intuitive movements everything you can do will be faster easier and way more fun. Zip around your PC with multi-touch gestures such as pinch rotate arc flick and press and drag. Includes many built-in touch-optimized applications including new Windows 7. Customize your touch interface as easily as you customize your desktop. Touchable calendar and browser help you stay organized. You can also play games video chat and more. Featuring NEW Apps like Paint It! by Corel and Roxio Cinema Now. Launch your favorite apps instantly from HP TouchSmart home. Experience some of the best of the web-like Hulu Netflix Twitter and Pandora-HP TouchSmart style. Transfer photos and images from a mobile phone via Bluetooth with HP TouchSmart Link. Watch pause rewind and record live TV with TouchSmart Live TV. Building on a heritage of industry firsts the third-generation HP TouchSmart PC combines the latest hardware and software in one elegant product. A recipe dictation and voice command enables you to create dishes from your favorite recipes step-by-step enabling truly hands-free operation. Create collages to save and share with a simple touch and even use voice control to zoom rotate and invert photos. Connect your Xbox Wii or Playstation through the HDMI or composite inputs. A slim power-saving design with a small footprint comes with everything you need built-in. Get the big picture with a 16:9 Full HD1080p widescreen. Watch Hollywood Blu-Ray and DVD movies or edit home video and burn your own. Video chat with friends and family using the built-in adjustable-tilt webcam and microphone. Watch pause rewind and record live TV. Simple set up: just plug in one power cord to get started. Low profile wireless keyboard conveniently stows away when not in use. Built in wireless capabilit

Get 6% OFF

Click here for more information about HP TouchSmart 600-1155 All-in-One PC (Black)

Gateway FX6803-25 Desktop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have searched for the computer (whether custom built or prebuilt) for 3 months. This one kept coming back to the top of the list again and again.
First, you need to know that Gateway and Acer are basically the same company, you find Acer all over the documentation from the box, to the documents to the computer itself.
If there was anything else I'd have wanted, it would be wireless connection - this does not have it, but there are many routers with USB hubs to server that purpose.
I agree with everyone, it is super quiet, occasionally when a drive cycles, you hear it, but otherwise you are pressed to know it is even on. I chose to turn off the Red accent lighting, I think it a little gimmicky.
My concerns over previous computers were many, I wanted something that HDMI connected to my HDTV without going through DVI's etc.. I think the Blueray player a nice feature although I likely won't use it except as a second drive which is always nice.
I watch a lot of TV shows streamed on the web (Hulu, Fancast, all the network stations) and wanted smooth frame rate - well I sure got it, as well as FLAWLESS 1080P content streaming on Youtube. Nothing ever appears below a 30 plus frame rate, so smooth is a mild word for the output.
On to gaming, I bought Crysis considering it is a benchmark on nearly any review site and at max res with EVERYTHING turned on, it is 100% a kickass experience.
I also am into video editing, a major factor in buying a machine - I bought Magix Movie Pro 16 and work at light speed with my Flip Cams 720p footage, I haven't tried anything higher res, but I feel secure it will handle it equally as well.
At $1425 or so, I don't think anything touches it. I customized a few computers online with the same specs. and every one came in around $1900 or more. A big plus is the 750 watt power supply, a lot of companies will give you the 1gig video card, but they don't offer anything over 500 watts.
So, I'm doing everything that I want a computer to do, the I7 with 9gigs RAM flies, the multi-threading and everything just passes stuff around lightning fast. The 1.5 terra-drive should last most people a long long time and 10 USB ports comes in handy, no need for hubs to slow you down.
Oh, the SD card reader is the HCSD reader, so I have 16gig SD cards and use it to move about 14 movies around my different machines - handy.
You are not likely to find a better PC for your money, but it is performance is where we all draw the line and this machine delivers. To do it over again, I would and that is the ultimate compliment to any purchase.
Oh... NOTE: this computer comes in its original box, it is NOT packaged in a discrete box. UPS tried to deliver it, but since I was not home, they weren't about to leave a box showing a monster gaming machine on the step. I drove the 10 miles to pick it up at UPS when the truck returned that night to their hub. So be there for it, or you may need to take a ride.
Beemaster

Click Here to see more reviews about: Gateway FX6803-25 Desktop (Black)


Gateway FX6803: Gaming Supercomputer
With a streamlined racing car-like design complete with mesh venting inhale and red lighting effects, the Gateway FX6803-25 desktop computer provides a fantastic entertainment and gaming experience. It combines quad-core processing power via the Intel Core i7-930 with cutting edge graphics processing via the ATI Radeon HD 5850 graphics card with 1 GB of discrete video memory--perfect for visually rich apps and the most vivid DirectX 11 games. They're complemented by 9 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1.5 TB hard drive for maximum storage right out of the box.
The Gateway FX desktop PC with mesh venting inhale, red accents and red lighting effects for a racing car-like design.

Click here for more information about Gateway FX6803-25 Desktop (Black)

HP TouchSmart 600-1055 23-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned the HP 600-1055 for about a month now. It is full of suprizes. The touch screen is more responsive than I thought and very fun. I find myself using both the mouse and the touch screen equally. I'm not going to give you all the specs, you can look those up yourself but there is one that I need to mention. It comes with a Bluray player. The screen is only 60 hz, so even though the picture is good, the blur you get with fast motion is distracting. Also it's not for gamers. I tried to run "Bass Pro Shop The Strike" and it did not meet the min. requirments for the game. The fun things are the picture and music touch programs. Live TV was easy to set up. My favorite is using a paint program with the touch screen. It's advanced finger painting. And depending upon the program, you can do some wonderous things.
Bottom line for me: A fun computer with enjoyable features for media and browsing, but not hard core for gaming or serious movie watching.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP TouchSmart 600-1055 23-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium)

From the elegant design to the advanced features to the incredibly powerful suite of built-for-touch applications, the HP TouchSmart PC redefines what touch can do for you—and what you can do with a touch.

Get 23% OFF

Click here for more information about HP TouchSmart 600-1055 23-Inch Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium)