HP Pavilion A6200N Desktop PC
HP Pavilion A6200N Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 5000+, 2 GB RAM, 360 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)
Cheap Computers: Hewlett Packard
HP Pavilion A6200N Desktop PC. The perfect PC for photos, video and music HP Pavilion desktop PCs include a variety of features that make taking and sharing digital pictures easier than ever. As you would expect from the leader in consumer PCs and PhotoSmart printers, every HP Pavilion PC gives you the tools to make working with digital photos and video clips fun and convenient. Organize, edit, share and protect your digital photos with HP Photosmart Essential. The front panel 15 in 1 memory card reader makes it easy to transfer photos and files to and from your digital camera and other peripheral devices. HP Pavilion PCs feature the exclusive Pocket Media Drive bay20 that allows you to add instant storage. The Pocket Media Drive21 also works with any USB enabled PC. The SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology lets you create custom, silkscreen quality labels and artwork directly onto LightScribe enabled CD and DVD discs.
Amazon.com Product Description:
Boasting a sleek and shiny black-and-silver chasis, the HP Pavilion a6200n desktop PC comes loaded with the all tools you need to easily create, manage, share, and enjoy your digital photos, home videos, movies, and music. You can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc and provides a super-fast 16x DVD+R/-R write speed. It also includes LightScribe technology for personalized silkscreen-quality, laser-etched CD/DVD labels created right in the drive.
This desktop is powered by the 2.6 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ dual-core processor, which increases the efficiency and speed of the PC while running multiple programs and the latest multi-threaded software. Store more music, videos, and data on the roomy 360 GB 3 GB-per-second Serial ATA hard drive, which offers lightning quick transfer rates. It also includes an open drive bay for an optional HP Pocket Media Drive (which can add up to 160 GB of storage). Other features include 2 GB of RAM (which can be bumped up to 8 GB), an integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150 video/graphics card with 128 MB of dedicated video RAM, a wide variety of connection ports on both the front and rear of the box, and a 15-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats.
It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
The Basics
- Processor: AMD's Athlon 64 X2 5000+ dual-core processor is built for tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. Dual-core technology is like having two processors working together, each one taking care of different applications, so power-users actually experience greater performance when multiple applications are running. Digital media enthusiasts will appreciate the enhancements while simultaneously working in high-definition video and photo editing and audio mixing programs. It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) and Enhanced Virus Protection.
This 2.6 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up to a blazing 2000 MHz and each core offers a 512 KB L2 cache--for a 1 MB total. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
- Hard Drive: The extra-large 360 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive has a 3Gb/s interface speed that enables up to 300MB/s data transfer rates (double the speed of the current SATA interface of 1.5Gb/s).
This desktop also includes a drive bay that fits an optional HP Pocket Media Drive, which enables you to add up to 160 GB of additional storage. The Pocket Media Drive also works with any USB-enabled PC, for easy transferring of multimedia files from other computers in your home.
- Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 2 x 1 GB) is a good start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and gaming software. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. This desktop has an 8 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 2 GB). To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.
- DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 8x DVD-R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, 12x DVD-RAM, 40x CD-R, 32x CD-RW write speeds and 40x CD-ROM, and 16x DVD-ROM read speeds.
This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.
- Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).
This desktop features an integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics/video card with 128 MB of dedicated graphics memory. Windows Vista can also allocate up to 623 MB of total graphics memory from the system memory. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for video content--and full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 for stunningly realistic cinematic effects for all DirectX-compatible applications. It also offers an integrated audio card that can produce high definition surround sound configurable to 8 speakers.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
For expansion, this desktop has two PCI slots (one available), one PCI Express x1 slot (available), one PCI Express x16 slot (available), two 5.25-inch bays (one available), and three 3.5-inch bays (two available). It comes with the following external connectors:
- 6 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players (2 in front, 4 in rear)
- 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
- 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
- 1 VGA monitor port
- 2 headphone and 2 microphone (front and rear)
- 2 line-in (front and rear)
- Digital coaxial audio input/output as well as surround sound speaker outputs (rear/side/center)
- 15-in-1 multi-format memory card reader, compatible with CompactFlash I/II, IBM Microdrive, Secure Digital (SD), miniSD, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), MultiMediaCard Plus (MMC plus), MultiMediaCard Mobile (MMC mobile), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SmartMedia, and xD Picture Card.
- 10/100 Fast Ethernet
- 56K modem
Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer Basic Edition, Roxio Creator 9 and MyDVD Basic, HP PhotoSmart Essential, and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).
Dimensions & Weight
It measures 16.3 x 6.9 x 15.25 inches (LxWxD) and weighs approximately 22 pounds.
What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion a6200n desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase.
Lowest New Price: USD 729.84
Lowest Refurbished Price: USD 584.05
- Sleek and shiny black-and-silver desktop with 2.6 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ dual-core processor
- 360 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (8 GB max), 16x dual-layer DVD burner with LightScribe disc printing
- Open drive bay for an optional HP Pocket Media Drive; Nvidia GeForce 6150 video/graphics card with 128 MB of dedicated memory
- Connectivity: six USB 2.0; two FireWire; 15-in-1 memory card reader; 10/100 Fast Ethernet
- Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)
Model: A6200N
Release Date: 2007-10-01
My main computer
I bought this model back in October 2007 and it still works great. I did make a few upgrades:
-Upgraded Power Supply to an Antec EA500 ATX 12V 500W Power Supply for ATX Cases
-Upgraded the Graphics Card to a XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Ready Video Card (Dual DVI/S-Video)
-Added 1 GB of RAM.
Some people have complained about the power button being on the top. You get used to it, you just need to remember not to set stuff on top of your tower (which I try not to do anyway). You can disable the button via Windows and shut down only via the software if you keep hitting it on accident.
The ONLY issue I have had with it is when I tried to upgrade the DVD drive, I broke the spring that holds the flap over the drives closed. It's annoying, but not functionally damaging.
Overall, a very solid PC and a good price back then (I paid about 0 for it two years ago). Since then I've put in about 0 in upgrades. I can play most new games (Call of Duty 4 & World at War run flawlessly) and I have never had a serious crash. My motherboard and processor run cooler than most similar computers and I haven't made any cooling upgrades. Case is easy to access, the side comes off and you can remove the front if necessary.
Excelente
Tremenda relación precio-valor, la maquina funciona a la perfección, para todas mis necesidades, que son las básicas, no he probado jugar en ella, para eso están las consolas, por su puesto trae un montón de programas pre instalados que uno no quiere pero en lo que le quites el peso extra corre muy bien!!!
Build your own computer, don't buy one and get ripped off!
I'm going to tell you right now. Most people will buy this computer because they either don't have time to build their own, or simply don't have the time. I will also tell you that it would be a big mistake. I built my own computer for 0 and some change that is much better than this. I'll compare the specs below.
Hard Drive
While this computer has a 360GB hard drive, mine rocks a 640GB hard drive that's backed with a 5-year warranty. Not to shabby, eh? That's almost a 78% bigger hard drive.
DVD/CD Drive
I have a 20x DVD/CD Burner with lightscribe/dual-layer capabilities which is the same as the one that comes with this computer, only faster, as this computer's drive is only 16x.
RAM
Though both my computer and this computer have 2GB's of RAM, there is a difference...the speed. The RAM on this computer runs at 667MHz, while mine runs at 1066MHz. Also, my motherboard has a max amount of 16GBs, while the motherboard that comes with this computer maxes out at 8GBs.
Motherboard
As mentioned above, my motherboard has a higher amount of possible RAM, but that's not all it has going for it. My motherboard has a FSB of 5200MT/s while this motherboard has only 2000MT/s. Quite a difference if you ask me. There are also a few different things you'd see my motherboard has that this one doesn't, though minimal.
Graphics
While this computer comes with nothing but onboard graphics mine looks stunning on my 22" widescreen monitor when it's connected to my 8800GT. I can't even begin to tell you the difference between onboard graphics, and an actual graphics card, let alone the 8800GT. You'll NEVER want to go back to onboard graphics once you've seen what "real" graphics cards can actually do.
Power Supply
This seems to be a big problem among must buyers. With this computer you get a wimpy 250-watt power supply which is good for nothing except what's already on the computer. If you even want to add a few things you'll want to upgrade your power supply first which can cost another (give or take) to what you've already spent. However, my computer has a 700-watt power supply which powers everything in my computer seamlessly, AND leaves room for anything else I might want to add.
CPU
Though the CPU in this computer is nice (AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz), you might find mine to be the real attention grabber, being an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz.
Computer Case
I'm not going to lie, I don't have the greatest looking case, but it gets the job done, and with over 1900+ happy owners (including me) who have had no problems, I'm not going to complain.
Now, to end my review, I'm just going to ask everyone, why? Not really, I'm going to rant on some more, but I think people should really take the time to learn how to build their own computer. It's actually a very easy process, and can save you hundreds of dollars. In my case it didn't save me any money, per se, but I did get a much better computer for the same price. If I had chosen to make the exact computer shown here (on Amazon) I could have easily saved anywhere from 0-0. Either way, I spent almost exactly the same amount to build a computer that is possibly 10x better. All the products I used are below, and if you have the time, I recommend you look into building your own computer.
PLEASE NOTE---I did not include the price of Vista. You should be able to find Vista for anywhere from 0-0 depending on which version you want, which will obviously put you up a bit, maybe to 0, but you can easily leave out the 8800GT and use the 0 you would've spent on that on a copy of Vista, or whichever OS you want. Even if you choose not to get the 8800GT you'll still have better on board graphics, and all the other components will still be better as well. Hope that informed people!
-Samsung DVD Burner SH-S203N-------------------.99
-Western Digital Caviar 640GB WD6400AAKS--------.99
-BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G M2+ (Motherboard)------.99
-COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW (Case)---.99
-EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512-P3-N801-AR-----------9.99
-OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V------4.99
-G.SKILL RAM (2x 1GB) F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK--------.99
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz ADX6400CZBOX----9.00
Please note, prices vary by store and time of purchase.
Excellent machine
Purchased this machine in November '07. I was only hooked up to the onboard video long enough to see if the machine would boot up and when it did I immediately added a mid-grade video card and upgraded to a 430 watt ThermalTake power supply. I also added an additional 2GB system memory, even though the standard 2GB would have probably been quite sufficient. I'm not convinced it is absolutely necessary add memory to run Vista, but you can't have too much of the stuff either. Vista Home Premium is what it is...I guess we'll have to get used to it eventually. I don't have any particular problems with Vista, just some things rearranged and not where I got used to them being. The machine has plenty of horsepower to operate the Aero desktop so at least you get that benefit from the Vista OS. The Vista driver for my ancient HP PSC1210 All-In-One supported just the basic print functions (and not very well at that) and HP said they weren't going to release Vista drivers for that printer, so that gave me the excuse to go buy an Epson. The machine has flawlessly run everything I've asked it to run for these 6 months now, so I guess I have enough hours on it to be able to recommend it to anyone thinking about purchasing a new machine.
HP Pavilion A6200N Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 5000+, 2 GB RAM, 360 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)
Think Twice Before you buy HP
I purchased an HP Pavilion a year ago. It came with a broken 9 in 1 card. In less than a year the hard drive went out. Wanna know if HP service lives up to the ads? I found out...because of the two breakdowns. They fixed both, but when the machine was returned after repair to the hard drive, the front cover was broken. Two tabs that hold it in place had been broken during service. Not a big problem, but the fight I've had with HP since is the real story. They wanted me to ship the pc back again, rather than just ship me a new cover. They assigned a case manager since we didn't want to ship the PC back. He would call us back within 24-48 hours, during a time convenient to us. 1 1/2 weeks later I called back to see why we hadn't been called and was told I had to call the case manager during his working hours which start at 11pm Eastern Daylight time. I can't figure out why they asked us what hours were convenient for us. This issue still isn't resolved. I hope your experience with their award winning service is better because you may well be depending on it.