HP Pavilion AMD 2.8GHz 5600+ Desktop Computer

not the best comp… make your own at newegg and tigerdirect.

VISTA, ARGH

How much do I have to spend on a monitor???

I actually have this computer. It’s fantastic, and the memory really is more than I’ll ever need. This price is great, and if you’re on the search for a good everyday use desktop, this is a good choice.

WOW!

This is actually a great price for this kind of computer. It MIGHT be able to handle crysis on medium tops but thats only if you plan on investing another 150-300$ on a decent graphics card. Im sure this thing has only built-in which is always crap.

Found this new review:

The HP Pavilion a6230n is an impressive desktop as of this writing (October, 2007). The AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ dual-core processor is a fast processor giving similar performance to the Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 processor for much less money. In fact, the only Intel processors that perform much better than the 5600+ are the Intel Quad-core processors … and the “cheapest” quad-core desktops cost $400 more than this desktop.

3GB of RAM and a 400GB SATA hard drive certainly help with performance in Vista, but Vista performance would be even better with a dedicated video card. Speaking of which, the a6230n has plenty of internal space for expansion. There is an open 5-inch drive bay and an open 3.5-inch drive bay, two PCI slots (one is used by the dial-up modem but I removed it and replaced it with a sound card since I don’t use dial-up), one PCI-E x1 card slot and one PCI-E x16 card slot.

Of course, you can also add a pocket media drive to the front bay … nice for transporting large files.

The only minor flaw with this desktop is that the a6230n only comes with a 300 watt power supply unit. You really need to replace it with a 500 watt (or larger) power supply if you plan to add more drives, expansion cards, or a good dedicated graphics card. If you only plan to use the computer “as-is” then the 300 watt power supply is more than enough.

And one last thing … Windows Vista is NOT as bad as many people say. Yes, you have to spend at least one full day changing default settings if you want it to run better than a machine with Windows XP, but Vista is a much better operating system once you change the default settings.

Unfortunately, Microsoft selected a lot of stupid default settings in order to “protect” people who don’t understand computers. If you are one of those people (someone who doesn’t understand computers) then you will be very well protected by all of the default settings in Vista. However, if you are a “power user” (someone who knows what “msconfig” or “disk defragmentation” means) then you can easily change the default settings in Vista to make things fast and enjoyable.

If you want to learn about improving Vista performance just do a Google search for “Vista tweaks.”

Anyway, back to the a6230n … it’s a GREAT desktop. Buy one. I did.

big hard drive and lots ‘o’ ram is nice. thats about it. this isnt much of a deal really.

How fast is the Hard Drive? 400 Gigs sounds great, but not if it’s 4200rpm.

not yet…you will need a better video card

bigfoot013,

It has DVD DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology
.

the hard drive is a 7200rpm sata drive

I don’t think this can handle Crysis. The processor isnt fast enough unless you install Windows XP on this computer. You’d also need a dedicated graphics card. (Try checking www.tomshardware.com for reviews)

OK, i FOUND IT … DVD burner

Some, like me, are looking to add another comp to the household.

is this compatible with that damn woot launched pinnacle HD TV tuner card?

Good comp to replace your POS P4 youve been soo anxious to replace…and or good for a second muli purpose comp for the kids…

So, although this is refurbied, the reviews on Amazon and Cnet are actually really good (4 stars and 8’s or 9’s to be exact). And besides, a little refurb action never really hurt anyone, right?

In the box:
HP Pavilion a6230n
3 Button Optical Mouse with Scroll Wheel (PS/2)
Keyboard (PS/2)
Power Cord
**RJ-12 Cord (Phone Cord) **
Quick Setup Guide
Troubleshooting and Maintenance Guide
Limited Warranty and Support Guide
Using Windows Vista Guide

If you still use dial-up, you do not deserve to live! l o l

400 GB? Nice. Only thing that kills the deal is the integrated graphics. But with a PCI-E slot available, it should be easy to upgrade.

Alas, I’m not in need of a computer, and I don’t have $500 to just throw at something I don’t need.

I got a step lower then this its amd 2.6 dual core Hp… I put a geforce 8600 gts bfg and a 450 watt powersupply and can play Hellgate London with everything turned up on high…