Before buying a desktop computer, it’s very important to carry out thorough research on your needs. If you intend to buy a desktop computer for professional needs, you should put more emphasis on the stability and service support of your future computer. On the other hand, if you wish to buy a desktop computer for home usage, you may choose a brand which can handle more multimedia applications and has a good processor for web surfing. The answer to both your personal and professional needs comes from a brand which has been trusted for years, for its great products and instant customer support services; HP.
HP or Hewlett Packard is a trusted name in the computer industry. It has long maintained its top 10 position in the computer peripherals industry. It is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. After this history, let’s discuss the factors to look into while buying an HP desktop computer. These factors are:
- Budget: You have to ensure that you get the best deal for your budget. Usually, a desktop computer with less features cost less than a desktop computer with more features. You can cut down on costs by avoiding the desktop computers with high-end graphics cards or more multimedia enabled technologies.
- System Features
- CPUs: The CPU is the brain of your system – so it’s a key consideration when buying a desktop computer. The following features decide the best CPU for your use:
- Memory: System memory is very important – you can never have enough of it. Typically, look for at least 512 MB of memory in the desktop computer you wish to buy.
- Motherboards: Many PC manufacturers don’t publish the type of motherboard used in their desktops. Be careful about choosing a branded motherboard for your desktop computer.
- Hard Drives: A typical hard disk by today’s standards would be about 80 GB at least. If you do a lot of downloading
off the Internet, or edit videos or have a huge collection of MP3s, you’d definitely need at least a 160 GB hard disk drive. - Optical Drives: A DVD-ROM drive is now a standard feature in all computers. Make sure you’re getting at least a 40X DVD-ROM read speed. You can always buy a DVD-RW when the need arises
- Monitors: You have a choice to make, whether you want a CRT or LCD display. You can go for at least a 17 inch monitor if you want a CRT display, and at least a 15 inch monitor for LCD displays.
- Graphics: If you play a lot of games, especially 3D games you will not want to rely on the in-built integrated video of your desktop computer. Make sure the system has a seperate video card with at least an AGP of 8X and 512 MB of video memory.
- Sound : if you’re a computer audio buff, go for a separate third-party sound card .You have a range of computer speakers and head phones on offer, as well.
- Operating System: Make sure that your desktop computer comes with a genuine home edition of an operating system, which suits your computer’s configuration.
- Technical Support: After-sale support and warranty periods are a prime consideration especially if you have no experience in troubleshooting computers. Most warranties last for a one to two years, quite enough for the average user.
The top picks for the Hp desktop computer category:
- HP Pavilion p6100z series: It’s best for everyday computing. It comes with an AMD multi-core processor for increased efficiency and speed. It has an Ample storage space with SATA hard drive options and a great Mega dual-channel DDR2 800MHz SDRAM options for data-intensive tasks like photo editing and song download .
- HP Pavilion Slim line s5100z series: It’s slim and sleek and has a glossy black finish with silver and chrome accents. It has also got an illuminated power strip and an easy front access to USB ports, a headphone jack, and a 6-in-1 digital media card reader.
- HP Pavilion Elite e9105z series: It comes with a genuine Windows Vista Home Premium operating software. It’s got a 64-bitAMD Phenom II X4 9650 Quad Core processor and a 4GB DDR2 memory. There’s a
500GB hard drive and 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G210 graphics card as well.
High prices do not compute at Become.com!
[...] HP Pavilion Elite e9105z series: It comes with a genuine Windows Vista Home Premium operating software. It’s got a 64-bitAMD Phenom II X4 9650 Quad Core processor and a 4GB DDR2 memory. There’s a 500GB hard drive and 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G210 graphics card as well. Read more: http://pocketchange.become.com/2009/07/hp-desktop-computer-%E2%80%93-the-answer-to-all-your-needs.ht... [...]
[...] HP desktop computer – the answer to all your needs. [...]
I have a HP Pavillion m8300f.My question is…can I upgrade the the CPU?
Ben,
You have a HP Pavilion Media Center, right? Your processor should be a AMD Athlon 64 X2. This is a dual core processor, so you’ll need another dual core processor. You can upgrade your CPU, but it requires a fair amount of technical knowledge. I would recommend the Phenom X3 triple core or even the x4 quad core, if you want to make a big change. Make sure you make a backup of all your files before you make the upgrade, probably on an external hard drive.