HP Pavilion S3200N Slimline Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4800+, 1 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

I ordered this computer & it was shipped September 11,2008. I had a tech come 2 connect it up & it worked fine 4 all of a week. I shut down one night & woke the next morning 2 a blue screen. I tried 2 see what happened but it kept coming up blue screen/black screen, so I took it 2 a tech. He said he fixed it but on returning home, it was back 2 blue screen. I had another tech come into my home 2 fix it. After 4 hours, at great expense, he told me the computer was defective. I called HD & told them what happened. They told me 2 return the computer. I asked who was going 2 pay the extra money I paid the techs 2 find out it was a defective computer & they said, too bad, they couldn't do anything. So, I'm out the money 4 this computer & also the money I paid 4 their malfunctioning computer. Never another HP product 4 me. Buy if you must but you may regret it, as I do.

The worst possible computer experience imaginable. I've had it less than a month & four or five times a day the internet won't work, the printer has a mind of its own, & on, & on, & on. I've used computers 4 fifteen years, & NEVER have I seen anything like this. NEVER. Totally worthless piece of junk. Avoid!

I have had this 4 around three months. The design is wonderful. This is a very quiet computer! But.... it freezes up quite often. You can be watching a television show & it will freeze up. Sometimes the computer will sleep & need 2 be restarted before it will come back on... granted this could be me! But I really don't think so. I'm up in the air about recommending this 2 anyone else. I wouldn't have bought it if I knew it was going 2 freeze up as often as it does. But I do like HP! Perhaps I have a dud!

The Good:

It's an awesome buy! It's been almost 3 months since i purchase, which makes this review valid! So here we go,


0.) Fast Free Delivery!


1.) Blazing Fast: I'm a person who's had the experience using very high tech & fast computers whether professionally or personally. This computer can act as both. Opening up numerous applications at once doesn't slow the computer down nor hogs up memory usage because of the double process built right in. CD Burning & DVD Burning should be in another category of its own 4 the positives, but it's all gravy.. all i can say 4 these two is BlaZing Fast!

2.) Stylish: It's call the [Slimline] 4 a reason... it's portable! lol... you would think laptops & PDAs are the only hotshots that can move from point A 2 point B. this little machine packs the punch of the big guys yet small enough & sleek enough 2 lay horizontal/vertical somewhere on the entertainment center with the right hook ups 4 a true "In Your Face, Dude Don't Touch" entertainment experience. In addition, you can go wireless! It comes with its own little wireless antenna at the back. Lastly, it requires little cleaning... (Does take smudges & fingerprints if used on a daily basis) i would say at least every month & a half with a dusk cloth should do.

3.) Entertainment: ugh... can i saw breath taking! YES! It really is... Vista Premium is nothing like basic & the other flimsy they put together 4 a quick buck. Vista Home Premium is a true Vista OS experience 4 beginners, Intermediates, & Professionals. I personally believe they should do away with Vista basic & the other version (Can't remember now) & just lunch Vista Home Premium as the kick off 4 a decent price. It has everything & more! The Media Center is off the hook! All you have 2 do 2 Watch Cable TV via Media center is... (lol too easy) hook the cable 2 the back of the CPU, make sure you have a great monitor or TV with VGA, HDD, or SVGA connection, put batteries (included) in remote (comes with desktop & keyboard), & you're good 2 go. The nice thing about watching TV on my new Flat Screen 24-inch monitor is the color is crispier than on my hold TV, sound quality improved... it honestly felt i was watching TV in High Def! The Media Center has every thing & more 2 make a long story short.

Secondly, it's great 4 playing video games! I honestly toss the old getting a Wii or PS3 4 the summer from my mind because of how impressed i was in seeing the graphics hands-on. World of Warcraft & Flyff are two impressive online games that's worth checking out. But it does offer built in extras (It's from HP... you know they always attach the extras) of all different genres of games 2 try & buy or play 4 free. Vista games suck! lol. Sorry Bill Gates, but geesh... Chess? old Card games? Minesweeper? lol... get with the program... give us Halo! or the new Age of Emperors 2 juggle with. Yes reviewer, i haven't forgotten 2 mention that it's the new Graphics Processor that's built-in 2 this slimline model.
Watching DVD's, Recording DVD's, Recording Live TV Shows, Burning Games, Playing CDs, Pictures, iTunes & MP3's, Audio Mixing & Splicing, Designing, Animations, Web site creations, softwares, etc. are all concerns of today's generation. And YES This computer can handle them.

4.) Profession: Microsoft suite programs 07-8 (Though expensive) is worth the price... I have the trial version currently & i'm planning on purchasing the real deal when i have the cash. why? Because it's easy 2 maneuver, i love the tabs, GUI is easy on the eyes, tons of options & customizations, & best of all 2 me it seems that Microsoft created the programs 2 be more insync with each other.. what surprises me i that i can really create professional looking flyer templates, resumes, & newsletter from scratch in Microsoft Word without needing 2 buy Ms Publisher. Being able 2 create & maintain one's web site should be a breeze 4 all those entrepreneurs because of the huge Hard Drive, large RAM, & power saving options. All you need is a good software 4 web site development & you're set!

Secondly, the new outlook express known as Mail is awesome! i integrate mines with aol so i can have that upgraded outlook business feel (without the ads) when checking my email.

--- And that's it 4 the goods... i asure you there's more.. waaay more that i don't have the time 2 add which is worth checking out & the fact that as more software continues 2 grow with the future & vista the possibilities are endless... i use 2 be a vista hater & a Oh i'm sticking with XP so don't tell me smash kind of attitude. But after experience Home Premium... my mind has been change with the WoW Factor.

The Bad.

1.) Rebate is not as easy 2 get as they make it seems... i'm still figuring out how to... lol. maybe it's time 2 give HP a call..

2.) Keyboard & mouse are standard... but good.. i wish they were Wireless.

3.) I wish there was a slice of pie snuggled together in all that wrappings that came in the box... lol..

Overall, i definately recommend this slimeline as a must have! You can't get it anywhere at that price from nowhere else!

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Updates, It's been almost 3 more months since i gave this review.. and! it remains valid. In addition, i found out that it has built in LiteScribe Technology which allows you 2 Laser zap your CDs into sweeet designs instead of using paper, gluesticks, & glitters 2 make an appealing CD lable

You can not beat the quality 4 the price. I would highly recommend this computer 4 anyone who is looking 4 speed & reliability at a reasonably price.

Athlon 64 X2 4800+ 2.5 GHz / GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 / 1GB DDR2 SDRAM / 320GB Hard Drive / 15-in-1 Memory Card Reader / Vista Home Premium Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface Operating System - Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Media Center Monitor is not included

The HP Pavilion s3200n Slimline desktop PC gives you all the power of a fully loaded home/office desktop in a sleek, silver-and-black chassis that's one-third the size of a traditional PC tower, enabling you 2 place it unobtrusively anywhere--from your office 2 entertainment center 2 kitchen. You can easily burn your home video productions 2 DVD 4 friends & family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner, which enables you 2 store up 2 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. And thanks 2 its integrated Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11b/g), you don't need 2 worry about stringing Ethernet cable from your broadband modem in another room.

This desktop is powered by the 2.5 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ dual-core processor, which increases the efficiency & speed of the PC while running multiple programs & the latest multi-threaded software. It features a spacious 320 GB hard drive, & it includes an open drive bay 4 an optional HP Pocket Media Drive (which can add up 2 160 GB of storage). Other features include 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), NVidia GeForce 6150LE video card with 128 MB of dedicated memory (and up 2 319 MB of available memory), multi-format memory card reader, a wide variety of connectivity options (including both USB 2.0 & FireWire), & digital audio output 4 home theater surround sound.

This desktop also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition 2 easily playing your DVD movies & managing your digital audio library, you'll be able 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, & offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4800+ dual-core processor is built 4 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 & photo editing & audio mixing programs. It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) & Enhanced Virus Protection.

  This 2.5 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up 2 a blazing 2000 MHz & each core offers a 512 KB L2 cache--for a 1 MB total. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; & a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU & RAM, & a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

• Hard Drive: The extra large 320 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect 4 storing a vast multimedia collection or 4 editing digital video. This SATA hard drive has a 3Gb/s interface speed that enables up 2 300MB/s data transfer rates (double the speed of the current SATA interface of 1.5Gb/s).

  This Slimline PC also includes a drive bay that fits an optional HP Pocket Media Drive, which enables you 2 add up 2 160 GB of additional storage. The Pocket Media Drive also works with any USB-enabled PC, 4 easy transferring of multimedia files from other computers in your home.

• Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (2 x 512 MB DDR2) is a good start, but you'll want 2 add more RAM 2 handle today's demanding multimedia & productivity suites. It has DIMM slots & has a 2 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity & clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ & DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up 2 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 & 40x CD-ROM, & 16x DVD-ROM read speeds.

  This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text & images on 2 CDs & DVDs . Your software, PC & discs work together 4 a no-hassle way 2 burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert & burn your label--anything from a simple title 2 a full-disc work of art.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This desktop comes with an HP multimedia keyboard & optical mouse (both PS/2) & remote control.

Video & Audio
This desktop features an integrated NVidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics/video card with up 2 319 MB of shared video memory (allocated from the system RAM). NVidia's exclusive TurboCache technology allows direct rendering from the GPU 2 system memory by leveraging the bi-directional PCI Express bandwidth. The TurboCache Manager dynamically allocates memory 4 maximum system performance while intelligent software algorithms maximize application performance. It also offers an integrated audio card that can produce high definition surround sound configurable 2 6 speakers.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This desktop has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. For expansion, this Slimline desktop has one PCI slot (occupied), one PCI-E x16 slot (available), one 5.25-inch external bay (occupied), & one internal 3.5-inch bay (occupied). It comes with the following external connections:

• 5 USB 2.0 ports 4 connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras 2 MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port 4 connecting digital video camcorders & other peripherals
• 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, & xD Picture Card
• 2 PS/2 ports 4 connecting keyboards & mice
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 line-in, 1 line-out, 1 microphone, & 1 digital audio output
• Fast Ethernet port 4 10/100 networking
• 56K modem

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system 4 users with advanced computer needs, & it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center 4 watching DVD movies & accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) & 2 access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium & an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you 2 access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever 2 share files between other PCs in your household & 2 manage your laptop computer settings 2 more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools & technologies 2 help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting 2 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 2 manage & monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, & other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student & Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer Basic Edition, Roxio Creator 9 & MyDVD Basic, HP PhotoSmart Essential, & Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This Slimline desktop measures 12.4 x 4.2 x 10.9 inches (LxWxH/D) & weighs approximately 19.7 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Slimline s3200n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, & power cord. It is backed by a limited warranty 4 parts & labor 4 one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance 4 one year. Software is also covered 4 90 days from date of purchase.