HP Pavilion M8300F Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual Core 6000+ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 640 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

HP Pavilion M8330F Desktop PC (AMD Phenom 9500 Quad Core Processor, 3 GB RAM, 640 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

Got the computer quick tried 2 fire it up but system could not find boot disk & wanted me 2 install it. After looking at the computers initial settings noticed only one 320gig hard drive was recognized opened case & noticed the serial cable was not connected 2 the second hard drive (the one with vista installed on it). Plugged it in & started right up;however, Vista would not display on my TV (32in pc ready HDTV). Hooked it up 2 old monitor & it worked eventually played with the graphics card settings & got everything straight. Using a HDMI cable was able 2 connect PC 2 HDTV. IF USING A TV FOR MONITOR RECOMMEND USING AN HDMI CABLE TO CONNECT WITH PC. There are options you can play with 2 get the desktop 2 fit the screen. Now the computer works awesome, no other problems with tuner card, video card, hard disks or processors. Although Intel chips are better this machine still smokes anything I have ever owned. Definitely something I would recommend even with the hassle.

HP's AMD Athlon dual-core 6000 plus w/3 gigs of RAM is the minimum here, as a power-hungry Vista OS sucks any extra speed out of this system. TV tuner card blows, so don't buy this setup 4 that (which I did). Graphics card is faster than average, but not top-notch. I still can't figure out how 2 run analog signals from my camcorder & have them play on the monitor, even though it has composite video IN through AV cables, & an (overrated) "media center" configuration (makes 10 dollar sounds but delivers 5 dollar performance). Others have written that the drives are noisy, but it's only the the seeking portion of the multi-drive that is loud, plenty quiet 4 my needs, & money saved is several hundred dollars less than a comparable Dell.

I'm so glad I paid the extra $130 4 the quad core processor! It will extend the life of the computer by a few years & it makes the computer run really fast now! Even Windows Vista can't slow it down! And...despite all the bad stuff I heard about Windows Vista -- I really like it. Everyone complains that Windows Vista is too slow -- but not with this computer! And the TV tuner card is great -- we get 34 channels & we just use an antenna!

I purchased this PC from a source other than Amazon, after doing a lot of research on different brands & models. I was a bit skeptical at first because I had never owned a machine with an AMD processor & I had heard so many terrible things about Vista... but after having used it daily 4 over 3 months now, I haven't had a single problem with it. Unlike some of the people who have reviewed this machine, my dvd/cd drive works great & I love the LightScribe option. Since I have passed the learning curve now, I can honestly say that I like Vista, too!! This is my 4th HP computer & I have never experienced a problem with any of them. Problems with Windows, yes, problems with monitors, yes... but never a problem with the machine itself. I am still running my 6 year old HP Pentium III desktop in another room & have both PCs connected 2 a multi-function HP printer through a wireless network. Everything works together flawlessly! I purchased a 24" Samsung HD monitor 2 compliment the capabilities of this PC & together, they smoke!!! The only thing I would wish 4 is a blu-ray drive 2 go in it. I hear that HP is releasing an external one soon but I haven't seen anything about it in the past couple of months. I'd rather have one 2 go in the empty bay on the machine but I'll settle 4 an external one if that's all that is available. Would I purchase this machine again if I had 2 buy another computer? Without a doubt! It does everything I need it 2 do & more.

I got this on sale 4 under 600. Amazing deal. I give it five stars at that price. Fast, Vista, lots of HD, lots of RAM.

Complaints... I had 2 add a PCI-e x16 card as the on-board graphics capabilities are not so good (scored a 3.0 on Vista benchmark). have 2 be careful on what card you get as there is not much room inside so some larger cards would have issues. Also the power supply is low wattage & most newer video cards will require more. Also should mention that it does not come with any software disc. No Windows Vista disc & no Recovery disc. It has a 10 gig partition labeled as RECOVERY. You can burn the image 2 three DVDs or keep the partition there 4 recovery from the boot screen by F11. If you had harddrive failure it would be lost. Be sure 2 burn the discs just in case. Still a great deal 4 the price.

The HP Pavilion Media Center TV desktop PC is designed & built 4 your digital life. Take control of your digital entertainment with a PC that helps you consolidate, organize & play your favorite TV shows, movies, music, photos & videos. The built-in TV tuner & personal video recorder let you watch, pause, rewind & record live television - with no monthly fee. The free online Electronic Program Guide lets you review the TV schedule & choose a single episode or an entire series, so you can watch your favorite shows on your own time, at your own convenience. NVIDIA Geforce 6150 SE 128MB dedicated Graphics Memory TV tuner card, over-the-air ATSC high-definition television tuner & FM tuner (antenna included) LightScribe SuperMulti DVD+-R/RW with Double Layer High Definition Audio, 8 speaker configurable 10/100 Ethernet 15-in-1 card reader Front ports - 1 IEEE 1394, 2 USB, Composite Video Back ports - 1 IEEE 1394, 4 USB, Headphone, Microphone, Audio L/R-in, S-video in, Digital Audio Out, Microphone/Line-in/Line-out, Rear speaker-out, Side speaker out, Center (subwoofer), 2 PS2 ports (keyboard, mouse), 1 RJ-11, 1 RJ-45, VGA Expansion slots - 2 PCI (1 available), 1 PCI Express x 16 (available), 1 PCI Express x 1 (occupied) Drive bays - 2 external 5.25 (1 available), 2 internal 3.5 (occupied) Monitor is not included

The easy-to-use HP m8300n Media Center PC is the complete home PC system that delivers more entertainment choices, & brings them together in one place with easy access from anywhere in the room. You can watch, record, & pause live TV programming as well as schedule the PC 2 record upcoming episodes or entire series. The built-in TV tuner (providing both standard NTSC & high-def ATSC transmission) & personal video recorder (PVR) let you watch, pause, rewind, & record live television--up 2 395 hours on dual 320 GB hard drives (for 640 GB of total built-in storage). An online Electronic Program Guide (EPG) lets you review the TV schedule & select individual episodes or entire series, so you can watch your favorite shows on your own time, at your own convenience. And you can easily burn TV shows & home video 2 DVD 4 friends & family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner (16x 4 DVD±R), which enables you 2 store up 2 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. LightScribe technology burns custom, silkscreen-quality labels & artwork directly onto LightScribe-enabled discs, right inside the drive.

This desktop is powered by the 3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ dual-core processor, which increases the efficiency & speed of the PC while running multiple programs & the latest multi-threaded software. A built-in drive bay fits an optional HP Personal Media Drive (PMD), 4 up 2 500 GB of additional storage that you can carry away with you when you go (PMD not included). It also features 3 GB of installed RAM (8 GB maximum), Nvidia GeForce 6150 LE video card (with 128 MB of dedicated video memory), 15-in-1 memory card reader, up 2 8 channels of surround sound output, & a remote control with up 2 16 feet of range.

This PC 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 6000+ dual-core processor is built 4 tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. It outperforms the highest-performing AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single-core processor on multi-tasking benchmarks by up 2 30 percent. 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 3.0 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up 2 a blazing 2000 MHz & each core offers a 1 MB L2 cache--for a 2 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 incredibly huge 640 GB capacity from the dual 320 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space--enough 4 storing up 2 395 hours of television programming, a vast multimedia collection, or 4 editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin 2 FireWire & USB 2.0.

• Memory: The 3 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 2 x 1 GB, 2 x 512 MB) is a good start, but you'll want 2 add more RAM 2 handle today's demanding multimedia & gaming software. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. This desktop has an enormous 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 & 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 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, 5x 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: It comes with an HP multimedia keyboard & scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Video & Audio
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 2 1343 MB of total graphics memory from the system memory as allocated by Windows Vista. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, & precise image scaling 4 video content--and full support 4 Microsoft DirectX 9.0 4 stunningly realistic cinematic effects 4 all DirectX-compatible applications. It also offers an integrated audio card that can produce high definition surround sound configurable 2 8 speakers.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
For expansion, this desktop features a drive bay that fits an optional HP Personal Media Drive--which enables you 2 add 500 GB of storage 4 your video & music libraries. It has two PCI expansion slots (one available), one PCI x16 Express slot (available), one PCI x1 Express slot (occupied), two 5.25-inch bays (one available), two 3.5-inch bays (occupied), & the following external ports:

• 6 USB 2.0 ports 4 connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras 2 MP3 players (2 in front, 4 in rear)
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port 4 connecting digital video camcorders & other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
• Composite video, S-Video, & analog audio inputs
• VGA video out
• Headphone & microphone jacks
• Digital SPDIF audio output
• Surround sound speakers--rear, side, center
• 2 PS/2 ports 4 connecting keyboards & mice
• 15-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I & II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Pro/Duo/Pro Duo, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, XD Picture Card, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+
• 10/100 Fast Ethernet
• 56K modem (V.90)

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
Symantec Norton Internet Security 2008 (60 days of complimentary live update), HP PhotoSmart Essential, Muvee autoProducer, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Microsoft Works 9, Microsoft Office 2007 Student & Teacher Edition (60-day trial)

Dimensions & Weight
This desktop measures 15.16 x 7.6 x 16.54 inches (LxWxD) & weighs approximately 32 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion m8300f desktop PC, remote control, power cable, keyboard, & mouse. 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.

Note: Monitor not included.