HP Pavilion M8530F Desktop PC (2.2 GHz AMD Phenom X4 9550 Quad Core Processor, 5 GB RAM, 750 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

This is a very good machine! I'm a professional web designer/developer & get into the IT side of things as well, plus I do 3d designing 4 fun (using Cinema 4D). So whether your the average computer user or advanced programmer or designer, this PC is a great buy! It handles all of my everyday needs as well as my designing, programming & gaming needs very well (for the price)!

The only cons,are that it uses a 32 bit video card on a 64 bit system, why didn't they just put a video card capable of handling 64 bit graphics on a 64 bit machine! Also, the ram (memory) this computer uses is PC2-DDR2 6400, which is excellent, but are also expensive 2 buy, if you want 2 upgrade the PC 2 it;s max of 8 gigs of ram. Finally, if you like 2 upgrade your computer(s) yourself, this one is a bit tough 2 work on (unless you have small hands), since it is very compact & tight inside the computer. Overall an excellent buy!

One last note: this PC destroys Macs, they just can't compare!

I just finished getting everything tweaked the way I want it & I am mightily impressed with this machine.

First the cons:
1) Video card is a little weak. Not recommended 4 hardcore gamers. However, see below 4 the video card pro.
2) No wireless networking. A minor nitpick since I do not place my computer near my router. Easily solved by picking up an adapter.
3) No install discs. The hard drive has a recovery partition in case you need 2 recover, however, I would much prefer physical copies of the OS. So far this is the prime con.
4) This is more serious nitpick. The media reader does not fully accept SD cards (they only go in about half way & hang out). My other readers accept the card fully & have an eject function. I am not very comfortable having a very flimsy disk protruding where it could possibly get easily damaged.

Now 4 the pros:
1) Vista 64-bit is incredibly fast when you have this much machine. 64-bit Internet Explorer is noticeably outperforming both Firefox & Chrome.
2) This machine is whisper quiet. Even running the video card as hot as I could this machine puts out less decibels than my ps3 (which is very quiet).
3) The video card is respectable. It has native HDMI support (although I had 2 connect via DVI-RGB & tell the computer 2 output 2 HDMI before getting signal). The card is incredibly quiet (my guess is heatsinks rather than fans). While I wouldn't recommend the card 4 Crysis, I have been able 2 consistently get 20 frames per second out of World of Warcraft running 1980x1050dpi (and high quality) on a 42" screen. Running a somewhat lower resolution & slightly downtweaking the quality I pull 30 (bright areas) 2 60 (dark areas) frames per second constantly. Lowest I dropped 2 tonight was 29fps & that was with a LOT of screen clutter plus multiple programs running in the background.

The pros outweigh the cons. I highly recommend this machine. Even 4 hardcore gamers you are not likely 2 find that much processor/ram 4 the price & it is relatively easy 2 replace the video card (with a 9800gtx+) & increase the power supply. For casual users you just can't beat the bang-for-your-buck value.

I had a similar problem at first. The first machine I bought was dead after the second boot. (Power supply comes on, optical drives spin up, two ticks off of the hard drive light, & ..... nothing. No BIOS message, no HP recovery selection screen, & WILL NOT recognize a recovery disc when installed.) Now on the second machine, after three months, after I've migrated all my pictures, music, movies, & programs .... it's done it again! Apple, I'm comin' 2 see you.

It took two of them before I got one that worked. The first one was online 4 about 3 days before the motherboard-integrated LAN connection just died 4 no apparent reason. I had it replaced, & the second one worked like a charm (so far). With such sensitive electronics these days, I guess a dud now & then is just going 2 be the norm.

Anyway, this is a lot of computer 4 the price ($750 when I bought it). Quad core, 3/4 terrabyte hard drive, nVidia 9-series video, & every jack imaginable. I couldn't find any similarly-equipped HP computer within several hundred dollars of this price anywhere. With extra PCI slots, many USB ports, & spots 4 an additional hard drive & optical drive, I should be able 2 keep this PC up-to-date 4 many years.

The HP pavilion Media Center Desktop PC is designed & built 4 you digital life. Take control of your digital entertainment with a PC that helps you consolidate, organize, & play your favorite movies, music, photos & videos. With AMD Phenom processor you get true multi-core solutions 4 a new dimension in performance that delivers an exquisitely powerful, intensely visual & strikingly efficient computing experience. With the front-panel 15-in-1 memory card reader it makes it easier 2 transfer photos, music & other files 2 & from your digital camera & other peripheral devices. The SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology lets you create custom, silkscreen-quality labels & artwork directly onto LightScribe-enabled CD & DVD discs. Enjoy amazing graphics with the nVidia GeForce 9300 HD graphics card with 256MB dedicated graphics memory, DVI & HDMI capabilities with support 4 Microsoft DirectX. NVIDIA GeForce 9300GE Hybrid SLI Technology with 256MB dedicated with up 2 1919MB Shared Graphics Memory LightScribe SuperMulti DVD+-R/RW with Double Layer High Definition Audio, 8 speaker configurable 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet LAN 15-in-1 card reader Front ports - 2 x USB, IEEE 1394, Audio Left/Right-in Back ports - 4 x USB, IEEE 1394, 2 x PS2 ports (keyboard, mouse), Headphone, Microphone, Digital Audio Out, Microphone/Line-in/Line-out, Rear speaker-out, Side speaker out, Center (subwoofer), RJ-45 (LAN), RJ-11 (Modem), DVI, HDMI Expansion slots - 3 x PCI Express x1 (two available), 1 x PCI Express x16 (occupied) Drive bays - 2 x external 5.25 (one available), 1 x external 3.5 (occupied), 2 x internal 3.5 (one available) Monitor is not included