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Editor: Ernest Lilley
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Reviewer: Ernest Lilley
Date: 01/06/03 Rating:
MSRP $999.95
Product Website: Pavilion 762n
HP Website / Specs
Summary: A fully loaded 2.26 GHZ/512 MB Ram/80GB Desktop System for under a grand is a pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned, and it comes with HP Support built in, which is totally worth having.
HP has targeted the Pavilion 700 series at Digital Camera and Media owners, and they've done an excellent job in meeting our needs for a reasonable price. Though I may increase the RAM to the maximum 1GB in order to work with the 6 megapixel and greater images I'll be dealing with, so far the systems performance has been as fast as I could hope for.
(as this article goes online, the currently available version of this system is the HP Pavilion 763n, with an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.53 GHz and DVD-Writer Combo Drive added.)
Review: HP Pavilion 762n - A well laid out 2.26 GHZ Digital Photo/Media PC
I blew up my laptop again. It wasn't its fault, and you really should be careful about what power supply adapter you use...but suddenly I found that it was time to go out and buy a desktop pc. Actually getting a system capable of meeting my digital photography and editing needs was considerably overdue, but in the fine tradition of people doing too many things at once, now that I needed it, I needed it now, and I needed it cheap.
Off I went to make the rounds of office supply and computer stores, leaving my wife dreaming of the promise of $500 super-systems that fill the heads of the unwary. Not that I couldn't have gotten one...but I needed more.
HP 762n - After deciding that building a new system from the ground up would have cost me more than just buying a preconfigured systems off the shelf, I shopped around until I found an HP Pavilion 762n at Circuit City. The floor model, in fact. Normally $1029.95, I took it home for $879, after they rolled the system back to it's initial checkpoint using "System Restore" and I'm perfectly happy with it. I especially like the integrated Network, IEEE 1394 and TV Output, all of which make my Digital Photography and editing a lot easier. The case opens by turning two thumbscrews and sliding a panel back, which is a plus, and the built in "HP Instant Support" feature, which gives you online access to HP's support database and technicians has proven invaluable.
Aimed at Digital Camera Owners - HP has targeted the Pavilion 700 series at Digital Camera and Media owners, and they've done an excellent job in meeting our needs for a reasonable price. Though I may increase the RAM to the maximum 1GB in order to work with the 6 megapixel and greater images I'll be dealing with, so far the systems performance has been as fast as I could hope for.
Naturally you won't find this model available by the time this review goes online, but I still give high marks for the layout and construction of HP's Pavilion line. If I have any criticism, it would be that I'd like some empty bays on the front panel for expansion, but even as it's configured I expect it to meet my needs for some time to come.
(as this article goes online, the currently available version of this system is the HP Pavilion 763n, with an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.53 GHz and DVD-Writer Combo Drive added.)
- microprocessor - Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.26GHz
frontside bus - 533MHz- operating system: Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition
memory - 512MB DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM (exp. to 1GB)- hard drive - 80GB* Ultra DMA (7200 RPM)
- cd re-writable drive - hp CD-Writer (32x/10x/40x); 32x max. speed write; 10x max. speed re-write; 40 max. speed read
- multimedia drive - 16x max. speed DVD-ROM
- video graphics - NVIDIA® GeForce4™ MX420 graphics card with 32MB DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM video memory and TV-out
- sound - Integrated AC-97/Polk Audio Stereo Speakers with Power Port technology
- network card - Integrated 10/100Base-T networking interface
- data/fax modem - ITU V.90 K56flex modem, data/fax only (33.6Kbps send/download up to 56Kbps/14.4Kbps fax)
- total drive bays - External (1) 3.5", (2) 5.25"; Internal (2) 3.5"
- available drive bays - Internal (1) 3.5"
- total expansion slots - 3 PCI; 1 AGP
- available slots - 1 PCI; 1 AGP
- total external ports - 6 USB 2.0; 1 Serial; 1 parallel; 2 PS/2; 3 IEEE 1394 ports
- available external ports - 6 USB 2.0; 1 Serial; 1 parallel; 3 IEEE 1394 ports
- total memory slots - 2 DIMM (184-pin, DDR)
- available memory slots - 0 DIMM (184-pin, DDR)
- memory speed - 2100 MB/sec (PC 2100)
- primary cache (L1) - 8KBytes of Data Cache + Trace Cache containing 12,000 Micro-Op entries
- secondary-level cache (L2) - 512KBytes advanced transfer cache
- MPEG - MPEG2 for full-motion digital video
- keyboard - hp Internet Command Center; one-touch Internet keyboard
- mouse - hp USB Optical Scrolling Mouse
- front mounted ports - 2 USB 2.0 and 1 IEEE 1394
- diskette drive - 3.5" (1.44MB)
- bundled software
education and entertainment:
HP Memories Disc Creator
Arcsoft Showbiz™
Game Channel: try all 16 titles, get 2 full games free
HP Picture Toolkit includes: Arcsoft PhotoImpression™, Fun House, and Greeting Card Creator and Showbiz video editing software
HP RecordNow
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia Deluxe Online with one-year trial subscription
InterVideo™ WinDVD SE- Internet solutions:
AOL® (Dial-up, DSL, and Satellite) (U.S. only)
MSN (U.S. only)
CompuServe® (U.S. only)
DirecTV DSL (U.S. only)
EarthLink (Dial-up & DSL) (U.S. only)
- music software: MusicMatch® Jukebox with 50 free MP3 selections from EMusic.com!
- post-purchase promotions:
HP Learning Adventures (from Pre-school to Adult titles); 1 click access to 15 newly released software titles. Choose one title for free!
ZeroKnowledge Freedom Privacy and Security Tools
Microsoft® Office XP 30 day trial, CD enclosed
- productivity and finance:
Microsoft® Works 6.0
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™
Intuit® Quicken® Financial Center includes New Users Edition 2002
Microsoft® Money 2002 Standard
- service and support:
HP Center Toolbar - provides timely support updates and compelling offers
HP Club - www.myhpclub.com - the destination website for HP Pavilion desktop PC owners
Norton Antivirus™ 2002 includes 90-days of free updates