The power supply rating does in fact affect the power used by the computer. Generally speaking, the efficiency of the supply lowers as power output approaches the maximum. This is why there is a market for 1KW power supplies. It is very uncommon for hardware to get even close to require that much juice.

Nothing new, readers quality surveys for PC's

PCMag summer 2010-middling for HP:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368154,00.asp
including chart:
http://www.pcmag.com/image_popup/0,1871,iid=267317,00.asp

and PCWorld a few months ago:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/211081/2010_reliability_and_service_survey_desktops.html
HP for home not doing well on the chart that came with the story:
http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=211081&page=1&zoomIdx=1

This is definitely a good deal for the money. On the other hand, I own one of these Quad Cores and it can be a major head-ache. These days, AMD is releasing three-core processors because they couldn't control the clock interrupts of all four (in other words - Blue Screen of Death).

Google this problem before you buy!

The PSU is only 250 watt and probably a junk brand. Think about that-- every part in your PC is connected to the PSU. If it fails, it can take down the other parts with it.

This PC does not have a dedicated GPU. *If* the motherboard is capable of adding one (not clear from the listing), it would also need to fit inside the case (not a guaranteed), and the 250W PSU would surely need to be upgraded to sustain the power load.

In short this PC is great for web browsing, word processing, and general basic usage. It is not a "gaming rig," and it won't be able to handle graphics-intensive software.

At a < $400 price point it's hard beat. But I'd guess the parts were supplied by the lowest bidder in typical HP/Dell fashion so I would backup your data often.

doctorclark wrote:How loud is this computer? Also, will a 250W computer send my electric bill through the roof if I leave it on 24-7 (p2p, server, etc.)?

The power supply rating is not the true load all the time. There are a variety of little apps that track power consumption for you but $1/day for moderate use would be a place to start.

beefmalone wrote:I wonder how much it will cost to upgrade to a decent power supply and add a graphics card?

You'd need to figure out what motherboard this PC has and if it can handle a GPU upgrade. GPUs really depend on your budget - you can spend $50 or $500. A good, quality PSU is usually at least $40-$50 up to $100-150 for the highest end stuff. And both of these will need to fit into the case, which you might need to change.

If you're thinking about going this route I might recommend getting a barebones bundle and building your own.

doctorclark wrote:How loud is this computer? Also, will a 250W computer send my electric bill through the roof if I leave it on 24-7 (p2p, server, etc.)?

Look at it this way. That is like leaving two (2) one hundred (100) watt light bulbs and a fifty (50) watt one on 24/7.
Or a 42 inch LCD TV on 24/7.

Hey check this link on ebay for the same computer but WAY cheaper... well its a auction and its at 255$ with 4 days left.... its brand new btw and longer warranty than woot.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-Pavilion-p6510f-Desktop-PC-Quad-Core-4GB-RAM-750-NEW-/250767271570?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item3a62e4e692#ht_1859wt_1141

Beware of this HP junk. My last one was an HP and it looked like a deal but it crashed more than any computer I've ever owned. (Notice the continual supply of Refurbished models available on Woot.) Customer service is also based in India or somewhere similar and is not helpful when needed.

Pass on this.

I recommend going to Costco or somewhere and picking up a good deal on one they carry... perhaps even a model in excess. You can always tell what has been marked down if the price ends in a "7" like $349.97 was probably $400+ at one time.

Here's my $.02. I wouldn't buy a refurbished HP again. I've had to swap out the hard drive and reinstall Windows in the first six months. Make sure you call HP to get a windows install disk if it doesn't come with one, otherwise thats another $200 for Win 7 Home Premium. I also recommend swapping the video card and hard drives for something a little better quality. Also Lightscribe is great, if you like what equates to black and white labels for your dvds.

Does anyone have any experience using this (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) as the part of a DAW? Specifically with SONAR, even?
Thanks in advance.

mbrickell wrote:I'm in the same boat. Need a new desktop. $7-800 budget. Interested in what anyone who knows computers thinks the best deal is in this range currently.

I bought this desktop brand new back in August and it's and absolute dream! It's not loud at all! The fan hardly ever kicks on full speed, but when it does it is pretty loud. My one complaint though is that sleep mode worked for about 2 months, but now it wakes up randomly and it's especially annoying to wake up to it being on. Other than that, I have had no regrets about buying it and use it everyday! I don't think you could go wrong with this machine at this price! [=

hkinney2011 wrote:Amazon Link!

Looks like there are some complaints about it being preloaded with lots of HP crap, but aside from that it has good startup times and is a solid computer.

(Mod's note: Check your model numbers.)

HP always loads their systems with TONS of HP programs. Some are actually useful and other are not. Most of them can easily be removed from the programs and features tab located in the control panel. Or you can just remove them from loading at startup.

mbrickell wrote:I'm in the same boat. Need a new desktop. $7-800 budget. Interested in what anyone who knows computers thinks the best deal is in this range currently.

I got this same computer from Office Max last August for $550. I use it all day every day as my work computer.

For $50 more, I added an ATI HD4350 graphics card to support 2 22" monitors.

Computer is quiet and reliable. Windows 7 is great. I'd recommend this computer for this price.

doctorclark wrote:How loud is this computer? Also, will a 250W computer send my electric bill through the roof if I leave it on 24-7 (p2p, server, etc.)?

250W is $0.025 per hour given a reasonable electric contract. That means it would cost a maximum of $219 a year or $18.25 a month to leave on. The system will probably use much less than maximum power on average. Call it $9-15 a month.

A very nice general purpose computer but a 250W power supply is too puny to support a decent graphics card for serious gamers...

mbrickell wrote:I'm in the same boat. Need a new desktop. $7-800 budget. Interested in what anyone who knows computers thinks the best deal is in this range currently.

same here, kids computer just died, they do pbs kids, some other internet games, and simple word stuff
Is this a good deal? wouls be just my price range.

thanks!!

rking wrote:1. Probably. I installed a TV tuner card in mine.
2. Don't know
3. Get an external enclosure for the drive and plug it in using USB. I have SEVERAL external drives used this way. Or put it in one of the empty slots.

I'll look into the external HD case, thanks.

Mossard wrote:I have an HP m7277 that ran trouble free for 5 years plus till the dust bunnies shorted out the motherboard. 3 questions:

1) Can I install the old TV tuner card into this machine? The old PC worked as a great DVR.

2)Can the old DIMM, 1GB, be added? Will it help?

3)What cabling would I need to retrieve files from old hard drive (removed from old tower) and could it be installed in this pc for an extra 300GB of storage?

Another Question:

4)I have MS Office on my old machine that was bought and intalled thru the MS website. Can I transfer it to this machine?

Haven' read all the comments, but I think that one guy may have been gesturing toward the difference between an acronym (where the initials of a phrase are pronounced as a word, (laser) and an initialism, where you say the initials in sequence (TMI).

It's a annoying thing to know and correct people on, especially in meetings with executive or marketing types.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_acronyms_and_initialisms

urslf wrote:same here, kids computer just died, they do pbs kids, some other internet games, and simple word stuff
Is this a good deal? wouls be just my price range.

thanks!!

yes its a good deal for your kids. I wrote earlier that I bought two of them. Actually, I bought one, liked it so much I bought another. If I needed another computer now, I'd buy it again. It'll be fine for nickkjr.com, pbs sprout, and any current cd games you'd buy for your kids. Its got built in wireless n, windows 7 home premium and runs smoothly.

runs Autocad 2010 on his!

LFenske wrote:Learn the difference between "acronym" and "abbreviation". Not all abbreviations are acronyms.

NightGhost wrote:Admittedly, I scanned today's product write-up rather briefly, but those all looked to be acronyms. Which aren't?

Some of those in the writeup, like CIA, DOD, and IBM are actually called initialisms. This is because when you read them, you pronounce each letter, instead of combining the letters to form a "word," like in LASER, RAM, or LAN, which are acronyms.

slumpy03 wrote:Hey guys, maybe you can help me. I'm looking to get a new computer. I'm running on one that's almost 10 years old.

Is this a good deal? I know almost nothing about buying computers. Thanks.

I have this exact model. It's really not bad! You MUST before you do anything go to add/remove programs and basically remove EVERYTHING, Especially anything that begins with HP. Remove ALL of the pre-installed programs including MS Office teaseware, McAffee, etc. For virus protection install AVG free, at least as a temporary virus protection (I happen to highly regard the paid subscription of this product).

It is a very robust machine for the home user. It is NOT a gaming machine, so those who are serious gamers, don't bash this.

Does windows 7 include MS office in the bundle? I am a student who currently uses Windows XP still and an even older version of Office. I need to upgrade to stay consistent with class.

If it does not include MS office, would it be a better value to purchase a system with MS office already installed rather than purchasing MS office for this?

Thank You

Cyd wrote:250w PSU? is that supposed to be 520w?

I just built more or less this same machine for my wife. 250W is plenty for this configuration as long as you don't add much to it; it's pretty energy efficient. The CPU uses around 95W peak, and only LightScribe (when active, which means almost never) uses much power besides that. If you ever upgrade the graphics (add a separate graphics card) or add a few drives, you will probably need to upgrade the power supply, but it's totally fine as-is. And, BTW, if you don't do serious gaming, the integrated video is fine: it does Aero perfectly, better than I expected.

phacopida wrote:LightScribe technology? Sounds cool - but is it?...

Lightscribe means that, if you buy a Lightscribe capable blank CD or DVD (available most places, about 1.5-2x the cost of regular), when you're done burning the disc, you can flip it and put it back in, then burn a monochrome (usually gold-on-gold) image onto the "label" side of the disc. If you want your discs to look "professional," it's REALLY nice, since there are no labels or printers or anything else to mess with, and it looks pretty cool. You can put the CD playlist, or a picture of the bride, or whatever image you can create onto the "label" side. That said, most people who have it never use it.

I wouldn't recommend adding a graphics card without first upgrading the the 250w power supply to 400w.

NightGhost wrote:motherboard page

processor comparison

processor review

video: AMD page

video chip review

Checked out the AMD processor page above and they don't acknowledge the existence of a 2.8 GHz quad-core Athlon II, just a dual-core. So, is it a dual-core, a quad-core with a different speed rating or such a buggy processor that AMD won't admit it exists?

Lucy, you got some splainin to do.

slumpy03 wrote:Hey guys, maybe you can help me. I'm looking to get a new computer. I'm running on one that's almost 10 years old.

Is this a good deal? I know almost nothing about buying computers. Thanks.

I have a similar one (P6320y) that I got on a previous Woot and it's been absolutely great. HP does load a lot of crapware that you have to uninstall and everyone gripes about the lack of a huge power supply, but I'm not a gamer (other than FS) and this is a great machine for everything up to HD video editing/playback and Flight Simulator. You're going to like Windows 7 too.

Just a heads up-
I bought an HP desktop for myself last year- and I will say, this is great for college kids.
Why?
It'll be really quick at word processing and browsing, but YOU CAN'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON GAMES with this computer.

That's right, I intentionally went down a step in quality to prevent computer games from ruining my academic life.

My name is Ande, and I'm a game-aholic.
HP helped me deal with my problem, and I am 9 months sober.

gill2003 wrote:Does windows 7 include MS office in the bundle? I am a student who currently uses Windows XP still and an even older version of Office. I need to upgrade to stay consistent with class.

If it does not include MS office, would it be a better value to purchase a system with MS office already installed rather than purchasing MS office for this?

Thank You

If you are a student you can buy MS Office Pro for $29 directly from Microsoft. You only need a legitimate college or university email address. DON'T INSTALL THE MS OFFICE teaseware that comes pre-installed. I can't imagine why this would be a deal breaker for a student.

I don't see it, does this come with a Warranty?

Mossard wrote:I'll look into the external HD case, thanks.

Even better is an E-SATA docking station.

joementhol wrote:I'm going to go ahead and give myself a Quality Post for this, since I was first with this info AND more handsome.

+1 me, good work!

You are missing something in your power usage calculations. 250W is what it outputs, not what it inputs. A good power supply is 80% efficient, meaning it will draw 250W/0.8 = 312.5W. We all know this is not a good power supply and they all degrade with time, so let's make it 60% efficient. 250W/0.6 = 416.6W.

-1 for you

phacopida wrote:LightScribe technology? Sounds cool - but is it? Anyone have this? You have to purchase the LightScribe media separately and I'm wondering if it is worth it.

I'm gonna go against the grain here.

I have it, I love it, and I use it. Someone already posted a picture of what it looks like. I personally used it for burning artist/song info on mix CDs. Throw on a little design and you have a fairly nifty little gift (the girlfriend loves them!)

CDs are a bit more expensive, but you should be able to get 50 of them in a spindle for around $15, which isn't that bad considering the novelty factor.

I have noticed, that after 3-4 years some of the CDs start to fade and are hard to read. From heat, sun, time, or wear and tear of use, I'm not sure which.

I would never base computer purchase decision on Lightscribe's absence or presence, but if you have it, I'd definitely suggest giving it a try.

Just for funsies, could Woot offer a computer with a quad-core *Intel* processor? Would be a nice change of pace

gill2003 wrote:Does windows 7 include MS office in the bundle? I am a student who currently uses Windows XP still and an even older version of Office. I need to upgrade to stay consistent with class.

If it does not include MS office, would it be a better value to purchase a system with MS office already installed rather than purchasing MS office for this?

Thank You

If you're a university student, check to see if your school has a technology store or sells software at the bookstore. Most schools sell software at a student discount, I bought Microsoft Office for $28 at my school store.

Following the link to the manuals, and from there to the motherboard description, it appears that the machine can be upgraded to a maximum of 16GB of memory (four 4GB modules).

joementhol wrote:Let's guess you pay 15 cents per kilowatt hour. 250 watts is 1 kWh every 4 hours, 6kWh per day. 6kWh per day times 30, times .15 cents...

About 27 bucks a month if you left it on 24/7 at full draw...

BUT! It's likely going to be drawing much less juice most of the time when it's sitting around idle or barely taxed.

I'd budget maybe an extra 10 to 15 bucks a month.

Here is an excellent resource for calculating energy costs. -

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html

enjoy!

I have this PC and it works very well. I bought it secondhand at a pawn shop about 3 years ago and I love it. I use my Dell laptop the most now but this desktop is like a storage PC for me. The Lightscribe technology is handy (even though I still use markers to write on my discs) and the ports for the memory sticks come in handy.

I would recommend this PC.