Im upset that I keep missing this deal! I checked the site at 11:45 EST and they were gone..:-(

sunsuri52 wrote:Sorry, I'm the one who started it. It's probably just a coincidence that one the day I ordered something from Woot, I find a bogus charge on the same account. I didn't happen to look at the account before the Woot purchase so I can't say if it was already there or not.

Don't be sorry - I'm sure dlferguson is happy for the heads up.
Off to check my own cards soon.....

Does anyone know why when I hook this computer up to a 42" LCD TV through a DVI to HDMI cable the screen starts getting green streaks through it after a few minutes and then turns completely green after a bit?

I can echo the reaction to HP support being about as bad as anything I've ever experienced. I do this stuff for a living and I've had a handful of clients in the past few years for whom I needed to contact HP 'support'. One of these was just a couple of weeks ago so it's very fresh. Nearly two hours on the phone with Pakistan to confirm the in-warranty DVD drive I'd already tested as failing was -- well, failing. Then the poooony decided to 'lose' the support case, probably because I insisted on hurrying him up a bit near the end. Then last week I needed install DVDs for a HP laptop where the customer had forgotten to burn them or lost the originals. First, a half hour arguing with Pakistan again about why I didn't need to pay them $100 to speak to me and take my order for the DVDs for another $30. Finally hung up on this guy and ordered them over the web from HP. Finally, they arrived, would not install because they were the incorrect ones though I had supplied the model and serial numbers. So, yet another call, a full hour of arguing with another guy in Pakistan about it before he agreed to send me to level two where a nice fellow confirmed they'd sent the wrong media the first time and I received replacements via overnight express.

Dell has its flaws at times but if I make it clear to the rep who I am and what my qualifications are, I can usually get the call over with in less than 15 minutes. This presumes I've run diagnostics and identified the failing component ahead of time along with the appropriate failure code from the diagnostics. And Dell's drivers are very well organized and it's easy to locate originals as well as updates. Plus, with the service tag number I can locate the original configuration and purchase date in seconds.

I tell my clients to buy HP at their peril and only if it's a very inexpensive desktop refurb. So I purchased one of these for one client this time only because we need a decent system box by next week for a new guy. Desktops are easy enough to service and you can replace failing components with off the shelf 3rd party items so I'm really not worried. Unless the machine simply fries itself in the first three months (read motherboard) I would never bother calling HP again - costs us less to just go the the part store around the corner and purchase a new drive or power supply.

HP support is worse than useless.

Rob

jade504 wrote:This comment completely blows my mind, as HP tech support was the single most painful thing I've ever willingly put myself through.

If you buy anything refurbished from HP and need any form of tech support with it, save yourself the headache of their phone "support." Either try email support, or request a case specialist for your issue. Trying to deal with the people on the phone results in agonizing futility between you and someone who does not have a firm grasp of the English language, nor the inner workings of a computer.

If you have to send it back in for repair, I highly suggest you completely troubleshoot the unit yourself to determine EXACTLY what is wrong with it, otherwise their repair department will mark off some sheet and send it back to you, still broken, possibly in worse condition. The only plus to this, is that they do foot the bill for shipping, and FedEx has conveniently located 24-hour offices.

The specs on this machine look great. Hell, if I hadn't recently bought a machine, I'd probably go for it, too, even with the knowledge of how absolutely horrendous HP's customer service is.
For $300 it's worth the risk, just be prepared should you have to get it repaired.



...seriously, my brain is still blue-screening over the "HP customer service is wonderful" thing. Granted, I've never owned nor dealt with Dell so I don't have a basis for comparison, but the only way Dell could be worse than HP is if they sent back a "repaired" computer and it was filled with poop. Literally.

NOOOOO!

I saw this early this morning while driving to work. Meant to come back, go over the specs and make the purchase...but got hung up at work and now I see they're long gone.

AGGHHH!!!

Jaballer wrote:Does anyone know why when I hook this computer up to a 42" LCD TV through a DVI to HDMI cable the screen starts getting green streaks through it after a few minutes and then turns completely green after a bit?

That could be a problem with either your computer, the cable, or with the TV. To figure out which one see if you can hook up a friend's computer and see if you have the same problem.

Once you know which device is at fault, you'll know which to fix.

Some of the obvious things to check:
1) Do you have another video cable you can try?
2) Do you have another port on the TV you can try? Most TVs have 2-4 HDMI ports.
3) Is the cable plugged in all the way on both ends?

robcohen wrote:I can echo the reaction to HP support being about as bad as anything I've ever experienced. I do this stuff for a living and I've had a handful of clients in the past few years for whom I needed to contact HP 'support'. One of these was just a couple of weeks ago so it's very fresh. Nearly two hours on the phone with Pakistan to confirm the in-warranty DVD drive I'd already tested as failing was -- well, failing. Then the poooony decided to 'lose' the support case, probably because I insisted on hurrying him up a bit near the end. Then last week I needed install DVDs for a HP laptop where the customer had forgotten to burn them or lost the originals. First, a half hour arguing with Pakistan again about why I didn't need to pay them $100 to speak to me and take my order for the DVDs for another $30. Finally hung up on this guy and ordered them over the web from HP. Finally, they arrived, would not install because they were the incorrect ones though I had supplied the model and serial numbers. So, yet another call, a full hour of arguing with another guy in Pakistan about it before he agreed to send me to level two where a nice fellow confirmed they'd sent the wrong media the first time and I received replacements via overnight express.

<... snip ...>

HP support is worse than useless.

Rob

Rob, Next time start by asking them where they are located, (HP is using India and Argentina TS) then INSIST on speaking with a rep based in the USA. HP's rule was always to forward clients to US based service reps if they want them. I encourage it as 1) I want to see US people keep their jobs and not be outsourced; and 2) There are typically far fewer mistakes made when talking with someone from here verses "there".

Jaballer wrote:Does anyone know why when I hook this computer up to a 42" LCD TV through a DVI to HDMI cable the screen starts getting green streaks through it after a few minutes and then turns completely green after a bit?

Ionman gave some great points on troubleshooting, so I will only add that I had a similar problem attaching an older cable TV box to a HDTV using this type of cable. Never got it to work right. Just had the cable co. bring out a newer box.

mfridman wrote:Yes. they ship with their own media apps like video player, photo viewer/editor, movie maker, etc.

I deleted pretty much all of it.

Okay, what didn't you delete?

thewronggrape wrote:Woah - I have a very similar PC with almost identical specs. In fact, I was just looking at the specs an hour ago trying to figure out if I could somehow use my old school TV (S-Video and RCA inputs) as a monitor to watch some shows on a bigger screen.

I can do this with my laptop which has S-Video out but this PC doesn't. I'm connected to my monitor via the DVI port. Could I do VGA to RCA or S-Video with a converter? Anyone know?

Thanks in advance!

Here is an inexpensive solution: dealextreme.com/p/usb-powered-vga-to-composite-s-video-converter-box-1280-1024px-max-26804

cmonroe1 wrote:No hard drive?

No, hard drive.

As a former Process Engineer at a plant that re manufactured these, Make sure the memory is in dual channel and stress the hell out of these, also there was an issue with the cpu socket on the Alvorix main board. If you experience random crashes, no post, or blue screens, Reseat the CPU working the latch no less than 3 times. This was the solution provided by the mb manufacturer.

Found a cheap deal on 8GBs of RAM on newegg $30 + free ship.

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/0d691d0f-150e-4814-8c42-d96888bfdf1b

coolrunner87 wrote:HP doesn't use proprietary power supplies. You can put in a full ATX PSU into any HP mid-tower and be just fine about it.

I used to own a HP several years ago, and I was able to put in an Antec EarthWatts 500W PSU no problem.

Better check w/HP first---I recently changed out a PSU on a brand new HP business desktop (it went defective after a couple days), and I was surprised to see that they are indeed using proprietary PSU's & mobo's now. No 24-pin connector, just a weird little white plug. Like all other manufacturers, HP's quality is slowly eroding too---the PSU was light as a feather, and that's not a good thing.

note2001 wrote:Bought a better model (slightly better CPU, 2G more memory) NEW at staples a couple weeks back - was $100 more, but came with a beautiful monitor to make up that price point difference. OK, so it's missing a wireless card, but I don't know anyone who totes their desktop around like a laptop - do you?

Point it, as "great" as this price is, guys, I'd skip it and look for something new with a 1 year service guarantee to go with it.

We've got wireless cards in most of our desktops in our home. Makes it very easy to connect to our wireless router. Alternative was to cut holes in walls to connect CAT 5 cables to the router. Don't know of what will happen a few years from now when Motorola figures out that all the wireless signals in our home has been frying out our innards.

dlin91 wrote:Found a cheap deal on 8GBs of RAM on newegg $30 + free ship.

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/0d691d0f-150e-4814-8c42-d96888bfdf1b

Thanks for the hot tip. Just ordered 2 8gb sets.

I've always had good luck with HP. I've got a Pavilion from 2002 that has had a few upgrades (ram and vid card, wireless G, DCD burner) and a replacement for a bad hard drive but it's still quietly humming along as a DLNA and windows share media server.

This would be GREAT as a home media center in my living room! I just wish I could convince the wife! Great deal! I couldn't build my own with the same specs for this price!!!

I'm glad this sold out before I decided to order it.

rikua wrote:Naw, see if I got this, it would be as a building block to grow upon for gaming. upgrading power supply; no problem. Flimsy case; manageable. HDD already there; no problem. CPU; maybe a problem. Lack of SATA ports; problem. Have to buy my own gaming Graphics card; manageable, but would take up the 16x slot.

The real thing lacking here is a full specification list. In the past Woot! has listed this information. Why they skipped this time, I don't know. But there are 4 SATA ports. The MB has 6 ports etched on it, but they only put hardware on for 4. I have seen the other version of this board used on another system with all 6 ports. So there are at least 2 version of this board. HP specifications are here.

I've read a few comments about removing the 'bloatware' that comes pre-installed. I am guessing that this is all the popping-up annoying "buy me, run me, install me" stuff that took awhile to delete/disable from my current computer.
That was awhile ago.
Suggestions on doing this, a site that would be helpful? I am a babe in the woods here...
Would certainly appreciate any comments.

scharacter wrote:As a former Process Engineer at a plant that re manufactured these, Make sure the memory is in dual channel and stress the hell out of these, also there was an issue with the cpu socket on the Alvorix main board. If you experience random crashes, no post, or blue screens, Reseat the CPU working the latch no less than 3 times. This was the solution provided by the mb manufacturer.

Can I pair 4g chips of the same type/speed with the 2g already onboard?

robcohen wrote:I can echo the reaction to HP support being about as bad as anything I've ever experienced. I do this stuff for a living and I've had a handful of clients in the past few years for whom I needed to contact HP 'support'. One of these was just a couple of weeks ago so it's very fresh. Nearly two hours on the phone with Pakistan to confirm the in-warranty DVD drive I'd already tested as failing was -- well, failing. Then the poooony decided to 'lose' the support case, probably because I insisted on hurrying him up a bit near the end. Then last week I needed install DVDs for a HP laptop where the customer had forgotten to burn them or lost the originals. First, a half hour arguing with Pakistan again about why I didn't need to pay them $100 to speak to me and take my order for the DVDs for another $30. Finally hung up on this guy and ordered them over the web from HP. Finally, they arrived, would not install because they were the incorrect ones though I had supplied the model and serial numbers. So, yet another call, a full hour of arguing with another guy in Pakistan about it before he agreed to send me to level two where a nice fellow confirmed they'd sent the wrong media the first time and I received replacements via overnight express.

Dell has its flaws at times but if I make it clear to the rep who I am and what my qualifications are, I can usually get the call over with in less than 15 minutes. This presumes I've run diagnostics and identified the failing component ahead of time along with the appropriate failure code from the diagnostics. And Dell's drivers are very well organized and it's easy to locate originals as well as updates. Plus, with the service tag number I can locate the original configuration and purchase date in seconds.

I tell my clients to buy HP at their peril and only if it's a very inexpensive desktop refurb. So I purchased one of these for one client this time only because we need a decent system box by next week for a new guy. Desktops are easy enough to service and you can replace failing components with off the shelf 3rd party items so I'm really not worried. Unless the machine simply fries itself in the first three months (read motherboard) I would never bother calling HP again - costs us less to just go the the part store around the corner and purchase a new drive or power supply.

HP support is worse than useless.

Rob

When Dealing With HP Customer Abuse:
1) ask IMMEDIATELY for a Case Specialist (these people want rid of you by giving you a solution, rather than trying to feed you some piece of 'script' that you "need to run, youself then call back...")
2) I found when I sent an email to the CEO's office ... I got another team who's job it is to keep things off the CEO's office.
This resulted in calls back from two Different Support Groups (who had mis-dealt with me previous) BOTH Scrambling to get Any Kind of Solution into my hands they possibility could to make sure That guy didn't call them again.
3) Noone ... not even the "special assistant to the CEO" can actually get any kind of response from the "repair group." Noone.
And Regardless of the problem in your computer (mine was a faulty touch pad ... which is a Mother board issue) the FIRST thing they do is take out your hard drive and replace it with a refurb off the shelf.
Wouldn't matter if it was returned for a faulty hinge ... the first thing they do is replace the HD with a wiped drive ... Then when That does not "fix the problem" ... they put it on some shelf for 6 weeks ...

ALWAYS ASK FOR A CASE SPECIALIST IMMEDIATELY AND REPEATEDLY UNTIL THEY GIVE YOU ONE. ALWAYS SEND A LETTER OR EMAIL TO THE CEO'S OFFICE.

That will save you hours and hours and hours of getting jerked around by a sub-contractor that gets paid, I assume, per phone call and per phone minute. Not per solution. So, the worse the tech skills of the people they hire, the more money the sub-contractor makes.
I'm guessing here, but all symptoms point to...

Did anybody try upgrading the cpu to a AMD Phenom II X6 1100T? I have the 750GB version.

penguinmasterinfinity wrote:Since everyone is saying that the power supply is horrible, does anyone have any recommendations for good ones.

Prices vary so wildly on them and I wouldn't want to spend $20 on a 500-600w one that breaks my system. Nor would I want to spend $60 on one when I could have got a good one much cheaper.

Horrible is an overstatement. It is not a great PS, but it will do the job. I currently have 2 very similar systems, both with the 250 watt supply and they work fine and have for over 7 months now. Each has a second hard drive, additional memory and one has an additional DVD drive. It just depends on what you are adding. Why spend the money if you don't have to.

What really gets me are manufactures of video cards who say you need a 500-600 watt supply. Tell me how much your card really uses and let me figure it out(plus a margin of safety of course). How do they know what I really need. But that is easier said then done sometimes. Trying to find specifications on OEM devices and cards, MBs and systems is next to impossible.

I don't mind a recommendation. but facts would really be nice.

mustang2k00 wrote:Did anybody try upgrading the cpu to a AMD Phenom II X6 1100T? I have the 750GB version.

AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core) is on the list for this MB. The MB requires a CPU with an AM3 socket and max TDP of 95W. I'm not sure where you came up with the 750GB version since both of these in this offer have a 1TB drive.

This computer will blow the pants off of any Pentium 4 machine!

I purchased a similar refurbished HP from Woot three months ago. I enjoyed all our Woot purchases ... until this one. It was a HUGE mistake. Check the threads and you too will see that many Wooters received their units and had problems right out of the box. Beware of refurbished HP units!!

LarryCebula wrote:I am thinking of quitting my cable package and getting a media center PC to hook up to the TV for Netflix and Hulu and the like. Would this do the trick?

Icefilms FTW!!! Hulu is laughable

I recommend upgrading to a cheap HDMI capable card and a better PSU.

cleaner00 wrote:Can I pair 4g chips of the same type/speed with the 2g already onboard?

Yes, no problem. I confirmed with a couple of "IT Gurus" in my office before I ordered 8G this AM (2 sets of 4G) -- will install when this system shows up in a few days. They both recommended that whatever size chips you install, just be sure to install in pairs.

I bought the 6720f some time ago, and have been very happy with it. I'm tempted to buy this 6710f for a spare...$300 for a quad-core and 1TB HD? (People are right about the low end graphics and power supply, BTW.)

Or maybe I'll take the money and go to Reno, instead...

friartek wrote:AMD Phenom II X6 10xxT Six-Core (Thuban core) is on the list for this MB. The MB requires a CPU with an AM3 socket and max TDP of 95W. I'm not sure where you came up with the 750GB version since both of these in this offer have a 1TB drive.

I had bought the 6727c model. The part that throws me off about the processor is that the hp website says it's 10xxT and the model of the chip that I'm looking at starts with 11 and not 10. I don't know if that one model is built differently than the other 6 core processors.

Oh sure. Every day I check woot first thing in the morning and every day I pass on the latest iRobot or cedar grilling planks. Then I skip ONE morning and what happens? They post a decent desktop for $300 and it sells out before I check in.

Why, oh why, must you torture me so, woot? What did I ever do to you?

I'll be a good boy, and I'll go back to checking in early each day. And I'll sit through another parade of Leak Frogs and cheap security systems. Then I'll miss a day and you'll sell the best Bags of Crap of all time.

It happens every time...

woodstock989 wrote:Oh figures....I bought this and now I jsut got an email from HP about the touchpad they coulnd't sell me b/c they ran out, with the 'so sorry we suck at keeping track of our stock, so here's a 25% off coupon'.

A nice thing about living in Japan is when it's mid-night in NY it's the next day 3pm here. First dibs and no loss of sleep!

stanhopea01 wrote:I've read a few comments about removing the 'bloatware' that comes pre-installed. I am guessing that this is all the popping-up annoying "buy me, run me, install me" stuff that took awhile to delete/disable from my current computer.
That was awhile ago.
Suggestions on doing this, a site that would be helpful? I am a babe in the woods here...
Would certainly appreciate any comments.

Google "pcdecrapifier". You'll find a free program devoted to deleting most of the bloatware automatically, one after the other. You can choose to keep any of them before you start the process. You can download it now and practice it on your current machine to see what it can do, you don't have to let it do anything.

2 things: you should keep the special programs from HP, the quality program and the update program, and any others, until you are positive you won't need them. And to fully get rid of Symantec and McAfee stuff (and you should), you need to run those companies' own special deletion tools after decrapifier - they are linked on the decrapifier site. You can run decrapifier again anytime later.

Good luck with this machine, it's a great deal, and I'm not pleased that I missed it today.

junkmailreceiver wrote:Okay, what didn't you delete?

Well I kept HP support assistant. And the DVD burning software.

mustang2k00 wrote:I had bought the 6727c model. The part that throws me off about the processor is that the hp website says it's 10xxT and the model of the chip that I'm looking at starts with 11 and not 10. I don't know if that one model is built differently than the other 6 core processors.

1) p6727c System specification
2) MB Specification

The real key is in the MB Specification. Under the processor upgrade information you will find the Max TDP(Thermal Design Power) which is 95W. This is the average amount of power in watts that a cooling system must dissipate. In other words what the MB was designed to tolerate. The processor you are looking at(1100T) was designed for a board that has a TDP of at least 125W. It also must use an AM3 socket. Look at the upgrade list for supported processors.

friartek wrote:
The real key is in the MB Specification. Under the processor upgrade information you will find the Max TDP(Thermal Design Power) which is 95W.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921

Not the fastest processor out there, but a reasonable step up over the Athlon II, priced well, it's AM3 and 95W.

JEMiller wrote:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921

Not the fastest processor out there, but a reasonable step up over the Athlon II, priced well, it's AM3 and 95W.

Bummer, the benchmark between the current processor and that one looks pretty small to me (looking at http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php). Oh well..