Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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HP Pavilion Quad Core Desktop PC
$399.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: Refurbished

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Product Website

PCmag review

cnet

250w PSU? is that supposed to be 520w?

I guess Groundhog Day isn't a holiday worthy enough of a Big o' Cosmos. In other news, here are some reviews: Reviews!

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.)

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.

manual and docs

Other Prices

Don't worry, I got your back.

But will it be able to play Crysis 2..

tempted to get one for a media box to hookup to the tv.......

yeah but.....can it play minecraft?

hkinney2011 wrote:
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.

I have two of these at work. Solid computer for word processing and browsing. It took about ten minutes at setup to get rid of the pre-installed stuff, but HP also puts in some good diagnostic tools that autorun once a month.

motherboard page

AMD page

processor review

video: AMD page

video chip review

note: edited AMD processor link

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'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.

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

No, AMD's builds have been getting lower and lower in terms of what the GPU and CPU are needing for power for double the speed.

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

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.

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 have had it on my past 3 laptops. Definitely cool, but not worth the price of the required LightScribe discs.

I did it once, then went back to my sharpie.

Froooooooooooooogled!

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.

it's about as useful as an 8 track....

They have sold on ebay recently for $450 with free shipping. So $45 off is that great a deal.

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

Should be higher than 250W but probably not a typo. HP's ship with low power supplies. I purchased an HP desktop a couple years back and it also had a 250W. Upgraded it before I even turned it on the first time. Otherwise I have had no issues with my system. Basically the same as this but paid much, much more.

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.

You might find this useful

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

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.

Yes, lightscribe came with the computer 1 bought about 3 years ago. Bought some lightscribe discs, and used it once and have not used it since! The discs are collecting dust somewhere. Novelty feature at best.

Here it is at Walmart, some reviewers mentioned it had been on sale for a bit less than this Woot, but compared to other current online deals this seems like a good price.

Walmart

fragdaddy2007 wrote:I have had it on my past 3 laptops. Definitely cool, but not worth the price of the required LightScribe discs.

I did it once, then went back to my sharpie.

Ahhh... more expensive discs, good to know. Thanks. Just removed this feature from my consideration.

HP has very good customer support that I have used in the past. If I was in the market for a computer right now I would definitely pick this one up. Any short comings could be upgraded for very little cash. Example a blu ray drive instead of dvd.

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 would say it's a decent package, but you may need to purchase a new power supply if you should decide on upgrading some parts (perhaps a video card, sound card, etc.). A decent power supply (550 W or better) should run you about $60-$80. Also, you'll need to have a monitor with this. Head on over to Deals.Woot! because they have some fantastic deals on monitors! I would go with a 23" 1080p monitor for around $140 if I were you.

jgmcgowan wrote:No, AMD's builds have been getting lower and lower in terms of what the GPU and CPU are needing for power for double the speed.

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.)?

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.

Personally? I just built my own computer for gaming. I built mine for less then $600 and it is way better then this. It has a faster processor (AMD Phenom II x4 955), dedicated graphics card (XFX HD Radeon 5770), bigger hard drive (1TB) and a more powerful power supply (650W).

Overall though, this isn't a bad computer for general home and business use.

BatmanX wrote:tempted to get one for a media box to hookup to the tv.......

I was thinking of the same thing, but I was hoping it had an hdmi port, which it doesn't.

Guess this would work with a TV through a dvi to hdmi adapter, and use the optical out for the audio.

chaley0803 wrote:Yes, lightscribe came with the computer 1 bought about 3 years ago. Bought some lightscribe discs, and used it once and have not used it since! The discs are collecting dust somewhere. Novelty feature at best.

To expand on that, it is mostly a novelty, but it could be a nifty one if you like something classier than labeling your disks with a Sharpie.

The big hole in the center precludes making anything really pro-looking, and the image contrast isn't at that level either. But your friends and relatives will still be impressed if you send them Lightscribed disks, and you may just like them for your collection.

Here's an image I found on the web - just search "lightscribe" in Google Images for more.

JoeFlanagan wrote:Personally? I just built my own computer for gaming. I built mine for less then $600 and it is way better then this. It has a faster processor (AMD Phenom II x4 955), dedicated graphics card (XFX HD Radeon 5770), bigger hard drive (1TB) and a more powerful power supply (650W).

Overall though, this isn't a bad computer for general home and business use.

Sadly, although I can fix just about anything on my car, I've never even remotely tackled anything like building my own computer. Would barely know where to start...

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

In general plan on around $50 for a decent power supply and $150 for a good graphics card that will handle 1920 x1200 in most games. I build systems and newegg.com always has good prices and their review system and tech specs are great.

tomshardware.com Is great for reviews. This link goes to their "best graphics card for the price" page from December, will help you find the best value for your price range and tells you what to expect from that card.

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

Power supplys are dirt cheap. $160 will get you a sweet 1GB DDR5 GeForce GTX460

Walmart has this similar model for $428.
The HP Pavilion P6627C Desktop features Windows 7 Home Premium for a fast, efficient computing experience. The 640GB hard drive has plenty of space to store all of your data and media.
HP Pavilion P6627C Desktop PC, Refurbished:
Key Features and Benefits:

Athlon II X4 635 processor
2.90GHz
4GB DDR2 SDRAM system memory
Gives you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work
640GB SATA hard drive
Store 426,000 photos, 182,000 songs or 336 hours of HD video and more
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology
Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats
10/100Base-T Ethernet
Connect to a broadband modem with or wired broadband router with wired Ethernet
GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 graphics
Additional Features:
15-in-1 memory card reader
6 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x VGA port, 2 x PS/2 ports, 1 x headphone jack, 1 x microphone jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x line-in, 1 x line-out
1 x PCI slot, 1 x PCI Express (x16) slot, 2 x PCI Express (x1) slots, 2 x 5.25" external bays, 2 x 3.5" internal bays, 1 x 3.5" external bay
Software:
Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition (To learn more about the features of Windows 7, click here)
Microsoft Office Starter 2010
Norton Internet Security 2011 (180 day security update subscription)
HP MediaSmart Software Suite, CyberLink DVD Suite Premium
Backup and Restore options built into Windows allows you to create safety copies of your most important personal files, so you're always prepared for the worst

I'm actually considering this. I've badmouthed HP products for years, but it is a workable machine once the preinstalled carp is removed. At this price I can't roll my own for less, either.

Yes, that's Two Hundred Fifty watts on the power supply. As long as you aren't into gaming... ;-)

mbrickell wrote:Sadly, although I can fix just about anything on my car, I've never even remotely tackled anything like building my own computer. Would barely know where to start...

It's easier than you think. For some reason, people find computer hardware daunting, but let me assure you that it's much simpler than what's under your hood.

The first computer I ever threw together worked fine and lasted for years.

However, it's even easier to upgrade a machine such as this, and there's a major advantage, which is that the airflow through this machine will be well thought out, whereas you're at the mercy of individual fans in a homebuilt box.