HP Pavilion A1630N Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4200+, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti Drive)

Average customer rating: 4.0

Good computer/Bad customer service
Great system for the price
Not happy with HP in general
marvelous
This machine really peels rubber.

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HP Pavilion A1630N Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4200+, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti Drive)

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Office
Product Group: Personal Computer
Binding: Personal Computers
ASIN: B000IP0VLK

Related Categories:

Desktops

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HP Pavilion Desktops

Hewlett-Packard

Amazon.com Product Description

The HP Pavilion a1630n comes loaded with the all tools you need to easily create, manage, share, and enjoy your digital photos, home videos, movies, and music. It features a wide range of connectivity options for all your peripherals and preloaded HP Photosmart Premier digital image editing and management software. And you can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc and provides a super-fast 16x DVD+R/-R write speed. It also includes LightScribe technology for personalized silkscreen-quality, laser-etched CD/DVD labels created right in the drive.

This desktop is powered by the 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual-core processor, which increases the efficiency and speed of the PC while running multiple programs and the latest multi-threaded software. Store more music, videos, and data on the roomy 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive, which offers fast transfer rates. it also comes loaded with 2 GB of RAM (which can be bumped up to 4 GB), an integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150 video/graphics card with up to 256 MB of shared video RAM, a wide variety of connection ports on both the front and rear of the box, a 9-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats, an HP Pocket Media Drive bay, Windows Media Center 2005 operating system, and a wide assortment of pre-loaded software. This is a Windows Vista capable PC, and it's also Windows Vista Premium ready.

The Basics
<ul>

Hard Drive: The extra-large 250 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

Processor: AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual-core processor is built for tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. It outperforms the highest-performing AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single-core processor on multi-tasking benchmarks by up to 30 percent. Dual-core technology is like having two processors working together, each one taking care of different applications, so power-users actually experience greater performance when multiple applications are running. Digital media enthusiasts will appreciate the enhancements while simultaneously working in high-definition video and photo editing and audio mixing programs. It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) and Enhanced Virus Protection.

This 2.2 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up to a blazing 2000 MHz and each core offers a 512 KB L2 cache--for a 1 MB total. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (PC4200, 2 x 512 MB, 533 MHz) is a very good start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and gaming software. Its 400 MHz speed is a little slower than comparable multimedia desktops, but does add to this package's affordability. This desktop has a 4 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 1 GB), which is a bit small in comparison to other multimedia desktops in this HP lineup.

CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, this multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, 40x CD-R, and 32x CD-RW write speeds. It also offers 16x DVD-ROM and 40x CD-ROM read speeds.

This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.

Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections). </ul> Graphics and Sound
This desktop features an integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150LE graphics/video card with up to 256 MB of shared video memory. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for video content--and full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 for stunningly realistic cinematic effects for all DirectX-compatible applications. It also offers an integrated audio card that can produce high definition surround sound configurable to 8 speakers and is compatible with Dolby Pro Logic II.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, this desktop has three PCI slots (two available), one PCI Express slot (available), two 5.25-inch external bays (one available), one external 3.5-inch bay (available), one internal 3.5-inch bay (occupied), and one HP Pocket Media Drive bay (available). The following external connectors are included: <ul>

6 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players (2 in front, 4 in rear)

2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)

2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice

1 VGA monitor port

2 headphone and 2 microphone (front and rear)

2 line-in (front and rear)

Coaxial digital audio (SPDIF) output for connecting to surround sound home theater receiver

Surround sound speaker outputs (rear/side/center (subwoofer)

9-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, and XD Picture Card </ul> It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2) is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. The Update Rollup 2 upgrade offers support for the Windows Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, which lets you access entertainment from your Media Center PC--whether it's live and recorded TV and movies, music, photos or Online Spotlight--on any TV in the house.

The HP Photosmart Premier photo and imaging software makes digital photography fast and easy by helping you organize, edit, protect, and share your digital pictures and video clips. Sonic's DigitalMedia Plus makes it easy and intuitive to back up your pictures, videos, and music onto DVD-R/+R media for safekeeping. It also comes with Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2006 (with 60 days of LiveUpdate), PC Recovery, PC Doctor, MSN Encarta Standard, Microsoft Money, Quicken New User Edition, Sonic MyDVD Plus, Muvee AutoProducer, and RealRhapsody.

Dimensions and Weight
This desktop PC measures 15.2 x 7 x 17 inches (HxWxD) and weighs approximately 24 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion a1630n desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase.

Product Description

HP a1630n Pavilion Media Center Desktop PC - This desktop computer is filled with features that will enhance your digital creativity, and expand your enjoyment of your digital media. With Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, you can connect this PC to your TV set, and using the intuitive graphical interface, you can easily navigate and enjoy your digital videos, audio files, pictures, and more. This PC also features some impressive raw power that is great for video manipulation, PC gaming, and other demanding tasks. Keep reading to find out exactly what this computer can offer you and your family. 4 Memory Slots (2 open) NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Chipset 250GB 7200RPM SATA HDD SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology - (write speeds) up to 8x DL DVD+R, 4x DL DVD+R, 5x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-R, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 40x CD-R, & 32x CD-RW SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology - (read speeds) up to 16x DVD-ROM and 40x CD-ROM Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE Graphics with up to 256MB of shared memory (memory is taken from the main system) High Definition Audio (8 speaker support) Ports - 10/100 Ethernet, 6 USB 2.0 (4 back, 2 front), 2 FireWire (1 front), 1 Microphone/Line-In/Line-Out (front and back), 2 PS/2, 1 Digital Audio Out, 1 VGA Out, Rear Speaker Out, Side Speaker Out, Center and Subwoofer HP Pocket Media Drive Bay Front Panel 9-in-1 Memory Card Reader - supports Smart Media, xD-Picture Cards, MultiMedia Card (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), Compact Flash I/II, Microdrive, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro 56k Fax Modem Expansion Slots - 3 PCI (2 open) / 1 PCI Express x16 (open) Expansion Bays - 2 External 5.25 (1 open) / 1 External 3.5 (1 open) / 1 Internal 3.5 (0 open) Unit Weight - approx. 24 lbs.

Customer Reviews:

Good computer/Bad customer service.......2007-04-08

The computer has minor glitches here and there. But it's the best computer for the price. HP customer service is horrible though. So you may want to know a little about computers if you buy HP. That way you can fix a problem without customer service helping you.

Great system for the price.......2007-01-29

This is a great system for the price. This is actually the first complete computer system I've ever purchased. In the past I have built my own systems, but I couldn't beat the price on the a1630n. Such as is the case with all similar vendors HP preloads the system with a ton of software which you may or may not need. I reformatted the drive and installed Vista Ultimate and it runs much faster without all the HP-added software. I have the Aero interface and the system performs very well. If you're a gamer you'll want to add-on a faster graphic card, but for non-gaming users the out-of-the-box config will work well for them.

It looks like the a1730n is the direct replacement for this system, but the specs on the new system aren't much of an improvement over the a1630n (ie: slightly faster CPU, larger HD). It looks like the a1730n will included Vista preloaded so you should consider that in your decision, assuming you can even find the a1630n still.

Not happy with HP in general.......2007-01-13

I purchased 2 a1630n desktops. The first one had to be sent back to HP after having it for 4 days. They had to put in a new power supply, after it just stopped turning on. Now the second one just started actingup. First the mouse stpooed working, then the keyboard and now it turns on, but it won't do anything.

marvelous.......2006-12-24

unbelievable for the price. had occasion to call support for minor questions and got a quick and helpful response, unlike was happening with dell. blistering speeds. recommended without qualification.

This machine really peels rubber........2006-11-02

When I received this computer over two weeks ago, it was slower than I expected. After some software deletions and telephone calls did not improve the situation, I performed a "Full System Recovery", removed Yahoo Toolbar and AOL which I did not intend to use, cleaned and defragmented the HD. At that point the little bugger turned into the Road Runner. It was no surprise to me that the machine easily outperformed the previous 11 computers I owned, since it came equipped with an AMD Athlon 64x2 4600+ processor running at 2.4GHz with 2GB of RAM. However, I was in no way prepared for the Chaparral Bird on my desk. The speed it manipulated my photographs went way beyond my expectations and additionally, I was unable to detect any slow down when performing two tasks simultaneously. It blows my mind that such speed was capable of being purchased for under $800. Since I do not use the computer for playing games, I cannot comment on that aspect but otherwise this is one impressive computer for the price.

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