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Several months ago I started an informal project. I was seeking a PC to recommend that came out of the box ready to go, yet at the same time was powerful enough to fit most people’s needs from the very basic needs to the more complex. It did not matter if the PC was configurable or not. I was not seeking a system that required or was capable of numerous after purchase upgrades.
What I was searching for was a dependable machine that required little effort on the part of the user to set up, while at the same time being generous enough in features to fit the needs of the more intense user. Needless to say, it was a tall order to fill.
It is nearly impossible to find one machine that fits everyone’s needs. Each system is designed to suite specific needs. What I did find was that the HP Pavilion a250n when matched with the f1703 flat panel monitor becomes a totally solid solution that may fit most PC users’ needs.
Hewlett Packard has always had a solid reputation as makers of dependable printers. My HP Laserjet 5L is still working fine. It has never been in the shop for repairs since I purchased it back in the late 20th century. They have also made a mark with their PC’s. My first experience with one was the HP Pavilion 750c. While an older model, it has managed to age gracefully. With that in mind, I was curious to know if a comparable system was still being created. Apparently so, and the good news is that the HP Pavilion a250n comes fully loaded and ready to go.
On the surface, this machine may resemble others in the line. The differences end with the case. Unlike the more basic units that superficially resemble this one, the a250n is a capable machine with some substantial advantages. The biggest, actually there are three, that come with the system are memory, processor and drives. When you factor in these features, the true virtues of this system become apparent.
For the longest time finding a decently priced PC with a DVD writer and CD writer combo meant adding hundreds of dollars to the price of a system, or adding one after the fact. This time out, HP has included a built in drive that can burn DVD’s and CD’s fluently. Supporting the popular DVD plus formats, DVD +R and DVD +RW, which have recently become standard, the a250n includes everything you need to use either DVD disks or CD-R and CD-RW disks. If you are not familiar with the abbreviations, do not fear. The important thing for most users is that HP has an all in one drive that supports the more accepted of the ever confusing list of DVD disk formats on the market. The second drive on the system is a CD-ROM drive that can read only CD-ROM disks.
The HP Pavilion line has always been good about memory. My older system came with 512 MB of RAM. While that number is common, it is not as common as you may think. The real sweet spot for computing under Windows XP has been 512, and thankfully this system comes with 512 MB of DDR SDRAM. This translates into a more fluid computing experience, and the power needed to run the latest programs with ease.
For the longest time pundits have argued the benefits of alternative processors to those produced by Intel. I feel that if you are running graphics intensive programs, video and other more “system” intensive programs, you are better off in the long run staying with Intel. The reason for this is that a great number of programs on the market are actually optimized to run on the Pentium 4. Naturally, there are those who can tweak performance out of other processors, however for those that want a processor that will work with most software designed for Windows XP, Intel is the way to go. I am not speaking out against other companies, but I do feel that unless you are truly knowledgably about processors, you will want to stay with an Intel Pentium 4. This is why the Pentium 4 included with the HP a250n becomes a standout.
Rather than just a regular Pentium 4, this system comes with a Pentium 4 2.60 Ghz with hyper threading. What hyper threading means in essence is that one processor can act as if it were two. This means less time waiting and more processing power for your applications. Instead of bottlenecks and choking, multiple tasks move effortlessly. I noticed the advantages of hyper threading the most regarding video and image editing. If you are considering a digital camcorder, a Pentium 4 with hyper threading is a must have. Running at 2.60 Ghz, you have the muscle to run just about anything on the market including applications like Maxon’s Cinema 4D, Caligari True Space 6 and any other number of high end 3D programs.
For intense programs, hard drive space becomes critical. With new programs taking up more hard drive space, the need for larger hard drives becomes essential. This unit ships with a large 120 GB of hard drive space. While 40 GB to 80 GB hard drives can fit most needs, if video editing is on your agenda, you will welcome this much free space. Video can eat up drive space quickly. With a 120 GB hard drive, all but the most demanding videographer should be content with this amount of space. For less demanding end users, this will put you in a great place for future programs and future needs.
A convenience feature with this system are the four direct ports open on the front of the PC. Concealed behind a sliding door, located beneath the floppy drive bay, are four ports for use with various recordable media. Instead of plugging your camera into the PC via a Firewire port or USB port, you can simply take the memory card out, insert it into the machine and read it as if it were a hard drive. The advantage of having these bays is that you are not wasting valuable battery power transferring images. Rather than turning the camara on, transferring images and using power, you can turn off the camera, eject the memory card, stick it in the machine and you are done. Considering that the bays cover four basic memory cards, the chances are good that at least one of these will work with your existing digital camera or one on the market. It is a great idea and one that will have benefits immediately for digital camera users.
Naturally, the unit comes with a Firewire 1394 port, Ethernet and USB 2.0 as well. With these ports you are ready to connect to a broadband cable modem, use your digital camcorder and connect printers and other peripherals via the USB 2.0 port, which is of course compatible with the older USB 1.1.
Features like this are great, but after purchasing a new computer, one does not necessarily want to run out and purchase a slew of new software. This time around HP has taken an intelligent path regarding what to include and what not to include. In the past I have noticed many mainstream companies shipping their PC’s loaded with tons of software. Some of it is OK, but often the vast majority are demos, games and “lite” versions of full programs. What usually happens is that your system is bogged down with software you will never use, need or want.
Instead of giving you a “watered down” word processor, or a demo, HP has shipped a complete full version of WordPerfect 10. At one time it was the premier word processing program eclipsing Microsoft Office. While Office XP dominates in market share, it is not the only solid word processor on the market. Many businesses and educational institutions still use WordPerfect, and Corel has done a great job of keeping the program alive. So instead of a demo or scaled down suite, you have a full fledged word processing application on your PC.
Added to this are Record Now for burning CD’s and DVD’s, Quicken 2003, a set of ArcSoft programs for image editing, video editing and greeting cards and several HP utilities for backup and recovery programs. Included as demos are a few applications, not hundreds, including a ninety day subscription to Norton Antivirus.
Mercifully, HP has kept the clutter of useless programs to a discreet number. Instead of loading everything on the hard drive, you have enough programs installed so that you can do basic video editing, burn DVD’s and CD’s and create back ups. There are no real wasted programs here, thankfully.
The one major change I have noticed, and this is a good one, is regarding backing up of the system. HP has reserved a section of the hard drive so that you can perform a one button restore. Should the system go bad, just use the restore utility, and your PC is back to factory installed condition. While this means that part of your drive is not usable, it also means that you have an instant back up of your system that saves time.
The problem has been that the partitioned hard drive was not accessible. This meant that if your system went bad and your hard drive failed, you could not restore your PC. Since HP did not include back up disks, you were out of luck. The flaw in this system has been fixed.
Wisely HP has allowed you to create back up disks from the partitioned hard drive that allows you to have a hard copy of your drive. This way if you need to exchange your hard drive, you can still restore your system. Hopefully this will never happen. It is nice to know that you can have hard copy disks around should the need arise.
Included with the A250n as standard are one compact keyboard and an optical mouse. In contrast to the last HP mouse I used, this one is more comfortable to handle and includes a scroll wheel for easier Web cruising. The keyboard is quiet, has a nice resilient feel and does not include a sea of useless buttons, bells and whistles. As a unit, both the keyboard and mouse are solid. They feel tight and secure, not flimsy or cheap. When you factor in that keyboards and mice are your primary ways of entering information into your system, they become important.
Although the a250n does come complete with mouse, keyboard and the appropriate wires to connect them, the system does not include a monitor or speakers.
However, the system I evaluated came bundled with the HP Pavilion f1703 flat panel LCD monitor that comes with two Harmon/Kardon satellite speakers. If you are not familiar with Harmon/Kardon computer speakers, this is a great introduction. Many Dell Systems come with them, and they produced excellent nuanced sound. Their diminutive size does not preclude them from being powerful. Should you wish, you can add on a subwoofer for even greater depth of sound.
Now the big revelation is the LCD monitor. The f1703 is an excellent monitor. If you have had reservations about purchasing one, or have a hard time justifying the price points for one, the virtues of a flat monitor are such that the cost difference between a typical CRT monitor and an LCD becomes unimportant.
If you spend long periods of time typing or reading on your PC, your eyes will welcome the clarity offered by the f1703. After spending just a few hours before it working, you will notice an appreciable difference. The details captured by it are just short of amazing. If you have ever visited a computer store and watched the screens wondering just how good they are, the only way to really know is to set one up properly and see just how good they can be.
Naturally not all LCD monitors are the same. But the f1703 is a real stand out. Coming in at about $499.99, the seventeen inch monitor, when set to the recommended screen resolution, is pure visual eye candy. The crispness of the image really blew me away. It also managed to do an excellent job with video images and DVD titles. They looked sharp, clear and distortion free.
Unlike flat screen CRT monitors, the ends do not curl, there is no image distorting and everything is flat. In short, you have a perfect picture that does not waste any screen real estate. Even though this monitor’s screen size is about the size of an average CRT, the savings in space because of the zero distortions means you have more room. And speaking of room, this monitor is slim.
Measuring just a few inches thick, and standing on a firm base, this is a space saving miracle in action. Once you work with a LCD you will never want to go back. Plus, the base allows you to adjust the monitor to fit your particular viewing angle or angles. If nothing else, the vibrancy and detail mean less eye strain, better image quality and an improved computing experience.
Often when purchasing a system the very last thing considered is the monitor. Usually people just accept whatever comes bundled with their system. After working with the f1703, the importance of spending a little more for a good monitor makes sense. When you consider the space savings, the ease of use, better quality image and the fact that the monitor is the primary means of relating to your PC, picking a good one becomes important. If I sound ecstatic about this monitor, it is because it is that good. For the longest time I had resisted considering one, and now I am a total convert. The LCD is better and the f1703 is proof positive that it is.
Now the big choice comes in comparison. When you factor in the price of the HP a250n, which comes in at a solid $999.99 and add the f1703 monitor and speakers that fly in at $499.99, you are looking at a total price of about $1,499.98 for the total package. Considering the feature set, the a250n starts to look very appealing.
In comparison to the iMac from Apple, the price points become even more compelling. An iMac with comparable features runs roughly $1,799.99 and does not include two drive bays, the four front ports and several other extras. The iMac includes a hard drive that fits within the 40 to 80 GB hard drive range, depending on which configuration you select. The HP a250 has a 120 GB hard drive, a larger amount of memory and a more powerful processor. When you examine the features, power, memory and other aspects of the HP, plus the cost of the 17 inch flat screen monitor and excellent speakers, the a250n becomes the more price point aware system.
Feature for feature, price point for price point, HP has created a feature rich system that includes just about everything your average to above average home user may want or need. Virtually silent in use and fully capable of handling the most demanding video editing tasks a home consumer could throw at it, the a250n is a sleek, capable performer that is a far cry from being a bargain basement system.
For those that want ease of use, an easy set up, a great monitor and above average speakers, the a250n combined with the f1703 becomes a truly inspiring mix of value, features and convenience.
After working with this system for a few weeks, I really hope that HP lets me keep the unit after the evaluation period expires. I have total faith in this system. It is so good in fact, I have become totally attached. Stylish, sleek, contemporary looks, great sound, rich picture and enough RAM and CPU speed to do everything I need to do well, this is an excellent system that recalls the features I appreciated about my own system with some improvements I have been longing for from HP.
If you are looking for a faster muscular system under $2000.00 complete, you cannot go wrong with the a250n and the f1703. If you know nothing about PC’s from set up to start up, this is about as good as it gets. HP has a true winner on its hands with this winning combo.
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