HP Pavilion A6330F Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual Core 5600+ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Reviews

• Budget bang for the buck!

  
  By A6WGHX5XSV2ET on 2008-01-25
  Wow! I usually build my own systems, last being 2.4 Pentium with PATA. Cost of newer tech was higher since I had nothing to switch over. I got this because of room to grow and processor. E2180 has half L2 cache of $700-1000 systems but only takes a 4% performance hit. HP impressed with great BTX style case, no tools needed to install DVD burners, and very tidy cabling. Mobo has 2 extra SATA plus an IDE connector; harddrive is Hitachi; generic 250W power supply. Added another DVD burner and 2nd harddrive. Later I can add graphics card, bigger power supply, and 4 gigs of Ram. Very quiet with great multitasking! This PC is the sleeper of the year! Lose the dial-up card for free PCI slot. Harddrive has molex AND SATA power connectors. Power supply has 2 extra molex plugs so you might need some molex to SATA adapters to upgrade. Hope that's helpful!
  
  

• HP A6300F Intel Core Duo

  
  By A1VJGDEGJ7PF6 on 2008-02-01
  I own this desktop for a month now and I am very happy for the generous specs for the price.I think this is the only one in its price range that has 2 GB of RAM installed and can be upgraded to 4, which matters to me because from what I've read Vista needs at least 2 GB of RAM at minimum. This also has a generous HD of 500 GB with an rpm of 7200.I like the DVI outlet at the back where I attached my Hanns monitor and this gives a sharper image. HP has very good technical support, waiting period is short and the person I talked to is very nice and knowledgable and speaks very clear and articulate.
  
  

• No help

  
  By A2MU2RWSUJVE8Q on 2008-03-10
  Problem- POST not recognizing memory on start-up. Computer-Pavilion still under warranty was shipped to Texas, Irving repair facility free of charge. When it was recieved back, after 45 min use stopped recognizing memory again with the same sound on start up. The paper work indicated that memory chip DDR2 PC4200 was replaced. After 3 hours with Indian technician on the phone and pulling out memory chips one by one, the defective chip was found and pulled out. The promise from the tecnician and his supervisor was given that replacement memory chip would be sent out to me. 3 days later trying to find out the status of the order case # 800892**** information from another supervisor was given that nobody is going to send me a replacement chip because it's outdated and (or) that is not in their power. After attempt to find out the name of the person we were speaking to, the phone call was disconnected.
  Original order # ***056-01.
  During the conversation I was explaned that for the reason of me buying outdated computer I will not get any repairs done by HP (unavaliability of parts) and I better to pay for additional waranty, so I at least will get their advice.
  This is the last HP product that I bought.
  Regretfully, formerly proud owner of Packard Bell and Compaq, asking forgivness for assumption that the product under the warranty should be fixed by manufacturer.
  
  
  

• A6300F A fantistic computer

  
  By A1VGVT70WUCXXP on 2008-02-11
  The first thing was the shipping - I received the A6300F in one day and the shipping was free. What a deal!! Since this was an upgrade for me, I was skeptical about Vista. To my surprise, Vista was very easy to use and the graphics are great. The dual core A6300F is unbelievably fast and comes with lots of goodies. From the box to my desk was about 20 minutes to set-up. Burning DVDs takes minutes compared to 2.5 hrs with my old system. Multi-tasking is a breeze with this processor. This computer is really a joy to use. I buy from Amazon because I trust them and they provide great customer service.
  
  

• Okay purchase once you downgrade to XP.

  
  By A2UM7MDAKE41DF on 2008-03-30
  Bought this computer on February 25 using the free shipping (estimated 5-7 days) and it arrived on February 27! Overall, no complaints. But there's a few things you should know. The computer isn't as quiet as the specs claim; the fan emits an audible hum. Still, it's a far cry from the roar of the AMD Duron Athlon I had custom made in 2000 and upgraded from. However, said roar is perfectly duplicated by this system when a DVD is burned or initially read-accessed. At times I can also hear metallic clicks (sounds kinda like when you crinkle foil) indicating that the computer is processing something. While noticeable, they're not loud.
  
  CDs take quite a few seconds to auto read; my old PC detected them almost instantly by comparison. About the hard drive size, I confess that I was ignorant to the fact that video cards and other internal components can consume 35 or more GB of space. This was what the HP rep told me when I called asking the reason that my A6330F was showing 465 GB and not the 500 GB as advertised. I know, I know, it's still a huge hard drive---I'm not complaining. I just like to know upfront exactly what I'm getting and paying for is all.
  
  Unlike what I read in the first review here, the back of my PC did not come with a DVI port, but I figure I can buy a VGA-DVI adapter and a DVI cable to compensate.
  
  Giving Vista the benefit of the doubt, I tried it out for a few minutes and boy was everyone right. You ARE better off downgrading this computer to XP and I was oblivious to how I should go about doing this. When I stupidly installed XP Pro SP2 Lite I was thinking that it would autodetect all components during installation like it did on all of the PCs I ever put it on. It did NOT and I had no internet because the network card wasn't being recognized. I'm going off the topic here I know but I thought it best to share this part of my experience because I wasted quite a few hours before I was able to enjoy this purchase, completely ruining my excitement over finally replacing my 8 year old computer.
  
  Since nothing in the paperwork you get says this, I thought I'd let you know: calling HP and letting them know that you overwrote Vista will completely void your warranty. I found this out in a pretty bad way too. I call them all alarmed that the crucial hardware isn't being recognized and as soon as I told them that I attempted to downgrade from Vista the rep unceremoniously transferred me to technical support and that guy coldly said as though addressing a felon, "There is nothing I can do for you. You have just permanently voided your warranty." I fell silent, shocked and expecting him to elaborate or apologize but he eerily kept quiet. Sorry to digress further but I must add that some people forget that their failure to help their fellow man in sheer loyalty to the multi-billion dollar corporation that likely pays them all of $6-7/ hour isn't gonna get them a raise, bonus or any kind of award. I'm sure HP didn't promote that rep. for being so calloused. Sheesh, would it have killed him to mutter, "You can get the drivers free on the internet at the HP site, don't worry, it's gonna be okay"?
  
  Through forum reading and driver searches made using the HP website (I spent hours pulling up the desktop models that came with XP and noting what drivers HP had for download; I trial-and-error installed some and thank God, even though the model numbers were different it worked as evidenced by the yellow question marks going away in Device Manager), NVIDIA website and freeware programs like Unknown Device Identifier and Everest Ultimate Edition v.4.20.1292 I not only got all of the drivers I needed but also discovered that you need to run XP MCE on this system unless you don't mind seeing "IEEE 1394 Controller" with a yellow question mark next to it in Device Manager. My PC was totally functional, no problems at all running XP Pro with the drivers I'd installed but for some reason, no matter what I did, I couldn't get rid of that one aberration in Device Manager is all. Switching to XP MCE (and installing the drivers I collected---yes you still have to install them) was the only thing that solved this.
  
  In short, downgrading will cause the following items in Device Manager to have a yellow question mark next to it: Audio Device on High Definition Audio Bus; Other PCI Bridge Device; SM Bus Controller; Video Controller (VGA compatible); PCI Simple Communications Controller (and said IEEE item if you downgrade to XP Pro instead of MCE). I uploaded the required drivers here (I call it my Vista Downgrade Kit for HP A6330F: hxxp://xxx.megaupload.com/?d=HS7FX0Q3 Mirror: hxxp://momupload.com/files/84176/Vista_Downgrade_Kit_for_HP_A6330F.rar.html Mirror: hxxp://thefilehost.net/download.php?id=5A2955031 hxxp://momupload.com/files/84206/Win_XP_Pro_SP2_Lite.iso.html Mirror: hxxp://xxx.megaupload.com/?d=EYRFWHC4 For MCE try torrents (my upload to filedropper.com is taking longer than a week). If I can save just one person the stress and aggravation I went through, my pains will be worth it.
  
  
• review
  By AEN468T4OS2C9 on 2008-02-14
  Great product. I normally build my computers but this was such a steal. I replaced the power supply and put a 8600 gts 512 mb. Probably a little strong of a vid card but it looks spectactular. You cannot beat this price. I did surprising see this comp at frys for 500.00 but amazons got a little better deal. got the comp in 4 days. Love amazon and hope its stock goes higher.
  
  
• Very nice for the price!
  By A18MEO51KI240X on 2008-02-26
  I am extremely please with this unit. It supplies so much for the cost. I am not a computer wiz or geek but is was very easy to set up and get up and running. I will add more RAM in the future but for now it is just fine. Recommended!
  
  
• Nice computer, but....
  By A2QVBKZIXVFVB5 on 2008-03-05
  The HP Pavilion a6300f is a nice computer, except for the graphics card. It is only a 128mb NVIDIA GeForce 7100. It has bare minimum specs for todays cards. Unless you are an avid computer gamer, this would be a nice home computer. I updated to a 512mb NVIDIA GeForce 8500 for $78, which was cheaper than buying a computer with the card already in it.
  
  
• Incredible Value
  By A3KVYE26HP2TRL on 2008-02-23
  I bought this computer to replace a very old and dying Gateway tower. I couldn't believe the 500 GB hard drive, 2 GB memory and Dual Core CPU for the money. $480 was the price last week, free shipping and no tax. Ordered it last Friday..... recieved it this Wednesday, great service from Amazon. No way I could build an equivalent computer from componets at this price. If you need to replace a legacy computer. This is it.
  
  
• A Great Computer
  By ADZY2HOITRLFY on 2008-03-06
  I have owned a few computers over the year, and this is by FAR the best of the lot. It's quick and wonderfully quiet -- I don't hear it at all.
  
  I also should mention something about the Vista software since a lot of people are displeased with it. As my research prior to purchasing this unit indicated, it seems that your computer needs a certain amount of power to run Vista efficiently. And, while I'm no authority on computers, it seems that this figure would be about 2 GHz. Regardless, Vista runs beautifully in this unit and I love the new features.
  
  I've had my HP for about a month and could not be happier. I recommend it highly.
  
  
• Great PC for the price
  By A3TKN0B0XRWS9I on 2008-03-21
  I bought this to replace an old Dell unit that served us well for almost 5 years. The price when I ordered it was under six hundred and purchased with the 19" monitor came to $719.00 out the door. So far we are very pleased with the unit. No problems at all. We did call HP support with a few simple questions we had and were very pleasantly surprised with the 24/7 availability. The agent was polite, patient and very eager to answer any questions we had. All in all, I highly recomment this item to anyone who needs a good, fast everyday desktop for surfing, mail, music, games etc. Shipping was free and fast- thanks, Amazon.
  
  
• great deal!
  By AJ3XIZK39IXU on 2008-03-21
  very nice pc for the price. very easy setup, no problems. the geforce graphics this comes with are onboard junk, i added much better dedicated video and sound cards and upgraded my power supply all for around $100, and now am very pleased with this machine.
  
  
• HP desktop
  By A16ILYPMG0G2PU on 2008-03-05
  The computer was very cheap and was eligible for free shipping, making the deal even better. On top of that, the computer is super fast with lots of storage space and a DVD burner. No complaints whatsoever.
  
  
• good computer
  By A1V4VVMPJOKI04 on 2008-03-10
  I'm happy with the HP, glad I found such a great deal on an Intel Pentium.. got lucky hitting amazon when it was on sale, so we got it for less than $500.. as always, happy with amazon's service, the computer was here the day after ordering, even though I didn't put the order in until 2 in the afternoon! I was amazed at the speed of delivery. Would recommend.
  
  
• Beyond Expectations
  By AK7R9RT9P9KYZ on 2008-03-18
  I am pleased to report that the HP Pavilion computer that I recently purchased exceeds my expectations for performance. After purchase, I compared similar machines at Costco and Sam's and found that Amazon was substantially under their price for comparable equipment. Your on-time delivery and speedy service with the ability to track my purchase is appreciated, also.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Don Howard
  Auburn, WA
  
  
• Fast and easy
  By A21ZU9LVFM399W on 2008-03-24
  This is a great desktop for the price. It is fast enough for advanced users and seems super fast for the novice. Can't get much better than this for the money.
  
  
• Great basic computer
  By A2ZK58BED6ZJTE on 2008-04-04
  This computer (and a Toshiba monitor) replaced my Gateway system. So far it does everything I need and it does them well. I was worried about Vista but the 2gb of memeory seems to be handling it. Great DVD setup, and the price is right.
  
  
• Review of new computer
  By A2WCE66UOM7BAH on 2008-04-05
  HP Pavilion A6330F Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual Core 5600+ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) This computer is great and works very much to my satisfaction!
  
  
• The Best Bang For Your Few Bucks
  By A24IHDLKMH6BUH on 2008-05-16
  I have owned this PC for about a year now and I am very proud with it's performance. It hasn't failed me yet, no crashes, no freezes, nada. After installing an nVIDIA 8600GT Overclocked Edition I can power through Crysis with full medium level graphics with select ones on high (physics was set to Very High). This makes a statement about both the card and the PC. It plays Assassin's Creed, COD4, The Orange Box, Counter Strike: Source, World In Conflict, Company of Heroes and countless other games on the full Audio and Graphical settings with little or no lag. After installing the card I have found that it lines up with many 1 grand medium level gaming rigs at only a cost of around 700 bucks. Vista works like a charm, as I have said there have been no problems with it. I have a Logitech G15 V2, Logitech G9, Ideazon FANG and a Logitech headset wired to the rig and the drivers have installed fine on Vista while the ports from the PC have powered my devices (the headset among all of the others are USB items). The build quality is outstanding and the case is very stylish when matched with black accessories. The HP tech support is beyond helpful, I talked to a tech on the internet about a problem with a Ubisoft (I asked about the game's problem, not the computer) and the tech still helped me find a few sites to check out (kudos Geroge S. although the answer was e-mailed to me through YAHOO! nearly a month later.) The case is just over one foot deep and 1.5 foot high. It's only about 5 inches across. The inside of the case is kind of messy but if you snip of a zip tie the wires easily part for your new installation. The CD tray is not very thick and requires you manually push the tray in to make it withdraw which slightly bothers me. On the case of the thinness of the drive, it should not break off and if it does you should not own a computer. Drives such as that are meant to be opened and then closed. The card readers work very well and quickly and the CD drive spins quickly. The system is setup for surround sound though and getting a simple 2 or 3 piece system to work is difficult. It is best to simply by a stereo headset or a set of surround sound speakers. The computer is not a cheap crappy thing as I expected either for the price and the specs. It's all very new and works with everything (except an old Saitek joystick from somewhere around '97). I highly, highly recommend this product for everyone buying a new computer. It is fast, big (in storage, not size), stylish, functional, practical, and best of all very inexpensive.
  
  
• Smug and Confident
  By ACDKNQF0ZQDN1 on 2008-05-24
  My son-in-law suggested and even ordered this HP for me. He explained his confidence in Amazon and HP and I bought. I now am TOTALLY happy and confident in choosing Amazon for purchases and HP for their products.
  
  

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