HP Pavilion A6700F Desktop PC (1.8 GHz AMD Phenom X4 9150e Quad-Core Processor, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Reviews

• Adequate for the price

  
  By A2I5YAE7F0SJFY on 2009-01-20
  Been in the market for a new PC for a while and wound up purchasing this one yesterday, locally from Office Depot (sixty dollar rebate enticed me over the edge ;) )
  
  Initial impressions were that it seemed slower that I expected a quad core processor to run but it is still plenty fast (downloads and loading software from CD where not much faster at all than my old Pentium 4 1.2G)
  
  Where the quad core really shines is when running multiple apps (antivirus scan while surfing, etc.)
  
  The wireless card requires an external antenna (included, but weird) which is invaluable if you happen to be located any appreciable distance away from your wireless router. I have mine on the other side of the house and still register 100% signal.
  
  I really have only a couple of gripes, with just one of them major. 1, the HP suite is an enormous, cumbersome waste of space that does absolutely nothing. Hard to believe that when I ran antivirus on a brand new machine and the Task Manager showed 61 processes ( Yea Vista :( ) running and over 700,000 files already on the hard drive. Which leads me to 2. Windows Vista 64.
  
  If you are looking for a single reason to run for the hills away from this computer - this is it. First and foremost, you can toss anything at all you expect to use peripheraly right out the window. I guarantee if it's over a year old, there are no drivers for it.
  
  Found this out the hard way after spending most of the evening trying to locate drivers for my printer only to find out that the manufacturer no long supports the model and does not and will not write drivers for it. So my 3 year old perfectly good laser printer is now a boat anchor.
  Additionally, I planned to do sound editing (actually one of the reasons for the purchase) and guess what? No Vista 64 drivers for the Alesis Multimix. and so on.
  
  Thinking about wiping Vista off and replacing with a copy of XP service pack 2? Forget it - unless you're gonna replace the motherboard and buy new sound, video, PCI cards...HP doesn't support XP drivers for the sound and video cards. Talk about a catch 22.
  
  The sound and video are integrated on the motherboard and the sound card is a Realtek which seems more than adequate. Scaleable to HD, 5.1 and 7.1, I'm pleasantly impressed. The video card is average at best and definitely the weakest piece of the package. Gamers will not be impressed.
  
  Overall, it is fine for the money, but be aware of what you are getting. If this is a first purchase, I'm sure the OS will become more and more prevelant and any gear you purchase to go along with it should be Vista 64 compliant. If it's a replacement, get ready to buy all new stuff.
  
  
  
  

• Horrible service!!!

  
  By A3FOXQ271NTEGJ on 2009-06-17
  I bought this computer in the middle of March and began having problems within the first week (random crashes with a Blue Screen). After several phone calls to HP technical support and after doing all the troubleshooting you can possibly think of (I'm still guessing as to why I was the one doing all of that instead of a trained technician?!), the tech finally agreed with me that it was a hardware issue and not a virus and that my computer needed to be repaired.
  After the first "repair" no hardware was replaced and the problem was still there. I had to send in my computer two more times (keep in mind that it takes weeks to ship the computer to a repair facility across the country) and both "repairs" did not fix anything. I wanted to have a replacement for my brand new computer right away, but apparently it takes THREE UNSUCCESFULL REPAIRS before any of the supervisors who have the power to give you a replacement get involved. I'm not even talking about trying to get a refund... Now it is the middle of June and I still don't have a computer... Bottom line: HP has HORRIBLE TECH SUPPORT so if your computer (this model or any other) breaks, get ready for a long fight to get the problem fixed.
  
  

• Cheap and very powerful

  
  By A1YLGO6IQOQMR1 on 2009-02-23
  We bought this in package form along with an HP monitor and printer to replace our aging desktop. It completely screams when asked to do anything multimedia related, and cruises on native MS programs like Office 2007 as well. If you really want to get some performance out of it, install OpenOffice and Firefox, as both seem to take advantage of the hardware and outperform their MS brethren by wide margins. I can't help but think what Linux would do on such a machine.
  
  The only problem we had, and it WAS frustrating, was that a technician bent a pin in the wireless card during install. It was nothing that anyone would have noticed visually, and the system initially performed well, but after a day, the bad connection was too much and the wireless card only worked intermittently. After an all night session talking with HP Service in India, I located the problem. A new wireless card, free of charge and with straight pins, fixed the situation. I can't hold it against HP. The card initially worked on start-up, so it probably passed the bench tests. These things happen, even at Apple and Dell. HP's customer service was patient and effective, and the new part arrived in 2 days.
  
  Overall, incredible machine. By our "Performance Gadget," we haven't even begun to max the processor or RAM out, even with the latest versions of Pinnacle Studio, OpenOffice, and MusicMaker.
  
  
  

• entire HP 6000 computer line

  
  By A23U78FRN43OR9 on 2009-06-04
  PLEASE READ THIS: It's important that when you all review which computer you purchased that you please state what model you bought. Amazon is taking all the reviews for the entire 6000 series, and merging them into one row of reviews. (Check a6700f, 6720f, 6750f and so on). It's a great idea to shop around, and see what other people are saying on the computer you're purchasing, to see if everything coincides with one another. By having reviews merged what one person experienced may not be the case with the other.
  
  

• Supplement to prior submitted review, Will not install MS Vista Ultimate 64 Bit

  
  By A2H6YK4BZFGHA5 on 2009-02-09
  Following up on my prior review (which has not yet been approved/posted) I attempted to install Vista Ultimate 64 Bit on the machine and it would not take; i.e. the installation said this computer would not take the install and it kept Vista Home Premium 64 Bit installed.
  
  Other than that, and I expect MS to fix the issue, my prior review stands. Great value and performance.
  
  UPDATE via 2/8/10 It runs a lot faster with Windows 7.
  
  
• Small Upgrades Do Wonders
  By A307PE55BKS0V3 on 2009-06-28
  I originally bought this computer to replace a laptop and an older HP desktop that I was currently using. The thing that jumped out at me was the price and the quad-core. I was weary about using Vista, especially 64-bit but it works better than expected.
  
  The first issue people have been having: drivers. I had absolutely none. Whatever I throw at this computer it finds the drivers (whether online or within the system already) and have had no issues. I'm not sure what kind of hardware other people have been using but I've tried different monitors, gaming hardware, printers, sound cards, video cards. No issues. So, can't complain there.
  
  Secondly, the amount of bloatware is quite annoying at first. I got rid of it all because it only slows the system down and causes more frustration than necessary. The computer loads up fairly quickly once you remove the bloatware off of it.
  
  Thirdly, the power supply is not sufficient for most add-ons so it was the first thing to go. I bought a 650W power supply along with a Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB DDR3. The Windows Experience Score went up from a 4.3 to a 6.0 at this point. Absolutely amazing.
  
  This computer plays Halo, Crysis, World of Warcraft, and any Flight Simulator version smoothly. Haven't had one issue. I can easily use TeamSpeak, Internet Explorer, iTunes, and FSX all at the same time. If anyone doesn't know, FSX will completely KILL a computer if it's not ready for it and this beast does well.
  
  I'd have to say I'm happy with the overrall performance. Disk defrags take no time at all. Virus scans are quick (even full scans). Downloading takes absolutely no time at all and is a huge improvement from using a Intel Duo Core. 8GB of ram is more than enough as I haven't seen it use more than 6GB at a time. And, like mentioned before, it shines when multi-tasking. It's pretty neat to watch it sort out tasks for certain processors.
  
  
• Big bang for the bucks!
  By AW3LX47IHPFRL on 2009-01-26
  Purchased mine at Office Max as they had it on sale without the hassle of submitting the rebate form as at Depot. The performance rating (found under control panel) shows exceptional ratings except for video, which is understandable given that the video is integrated. I plan on upgrading video with a dedicated PCI-E card which should make the computer fly in all tasks. Be aware that Vista 64 does not support older hardware and software. Even ones that run fine under XP may not run under this OS. The processor is an AMD quad which is a cheaper alternative to similar Intel but it does a fine job and is fast. Also note that the wireless is up to G only (no draft N) but with the included antenna, the reception is good and internet browsing is fast enough. For under $510, there aren't too many systems out there that offers similar performance. Only reason why I'm not giving it a 5 is the integrated video and G wireless.
  
  
• Good for video editing
  By A22CW0ZHY3NJH8 on 2009-05-30
  I bought this computer because my other computer was ancient and I couldn't edit a movie without crashing.
  
  GETTING STARTED
  
  My computer did not work when I first plugged it in. It was not compatible with my monitor. I couldn't figure it out until I connected the computer to another monitor. Apparently, that monitor has issues, because it didn't work with some of my other computers, either.
  
  LOOKING INSIDE
  
  There was enough space for me to add my old SATA hard drive to run as a slave. There's also an extra bay to add another CD/DVD drive. I had to buy a SATA power Y cable, because all the SATA power cables in the case were being used.
  
  The case opens pretty easily and the drives are easy to install.
  
  PORTS
  
  This computer reads 15 different cards. I don't have that many to test. It works well with my SDHC cards. My MMC Pro worked, but it did not seat well in the slot. I had to jiggle it a little to get it to read.
  
  In addition to the card readers, the front of the case also has one FireWire port and two USB ports, one headphone jack and one speaker jack, which make for easier access.
  
  I wish the USB ports were horizontal rather than vertical. I would like to have more than two USB ports in the front and I would like at least one of the USB ports to be a distance away from the other two. The ones on this computer are so close together that they make it difficult for me to insert my EVDO USB modem when something else is connected to the other USB port.
  
  WINDOWS VISTA
  
  It was easy to get up and running and my screen wasn't cluttered with a bunch of useless trial offers. It took me a bit of getting used to, but it is pretty easy to navigate. My only problem is compatibility issues. My Palm software cannot be installed and used on Vista. Therefore, I am unable to sync my Palm.
  
  Internet Explorer 8 came installed on this computer, but I cannot use my American Greetings subscription to print out greeting cards, because the tech support there said it is not compatible with IE8. I would need to uninstall IE8 and install IE7 to use their site.
  
  CREATING VIDEOS
  
  Thus the reason I bought this computer. Can it handle video editing? The answer is yes! And I can multitask while I'm at it. Whereas my last computer took hours to create video only a few minutes long and often crashed in the process, this one took minutes. Burning was quick.
  
  SUMMARY
  
  This was a nice purchase for me. It's a fast computer, I notice it even when downloading and installing programs. I especially notice it when editing my videos. There are some minor compatibility issues but Vista is not difficult to use and I am a happy camper.
  
  
• An excellent buy especially at this price
  By ACSB6YEM3Q6Q1 on 2009-03-20
  In my opinion this machine has many positives and very few negatives. Positives: The price is inexpensive, the machine is quiet, Its not a phenom II but it is a phenom. Very nice quad core product. It has 8 GB of memory more than enough to handle any vista. (I'm testing windows 7 and I won't need it on this machine.) Even the keyboard is better than most budget (not software loaded- you can buy it yourself cheaper anyway machines). I combed through amazon for something under a 1000 and I'm happy to say this tops the rest. Actually I can't think of a hardware feature making the price over 1000 worth it. Maybe a faster processor although AMD doesn't make a whole lot of them.
  
  The performance rating on this machine for vista. Processor 5.9, memory 5.9, hard disk 5.9 (has 3/4 of a terrabyte)graphics for aero 4.3 gaming graphics 4.0.
  Total base score 4.0
  
  * based on a maximum base score of 5.0 at vistas release.
  
  A couple of quick negatives: Ahh, Not an intel processor quad, have to buy your own monitor, there are video cards out there that will give vista a higher score. Be ready for a bombardment of trial offers.
  
  
• fast w/low power consumption
  By AE6HG07O1X044 on 2009-05-20
  I purchased one of these a couple of months ago and have been very happy with it. I however wish it had come with Linux pre-installed because I installed Debian Linux and did away with Windows Vista, which unfortunately was included in the price. The machine is speedy and performs well at everything I've asked it to do. The computer is certified as a low power computer. A kill-a-watt meter indicates that it idles at about 43 watts, which is a huge savings over a machine I used to own that consumed over 100 watts. So the average user should be able to save on their electricity bill using this desktop.
  
  
• Great value for money
  By A1P4E4YZXM34HJ on 2009-04-07
  This is not the latest and greatest machine you can buy on todays market, but it is wonderful value for money.
  More than enough power for a small office, home, or homeschool work.
  And when running dual boot with linux this box really screams.
  With linux systems, this amount of memory makes it a home office dream.
  
  
• Beyond Painfully Slow
  By A21DI9H7JXVAN0 on 2009-04-14
  The HP Pavillion appears to have all the current bells and whistles that a consumer would be looking for in a fast and long lasting computer. I would give this product 0 stars if it would let me. This product takes longer than my 10 year old computer to turn on. Additionally, every time there is a new tab the computer seems to get lost in an endless loop before it will allow you to enter any data. There aren't enough words in the Webster dictionary to describe the extent of frustration and the amount of wasted time with this machine. I sent mine back. I purchased a computer from a different companyHP Pavilion A6750F Desktop PC (2.3 GHz AMD Phenom X4 9650 Quad-Core Processor, 8 GB RAM, 750 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium).
  
  
• A slow, noisy machine. Disappointing...
  By A2QJ3GNQ3SYKCQ on 2009-09-29
  I started building PC since 1996 and have worked with numerous computers. This is the first time I bought a brand-name desktop. Unfortunately, I am really dissatisfied with this machine.
  
  This PC is noisy. When I press the power button, there is a Grrrr noise reminding me of the old days when my PC checked the floppy dsik drive. The hard drive never stopping churning, even when I am doing nothing. The click-click noise from the hard drive is really annoying. What is more, it is not really fast, not perceptibly faster than my 5-year old single core PC. Blame Vista? Blame bloatware? I don't care any more. Will RMA it tomorrow.
  
  It is totally disappointing.
  
  
• Lemon - Do not buy
  By AJGF63KKZEKLL on 2009-08-17
  I bought this and was very excited by the specs. Quad core - 8 gigs of Ram - who could want more? However, in reality, it was slow, so I upgraded the videocard, which helped some. Also, the 15 in 1 card reader hung all the time. Tried to fix it - tech support nightmare! There is some kind of conflict with the programs that wrecks its speed and reliability. Restored to factory. No help. Bought new up to date restore disks - no help. Going to go through the tech support charade until they finally give me a new (different model) computer or my money back.
  
  
• Mostly Good ...
  By ASBFSKVPY3MPB on 2009-02-27
  I bought this computer to use as a DAW, to produce and record my music on. This is not a good computer for that purpose. Running DPC latency check, spikes were consistently high, almost always in the red. This means that there are several conflicts with devices, and/or processes that will cause 'clicks, pops, and audio dropouts.' This is probaby, mostly due to Vista, so I would not knock the computer. It's great for most purposes. But I wouldn't recommend it as a DAW, due to latency issues.
  
  It's fast, everything loads up quickly. I delete all the HP nonsense that comes with it, and it makes it even faster. I just wish it was more compatible with Audio hardware.
  
  I want to try and run XP on this, but I think it is impossible. I can't even find the chipset driver for XP.
  
  
• Bad motherboard
  By A1JRGPVLCGRNFC on 2009-04-22
  Hi I had problems with the motherboard within a week of buying this product. Think before you buy this one.
  
  
• Do not purchase this computer
  By A1DNHPGK37C3D4 on 2009-04-18
  I could write a whole page about my experience with this computer and HP's support. It takes 7+ minutes for this computer to boot. IE freezes up all the time and thier technicians don't know why. Niether does Microsoft. After about 1/2 hour, no matter what is running, the computer locks up. Sometime you can't even get the task manager to open and your only option is to log off or shut down. This happens time and time again. It was sugested that I reformat the computer. I resisted but eventually did. IT SOLVED NONE OF THE PROBLEMS. Now I'm trying to get HP to refund my purchase or send a replacement. You will find yourself on hold for a long time before you get to a tech in the Phillippines and you will probably know more about computers they the tech. Insist on a call back from a case manager. They are in Canada. They are technically proficient and can order a replacement or refund. But my best advice is
  DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM HP ESPECIALLY THIS COMPUTER OR ANY COMPUTER RUNNING VISTA. HP's case managers told me about all the problems they still encounter with Vista.
  
  
• Bad Hardware
  By A3DHJ7XDIL44JM on 2009-01-19
  Bought one at Office Depot, they had a [...] buck mail in rebate so it would have been [...]. The wireless card uses a mini coax connector to an antenna and that connector would not hookup, no matter how I tried it would not connect. I called HP support and after 30 minutes on hold, I gave up and returned it. Too bad, the store demo computer seemed nice. I could've bought a new wireless card with built in antenna but that just isn't right, HP should have a wireless card with an antenna that can be hooked up.
  
  
• get ridda vista
  By A28YMQH26AX2KN on 2010-07-06
  as stated above put 7 0r xp on it and you will be happy for Everyday computing use as HP calls it.
  not real good for gaming no overclock am2 board so upgrades are limited memory is good up to 8gb ddr2.
  only one pci express x16 bad spacing for pci and cables, also as usual usb2.0 are not high speed doubt you will see speeds over 20MBs.
  fire wire is no better hard drive is 500bg pretty small not much for upgrade cable or power wise.
  I do like the processor very cool and strong can do real multitasking without pause or lag, I tested against one of the new Core i3-330ms it destroys the poser.
  amusingly enough the 330 actually froze up for 3-5 seconds uninstalling software and changing user accounts no big task.
  also boot time and app exec are much better on AMD even though it is 2+yrs older and much cheaper.
  yes I do realize laptops are a bit less powerful due to limitations in heat dispersal and space.
  also intel hd graphics is a joke not a funny one either my couple year old budget card laps it by 3x.
  so to summarize still better for gaming or anything than a mid-high end laptop and 1/3 price.
  as a footnote the puny atom is about 1/20th the power and no multitasking plus pumps out 60-65cs so stick with a desktop if you can more bang for your buck.
  
  
  
  
• Hard drive dead
  By A3S5G4M3ZX0B5C on 2010-03-26
  I bought this computer 15 months ago. I am an average user, mostly using the browser for web activity and for creating Word documents. It had been performing well, but then the mouse starting to not respond. A week later the hard drive is dead. What kind of trash computer lasts only 15 months? This is very disappointing since I lost all my data. Need to back up from day 1.
  
  
• GOOD ONE!!!
  By A22FWEQAJSGDFJ on 2009-11-02
  If you are looking for a good childrens PC this is a good one. If you are are going to be loading games and all kinds of programs you dont want this machine. However for the price what you get is pretty good. I would buy again.
  
  
• Very Content
  By A3EQ0PN7GCR0SY on 2009-10-15
  I've had this rig for months now and I must say for the price it's a good all around computer, it does come with many trial software but they are easily removable. It's fast it looks cool and easily upgradeable. I play Games such as CS:S and L4D and both run smoothly with an updated video card. It's quiet and fast what more can you ask for? I've had no complaints so far. I Highly recommend you to try this one out people.
  
  
• No support
  By ABFM9OMBZJV3G on 2009-10-09
  No support, October 9, 2009
  By Stan Tomberg (Hendersonville, NC) - See all my reviews
  
  
  
  
  On 1/01/09 I called customer service (that is what they call it). I told the tech my internal lightscribe drive would not burn label's. I am not a not a novice and I went through all the steps - uninstalling the drive and reinstalling the drive, etc. I told the the tech that my external lightscribe drive was working fine so it had to be the drive. He had me duplicate all the steps I Had already done and after 1:05 he said he would send me a new drive it was under warranty got my credit card info and he put me on hold. After 10 minutes (1:15 total time) I hung up.
  
  I called back after I cooled down and got a tech who saw what was done, bur insisted to let him take over my PC. He assured me it take only 20 minutes and I agreed. An hour and 35 minutes later I told him just take of ordering the drive (it seems the first tech did not it. Hr agreed and then after being on hold for 5 minutes he told me the system was down and I would have to call back on 11/2/09.
  
  Both techs had bad attitudes and treated me like a dummy. I wasted two hours and 40 minutes of being insulted and talked down to!
  
  Price can not overcome lack of service
  
  
• HP Computer.....
  By A1AAGQ8B8W78DN on 2009-09-13
  The HP Pavilion A6750F Desktop is a nice box at a pretty good price from Amazon.
  It is pretty well loaded for the average computer user.
  
  
• HP 6720 excellent value
  By A1302WWL57WOO3 on 2009-08-22
  I got a refurbished 6720y through Amazon, and really enjoy it for general use and casual gaming. Installation was fast and smooth.
  
  In the box you will find a little antenna that needs to be hooked up to the back of your case in order to make the wireless adapter see your wireless router.
  
  The Nvidia 9100 embedded graphic chip is not bad (it plays Oblivion fine).
  
  
• Good Buy
  By A3ABK248KA8OGC on 2009-08-07
  This unit replaced a HP unit which gave good service. This unit is superior in a number of ways. The quad core makes for much faster action.There are many new improvments which I am finding each time I use it. At this time I am well pleased with the purchase and reccoment it. The unit is a HPPavillion A6700f Desktop PC.
  
  
• OK for the price
  By A148ZZRB82QLEM on 2009-08-05
  This computer is fine if you just do web surfing and basic tasks. It is more responsive than my Gateway Core 2 Duo with 1.86 GHZ and 2 GB of RAM. Also on the plus side, I haven't had anything malfunction. But it's not as responsive or fast as I would have liked after buying a quad-core. Still has some slowness issues with Kaspersky Internet Security 2009/2010, for example. And the HP comes with too much junk on it that is hard to get all off.
  
  
• Great Computer
  By A25SBAC3U573JX on 2009-06-10
  I am very pleased with this unit. It is fast and has all the functions and more than I need. For office work, PPT, desktop publishing it has the capacity to get the job done. Highly recommended.
  
  
• I am so happy!
  By A386YIQ4RKBVGX on 2009-04-02
  I love the power and speed of this computer! It plays all my current applications and one's that I had from before! I gave up a newer Acer because of problems with my favorite applications. No problems at all with this one.
  
  I have had many brands of computers and seem to have the best luck with HP's. The hardware works well together and I have not had any glitches like I do with the Acer or Toshiba computers I own.
  
  Would I recommend it? Yes. I actually bought another after using the one I got my son for his gaming. He rocks now on CounterStrike!
  
  
• Works as advertised
  By A245D17N3VRNEW on 2009-03-30
  This computer arrived almost ready to go. It works at lighting speed compared to my 7 year old HP. It handles many big programs open at once. First used for video editing and it meets all my expectations. The only con is windows vista. I am xp fan. Computer uses 64bit version of vista. I have found very few programs that will not work on the 64bit version.
  
  

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
• Norton 360 4.0 1 User (3 PC)
• Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 3-User
• Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional]
• AmazonBasics RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Patch Cable (50 Feet / 15.2 Meters)

• HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor
• HP 2159M 21.5-Inch HD LCD Monitor
• HP W2338H 23-Inch Widescreen Monitor
• Logitech S120 2.0 Multimedia Speakers
• HP W1858 18.5-Inch Widescreen Monitor