NEW Reviews Beta Feedback
HP Pavilion M8100N Desktop
User Reviews for HP Pavilion M8100N Desktop
-
Reviewed by: linxs
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: quiet fan, remote control, SATA drive
Weaknesses: CD/DVD spinning makes bit of noise, 300W power supply, Vista, no DVI
Overall Evaluation: This is a good multimedia PC if you are planning to hook it up to your TV. It includes the remote which you can control most DVD Player apps with it. Since it has a TV tuner, you can also setup to watch program that's coming via the coax input. PC has enough USB port for most needs both in front and on the back. Since it's HP, most of the expansions are HP friendly, ie, might have some issue with generic parts. It has a HP expansion slot for HP drives. Since it's running Vista, it's a bit buggy, not to mention getting used to new interface and where some of the things are. It's a good PC, but would spend more if it's hooked up to a 1080i/p and get one that plays Blu-ray and HDDVD Tuner.
-
Reviewed by: discounteggroll
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: 3gb ram, big HD, DVD burner, small footprint, quiet, true FW400 6 pin ports (2)
Weaknesses: lack of DVI/Component out, cheap keyboard/mouse (wired)
Overall Evaluation: For what I got this computer for ($350 after rebates) it was a no brainer. Robust Ram and HD make this computer comfortably fast for what it serves. I just wish it had a DVI port or component to hook it up to a HDTV more easily. Overall I am happy with it, and if you can find it on clearance I would highly recommend it
-
Reviewed by: lakers11521
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Fast and Easy to setup,
Weaknesses: Vista
Overall Evaluation: I really like my new purchase. This CPU is really fast and has not given me any problem so far. Windows Vista takes time to get used to but it will eventually happen. I like the case of the CPU and black finish. I would recommend this CPU to anyone looking to buy a CPU at a good price.
-
Reviewed by: steevl
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: TV tuner card included; multi-featured remote control; Pre-loaded with media and other included software; 500GB hard drive; Smooth setup overall.
Weaknesses: Limited expandability (no vacant standard PCI slots) and missing connections on motherboard (no parallel or serial port). No option to ship with XP nor any support offered for downgrade to XP.
Overall Evaluation: Users who like a pre-loaded, no setup hassles machine will like this one. HP has loaded it with everything you'll need to get up and running - minus Office software, of course. The MS Office software that comes pre-loaded is a trial version. If you're more geared toward building your own or tweaking your PC, you may not like some of what you see here. There is a vacant PCIe slot, but the only two standard PCI slots are already occupied (TV tuner card and PCI modem). Also, adding another internal hard drive does not look easy, unless you buy HP's "Personal Media Drive" that would plug right into a slot on the front. Other than that, the machine runs quiet and smooth so far. The entire side panel is full of venting holes, so the inside might get a bit dusty with time, but it shouldn't have any trouble shedding heat.
-
Reviewed by: sandkeverson
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Fast, remote is user friendly, Vista options easy to figure out
Weaknesses: So far we are having no problems with this unit.
Overall Evaluation: We purchased this unit as a bundle and have been very happy with it's performance. It is easy to set up right out of the box with an easy step by step instruction sheet. We were up and running with in minutes. The media center is a very nice feature added, it is worth getting one of HP's media computers if you are going to be doing any video or picture editing.
What You Should Know about the Pavilion M8100N Desktop
Compact Case Is Designed for Smaller Work Areas
This compact computer is smaller than the standard and midsize tower PCs that fit under your desk, making it ideal for limited work areas. Small case designs vary, too. However, such PCs tend to be underpowered (especially on gaming), and mini cases also have few available expansion slots and drive bays. Generally you'll have to expand the system via USB, FireWire, or eSATA peripherals, so make sure your compact system has a large number (and assortment) of ports.
Latest Desktops Playing in PCW Video
- Shuttle Unveils New Compact Desktops The new small form-factor PCs may be mounted on the back of your LCD monitor for a clean look.
- Power Consumption Tests For The Electronics and PCs You Use PC World's Test Center ran a series of energy use measurements for laptops, desktops, HDTVs, and LCD monitors. Here's what we found.
Latest Desktops News, Reviews, How-To's
-
Final Draft AV 2.5 For years, documentary-style film and video makers have struggled to use jury-rigged tables within word processing programs to create the unique two-column...
-
Suit Over China's Web Filter to Target Lenovo, Acer, Sony A U.S. company will seek legal action against Lenovo, Acer and Sony after they started shipping controversial software that stole its programming code in China.
-
Apple May Be Exempt From China's Web Filter Mandate Apple's computers and other that do not use Windows appear to be exempt from China's mandate to package new computers with Web filtering software.
-
Mac News: BenVista Releases PhotoZoom Pro 3 Photo Enlarger BenVista has released the latest version its photo enlargement software, PhotoZoom Pro 3.
-
Bluelounge CableDrop Whew! If you've been paying attention to the Mac Gems Weblog for the past six weeks, you know that it's been home to GemFest 2009, a Gem-a-day marathon of over...



