HP - Pavilion Elite TV Desktop with Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q6700

Out of the box this system performed well. I edit video and do a lot of work with pictures. The included memory at 6 Gigs is welcome for this kind of work. The wondows default score was 5.6. The graphics card that comes with the machine is very capable for general tasks, but heavy gaming or editing show it's faults. I replaced the Nvidia 9500 GS with an ATI HD4850 which was one of the most powerful single slot PCIe cards available. The wireless network adapter is in the PCIe slot just next to the graphics card, so there is no room to put in a graphics card that requires two slots (not SLI or Crossfire, but rather a card with a form factor that needs two expansion slots on the back of your computer...this system has only one PCIe 16x, so it is incapable of running multiple GPU's.) In case you were thinking you could mod the case to make it work, the audio jacks are in the way, so it would be more trouble that it is worth. After the upgrade windows score went to 5.7, but it was limited by the memory, all other scores were 5.9. I could run Crysis at full settings (1920 x 1280) all effects set to high with smooth operation. I can not be sure, but I think that the graphics card upgrade also helped the way that the TV tuner displayed my cable signal, smoothing it out a bit... The machine is quiet, even with the graphics upgrade. I did not like that it only had 4 USB ports on the back, but luckily the HP w2408h 24" LCD i use with this has four expansion USB slots. The integrated audio sounds good, but lacks any customization options. I am running a 5.1 setup but can not calibrate the speakers, just get it to use it's included matrix settings. (I have subsequently disabled those and use my Creative speaker's hardware settings instead) Overall I am happy with the purchase. It has been a very stable system and with the GPU upgrade a very capable budget gaming system. If you do not plan on adding any PCIe expansion procucts then this is the system for you...on a side note the one legacy PCI slot has a modem in it, so it is easily sacrificed if you are not going to utilize fax or phone features.

Over all, great computer. No question about it. But if one of the reasons you're buying it is those handy composite-in ports on the front of the computer, prepare to be annoyed. So far, they seem to be there for nothing more than aesthetics. I recently purchased an xbox 360 and hoped I could plug it into my computer using those ports. I was sadly mistaken. I could not get any kind of screen letting me play to pop up. I could not find any acknowledgement that the thing was even plugged in at all, ANYWHERE, on the pc. Called HP tech support and they told me they have no idea how to get it to work and to call Microsoft and they would know what to do. I've yet to do so(their offices are closed at this hour) but I don't see how Microsoft is going to know how to get their product to work on the computer when the makers themselves don't. Again, probably not as big a deal to most of you, but this was one of the biggest things that sold me on the computer.

Well, since summer started, I was looking to get a very close to the top system and was really set in getting an HP... Kinda biased because I've always had HP (whether that was a desktop or laptop.) I was doing my research and initially, I was going to get this outlet item that was on display at the Sugar Land location (off of Hwy 59 and First Colony Blvd.) HOWEVER, I was still doing research and saw this system, on sale. I was really impressed with all the specs that it had... all that was left to do was go out to Best Buy and get it (at the Sugar Land location...) Thinking that I had to configure my internet and tinker with it, that would not be the case... With its Built-in Wireless, it was able to pick the signal up almost instantly! I was very impressed by this! I've also tinkered with the Media Center a bit, but just in the kiddie pool... I have yet to unlock its great potential of PVR! There were numerous factors that made me get this PC... One being the RAM: 6 GB! You can't beat that anywhere, especially when its equipped with an Intel Core 2 Quad Processor WITH Viiv Tecnology! Next was the Hard Drive... 750 GB! Yeah, its not 1 TB, but come on, that just came out like a month ago... Who is gonna use that much really? But the most important factor was the graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GS Graphics Card! I was NOT looking forward to getting a new PC that had "Intel Accelerated Graphics X1330" Or something like that... I mean, I see people upgrading that card (since it is integrated, yes, but its NVIDIA people, and a good graphics card at that!) but in my unbiased opinion, there is no need to... I got this computer, mainly for school, and for The Sims 2, and it runs so smooth and the loading times are great! :) Conclusion: So if you are looking to buy a new computer, yes this comes with NO monitor, as I am saving up to get a flat screen in the near future (CRT's are BAD) thats a powerhouse, with a decent price, act now people! Not knowing if this sale for the computer will go down or up, I wouldn't wait! Believe me when I say, if you are doing research, like I did, stop your search! This PC is THE ONE FOR YOU!

Computer itself is great, but be prepared to deal with the 64-bit compatibility issues. Office and Adobe CS3 will run just fine, but can't access more than 3 GB of memory. You'll have to manually fix Adobe's printer drivers...and now you can't accept drivers that aren't digitially signed now without messing all of your other drivers up. Thie computer really has a lot of nice features including the HDMI out, along with DVI and VGA. I haven't been able to run any 64-bit native softare to really gauge the prower this thing has, but when CS4 comes out in October, I'll be able to. The power supply is small (350w???)- I guess they had to skimp somewhere and the HP drive bays in front are a waste of space. I'm going to install a blu ray player and I'll update my review after that. All in all, this is a solid machine and much better than Gateway.

First off, I'd like to say that this product totally blew me away. It's pretty amazing how HP can get the whole system to be so silent. Even when I'm running the most graphics and processing-intense applications, the whole system stays absolutely silent. It's truly amazing. I've even gone so far as to see what would happen if I set the "Minimum Processing Power" in the Power Management icon to 100%, and it STILL stayed silent. Absolutely amazing. The only downside I thought was the video card. The 8600 is good, but it's not good enough (well, for me it wasn't) for running Divx10 games at high specs. So I had to swap out the 350W PSU for a 650W. Another thing is the "Media Drive Bay" on the system. Even though some people may take advantage of it, I doubt the majority of people want to spend the extra cash on an HP-system exclusive hard drive. The Media Drives and Pocket Media Drives are essentially regular external hard drives that are shaped in a different way specifically for HP computers. So...quite a bit of space is wasted inside the case. Also, when you're upgrading/servicing the system, moving around the wires can be a littile troublesome since the case is pretty compact, considering that there's a BUNCH of stuff packed inside. Overall, I woudl definetely recommend this system, especially for the avid computer enthusiast, it's definetely worth the money.

I just purchased this m9340f last week and so far I love it. I cannot believe that you can get a 2.66ghz Core 2 QUAD processor with all the goodies this computer has (HDTV tuner, Lighscribe, 750gb hard drive, etc..) for $1000!!! My old HP this is replacing was $1400 at Sam's Club 5 years ago!! Ironically it had a 2.66ghz processor but was a P4 (MUCH slower than this Core 2 QUAD!!). I read most of the reviews before purchasing this machine to see what all has been said. I would have to disagree that this computer is 'ultra' quiet. I have it on my desk (I am wierd, I do not want it anywhere near the floor) and the one fan is pretty loud when it starts up and whenever it kicks on. I purchased the Ultimate 64 bit w/SP1 upgrade for the special BB was having at $69.95 and glad I did. I have not had any problems adding printers etc... with the exception for my Photosmart I had to go to HP's website for the driver. No big deal in my book. I purchased a laser printer yesterday (HP of course, it too was a steal at $214) and had no issues adding that either. I wish the mouse and keyboard had a better quality feel to them but nothing a new Logitech 5500 keyboard and mouse set won't take care of! I love this machine and will update this review once I have used it more.

I picked this computer up for my mom the other day (she is big into photo editing and her old machine was on the way out) and I have to say I was impressed. The processor is top notch, with an 8mb L2 cache, and the more RAM the better. 6 gigs should prove enough for a few years, and it can be upgraded to 8 if need be. The video card is also very nice, with HDMI outputs and 512 mb dedicated memory. The system is configured to use over 2 gigs of ram for video processing out of the box, which is nice. - The tv tuner is a fun feature but due to cable jack placement I really haven't tested it out all that much. The hard-drive is nice and large, and the stock fans seem to do a great job keeping the system cool (which I have always had bad luck with for whatever reason). 64-bit vista is a huge plus, since in my mind, vista is only worth the upgrade if you're jumping up to 64 bit. - All in all this is a great system and I'm seriously considering picking one up for myself now. I'm big into PC games and this computer couls easily handle what you can throw at it. Plus the size and extra room in the case makes it easy to upgrade in the future if need be. I used to favor Dells, but it is safe to say that HP won me over with this guy.

I have had my new hp for three weeks now and upgraded from a compac that I purchased five years ago that finally just had to go. I love everything about this machine and have hardly done anthing but play with it since I set it up. I did purchase the 22" HP Widescreen montior with it that has the HDMI hook up, only con on that is the built in speakers are junk and your NEED a external speaker if you are going to use any of the TV tuner or other media player options. This machine multitasks like there is no tomorrow. Just this morning I was listening to music on I-tunes, burning a DVD and web surfing at the same time and it wanted more!! The memory card reader is a huge plus and the wireless is nice if you need it. (I do have mine connected wirelessly so I did not have to get a second outlet installed in my house as this machine is actually in my family room so everyone can use the media center). I am going to add a blue ray disc burner once the prices come down on the media and it has an open slot for it. Great product!!