Question : Problem: URGENT!!Please give your opinion about a computer I'm thinking about purchasing. I need to know what to look for and the best place to buy one.

Hi,

I already have a Dell with WinXP home edition. Tech support has been hell to deal with for me, and when I upgraded my RAM they sold me bad chips which took a lot of time and help from expert-exchange (thank you very much) to solve.

I'm looking at an HP Pavilion at a local Sam's club. It's an HP Pavilion Intel® 630 3.0 GHz Desktop - 17" LCD
Model: a1025c-b

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology
3.0GHz
L2 Cache = 2MB
800MHz System Bus
1GB PC2-3200 DDR2 SDRAM memory (2 x 512MB for ultimate performance - expandable to 4GB)
200GB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive
DVD-ROM drive 16x max. speed
17" LCD monitor with integrated speakers
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2

Item: 647213

The price is $1,198.43

Besides your opinion, please tell me what other features it may be missing that I might soon regret.  The thing about buying locally is that at least you have a person to complain to.

I'm assigning a 500 point value because this question is urgent.

Answer : Problem: URGENT!!Please give your opinion about a computer I'm thinking about purchasing. I need to know what to look for and the best place to buy one.

Remember .... buying any "proprietary brand" name computer means you deal with them and them only for service and parts while under warranty and even after the warranty period. You've expierienced it with DELL, what makes you think it will be different with HP? Forget all the bells & whistles till your happy with the product & tech support your going to receive.
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Here's a good example of typical HP warranty crap:

 I went to change the OS from XP to 2000 PRO on a brand new HP laptop for one of my customers. I called HP to see if there were any known conflicts or web links for this unit and Win 2K pro. I was told, "Changing the OS voids the tech support warranty." This was understandable as their tech support is idiots behind prompt screens in a foreign country and a change to the OS leaves them dumbfounded.

The tech then said, "Changing the OS will also void your product warranty." How an OS could affect hardware is beyond me but gets them a great out on standing behind their warranty. No where in the product user guide is this stated. You have to read the entire warranty to learn this fact. How many people read the entire warranty?????

My suggestion is to take the data on that model you want to your local "mom & pop" computer store and see if they will match the price. 9 out of 10 times they will. You now have local support, they speak your language, and they will always fix the unit after the warranty period for a reasonable price. And the most important point is your supporting your local small business.
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Now, lets take a look at the proprietary parts included with the model you picked:

Lets start with the "heart" of the system your motherboard:
Manufacturer: Asus
Motherboard Name: PTGD-LA
HP motherboard name: Goldfish3-GL8E

Made only for HP & that's who you'll have to buy the replacement from if it breaks .. $175.00 I'll sell you a 10 times better
motherboard for $175. No AGP slot????? all those bells & whistles and no AGP slot .....hmmmmmmmmm?? Bios upgrades only by HP and not by board manufacturer.

Here's the link ... dont forget to read the note ... "NOTE: Motherboard specifications are subject to change without notice."
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00361570&dlc=en&lang=en

Did you see the rating on the case power supply listed anywhere in their product post?????  WOW 250 watts !!!
All those expansion bays in the case and no power to drive them????? replacement cost $40.00 ($12 for a standad pws if you can make it fit the HP case)

CPU will only upgrade .4 GHz from whats installed. Dont look for any BIOS upgrades to fix that because then you wont need to buy a new HP computer.

80% of the software is limited or demo versions right down to the DVD software.

Are you getting my drift here?????  Ask around town who's a good respectable local shop and give them a chance to match price.