HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive)

by HP

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 7.2 x 15 inches ; 24 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 33 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000E1VZ7M
• Item model number: EL448AA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 8, 2006

Product Description

The HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n PC provides the ease of use you need to get more from your digital life. This incredible new PC features everything you need for better enjoyment of your discs and digital photos. Its LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch text and images onto your CDs and DVDs, while delivering all the capabilities of a CD and DVD player and recorder. Downloading your digital images is easier too -- the front-accessible 9-in-1 reader lets you transfer your photos. Don't worry, the 160GB hard drive should be able to hold them all. Manage your multimedia more easily with the XP Media Center tools, and the host of included software. ATI Radeon XPress 200 graphics card with up to 256MB shared memory Integrated 10/100Base-T network interface 4 184-pin DDR DIMM slots (two available) Built-in 56K modem Expansion slots - 3 PCI (2 available), 1 PCI Express (avail.) Expansion bays - 1 external 5.25, 1 ext. 3.5 avail. Front panel 9-in-1 memory card reader - supports Smart Media, xD, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital (SD), CF types I and II, Micro Drive, Memory Stick & Memory Stick PRO 7 USB 2.0 ports -- 3 front, 4 back 2 FireWire ports -- 1 front, 1 back Other ports - 1 parallel, 2 PS/2, 1 mic line-in/line-out Operating System - Windows XP Media Center Lifestyle Software - HP ImageZone, Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, Sonic MyDVD, RealPlayer, InterVideo WinDVD 5, Encarta Standard Online -- plus trial offers for AOL, MSN, MSN Premium, Netscape Internet Service, EarthLink and PeoplePC Online Productivity Software - Microsoft Works 8, Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003 (60-day trial), Adobe Reader 7.0, Quicken 2006 New User Edition, Microsoft Money 2005, Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware edition Dimensions(HxWxD) - 15 x 7.17 x 17 Weight - 24 lbs. unpackaged; 33 lbs. in box Monitor is not included

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best bang for the buck!, February 13, 2006

By 

Brad L. Kulick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is a powerhouse of a PC and it is priced less than the Intel P4 varient - which is not even 64 bit. I don't know where HP is making money on this one...you can't purchase the individual parts and build your own for this price.

The case is an attractive unit and easy to open for upgrades. A single thumbscrew opens the side of the case and reveals a relatively roomy case for it's small size. Memory sockets and expansion slots are easy to access.

A previous review mentioned that the expansion slots were inaccessible or blocked, however I did not experience this on my PC. I installed an ATI X550 PCI Express video card to connect my dual 19" LCD monitors and the card fit effortlessly into the corresponding socket. I wasn't impressed by the onboard sound as I do some audio and video work as a hobby. I installed a SoundBlaster Audigy PCI sound card in one of the open PCI slots. Again this was effortless. I also installed a Hauppauge 250 Tuner card in the slot that had the modem (because I have broadband) and wanted to leave a space between the graphics card and the next card for cooling.

My final upgrade was adding (4) 1GB sticks of RAM. Sure it's overkill, but I like the bragging rights - a true geek.

The same review that mentioned the expansion issues complained about not having system disks or being able to change partions. This has been common by many vendors for several years. I haven't had the media for a new computer in a long time. If he would have read the manuals for the computer, he would have known to make system restore disks by using the utility in the programs list. Ahh...ignorance is bliss.

I have been very happy with the PC so far. My last *new* PC was a Compaq Presario in 2000 which has been flawless to date. I recommend this PC for the price. You can't go wrong - good looks, great options, awesome power.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST DEAL!, February 14, 2006

By 

Momojojo (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is the best deal on a desktop PC! I was in search for a desktop pc that performs well and also under $700. Was originally going to purchase a Dell with their dollar off coupons, but luckily I found this deal! As of Feb 06, any P4 or AMD 64 with 1GB RAM, 200GB, DVD+RW will run above $700 on any online retail store, then you have add shipping($0-$99) and sales tax($100+ where I live). The only thing I didn't like about the HP was the case's material and color. The front face plate is made entirely out of plastic and is secured by 6 thin plastic clips. One of the clip was broken straight out the box. The other five are barely hanging on and can be easily broken off if not careful. The inside is a bit cluttered if you want to install another hard drive (I had to install the hd from the front of the case). The PCI express and PCI ports are easily accessible and I had no problem installing my PCI-Express graphics card. I do like how easy it is to open the case on the side (one screw opens the case). Now on to the color, I really wish the entire case was in silver instead of the grayish blue color, but that's just being picky. As for another reviewer's comment about recovery CD and OS cd, most pc retailers stopped including those cds about a year or two ago to cut cost, so regardless of what brand of pc u get u probably won't be getting the os cd unless you pay extra for it. I had no problem with hp using an 8GB partition on the hd for the os and recovery files. It still had about 178GB on C drive so didn't really need to do any partitioning. Overall, best deal ever on a desktop PC. I guarantee you won't be able to find a similar spec-ed named-brand PC at this low out-the-door price.

UPDATE: The lightscrib DVD writer broke 8 month later. it still writes but skips the first couple of lines which renders whatever it is writing unreadable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad pc from HP, August 17, 2008

By 

D. Perez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

i bought this pc about 2 years ago. I have had several problems, crashes a lot, programs stop responding. Even when i am not doing nothing, i can see procesor is working at 100 %, ( i see it in the task manager window).
Every 4 or 6 months i need to make a "recovery", i have to back up everthing i have on it, and then put it back.
It takes 5 hours for the recovery to be completed, then the nightmare does not stop here... then i need to spend 2 more hours re-installing all my hardware drivers ( printer drivers, photo and video editing software, etc..) and also deleting all trial software that i just dont need on it.
DVD burner causes a lot of errors, wasting a lot of Blank discs.
This is my first HP, after my emachines broke. Emachines its not good either, and so it is not this HP. Next time i will try a Dell computer.
Fortunally i bought extended warranty for 3 years. Card reader it is not working properly either. And 2 USB ports are bad.
i am not happy at all with processor performance.
I dont recomend HP brand.
When i am burning a DVD, i cant do any other task, because will crash, and stop responding; processor is working at 100 %...