HP Pavilion A450n Desktop PC (3.0 GHz Pentium 4 Hyper-threading, 512MB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive)

by HP

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 38 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001CW9C4
• Item model number: a450n
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 28, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Muscle-bound with multimedia horsepower, the HP Pavilion a450n desktop PC offers a productive workspace for your small business/home office as well as a digital media hub for all your digital audio, video, and gaming needs. It features both DVD+RW and a CD-RW burner, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 for PC gaming, massive 160 GB hard drive, hyper-threaded 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor, and 512 MB of installed RAM.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The massive 160 GB Ultra DMA hard drive (7200 RPM) offers more than enough storage for all your documents, digital photos (approximately 160,000 2-megapixel images) and video (approximately 9 hours of .avi video), and MP3 collection (up to 2,000 CDs).
• Processor: The 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology (which allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system--see more in Tech Talk section below) is suited for high-performance needs, including intense 3-D gaming, database development, and video editing. It also has a 1 MB L2 cache and 800 MHz front-side buss (FSB).
• Memory: The a450n comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (1 x 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 333 MHz)--a good start for power users--with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (4 x 512 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: This desktop PC comes with two optical drives: a combo DVD+RW/CD-RW burner and CD-ROM drive (48x) for playing music and game CDs. For DVDs, it has 4x write, 2.4x rewrite, 8x read speeds; for CDs, it writes at 16x, rewrites at 10x, and reads at 32x. It's compatible with the DVD+RW format, one of two formats for rewriteable DVDs.
• Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP Internet keyboard and optical mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Sound and Graphics
The a450n features the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 video/graphics card with 128 MB of DDR video memory. It's a strong performer for 3-D PC games and offers a TV-out connection, which enables you to view your computer display on your TV, and a DVI connection, which allows output to a flat panel monitor. The integrated sound card uses the AC'97 (Audio Codec '97) standard (configurable to 6 channels of audio).

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the a450n has two 5.25-inch external bays (both occupied), four 3.5-inch bays (one internal bay available), three PCI slots (two available), and one AGP 8x slot (available). It comes with a built-in floppy drive and the following external connectors:

• 6 USB 2.0 ports (2 in front, 4 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
• 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 1 RGB monitor port
• 1 serial port for older peripherals such as early PDAs
• 1 microphone and 1 headphone jack in the front
• Multi-format memory card reader that's compatible with CompactFlash (Type I/II), MicroDrive, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, Smaredia, Secure Digital (SD), and MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards.

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The a450n comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Microsoft Money 2004, Quicken New User Edition 2004, Norton Antivirus 2003 (with 60 days of complimentary updates), Adobe Acrobat Reader, Encarta Encyclopedia 2004 Standard Edition, Adobe Photoshop album (starter edition), RecordNow 6.5 (for burning CDs), WinDVD SE 4.0 (for DVD playback), ArcSoft ShowBiz (for editing digital video), and MusicMatch Jukebox.

Dimensions and Weight
It measures 7.5 in x 15.2 in x 16.5 in (W x D x H) and weighs 37.9 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion m450n desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase.

Tech Talk
Hyper-Threading: A Hyper-Threading processor helps a PC to run multiple demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (a part of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance (such as faster reaction times in gaming applications) and enhanced multitasking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Powerful Compact PC, April 7, 2004

By 

David L. Grundvig "frontiercybrarian" (Magna, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion A450n Desktop PC (3.0 GHz Pentium 4 Hyper-threading, 512MB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I purchased this computer about two months ago and had CompUSA add another stick of 512mb memory (it now has 1Gig) and I installed the top Geforce FX Nvidia 5950 Ultra video card. I'm playing one of the most graphic intense software titles currently out, FAR CRY, and after hours of play on almost all of the highest graphic and sound settings it hasn't faltered. Oh yes, I failed to mention that I placed a Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer sound card in it as well.

Don't understand why HP is indicating that it can't have a memory upgrade.

It's true that with it's mini board there aren't many PCI ports but after all I've placed in it I can't imagine needing anything else for a while to come. It rocks also with my Klipsch Ultra Pro 5.1 speakers and 20" Viewsonic CRT monitor. Not mentioning these items to boast or brag but to relate that it is possible to upgrade in some areas and is powerful enough to handle some pretty high-end peripherals and software.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quiet, February 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: HP Pavilion A450n Desktop PC (3.0 GHz Pentium 4 Hyper-threading, 512MB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I still can't believe how quiet this machine is. It's no Mac, but it makes my two-year old Pavilion sound like a positive racket. Nice and fast, too. One warning, and the reason for the missing star: this machine is not currently upgradeable. The earliest release of compatible RAM is scheduled for May. I was VERY disappointed to hear this. HP support (very fast, very nice) will tell you that you cannot upgrade the machine. This panicked me, since it is not what the documentation says, but, technically they're correct. You'll have to wait to upgrade the RAM on this puppy. Until the upgrades are available, this is a serious problem.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hp450n desktop, December 24, 2005

By 

gail (canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HP Pavilion A450n Desktop PC (3.0 GHz Pentium 4 Hyper-threading, 512MB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I bought this back in July 2004 and have found it to be very fast and a great machine. I put a second hard drive in it and a creative audigy card along with ATI AIW 9800 video card and where the card called for a 350 watt or better I put the 350 watts in and really find no fault with this. The software is limited as is on most machines but no problem with that. Others who think the machine is limited in ungradability is wrong. I even added 512 ram making it 1024 ram now.