HP Pavilion Media Center a1320n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 524 (H-T), 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: B000E2D41Q
• Item model number: EL453AA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 15, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The HP Pavilion a1320n comes loaded with the all tools you need to easily create, manage, share, and enjoy your digital photos, home videos, movies, and music. It features a wide range of connectivity options for all your peripherals and preloaded HP Image Zone Plus photo editing and management software. Store more music, videos, and data on the roomy 200 GB hard drive. It comes loaded with 1 GB of RAM (which can be bumped up to 2 GB), a 3.06 GHz hyper-threading Intel Pentium 4 processor, LightScribe multi-format DVD/CD burner, a 9-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats, Windows Media Center 2005 (with Rollup 2 Update), and a wide assortment of pre-loaded software.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The very roomy 200 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
  
• Processor: While the hyper-threading Intel Pentium 4 524 processor (3.06 GHz) is at the low end of the spectrum for this processor (as of March 2006), it provides more than enough power and speed for home multimedia use and helps make this desktop an overall affordable package. It also features a decently fast 533 MHz front-side bus speed, which measures how fast a processor and the main memory communicate, and a 1 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.)

  A hyper-threading processor helps a PC run several demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (parts 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.
  

• Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (PC3200) is a very good start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and gaming software. This desktop has a 2 GB maximum RAM capacity (2 x 1 GB), which is a bit small in comparison to other multimedia desktops in this HP lineup.
  
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the a1320n's multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds.

  This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.
  

• Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Screen, Graphics and Sound
Video is powered by the ATI Radeon XPress 200 IGP video/graphics card, which delivers good, though not high-end, 3D graphics. It delivers up to 128 MB of video RAM shared with the system RAM. ATI's HyperMemory technology allows the chipset to run in either Unified Memory Architecture (UMA) mode or with dedicated frame buffer memory to enhance graphics performance. It also features an integrated audio card with microphone, line-in, and headphone jacks.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the a1320n has three PCI slots (two available), one PCI Express slot (available), two 5.25-inch external bays (one available), two external 3.5-inch bays (one available), and one internal 3.5-inch bay (occupied). It comes with a built-in floppy drive and the following external connectors:

• 7 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players (3 in front--including 1 in memory card reader--4 in rear)
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port 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 VGA monitor port
• 9-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, and XD Picture Card
• 2 headphone (1 front, 1 rear)
• 2 microphone (1 front, 1 rear)
• 2 line-in (1 front, 1 rear)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2) is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. The Update Rollup 2 upgrade offers support for the Windows Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, which lets you access entertainment from your Media Center PC--whether itÕs live and recorded TV and movies, music, photos or Online Spotlight--on any TV in the house.

It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works 8 (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition (with 60 days of LiveUpdate), PC Doctor, Encarta Encyclopedia 2005, Quicken New User Edition 2005, Microsoft Money 2005, WinDVD Player, Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, Sonic MyDVD Plus, Sonic DigitalMedia Archive, muvee AutoProducer, iTunes.

The included HP Image Zone 5 photo and imaging software makes it easy to organize, edit, share, print, protect, and store your photos and video clips. Organize and find your photos easily by timeline, keywords, and/or location using the unique photo-globe mapping tool. Remove red eye and fix other common problems. Share your photos quickly via e-mails that include thumbnails with links to the full-sized images--without downloading time-consuming attachments.

Dimensions and Weight
This desktop PC measures 15.2 x 7.2 x 17 inches (HxWxD) and weighs approximately 24 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion a1320n 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 as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase.

Product Description

HP's Pavilion Media Center a1320n PC is your solution for better digital media management. The library of digital tools included here make working with digital video and photos fun and convenient. It also allows you to safeguard photos against accidental deletes or unwanted edits. Download your photos and video directly to the PC thorugh the 9-in-1 card reader -- the 200GB hard drive should have room than enough room to hold them all. Once you're done organizing, editing and processing your video and photos, you can burn them onto an attractive disc with the LightScribe drive. With it, you can laser-etch text and images onto your CDs and DVDs, while still enjoying the capabilities of a CD and DVD player and recorder. Double Layer 16x DVD+/-RW with CD capabilities and LightScribe technology ATI Radeon XPress 200 graphics card with up to 256MB shared memory Integrated 10/100Base-T network interface 2 240-pin DDR memory slots (1 avail.) 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 2005 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 -

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, quiet, space-saving, cool running, June 19, 2006

By 

M. K. Sherwood (Plano, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion Media Center a1320n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 524 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I held out buying a new computer for a while. I had last purchased an HP Pavilion and had good success but that was 7+ years ago (yes, I get my money's worth). My wife spotted this little guy and it was love at first sight.

I believe it is essentially a laptop packaged as a super-small desk tower; so small it sits beside the flat panel monitor and provides plenty of desk room to spare.

I recently moved into a professional D-SLR and use loads of disk space. This not only is fast at 1.7Gh but has a huge hard drive of 240Gb. The front CF I/II card reader and the front USB means I don't have to monkey around in the back or with add-on devices to read/write to my cards or iPod. There are 4 USB slots on the back as well as a full compliment of speaker hook-up options. The 10/100 Ethernet is included and installed. Essentially this is a "set it and forget it" home appliance.

I have been struck by the quietness of this unit - no fan is necessary apparantly due to the fact that it runs the Centrino processor; known for it's low power consumption and heat generation. This is a great improvement over the 747-like sounds of the fan equipped full size towers. This also means no or little dust is kicked or sucked up by the processor cooling system.

If you are hunting for a fast, quiet, energy saving desktop that has the HP name on it, this is the one. I did find that the prices are all over the map so it will pay to shop for rebates.

4.0 out of 5 stars good pc, February 23, 2006

By 

Fred Johnson (Southern Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion Media Center a1320n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 524 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Dbl Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I like the machine, but I don't like the win XP Media edition. I removed 20 or 30 games from the hard drive. I created the CD Rom installation CD's and tested them by reinstalling the operating system. I had to reinsert several of the CD's two or three times before they would read correctly. I like the ability to buy just the PC, keyboard, and mouse. My monitor, printer, and speakers that I already had were fine for this system.