HP Pavilion a1240n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer 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: B000BC8VVC
• Item model number: EG136AA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 9, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The HP Pavilion a1240n 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. It comes loaded with 512 MB of RAM, which can be bumped up to 4 GB, as well as a roomy 200 GB hard drive. It also features a hyper-threading Intel Pentium 4 630 processor (3.0 GHz), LightScribe multi-format DVD/CD burner, additional DVD-ROM drive, a 9-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats, and a wide assortment of pre-loaded software.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The large 200 GB Ultra DMA hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video.
  
• Processor: The fast, hyper-threaded 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 630 processor allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system, helping to deliver faster transistors and increased performance. It also features a blazingly fast 800 MHz front-side bus speed, which measures how fast a processor and the main memory communicate, and a 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.) It sits very close to the top of the speed spectrum for this processor (as of autumn, 2005).

  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.
  

• Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (PC-3200, 2 x 512 MB) is a good start for this multimedia-centric desktop PC, so you'll want to take advantage of the ultra-roomy 4 GB of total RAM capacity (4 x 1 GB) for such multimedia needs as video editing and immersive 3D gaming.
  
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, this multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with 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, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds. This desktop also comes with an additional 16x DVD-ROM drive.
  
• Keyboard & Mouse: This desktop comes with an HP Internet keyboard and scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Screen, Graphics and Sound
Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 128 MB of shared video memory. It also features the integrated Intel High Definition audio chip (Azalia), featuring THX certification and 8 channels for full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.2 surround sound with Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the a1220n has two 5.25-inch external bays (occupied), two external 3.5-inch bays (one available), one internal 3.5-inch bay (occupied), and three PCI slots (two available). It comes with the following external connectors:

• 7 USB 2.0 ports (3 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) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 front, 1 back)
• 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 microphone, 1 headphone
• 1 line-out, and 1 line-in jack
• 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

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 (with Service Pack 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. Additionally, it enables you to control your television with the included remote and record and pause programs (much like a DVR--or digital video recorder--such as Tivo or ReplayTV). It's compatible with cable, digital cable, satellite TV and antenna inputs, and it includes an FM tuner.

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

The included HP Image Zone Plus 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 a1240n 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

Box Contents: HP Pavilion A1240N Desktop PC, PS/2 multimedia keyboard, scroller mouse
With the HP Pavilion A1240N Desktop PC you've got a flexible system for managing all your digital audio and video. transfer files easily through a USB, FireWire or memory card device -- then burn it all onto a DVD or CD for easier sharing. You can also customize the discs with the new Lightscribe technology that burns an etching into the disc. There's plenty of room for expansion, to create a faster and more powerful machine - and lots of software for editing and managing all your data needs. One 3.5 inch external drive bay available, for easy upgrading Two PCI expansion slots, two DIMM slots available Ports - 2 PS/2, 1 VGA(monitor), 1 parallel, 4 USB 2.0, 1 FireWire, 1 LAN port, 5 audio(1 for each speaker - side out, rear out, center, line-in, line-out), 1 microphone Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface PCI K56flex data/fax modem 9-in-1 card reader slot - Supports CF Types I & II, SD and MMC, Memory Stick & Syick Pro, SmartMedia, Micro Drive and xD Picture Card Operating system - Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 Professional imaging, photography, video and film software - HP Image Zone 5, muvee autoProducer 4 Other software included - Adobe Reader, PC-Doctor 5, Microsoft Works 8.0, Office 2003 Student Teacher Edition, iTunes 4.8, Microsoft Money 2005, Quicken New User Edition 2005, Encarta 2005 Standard, HP Recovery Software Suite, Norton Security Center, Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition(60-day subscription) Full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.1 surround sound support with Dolby Pro Logic IIx Service and support from HP - Get updates directly from HP, plus online documentation, Web-based registration and the Help & Support Center

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out for missing ports, January 5, 2006

By 

Michael J. Gambero - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion a1240n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

I recently purchased this machine. I found that the machine was well out together and have no real issue with the quality of the machine. I like the card slots and ports available on the front.

However, when the machine was opened up I found that HP did not include any port to upgrade to a video card! Incredible, that this would be missing on a computer in this price range and perfomance.

I also found that the power supply is only 250watts. For a pentium 4 class computer this is a cheap way to degrade an otherwise good design.

If I had purchased a bargain basement computer from a local supplier I would have concluded I got what I paid for. This is not something I woud expect from a "high end" computer from HP.
Had I known these issues existed I would not have purchased this model.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great entry level off the shelf computer, but read shortcomings below, January 23, 2006

By 

N. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion a1240n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

I bought this computer from Fry's about a month ago and it's great for conventional applications, Media Center, etc... The problem I had with the computer was the upgradeability. Specifically the motherboard, which doesn't allow the later generation of graphics cards (PCI-E). So if you're looking for a computer that you'll be able to grow with this is not the one. I ended up taking the comp back and building mine from scratch, an accomplishment that isn't so hard these days. I miss the Media Center program but I'm a lot happier with a machine I can upgrade in the future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied with my purchase, January 13, 2006

By 

Joshua D. Nathan (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP Pavilion a1240n Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630 (H-T), 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

I've owned an almost identical model of this PC from HP for about 8 months, and I have to say I'm pretty satisfied. The 200GB hard drive is of good quality and shows no signs of performance lag. The processor holds up to heavy use, and the rest of the hardware seems OK. I like my dual CD-RW and dual layer DVD +R burner, which I use often. More than enough USB ports. And Windows Media Center is a good improvement on Windows XP.