Customer Reviews

HP Media Center m7250n Photosmart PC (Intel Pentium D Processor 820, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive with LightScribe)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Bought this desktop from AMAZON 10 days ago and really happy that I bought a good product (for I searched all the reviews and compared it with a lot of other desktop models). However, after using it for 5 days and found it had a severe defect for a "media center"- its multi-channel surrounding sound just doesn't work.

I hooked it up with a 5.1 speakers and the rear speakers didn't work.. Spent most my holidays hours speaking with the help desk representatives for 5 days now - and tried almost all possible ways - nothing works. They kept asking me to search "multi-channel manager" in my system, also tried to buy another 5.1 speakers hooking it up and still not work - 5.1 sound systems just simply not come with this PC as they promised.

If you only plan to hook it up with 2.1 speakers - then this may be a good buy. BUT if you want to have a MEDIA CENTER with great SOUND as myself - then maybe should search for other product that provide true surround sound!

I am unable to get my 5.1 speaker system to work with the m7250n media center PC. I have tried everything I know but the rear speakers do not work when I watch live TV. If I record a portion of the same TV show and then play back the recording, then the rear speakers work. I find this very strange. I have had numerouse discussions with HP support and they don't seem to know how to get the rear speakers to work with live TV. The specifications for the m7250n say that this media center PC will support up to 7.1 speaker system. I believe the manufacture has sold me a bill of goods.

I any person out there can tell me how to configure this PC for 5.1 speakers, I would appreciate it very much. I am also interested to know just how many people are having the same problem.

If any person is contemplating buying a m7250n in anticipation of having quality 5.1 sound, then they take a very long look before buying.

A concerned consumer

My first comment is that if you are going to purchase this or any other HP Media Center, you'd better hope it arrives in perfect operating condition or you may experience the worst customer support imaginable. Other than their ignorance, arrogance and absolute unwillingness to listen or document any conversation, there is no method of resolving issues, no matter how far they escalate the case. Secondly, if you use any type of real-time digital music workstation hardware or software, it probably will not work. Windows XP Media Center is not compatible with nearly all music production and editing hardware or software. Altough this is the only operating system that has this flaw, HP did not feel it necessary to point this out on advertising or in any informational material.

I had problems right out of the box for burning CDs/DVDs. I have sent the unit to HP and spent hours on the phone and it still does not work. HP support in India and in the US have not provided adequate support in the process. I would pick a different brand.

Good PC, OK Media Center if you can find it at less than $1000. HP should have included a personal media drive and better software configuration if they wanted this PC to be a great value. Too many extras to buy in order to take full advantage of everything this unit has to offer. As a result, the total price on this unit can easily exceed $1700.00 and you may be able to find a better media center for less.

I bought this about a year ago and i love it. I have had no problems. It does everything i wanted. I'm happy with my purchase.

A great computer at a great price when I bought it. Since then I've done some odds and ends upgrading of the video card and added another gig of RAM in order to run my games more smoothly. Right out of the box it ran the Adobe CS2 suite like a charm.

I have had the HP Media Center m7250n since 2005. It is now 2011 and it is still running strong and all the modern applications, games and media that I want. Its power supply is underwhelming at 350 watts, its DVD writer is defective and WILL fail within the first two years of service and the video card is outdated. After replacing the power supply with 400 watts, adding 2 gigs of memory to 3 gigs total, replacing the defective DVD writer and the old video card with a Radeon 4670 this computer still SCREAMS at SIX YEARS OLD! XP Media Center is a DREAM and free of MANY DRM additions to later Microsoft OS's that make watching Divx and Xvid in Media Center difficult if not impossible. The media drive bay makes HD upgrades unnecessary as you can just put your media on the media drive when you HD gets full, and it will because watching and listening to media on this pc is a dream. Maybe the last great pc HP made on the last great OS Microsoft made before sliding down the slippery slope in mediocrity. It's been worth EVERY penny I spent on it.

I almost forgot, I had to replace the CMOS, motherboard, battery about 2 years ago when I noticed clock wasn't saving time. Easily done and HP provides instuctions on how to do so on their website.

Some notes about this computer.

The video card will NOT work with the game City of Heros. It will almost work with the Sims 2. Back up your game in a different folder every once in a while because if it does hit a flaw it will delete your family. It works fine with World Of Warcraft but if you want the best graphics possible you will have to get a new one. They're very easy to change out.

It does not have a video out port. So forget using this computer purely as a DVD player and hooking it up to your TV. You can't.

Get the fastest internet connection you can--this baby can fly.

You might want to throw in some more ram if you're keeping it for gaming so it can keep up in the next few years.

I haven't had a virus scanner on it for a year and it still works.

It stays nice and cool due to the box but it also gets a LOT of dust for the same reason. You'll have to clean it every six months like a regular computer or the fans will die.

Mine arrived perfect out of the box but I bought it from CompUSA and they have good customer service.

I have just recently been having a problem writing DVDs. I can still write CDs (it has a combo drive). I think the DVD writing software is bugged.

The HP monitor that came with mine has dead pixels. Very annoying if you're doing art.

Love the USB ports on the front. Very convient.

It's more of a gaming machiene than a media center.

After having a Gateway for 3 years and being on school machienes this is the best computer that I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. All computers have their quirks and this machiene makes trouble shooting them easy.

HP support should be called non-support. I have bought a lot of HP products in the past but have always been lucky enough to have them all hold up through the warranty period until now. Bought a Pavilion Media Center PC with lightscribe and less than 5 months later the lightscribe dvd died. Do the get me a replacement or just a run around? You got it....the run around. I will never and I advise everyone else not to buy from HP until they can prove to stand by their warranties.