Customer Reviews

HP TouchSmart IQ770 19-inch Desktop PC (AMD Turion 64 X2 Processor TL-52, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got this computer elsewhere and just wanted to pass on a few things. It is an excellent computer. The touchscreen is just icing on the cake. Here's just a few things I wanted to share.

Vista is supposed to come with WinZip (for unzipping zipped files). Mine did not. If your's doesn't, you will have to download it. Do not use ZipGenius. It causes problems.

Have a Geek Squad person set it up. He did everything. Connected the antenna, the tv, moved files, etc. In three hours. It would have taken me three months to do everything he did.

The keyboard is lousy (love to put it in stronger language but it would be censored). In order to use the keyboard (and mouse for the matter), the sensor to the computer must be level with the computer. If you use a keyboard tray, this makes it very difficult. If you have problems, contact HP directly and tell them then insist on a discount for the new keyboard and mouse. Check their online store to make sure actually get the discount. (I started with the tech area and they sold me the replacement for the price they were selling it online, insisting that I was getting a discount. When I realized this, I called HPShopping and they issued me a coupon for most of what I spent.) The replacements I received does use a USB port for the receiver but it works wonderfully.

It looks great and the fact that you may not have to use a mouse but just your fingers is great, your wrists will appreciate it. I recommend you go to your local BestBuy or El-Giganten and try it and if you like it then order it from Amazon. If you are using the computer to surf the Net and play movies or do school work, then this computer is great. If you are an IT professional who needs to install database applications, may be Visual Studio then this computer's processor may be too small as a 2.0 GHZ processor or faster may be required. I guess I'll wait until the new model comes out, hopefully it will have a 2.0 GHZ Intel processor. I would have given it a 4 star rating if it had a bigger processor.

I am a longtime experienced user of computers for home and business starting with the Apple 2 GS. I have put up with the multiple crashes of Windows 95 and 98, and revelled in the stability of Windows 2000 (best), and Windows XP. Now Microsoft has brought forth Vista, and I can report that the almost daily crashes of this system are driving me crazy. I was attracted to the HP Touchsmart by its several unique features, but the constant crashes are ruining my experience. I do not use any sophisticated programs, drivers or gaming stuff. yet the system is just not reliable. I have called HP customer service (very easy to reach), but they tell me to await an update that will resolve the problem. In the meantime, I can only use this new machine as a simple backup b/c one never knows when the BSOD will appear.

Needing a kitchen PC, I started my research. Space was a premium, I needed a wireless connection and also a unit with a TV tuner. It came down to the HP and a Sony Vaio desktop. PC magazine and HP owners gave good reviews and liked the IQ770.....it was also about $300 less than the Sony(was also a little less of a machine), but I gave it a try.
I had much difficulty with the initial setup on this machine...there were several software conflicts, particularly with the Vista and preinstalled Norton. HP phone support was all but nonexistant and useless. After an afternoon of setup attempts (PC + peripherals), the machine crashed to a "black screen". I returned the machine the following day and it was replaced; unfortunately I had many of the same problems. I returned the second machine and bought the Sony.....not a problem since owning the Sony and I must say it was well worth the $300 price difference in the increased Intel processor speed, hard drive volume and smaller size/neater appearance, not to mention that it worked righ the first time. Hard to beat the Sony LCD TV picture. I can get over the touch screen for all of this. Moral of the story: For this type of application where space is a premium and you don't want the "spaghetti wires", buy the Sony Vaio desktop. Another tip......stay away from Best Buy. Their staff, including the "Geek Squad" are totally worthless. Buy from Amazon and save the tax (and a major headache).

It is a shame that HP still sells this beautiful, stylish computer with such a lousy partnership of keyboard/mouse. You dont understand how BAD they are. I got my computer yesterday and I have been very close (several times) of just axing them into very little tiny pieces. The mouse goes whatever it wants or does nothing at all. The keyboard does not type at all or just types the same letter 10 times. It has taken me double the time to optimize the computer because of them. Do yourself a favor buy a keyboard and a mouse when you buy this commputer. I am giving it 4 stars because the computer is great.

I have owned the HP IQ770 for over six months and use it as my main PC. My intial issues were related to using the installed Vista operating system... but for better or worse, Vista is here to stay.

Now back to HP IQ770. It does a fair job, though I feel it is slow for a pc in this price range. The multicard reader failed about two months ago, dead and not servicable or accessable by the user. The DVD/CD burner is unreliable; sometimes not 'seeing' CD's or DVD's I loaded in it. The DVD/CD drive has jammed on occassion and refused to eject my disk. There is no access to this drive, either should it quit. There are no outputs for a second monitor; would be nice in the event of failure of the 'built-in' monitor. No HDMI, DVI, parallel, or serial ports you can NOT expand the stock system. You can not add a PCI card.

The HP IQ770 does have a "WOW" factor due to its unique and very nice appearance... after that you will find it a very mediocre PC.

I loved this computer for about a week. I had already heard about the wireless keyboard issues and was expecting them, so I was already using a wired one. My mouse had no issues. However, after 1 week, the monitor went black. The speakers still work and there is power to the unit because the computer itself still works. I had to hook up and external monitor using the mini-vga port. Of course, this works but is not acceptable since the extra price in this computer is all in the touchscreen monitor which I really liked because the kids were much more interested in using the computer. HP phone help was useless. She asked me 4 times if the monitor was plugged in. Each time, I reminded her that I was using the computer and that this was an all-in-one with no separate power cord for the monitor. It is too late for a refund (this was supposed to be a xmas present, so i had waited a few months before finally opening it.), so they sent me a box to ship it for repair at no cost. Just a big hassle to lose the home computer just before the holidays.

HP TouchSmart IQ770 19" Desktop PC (AMD Turion 64 X2 Processor TL-52, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

I had the good fortune of doing extenstive research before purchasing this computer. I also went to a local retailer and did a test drive. I was sold. It is a fun product and different from the usual. Amazon also had the best price with rebate included. If you want to have fun and enjoy your computer experience. This is the computer for you!

I have the next version of this, the HP TouchSmart PC IQ775. So there are some differences in hardware between the two but the concept of this computer is right on! Within a few hours, touching the screen (either with the stylus provided or the tip of my finger) was very natural. In fact, when I was helping my son set up his new laptop (which doesn't have the touch capability), I found myself touching his screen, to his dismay, quite often! It is a great interface.
The look of the PC is amazing. The pics amazon shows for this doesn't accurately reflect that the screen is surrounded in shiny black...must be their flash reflecting. Having the Media Center open and being able to quickly check weather, calendar, get contact info, etc., is exactly how a computer should be. Oh, this wakes up from sleep mode incredibly fast.
I have only had this since Christmas and not a lot of time to play on it...but so far have been impressed. You can easily switch being the mouse, the stylus, keyboard shortcuts, and your fingertip.
I think you will really like this computer.

I love my new TouchSmart...I had it up and running within 1 hr of recieving it..it is so easy. I don't know about the review where they had to have the geeksquad come and do it for them. It is totally a no brainer.I've had it for a month now and not a bit of problem. I say go for it.