HP Pavilion A6430F Desktop PC (AMD Phenom Triple Core 8400 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 640 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

Other products by Hewlett-Packard

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 16.3 x 9.6 inches ; 26 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 21 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001637T86
• Item model number: A6430F
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,349 in Computers & PC Hardware (See Bestsellers in Computers & PC Hardware)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 6, 2008

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Boasting a sleek and shiny black-and-silver chassis, the HP Pavilion a6430f desktop PC comes loaded with the all tools you need to easily create, manage, share, and enjoy your digital photos, home videos, movies, and music. You can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc and provides a super-fast 16x DVD±RW write speed. It also includes LightScribe technology for personalized silkscreen-quality, laser-etched CD/DVD labels created right in the drive.

This desktop is powered by the AMD's 2.10 GHz Phenom X3 8400 triple-core processor, which increases the efficiency and speed of the PC as well as improves multimedia and gaming performance. Store more music, videos, and data on the super-sized 640 GB hard drive capacity (from dual 320 GB Serial ATA drives, offering fast transfer rates). It also includes an open drive bay for an optional HP Pocket Media Drive (which can add up to 160 GB of storage). Other features include 3 GB of RAM (which can be bumped up to 8 GB), an Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics (with up to 1343 MB of total graphics memory), a wide variety of connection ports on both the front and rear of the box, and a 15-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats.

It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (Service Pack 1), which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: This desktop is powered by AMD's 2.10 GHz Phenom X3 8400 triple-core processor, which provides gamers and digital media enthusiasts with exceptional performance at an affordable price. With an integrated memory controller and shared L3 cache, AMD Phenom 8000 Series processors have low-latency access to main memory for amazingly rapid system response and phenomenal system performance. The 8400 has 1.5 MB of L2 cache in addition to 2 MB of L3 cache.

  This AMD Phenom 8000 Series processor can provide a full HD experience with support for the latest and most demanding formats, including VC-1, MPEG-2 and H.264. With the AMD Unified Video Decoder (UVD), it can process HD playback on the better-suited GPU rather than the CPU so you can enjoy a smooth HD viewing experience--less lag, stalling and dropped scenes--in the latest Blu-ray titles. And with the next generation Cool‘n’Quiet 2.0 technology reducing heat and noise, the AMD Phenom 8000 Series triple-core processor delivers seamless multitasking and optimum energy efficiency.

• Hard Drive: The super-sized 640 GB hard drive capacity (from dual 320 GB, 7200 RPM Serial ATA hard drives) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video. These SATA hard drives have a 3Gb/s interface speed that enables up to 300MB/s data transfer rates (double the speed of the current SATA interface of 1.5Gb/s).

  This desktop also includes a drive bay that fits an optional HP Pocket Media Drive, which enables you to add up to 160 GB of additional storage. The Pocket Media Drive also works with any USB-enabled PC, for easy transferring of multimedia files from other computers in your home.

• Memory: The 3 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 2 x 1 GB and 2 x 512 MB) is an excellent start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and gaming software. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. This desktop has an 8 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 2 GB). To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: This 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 8x DVD-R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, 12x DVD-RAM, 40x CD-R, 32x CD-RW write speeds and 40x CD-ROM, and 16x DVD-ROM read 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, Video & Audio
This desktop features an integrated Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics/video card with 128 MB of dedicated graphics memory. Windows Vista can also allocate up to 1343 MB of total graphics memory from the system memory. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for video content--and full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 for stunningly realistic cinematic effects for all DirectX-compatible applications. It also offers an integrated audio card that can produce high definition surround sound configurable to 8 speakers.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
For expansion, this desktop has one PCI slot (occupied), two PCI Express x1 slot (available), one PCI Express x16 slots (available), two 5.25-inch bays (one available), and three 3.5-inch bays (occupied). It comes with the following external connectors:

• 6 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players (2 in front, 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)
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 2 headphone and 2 microphone (front and rear)
• 2 line-in (front and rear)
• Digital coaxial audio input/output as well as surround sound speaker outputs (rear/side/center)
• 15-in-1 multi-format memory card reader, compatible with CompactFlash I/II, IBM Microdrive, Secure Digital (SD), miniSD, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), MultiMediaCard Plus (MMC plus), MultiMediaCard Mobile (MMC mobile), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SmartMedia, and xD Picture Card.
• 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
• 56K modem

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer, Cyberlink DVD Suite, PC Recovery, HP PhotoSmart Essentials, and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2008 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
It measures 16.3 x 6.9 x 15.25 inches (LxWxD) and weighs approximately 22 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion a6430f 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.

Note: Monitor not included.

Product Description
HP Pavilion A6430F Desktop PC. HP Pavilion desktop PCs include a variety of features that make taking and sharing digital pictures easier than ever. As you would expect from the leader in consumer PCs and PhotoSmart printers, every HP Pavilion PC gives you the tools to make working with digital photos and video clips fun and convenient. Organize, edit, share and protect your digital photos with HP Photosmart Essential. The front-panel 15-in-1 memory card reader makes it easy to transfer photos and files to and from your digital camera and other peripheral devices. HP Pavilion PC's feature the exclusive Pocket Media Drive bay that allows you to add instant storage. The Pocket Media Drive also works with any USB enabled PC. The SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology lets you create custom, silkscreen-quality labels and artwork directly onto LightScribe-enabled CD and DVD discs. The Windows Vista Home Premium with service pack 1 operating system is the preferred edition for home desktop PCs. With extensive digital entertainment features, expanded search capabilities and the fluid, three dimensional Windows Aero TM user interface, it provides a truly extraordinary user experience. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 provides the latest operating system improvements and enhancements from Microsoft. Step up from dual-core with the AMD Triple Core Processor that is the perfect match for Windows Vista and delivers phenomenal performance for media and multitasking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice computer for the price, only thing is the graphic card..., August 9, 2008

By	Marie (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bought this computer to replace my 6 year old hp that has been taking a good beating from me over the years, I finally decided the upgrades would just be too expensive and it would just be better to buy a new computer then keep adding to my old system it would have cost over 800.00 dollars.to upgade my old system. the graphic card needed a huge upgrade since I couldn't run most of the programs anymore.anyways, back to the review of this system, the only real problem I had with it was the graphic card, it is an Intel graphic card and really isn't that great, few days after ordering the machine, I found out to get a good graphic card I would need to upgrade the power supply as well, since it is only 250 max watt, so I had to replace the power supply to a 500wt in order to get a new geforce 9600 gt, the other problem was having an older computer on the network, vista and xp pro might cause some problems but finally figured it out and am able to network the two systems, I also had some problems with backing up my old programs and software from older system but found out vista has a built in back up program so I did not have to use nti back up to get my programs back, other then that, the system has ran smoothly, hasn't locked up once since running it, I have left it on 24/7 with no problems games run nicely and a lot of the programs I need to run extremely well with excellent speed. the graphic card and 500 wt power supply also fit with no problems so over all I am happy with the system except you might want to eventually upgrade the power supply and get a new graphic card that is actually better then the Intel one it comes with. also it comes with vista 32 bit so beware if you want to upgrade the ram you will need to upgrade to the 64 bit since the 32 bit will only read 3 gigs of ram.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this computer if you run Vista, April 25, 2008

By	Henry T. Bluing (CA USA) - See all my reviews

Purchased this computer about a month ago, started it up started loading software and files from my old computer and the fun started. The computer would randomly freeze up for no apparent reason, the mouse and keyboard were unresponsive. Went through all the normal trouble shooting with no luck and finally opted to return it to the store I purchased it from thinking it was faulty. The store gave me a brand new computer and for about the first 24 hours it seemed to be working fine - started the software load, and file transfer and it started freezing up just like the last computer. Removed everything I installed and any registry entries with no change - the computer froze randomly. After about a week of messing around with the thing and trying to troubleshoot with help from HP I returned this computer to the store too and picked up another computer that was totally different than this one. My new computer is a quad core Pentium and it works just fine. I think this may be a situation where the hardware isn't compatible with Windows Vista as advertised. Maybe it works fine with XP but if you're running Vista or intend to in the future go with another box.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good basic PC...good price, June 23, 2008

By	Jeff (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

The a6400f replaces my old barebones self-built PII that I've had for years. Chose this computer as it's cheaper than Dell (my first was a ridiculously priced, albeit sweet Dell machine), seemingly more reliable than Gateway and Compaq, and ultimately had the perfect combo of price/value. I picked up on sale for $479, and at that price, you can't beat Dual Core with 500gb hard drive and 3gb ram. Was ready to pay $519, but caught the sale, so had to act fast. So far, so good. Haven't experienced any significant problems with Vista, but I'm not doing anything fancy. Just set it up to be web surfer and maybe a media archive, considering big hard drive. I immediately tweaked things by removing unwanted programs and setting security to conservative levels. I would recommend this machine as I researched the $450 to $600 price range extensively and always came back to this. No, not my stimulus check money...I just needed a good PC and was not going to pay much more than this anyway.