Compaq Presario Media Center SR1830NX Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive)

by HP

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 33 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000F3MG2C
• Item model number: ER921AA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,266 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 15, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The easy-to-use Compaq Presario SR1830NX Media Center PC is the complete home PC system that delivers more entertainment choices, and brings them together in one place with easy access from anywhere in the room. With the SR1830NX you can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. This affordable, family-oriented desktop offers room to grow--including available PCI and expansion slots and a 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. This desktop comes with a large 200 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM, 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor, Lightscribe dual-layer/multi-format DVD drive, a memory card reader that's compatible with a wide range of formats, and Windows XP Media Center edition.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 200 GB hard drive (7200 RPM) is average in size compared to other media-centric desktop PCs. It provides a good size for a wide range of software applications and a generously sized digital audio library as well as room enough for editing digital home video.
  
• Processor: AMD's Athlon 64 3500+ processor is built for tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. This 2.2 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up to a blazing 2000 MT/s (mega transfers per second) and 512 KB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.) It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) and Cool'n'Quiet Technology that conserves power while also keeping the PC nicely quiet.
  
• 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 very good 4 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 1 GB).
  
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the SR1830NX'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, 16x 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 a Compaq 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 SR1830NX has three PCI slots (two available), one PCI Express x16 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 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 8.0 (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition (with 60 days of LiveUpdate), Encarta Encyclopedia 2005, Quicken New User Edition 2005, Microsoft Money 2005, Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, Sonic MyDVD Plus, Google Toolbar, PC Doctor, and HP Photosmart Premier for digital image editing and organizing.

Dimensions and Weight
This desktop measures 15.4 x 7.2 x 16.5 inches (HxWxD) and weighs approximately 30 pounds.

What's in the Box
The Presario SR1830NX desktop PC comes with a power cord, keyboard, and scroller mouse. It is backed by a one-year warranty for parts and labor from date of purchase, one-year technical phone service, and 90 days of software application support.

Product Description

A double-layer media drive with LightScribe and fabulous graphics are just two of the Media Center SR1830NX PC's many assets. It's also got a hefty processor and a roomy hard drive. And with a year-long warranty, you're good to go. Surf the Web via DSL or cable using the 10/100Base-T RJ45 network interface Enjoy video games more with the Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Graphics with 256MB shared video memory Boost performance with the 1GB of PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory (2 x 512MB for excellent performance, expandable to 4GB) Connect accessories including joysticks, driving wheels, and MP3 players with the top- and back-access USB 2.0 ports (three in front, four in back) and FireWire (one in front, one in back) Share files with thumb drives, iPAQs, and cameras via the integrated 9-in-1 digital media card reader Ports - Front panel 9-in-1 memory card reader - supports Smart Media, xD, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital SD, Compact Flash I, Compact Flash II, Micro Drive, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro / 7 USB 2.0 (3 front, 4 back); 2 FireWire IEEE 1394 (1 front, 1 back); 1 parallel and 2 PS/2 (back); Microphone/line-in/line-out (front and back) Preinstalled Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; Norton Internet Security 2006 - Protect your PC out of the box (60 days of complimentary live updates); Microsoft Works 8 and other software Unit Dimensions - 15.35(H) x 7.17(W) x 16.54(D) HP/Compaq 1-Year Warranty Monitor is not included

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Class Product, August 3, 2006

By 

Ken (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Compaq Presario Media Center SR1830NX Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

First class product well worth the money,arrived early in good condition. I added another 1 GB of RAM for a total of 2GB. Highly Recommended.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Windows Recovery CD And..., October 30, 2006

By 

P. Greenberg "Tech Guy" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Compaq Presario Media Center SR1830NX Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

PC is OK but you'll have to spend a few hours to remove all the junk it comes preinstalled with. Also, did not receive a Windows recovery CD. If window crashes, I'm hosed.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Computer, November 7, 2006

By 

Stephen Sicovitch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Compaq Presario Media Center SR1830NX Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

This product is wonderful. It is fast, powerful, and quiet. I have absolutely no problems with it freezing up or anything. It is definately worth it's price.