Kalai Murugesan

HP Pavilion 9800

The HP Pavilion 9800 stands out as a PC with impressive multimedia components. Its 1.33-GHz Athlon CPU, IEEE 1394 card, 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive, and 16X DVD-ROM drive prepare this PC for serious multimedia authoring and editing--and it includes a solid entry-level video editing package, Pinnacle's Studio DV (with its CD and cable). Thanks to its Asus NVidia GeForce2 GTS Pro graphics card with 64MB of RAM, the 9800 delivered outstanding frame rates on each of our 3D game tests--Quake 3, Flight Simulator, and Rage Expendable. The system's Polk Audio AMR 150 speaker set features two sets of satellite speakers (one tall, one short), a fader toggle on one set of satellite speakers, and a subwoofer. Compatible with both analog and digital output, this speaker set supports Dolby 5.1 sound for a rich surround-sound experience. We were impressed with the Pavilion 9800's speed on business applications, but its PC WorldBench 2000 score of 177 is 12 points below that of the other Athlon-1333 home system on the chart. The Pavilion comes in closer to the score we saw from a 1.2-GHz Athlon PC with 256MB of RAM, but it's still about 11 points above the only comparably configured 1.7-GHz Pentium 4 system we've tested to date.
Though the Pavilion V90 monitor displayed vivid colors, on-screen text and icons appeared blurry at resolutions of 1024 by 768 and higher. HP offers a relatively skimpy one-year parts and labor warranty with toll-call tech support--less than the three-year, toll-free warranty offered by many other PC makers.
The Pavilion 9800's well-organized and spacious midsize tower is easy to open (the side panel pops off after you remove two oversized thumbscrews), and the back of the tower has color-coded and labeled ports. The top of the case has a compartment for frequently used CDs (such as data recovery discs), while a recessed section of the case front exposes one IEEE 1394, one serial, and two USB ports. These front-mounted ports simplify temporarily connecting digital cameras, camcorders, and other such peripherals. Two PCI slots and three drive bays remain unoccupied, allowing for future upgrades. Another thoughtful design touch is the translucent shroud that covers the system fan but doesn't obstruct the user's vision. HP includes a multimedia keyboard with illuminated keys, Internet and audio controls, and a silver optical mouse to match.
This system offers multimedia professionals and enthusiasts an attractive multimedia package with adequate performance on office applications for SOHO users, but if you expect to view a lot of text, upgrade to a better monitor.

Buying Information

HP Pavilion 9800 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 177, Athlon-1333 CPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows Millennium Edition, 75GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive, Asus NVidia GeForce2 GTS Pro graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch HP Pavilion V90 monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Polk Audio AMR 150 speakers, V.90 modem, network card, IEEE 1394 card, midsize tower case, Microsoft Works 2000, Microsoft Money 2000 Standard, Pinnacle Studio DV software. One-year parts and labor warranty; 24-hour toll-call tech support. $ 1914 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 177, Athlon-1333 CPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows Millennium Edition, 75GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive, Asus NVidia GeForce2 GTS Pro graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch HP Pavilion V90 monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Polk Audio AMR 150 speakers, V.90 modem, network card, IEEE 1394 card, midsize tower case, Microsoft Works 2000, Microsoft Money 2000 Standard, Pinnacle Studio DV software. One-year parts and labor warranty; 24-hour toll-call tech support. 800/752-0900 http://www.hp-at-home.com