Why Buy an Upgraded Home PC?

The days of not having a home computer are long gone for most families. So, too, are the days of a second rate machine being adequate for the home. Today’s modern home requires a computer that will in keep you in touch with the outside world and be a reliable source of current information, manage finances, catalog and edit photos and videos, be an entertainment center and provide so many more productivity functions. Basic economy PCs can run simple programs and access online content; but quite often, home use extends beyond the basics. Many people also want to edit their home movies and photos, download music and movies or burn DVDs of their family slide shows. Low–end, entry–level systems are often not equipped to run such demanding applications. However, with a few upgrades, these systems can run popular programs and are ready to use out of the box with a monitor, speakers, printer and DVD burner.
What can a good home PC do?

• Home Office/Production: With a functional home PC, you can manage your finances or run your home business. These systems can easily run programs like Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Lotus Notes, Quicken and TurboTax.
• Multimedia: Since digital cameras and camcorders are becoming extremely popular, many people need a computer that can store images and run editing programs. If you have 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and a DVD burner, you can run popular editing programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements, Dexster Audio, PowerDirector or publishing programs like Art Explosion Publisher Pro, Print Shop Pro or WinWay Resume.
• Gaming: Many home computers are used for gaming. With a decent 128MB graphics card and 1GB of RAM, you can play most games. These systems can, without difficulty, run online flash games, most DVD games and many MMORPGs. However, if you are really into gaming, we suggest at least a 256MB graphics card.
• Security: Often security software runs alongside other programs, this often tasks the system and makes other programs run slowly. But with a good processor and at least 1GB of RAM, security programs like BitDefender, Spysweeper or ContentProtect can run behind your programs unnoticed.

There are a few things an upgraded economy PC cannot do, such as run multiple complex programs at once. You won’t be able to run a video editor, an audio editor, record streaming video, burn a DVD and play a game simultaneously. If you are a multi–tasker or want to edit large volumes of video, you may want to look at our Multimedia PC Review. If you are a gamer, see our Gaming PC Review, or if you are interested in a PC to hook up to your home entertainment center, see our Media Center Review.
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What to Look for in a Home PC There are three things to consider before purchasing a home PC. First, you will need to decide what kind of programs you want to run, second, choose what components are needed to run those programs and third, how much you want to spend.
For the purpose of this review, we upgraded entry–level systems to include everything needed to have a great out–of–the–box package that can run popular programs like photo, audio and home movie editing. These systems can also easily access online content like news, Internet radio and streaming video, and can handle common production applications like Word and Excel effortlessly.
To assemble practical home PC systems we upgraded the RAM to at least 1 GB, the hard drive to at least 160 GB and added peripherals like a monitor, speakers, DVD burner, printer and card reader to complete a functional and capable package.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Home PC packages:

• Processor: A fast CPU, or processor, will run productivity software smoothly. Some systems have dual core processors that allow you to run multiple programs at one time without sacrificing performance.
• Memory: Large amounts of memory will allow the computer to quickly access frequently used information or programs. This is important for home users who use their computers for a variety of tasks. A home PC should have at least 1GB of RAM and sufficient hard drive space.
• Video/Audio: The graphics and audio are secondary to the processor, memory and I/O devices in a home computer. Most home PCs have integrated audio, which is sufficient for home use.
• I/O Device: Home computers should come with various peripherals including a mouse, keyboard, speakers and a monitor. We added DVD burners, media card readers and printers to the systems in this review.
• Value/Price: For this review, we looked at computers under $1,300. Home computers will vary in price depending on the software, peripherals, and components. The leading companies are value oriented - providing lots of power for a good price.
• Support/Warranty: The first–class manufacturers provide quality help and support through email, phone and online chat. They also provide up to three-year warranties at no additional cost.               In this case, HP Pavilion p6350z is of choice.
  
  The HP Pavilion p6350z series of home computer are ideal choices for a wide variety of consumers. They offer great versatility and can be customized to meet just about anyone’s specific requirements. They do all of that at a price that can kept in line with most budgets.
  Standout Features
  
  • 2.8GHz AMD Athlon X4 630 Quad Core Processor
  • 3GB RAM Memory upgradeable
  • 500GB Hard Drive
  • Highly Customizable
  Features:
  The central feature of the Pavilion p6350z series computers is the fast AMD Athlon X4 quad-core processor. Quad-core processors are essentially four CPUs integrated onto one chip. Each core of this processor operates at a very fast 2.8GHz clock speed. That’s pretty typical of many of today’s computers but would have been unbelievably fast a very short time ago. There are three options with regard to the CPU in this series though the basic specifications are essentially the same. The difference is in the CPU cache that is provided by each. Cache is temporary but very fast memory for information that is used frequently. In general, the more cache memory, the faster the computer will operate. All three of the options offer 2MB of level 2 cache. The difference is in level 3 cache where one option offers an addition 4MB and the ultimate choice provides 6MB. The extra cache memory is particularly valuable for multitasking and for those who use highly graphics intensive applications like many games.
  The second critical feature in determining the performance of any computer is the memory, or RAM. The base model of this computer comes with a respectable 3GB of DDR3 RAM operating at 1066MHz. That will be adequate for most purposes, but adding RAM is one of the most effective and economical ways to increase the performance of a computer. Memory for this series of machines can be augmented to 4GB, 6GB or 8GB depending on individual needs.
  Hard drive space, or storage, is one of the most discussed features when considering a computer purchase. Typically, this series comes standard with a 320GB hard drive, but at least temporarily, HP has increased the size to a generous 500GB without additional cost. Other options include 640GB, 750GB and massive 1TB and 1.5TB models. The latter are particularly valuable for users who expect to store a lot of multimedia content such as photos, videos and music.
  As with most computers, a fairly basic graphics card is integrated into the motherboard. In this case, the base model is an ATI Radeon HD4200. Whether or not that’s adequate depends on the use of the computer. A higher performance, discreet card would be recommend for users who intend to use the unit for extreme gaming, frequent multitasking or lots of video editing. High end graphics processors, among other features, provide lots of additional video RAM making images refresh much faster and reduce the possibility of computer freezes. HP Pavilion p6350z optional video cards are from top manufacturers ATI and NVIDIA. The optional cards offer at least 512MB of video RAM and the top performing card, the NVIDIA GeForce GT230 provides a snappy 1.5GB of video memory for optimal performance.
  The units come standard with one included optical drive and a second drive available as an option. The drive that’s included in the base price is a 16x CD/DVD player and burner that will burn DVD±R/RW discs. Optionally, there’s a similar CD/DVD drive that includes the capability to play Blu-ray discs and finally one that will even burn Blu-ray. The secondary drives are limited to either a 16x DVD ROM player or a Blu-ray player.
  Integrated 7.1 sound output is provided through front panel audio ports though speakers are not part of the basic package. Two versions of Creative Soundblaster’s X-Fi audio cards are options. Speakers are available at pretty reasonable package pricing. They range from a pair of basic USB stereo speakers up to a rather deluxe set of Logitech X-540 speakers that will accommodate 5.1 surround sound. Similarly, no monitor is included but there is a selection of six HP LCD widescreen displays at package prices. They range in size from 18.5 inches to a mammoth 27 inches and in price from about $130 to $500. An HP multimedia keyboard and optical mouse are, however, included in the basic price. A wireless keyboard and mouse are available at additional cost.
  Network connectivity is pretty much a given with today’s computers and this one comes complete with a Gigabit Ethernet connection for internet access as well as network connection. For users who wish to use a wireless networking, high speed Wi-Fi 802.11n is available. Bluetooth wireless connectivity is also optional and would be necessary if wireless mouse and keyboard were to be selected. The units are also available with a TV tuner, if desired.
  
  
  Summary:
  The HP Pavilion p6350z series of computers are among the very best on the market. In terms of flexibility, reliability and available customization, they’re hard to beat. We found the prices to be quite reasonable based on the level of performance selected. At its most basic level, it’s quite a bargain. Upgrades can make it far more expensive but there’s always a price for performance and we like the options.