HP 110-430 Desktop (Intel Celeron J1800, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Released in September of 2014, this is a low-end PC that can work for everyday users. The tower comes with a wired mouse and keyboard, and all you have to do is connect a monitor to get going. It ships with Windows 8.1 installed. It's not fast, nor is it feature rich, but it is cheap and works as expected.



This PC is a fair choice for students, retirees, or users looking for a computer that can allow them to check email, work on homework or office tasks, watch streaming media, play online games, shop online or similar.



WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS PC



It's cheap and it works as expected. Unless you go with a HP Chromebox CB1-014 Desktop (White), which has its limitations but works wel, you will be hard pressed to find a more inexpensive desktop PC unless it's on special as a closeout or Black Friday special.



This PC isn't going to win any races, but it's not slow. When connected wirelessly or wired to the Internet, it performs well. Unless you are looking for ultra-fast gaming, you'll be satisfied with this one when doing everyday tasks like emailing and listening to streaming music.



The PC has 4GB of memory installed, but with (2) slots it can be upgraded to 8GB on Windows 8 64-bit systems; which this one is. The upgrade isn't terribly expensive or hard to do, and offers a mild boost in performance when working with multiple applications, however the installed 4GB is adequate for basic computing.



The memory combined with the 500 GB hard drive running at 7200 RPMs (faster than the 5400 RPM that tends to be standard in lower end PCs), makes Windows 8.1 perform as expected.



The DVD drive reads and writes to DVD and CD, and works well. Watching movies via DVD can be easily done with this PC.



This PC has (1) USB 3.0 port on the back! This is sometimes forgotten by HP on their current desktop PCs - even those which are priced higher than this one.



You have the option for DVI-D or VGA connectivity for a monitor, and (5) total USB 2.0 ports on the front and back of this PC.



This PC comes with a 7-in-1 media card reader on the front panel. This makes it easy to take a media card out of your camera or phone, and transfer files between your PC and the media.



WHAT I DON'T LIKE



The PC has integrated graphics and video; not uncommon in lower end PCs, which makes it OK for everyday tasks, but not ideal for entertainment. You can hook up headphones or speakers to enjoy enhanced sound, but it's limited. Video will be OK when streaming media or watching DVDs, but that depends upon the monitor used.



This PC lacks a HDMI connection. Not surprising, but disappointing none the less. A HDMI port would allow you to hook up the PC to your HDTV, or to connect high definition inputs like an XBox to your PC.



It also lacks wireless Internet connectivity. A terrible omission! It's also really unusual at any price point in Windows PCs today. You can connect it to a wired internet source, and you can add a wireless adapter via USB like this one: TP-LINK TL-WN725N Wireless N Nano USB Adapter, 150Mbps, Miniature Design, Plug in and Forget, Support Windows XP/Vista/7/8. They are pretty cheap, and this would allow you to use this PC in any room with a wireless signal.



CONCLUSION



This is not a bad everyday PC at this low price, but for only a little bit more money, you can get a much better PC with wireless connectivity and HDMI.



This PC is not one I'd buy for myself or a family member, but I know that it could be suitable for users on a budget with minimal computing needs. I like the Lenovo H30 Desktop (90C2000FUS) much better for its specs, and it's about the same price as this one.



NOTE: You get 30 Days of FREE McAfee Antivirus with this PC.

Dell Inspiron 3043 i3043-3750BLK All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop (Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM)

All the right features, all in one. Get what you need- a computer, monitor and speakers - in an affordable, space- saving design that's made for at-home entertainment and productivity.

• Intel Celeron Processor N2830 (1M Cache, up to 2.41 GHz) Processor 2.41 GHz(1 MB cache)


• 4GB DIMM


• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive


• 19.5-Inch Screen

HP 21-2010 All-in-One Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) The HP 21-2010 is a very basic all-in-one machine. Nothing in its specifications scream "advanced". From its middle of the road AMD processor, to the basic 500GB Hard drive, this is definitely an entry level computer. Sadly, it doesn't come with an entry level price. At around $620, it is around $150 more than comparable machines from Dell or Acer. In fact, for the same price as this machine, you can even find a 23" Lenovo with higher specs.



Several things to point out that disappointed me (before we move on to the good things):



1) The keyboard and mouse are wired. Not even good wired - they are very basic. Disappointed, as this means you'll need to invest around $30 to get a decent wireless setup. Why anyone would sell an ALL IN ONE with wired input is beyond me.



2) No Bluetooth. Again, this is a $10 add-on, so why it isn't included shows HP was going for cheap with this.



3) The machine has almost 2GB of junk pre-installed. From McAfee, to a variety of HP connected apps, you'll spend a good hour cleaning this thing up when you first get it. Since it only comes with 4GB of RAM, a decent chunk of that will already be taken up by the pre-installed junkware.



4) No wall/arm mounting option. Previous HP all-on-one machines (like my current ENVY) had a wall/VESA mounting option. That is not available on the 21-2010



5) WiFi is only b/g/n - again, another way to save costs I assume, but in this day and age when people are switching to 802.11ac routers, having such basic Wi-Fi is a disappointment.



Now for the good - the display is quite stunning - it supports 10 point touch, which is fun for certain drawing apps, but not of THAT much use on a screen this small.



It is fast - but could definitely benefit from more memory and/or an SSD drive.



Bottom line - this is most certainly an entry level machine, and it feels it. It just doesn't come with an entry level price. The previous generation HP Pavilion has almost identical specs, and is $200 cheaper:



http://ift.tt/1210uvx

Dell Inspiron i3647-4616BK Tower Desktop Intel Gen 4 i5/ 8GB/ 1TB/ Windows 8

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Easy to set up and Windows 8 is rather neat (takes a little while to get used to). About 50% the size of a regular desktop computer which takes up a lot less room on my desk. Only have had it for a week, but runs fast and does everything I need it to do. For downloading camera pictures, surfing the web, skyping, Facebooking, and using/creating documents in Office 2010 it works geat. Not a major game player, so don't know how it would be for those folks.

HP 110-326 Desktop (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This desktop PC is nothing special, and priced too high for its specs and features. Mediocre performance in a PC released in August of 2014 is not what I'm looking for at any price, and thus this PC doesn't do it for me.



However, I can't really give it a lower star review as what it does have, works as expected. The 3 star (it's OK) relates to its performance and lack of a HDMI or USB 3.0 port.



I did not purchase this PC, but a friend did, and I advised him to return it after hearing how much he'd paid. He did find another desktop with HDMI and USB 3.0 for less than he paid for this one to suit his needs.



WHO WOULD LIKE THIS PC?



If you are looking to email, surf the Internet, play around on Facebook, watch a movie or similar, this PC will work for you. It's not ultra-fast, but it's not slow either. It could work for students who want to do homework online using Google Docs or web-based software.



Unfortunately there are a lot of PCs that fall into this home/student category, and many of them have better specs for about the same price or less. I do like that this PC's memory can be upgraded to 16 GB, which for me is a great perk, but only if this PC was in the sub-300 price range.



WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT



As I mentioned, this PC can be upgraded to 16 GB of memory which is fabulous, but an added expense. You've got (2) slots, thus you'd need to get (2) 8GB dimms to max out the memory.



There's Beats Audio support and 5.1 audio (surround sound) support installed. The audio is integrated, but enhanced.



The installed 500 GB hard drive is 7200 RPMs versus the slower 5400 RPM that's generally standard in the lower end desktop and laptop PCs.



The 7-in-1 media card reader and DVD (burner) drive, which allows for use with CDs and DVDs - read and write, work well.



WHAT I DON'T LIKE



No HDMI? Are you kidding me?!



No PC produced in 2014 should be without an HDMI port and this one does not have HDMI. VGA and DVI-D connectivity are there, so most monitors will work, but you can't easily connect this PC to an HDMI port on your HDTV, which is a bummer.



NO USB 3.0 ports?! Again, what's the deal HP?



USB 3.0 is the latest standard for faster data transfers. No current PC (laptop or desktop) should be shipping without at least one port dedicated to USB 3.0. This PC has (6) USB 2.0 ports; (4) on the back and (2) on the front.



Integrated audio and video are OK, but certainly not entertainment ready. Even with the 5.1 and Beats Audio support.



CONCLUSION



There's simply nothing about this HP offering to set it apart. The processor is good and the ability to upgrade the memory is awesome, but the lack of HDMI and USB 3.0 connectivity, along with the smaller 500 GB hard drive size make the asking price too high.



Despite being released only a few months ago, there's no real room to grow with this one - other than the memory upgrade. The PC has too few positives for me to want to recommend it to others.



I recommend if you are looking for a desktop PC, keep in mind that four hundred should get you a solid processor, a good amount of memory and a tower with at least (1) USB 3.0 port and HDMI. Anything less, you're paying too much.



Check out HP's Pavillion series to find it. Something like: HP Pavilion 500-336 Desktop Computer on sale is a much better deal! Even this one: HP 110-430 Desktop (Intel Celeron J1800, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD) has USB 3.0 and it's cheap.



NOTE: If you want to know the specs on this PC, go to the HP site and do a search for 'HP 110-326 desktop' or check out http://ift.tt/1ydzROF .

Dell Inspiron 3048 i3048-2286BLK 20-Inch All-in-One Desktop (Intel Pentium Processor, 4GB RAM)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is a great computer for the money. Nice clear screen (Anti Glare) with bright colors. Returned my first purchase which was a LG Chrome (All in One). That had to be the worst mistake I have ever made in a computer purchase, but I consider this purchase one of the best.

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA880 Desktop (Black/Blue)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



*EDIT* All of those bad reviews, the ones on ALL the cyberpower pc's on amazon, I know what those all are. There is literally only ONE thing very bad about this computer, the power supply. It's a crappy power supply and fails very often, people should be partly blaming cyberpower for this, but not completely. Yes, cyberpower should have made a better choice in the power supply for this build, but it's also the fault of the people who made those reviews, they didn't do enough research, didn't check what kind of power supply and look up reviews on it. Which are all horrible. I had one of the same problems, random shutting down. But unlike them, I didn't give up and return the computer only to get another one with another fualty power supply. I looked into the problem, replaced the power supply with a 40 dollar 500w one by cooler master. This solved all my problems and I've been happily gaming and video editing for the past 6 months now. So no, cyberpower is not a bad company, they have GREAT customer service (I had to get a new hard drive and I had them send it to me because my faulty psu fried it, no big deal though, it was here in less than 2 days) they have great computers, and most importantly great prices, I would recommend them to anybody who knows what they're doing with computers. And if you don't, maybe you shouldn't be buying one just yet.



Here's my full review: (to see a video review, search "s0steezy cyberpower gua880 review" on youtube, it will be the first one and the thumbnail is the rear exhaust fan. Right under it will be my unboxing, and feel free to view my channel for more videos about this computer, mostly how it games but I also did upgrades and such on it, so go check that out and subscribe :) Anyway here's the full review:



Okay, I'm gonna start with saying I'm VERY happy with this desktop. The ONE AND ONLY flaw (besides the power supply), is that there is no built in wifi :( so order a pci wi-fi card (not pci-e unless you plan to keep the gt610, because any card that takes up 2 slots will cover the pci-e slot)or do what I did and get a usb wifi adapter.So that's the only flaw, now I'll go through all the important things as best as I can.



SHIPPING: This took like 5 days to process for shipping, (3 business days) that is my only complaint but after it left the factory it traveled across the U.S from Tennessee to Wisconsin in 2 days and delivered. So I am very satisfied with who ever ships this. Also it said "Amazon.com LLC" was the seller and I didn't know what that meant so I was worried, but it's fine. It's just regular amazon.com. Keep in mind this is ONLY with free super saver shipping, if you order regular shipping it will come in the usual 3-5 days but with free super saver it could take up to 3-5 months, at the longest. Didn't happen to me thankfully but I've heard of it happening to many people, so just keep that in mind and PLEASE don't complain about that when you make your own review, that's not the fault of the product or of cyberpower that's the fault of the buyer.



PACKAGING: Very nice packaging nothing got damaged and there were no loose components in the computer what so ever, the mail man could have thrown the package to my door and it would have been perfect. Also when I opened it all the cables were tied with cable ties and tucked back or hidden, cable management looked very professional and I can tell the computer will pretty much never overheat.



OUT OF THE BOX: It worked PERFECT out of the box, the windows product key for activation and registration is on the top left of the right faceplate, very easy to find and type in to activate your copy of windows. Also when you're all setup on the desktop and everything, like before you activate windows, or after, it doesn't really matter, but you should be sure to install the drivers it comes with, there are many free applications on one of the discs along with important drivers and there are other important drivers on the other disc. And the third disc is your copy of windows. Which you can obviously re-use if you get viruses or something on yours you can put in the cd and run windows off of that and then reset everything to factory settings with no viruses.



UPGRADES: there are only 2 ram slots, and it the motherboard it comes with can only hold 8gb ram so that is kind of disappointing, but honestly 8 is enough. There is one extra pci slot for a wifi card or something, and then a pci-e slot for whatever you would like to use it for. (extra usb 3.0 ports for example) The power supply DOES come with extra cords for plugging into like the hard drive or whatever so you're good there if you get a graphics card with an external power supply all you need to do is get a molex to 6 pin adapter, but I do highly recommend switching out the power supply which you will here about multiple times in this review because I can't stress enough how awful the power supply is that it comes with. Anyway there is A LOT of extra space in the tower so if you're looking to completely upgrade the motherboard and everything (which I did and there are videos of me doing that on my youtube channel) after awhile, you could. So that's it for upgrades, overall, not the best for upgrading because of the motherboard it comes with, but it'll do the job if you don't need a bunch of extra pci/pci-e slots, and also you can't run sli or crossfire on this mobo because there is only one pcix16 for a graphics card.



COMPONENTS: The 1tb hard drive is nice, although mine was 930. I know they're usually not completely 1024, but usually they're around 990 so that was a bit disappointing too. The ram is great I've head no problems with it ever and it's quite fast, I'm not sure what brand it was but like I said I never had any problems so I'm satisfied there. Next, the dvd drive is very nice, opens and closes smoothly, the dvd and hdd drive are both connected via SATA 3 cables so they are fast. the graphics card isn't the best, it is decent. I can play some games good like dishonored and minecraft of course but a lot of the newer games don't even play at all, even on low settings on 1024x768. But I'm going to be doing a lot of gaming so I'm upgrading. I'm getting something without an external power supply like a radeon 7770. [EDIT, I got a gt630 and that's still not the greatest so I'm getting a gtx 650 ti boost when I get the money] Next, the motherboard is pretty good. Definitely could be better but not a big deal to me. The processor on the other hand is a beast, the amd fx 4100 has four cores and all that nice multi-threading for video editing or whatever else you may need it for. I'm very happy with the processor for sure. My biggest complaint is the power supply. I looked up reviews on youtube and on other sites and a lot of people have a variety of problems with this psu. It's actually very likely that you will have a problem with it, I can estimate that about 70% of people do. And I was unlucky enough to be one of them, the fan didn't work in the psu, and I didn't know that. So it got really hot and ended up frying my hard drive. I thought it was just a bad drive so I replaced it and my computer just started shutting down whenever the psu got too hot, so I troubleshooted it and ended up replacing the psu completely. That was a real bummer, I didn't get to game for like the first 2 months I had the computer. Lastly, the fans. I love the blue LED's they make it look amazing. They also do a very nice job keeping it cool I can always feel the air coming through the vents so the case fans are very nice. The CPU fan also does its job real nice. I was amazed at how cool it kept it, I think I had idle temps of about 10 degrees and 50 under load so it was aamzing. Keeps it nice and cool inside for the other fans to keep it even cooler. The cooling in this machine is overall great, and the hardware is all good except the psu and graphics card, and mobo depending on your preference really.



PERFORMANCE: I was completely AMAZED by the performance of this desktop. The first thing I did was transfer my old files via flash drive and they took about 40 minutes to go from my laptop to my flash drive. (Toshiba satellit a205-s5855) And about 2 minutes to go from my flash drive to the new computer. It is so fast and I never close anything, I always have at least 5 or 6 things open and it never so much as takes a second to load anything. Video editing is great, rendering is incredibly fast and I can preview in good (best) in sony vegas pro 12 which if you don't know is very good. I have not done any gaming on it yet. I'm in the process of getting minecraft and need for speed and we'll see how it goes with that. But so far I'm very happy with the performance. *UPDATE* I did some gaming and I really needed to upgrade the gpu. After that it plays almost every game (with the exceptions of things such as crysis 3 and battlefield 3 and sniper elite v2, and probably a few more) on my gt630 2gb.



OVERALL: Overall I am MORE than satisfied, it is so much better than what I had expected ESPECIALLY for just a little over 500 dollars. (it was 520 when I got it, maybe prices have changed by the time you're reading this) But If you're contemplating whether or not to get it, GET IT. It is amazing.



Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy your new desktop ;)

Remember! s0steezy on youtube :)

Apple Mac Mini MD388LL/A Desktop (OLD VERSION)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



When this new Mac Mini was announced this week, I wondered if I should upgrade my 2011 Mini. However, when I saw that I could get a solid quad core processor in the mid-level Mini, I jumped. In terms of appearance, this year's Mac Mini looks exactly like last year's. The only differences are internal. Here are the big differences between the 2011 and 2012 Mac Mini: (1) the processors are faster (as you would guess); (2) the mid-level Mac Mini now comes with a very fast quad core processor instead of a dual core; (3) the USB ports have been updated to USB 3 (which is much faster than USB 2); and (4) all models of the 2012 Mac Mini come with an integrated graphics card; there is no option for getting a discrete graphics card like last year (more on this later).



Both the mid-level Mac Mini and the server version have the same quad core processor, but the entry level Mac Mini is still a dual core. Why stick with a dual core processor desktop when you can have one with a quad core processor? So I got the mid-level model because I don't need a server, and other than the server's two hard drives, the mid-level Mini and the server model are exactly the same (e.g., same processor and same graphics card).



More on the graphics card: as noted earlier, ALL of the Mac Minis this year come with an integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics card. This is a much better card than last year's Intel HD 3000 graphics card, although some might want a discrete card for gaming. One thing I noticed about the Intel HD 4000 card in this year's Mac Mini is that it gives you 512 mb of video ram with only 4 GB of RAM installed. To my knowledge, all other Apple computers need at least 8 GB of RAM installed to get 512 mb of video ram from the HD 4000 card. This is a nice surprise. When I noticed this, I thought beef up the RAM to 8 GB and see if that increases the video ram--and it does. Installing 8 GB or more of RAM in this year's mid level Mac Mini (and I assume the same is true for the server Mini since these two machines are nearly identical) gives you 768 mb of video ram. I'd be willing to bet Apple increased the amount of maximum video ram from the HD 4000 card in this year's Mac Mini to compensate for removing the discrete graphics card option.



How does the new mid-level Mini perform? Well, I installed an SSD drive and 8 GB of RAM, and this thing just screams. Everything happens almost instantaneously when I click the mouse. No rainbow wheels, and one bounce at most from icons in the dock (often there is no bounce at all since things happen so fast). I compared my upgraded Mac Mini to last year's 27 inch iMac, and my Mac Mini seems much faster and snappier. Finally, Apple is starting to give the Mini some long overdue respect. The Mini is now becoming a machine people WANT instead of SETTLE FOR. To me, upgrading to this year's Mac Mini is well worth it.



UPDATE 03/12/2014: If you install Mavericks on this Mac Mini and have at least 4 GB of RAM installed, you will get 1024 of video ram. A nice bonus. And Mavericks runs very well on this Mac Mini.

Dell XPS X8700-1880BLK Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Does everything great except for one thing: gaming. The fact it states "extreme gaming" when it can't is the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

HP Chromebox Desktop Bundle (Snow White)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I'm a new to Chrome OS and loving the HP Chromebox so far! After signing in with my Google Account everything was setup. I had instant access to my Gmail and Google Docs. It is amazing how fast it boots up...after pressing the power button on the Chromebox the monitor is barely awake from sleep and the login screen is already up. My printer was compatible with Google Cloud Print and I had no problem getting it setup.



There isn't really any learning curve in Chrome OS I've noticed so far because everything opens in a Google Chrome window and the Apps launcher icon the in lower left functions much like a Windows Start Menu. I've noticed popular Windows keyboard shortcuts like CTRL+X for cut and CTRL+T for new tab, etc also all work!



There is no lag browsing the internet or using the preloaded Google Apps (I'm on a U-Verse fiber connection over WiFi). I ran several speedtests on speedtest.net and the results are several megabits faster than my old computer; nothing too noticeable, but this made me happy. I haven't come across any websites yet which aren't compatible. I've also added several apps from the Chrome Web Store and they install quickly.



The Chromebox is quiet. You have to really be listening in order to hear the light hum of the fan. The build quality is impressive, the device does not look cheap or plasticy at all. There are no screws or latches visible. The compact keyboard is comfortable to use and I like the dedicated keys at the top for browser back, forward, reload, full screen, view all open windows, etc. I also liked that batteries were included for the keyboard and mouse so everything was ready to go right out of the box.



I was happy to see the Chromebox puts both video and audio out over HDMI so I don't need an extra cable going to the monitor for sound. My old computer only output video so I had to have a second cable for the sound. I'm using a 1920x1080 resolution and everything renders as expected.



One thing I'd liked to have known before purchasing is the wireless keyboard and mouse require a small USB dongle (included) be connected to the Chromebox; so you'll always have a USB port dedicated for this. Don't expect the wireless keyboard and mouse to mean Bluetooth. Also, there is only one memory slot in the computer so if you want to upgrade to the max of 4GB, you'll need to remove the existing 2GB module and replace with a 4GB module. I haven't seen the need for additional memory though so far.



7/23/14 Edit - Additional Observations:

--I have noticed when streaming music or video the fan does spin up and can be a little noisy. I have the Chromebox on my desktop under my monitor and it is not really noticeable when sound is playing, but if there is a low spot in the music/sound you may hear the fan if you are near the device.

--No screensaver! This one is a little weird to me. The monitor tends to just dim after a while. I've been turning the Chromebox off after using it since it boots up so quickly so I have just recently observed this.

Dell Inspiron 3000 Series i3847-3850BK Desktop (3.5 GHz Intel Core i3-4150 Processor, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I was looking for an affordable home theater PC to replace my 10 year old Dell. The integrated Intel graphics seem to easily handle 1080p video to my HDTV via the HDMI connection. This computer is whisper quiet and seems to run cool and has good power efficiency. I may add a fanless discreet video card but that is because I like to tinker. The integrated graphics look very good. So far so good!



Update: I have had this computer for a couple of months now and I am still very impressed. I have dropped the notion of adding a fanless video card since the integrated Intel 4400 graphics are plenty good for streaming any video to my HDTV. One recommendation would be to get the latest video drivers from Intel. A simple search will yield the best way to do that. My box did not have the latest drivers installed upon receipt. I am even having the computer boot straight to the desktop which gives this computer a real Windows 7 "feel". I now bypass all the Windows 8 tiles that seem so un-Windows and boot straight to my desktop! It's still a little too hard to find the control panel and such, but I am muddling through. No complaints on the box, though. I'd recommend it.

Apple Mac Mini MGEM2LL/A Desktop (NEWEST VERSION)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



There are some benefits and some drawbacks to the new Mac mini. We've tested a bunch already and they are solid units. From what we've written on the Macminicolo blog of ten things to know.



1) The machine received a second thunderbolt 2 port and lost its Firewire 800 port. A few years ago, this would have been a big loss, but I don't think it's as big of a deal now. The Thunderbolt drives are getting less expensive and have more options available. And with the addition of USB 3 in the 2012 mini, that covers a lot of what people need for speed.



2) For home users, the increased Graphics will be a very welcomed upgrade. In a data center, that will be useful for those who process a lot of images and will likely help when screen sharing.



3) The RAM can no longer be upgraded by the user. This option will be sorely missed by a lot of people. At least Apple has decreased the price of the RAM upgrades when you build and order a machine on the Apple Store. Also, nice to see the two higher versions come with 8GB of RAM by default now.



4) If a hard drive is ordered in the Mac mini, you can get to it and replace an SSD but it won't be easy. As was before, replacing the hard drive is not covered under warranty.



5) On the previous mini there was one Gigabit ethernet port, and to get a second one you'd have to take the only Thunderbolt port. Now that there are two Thunderbolt ports, you can have a second Gigabit port and a Thunderbolt drive.



6) There is no more "Server" version, so no more dual-drive Mac mini. From our experience, nearly everyone used that second drive for a cloned backup. Very useful, but having a backup on the outside of the Mac mini can be useful too. (It's much easier to plug that external drive into another Mac and boot from it. This makes for a quick recovery if needed.)



7) Because there are fewer parts in the mini now, the Applecare is down now as well to $99. (Previously $149)



8) It's nice to see the return of the $499 Mac mini. It started there, then the base price went to $599, $699, back to $599 and now a full circle back to $499. It's still incredible having a Mac under $500.



9) When ordering an HDD option, it looks like it is still a 5400RPM drive. That's too bad. The 2011 Mac mini had the faster 7200RPM and that was a nice bonus. I guess we're living in an SSD world now. If you want speed, you know how to get it.



10) Overall it's a nice upgrade. Though to be honest, with these components, it really should have happened about 6 months ago.

LG ChromeBase 22CV241-W 22-Inch All-in-One Cloud Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



If you use Google for email, calendar, etc. this is a great machine. The screen is big and colors and picture are clear. It is zippy too. Chrome store apps and Google docs are fast and work well. I've used it a couple of days now and have no complaints. One thing to note is that there are two volume controls. There is one on the keyboard and another one on the monitor. The monitor is set low and seems to be the master. If you turn that one up to 75 out of 100 and then use the keyboard volume you can get the sound to a decent level. Besides that confusion, it is working great.



Edit 6/28/2014

Now that I have used it for a while I thought I would update the review. I still really like this machine. People have commented about the keyboard and mouse quality. They do feel a little cheap but to get a computer for just over $300 with a great screen I think it is asking too much to expect the same quality as a $2,000 computer. They feel cheap but they work great, no issues at all. I took my old iMac and put it on the storage shelf. I really only use Google products and surf the web on this machine and it is super zippy. I'm getting a second one of these for the house/kids. If you're looking for a home Chrome OS machine, this is a great bang for your buck!

HP Pavilion 23-g010 23-Inch All-in-One Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Love this computer. Really great price, was looking for a desktop but nothing REALLY fancy and at a great price. Love the fact that this uses WiFi (can hard wire if you choose to) giving me the option to put it practically anywhere in the house! Super big screen, Awesome graphics and display! We did not get the touchscreen which would be fun but not necessary to enjoy this computer! it was so simple to set up I was online in minutes! comes with Windows 8, some nice video editing software, a DVDRW drive, and a nice integrated HD webcam. Truly for the price this was an excellent purchase. I did also get the 4 year warranty along with it...just in case!

Dell Inspiron i3647-2309BK Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Amazing computer, very silent. It's very fast has powerful graphics, everything you would want. Turns on almost instantly!



Just a tip for anyone, REMOVE MCAFEE. Get Avast, it's FREE and it doesn't bug you. Another con would be all the apps that come with the computer, I don't mind it so much though because all you have to do is right click and then uninstall. Poof their gone!



To summarize, awesome computer!



Avast:

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Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 70A4000HUX i3-4130 3.4GHz Server Desktop Computer

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Received server today, so this is just quick feedback for all you thinking about it out there.



I got it for use as home server, similar to what other people use HP mini server. Nicely built heavy metal case, sound dampening and quiet. No dust filters.



Inside it has:

280 W HE Bronze PSU.

4 memory slots, One stick 4 Gb installed.

5 SATA ports

1 PCI slot, 2 PCI-E X16, 1 PCI-E X4

2 well ventilated HD inch bays with front fan blowing on them, 2 HDs more can be installed into slots that are not so well ventilated.

2 display ports and 1 VGA



There are reports about these servers (this one and earlier version, TS130) not supporting certain OS (i.e. Ubuntu, Centos). I took 80 Gb Intel SSD with Lubuntu 13.4 from my Lenovo T420 laptop, plugged into SATA inside and booted Lubuntu in under 10 sec. Using it to write this review right now. I believe the problem is incorrect configuration of UEFI boot, suggest switching to legacy BIOS boot. You will loose space over 2 Tb on larger HD though.



Lubuntu is lightweight Ubuntu mod and I believe boot is the same. Can not quite understand if audio works in Lubuntu. Dont need it anyways.



Power usage by Lubuntu with one SSD installed is 19 W at idle and 45 W at max CPU according to my watt meter. Most of the time it will be idle so the annual 24/7 energy use expected at 166 KWh which translates into about $30 per year where I live. Every HDD will add about 10W but they can be configured to go to sleep when not in use.



Windows 7 with drivers installed consumes 17.5 W when idle. Wundows experience index with single memory stick:

CPU: 7.3

Memory: 5.9

Graphics: 5.0

Gaming Graphics: 6.5

I expect Memory and Graphics go up when second memory stick installed and dual channel mode kicks in.



To enter BIOS press F1 the moment you see first text or logo after you turned it on.



Did I mention it has remote management capability? Startup/shutdown only though?



Update 12/16/2013:



Added 4 GB memory for second channel: Crucial Technology CT51272BD160B 4GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800 CL=9 Dual Ranked Unbuffered ECC 1.35V 512Meg x 72 Memory, installed into blue slots.



Windows experience index for Win 7 64 bit with memory in dual channel mode:

CPU: 7.3

Memory: 7.6

Graphics: 6.6

Gaming Graphics: 6.6



UPDATE Deb. 23, 2014

I have this server working as Windows 7 Mediacenter fed by HDHomerun Prime with Cable card. Used old small SSD as OS disk and two WD Greed 3 Tb for recording. JBOD, no RAID on any kind. It easily handles 3 channel recording and playback. Any significant CPU usage only observed when compskip kicks in to mark commercials.



I first attempted to connect TV via VGA port on motherboard but no avail. Unless there is another monitor attached to the display port it would refuse to display through VGA to the TV. I ended up using very old PCI_E v1 video card GeForce 8500GT I had from 2007 with loss of video performance. Was still ok though even with 1080 video. It works well when you have regular display attached to VGA even with 2560x1440 resolution but not when attached to 1080p TV.



I bought cheapest Display Port to HDMI female-female cable of fleabay. Standalone video card was removed and both video and audio are fed through that cable. HDCP works for protected content with TV; it did not work with Dell monitor. Plenty of power and memory remains to run few small VMs and transcoding. Typical power usage with two HDDs while recording is about 30W.

Dell Inspiron i3847-5078BK Desktop (Windows 7)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) OK... A little background: I am the kind of guy who builds his own PCs. Sure, over the past three-and-a-half decades I've owned several pre-builts, including several from Apple, ASUS, IBM (old school!), Acer, Compaq, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and other companies, but those usually ended up being cannibalized for parts because I never really liked how limited the designs were in those systems. They lacked expansion slots, or the memory couldn't be upgraded, or they weren't flexible enough to allow me to add more hard drives (you can never have enough hard drives). So I frequently just built Frankenputers from pieces and parts, and tailored them to my needs, all the while working in various computer stores (years ago) selling pre-built units-- including Dells-- to customers (until all the computer stores went out of business thanks to Best Bigbox killing them). I have to add that my experience with Dell at that time left me less than enthused.



Enter the Dell Inspiron i3847. They advertised it as "That expandable" and I was intrigued. "Truly? A pre-built desktop that doesn't make expansion a chore? This I've got to see!"



When the Dell arrived, I fired it up and was, indeed pleased by the fast setup and the lack of bloatware-- indeed, the only extra software on it seemed to be the 30-day trial of McAfee, but as I have my own subscription with Kaspersky, I didn't even need this and it was easily deleted, leaving me the majority of the 1TB hard drive for future software installations.



The speed was also quite nice. I was coming from an AMD Phenom X4 955 3.2 GHz, and the boost in speed when going to the Intel Core i5 (also 3.2 GHz) is quite welcome. That's not to say the AMD was slow, but that the Intel is just more optimized. It's simply faster in day-to-day functions, and plays nicer with my various applications.



The 8GB of RAM was also pretty helpful, I must say. It's nice to get a PC loaded with enough RAM to do any job. Too many pre-built PCs cheap-out in this regard, giving the buyer 4GB to deal with. In this era of 64-bit Windows, there's simply no reason not to slap the other 4GB in there and make the end-user experience that much more pleasant.



The on-board graphics? Well, they're Intel on-board graphics. Fast enough for web browsing, basic games, basic video, and business applications, but I'm a bit of a gamer and video editor, and so I was exceptionally pleased to see the free slot and ample space in the Dell Inspiron to allow me to install my Radeon HD 7850. Yes, yes... I know I'd be better served on an Intel with a GeForce card, but right now I'm happy with my existing Radeon pulled from an AMD system, and you can bet I was happy to see that it fit in the Dell.



Of course, there was one problem: Power. The Dell Inspiron i3847-5078BK comes with a very basic 300-watt power supply, and no, it does not have PCI-E connections. That meant swapping over my Corsair RM550 so that I could provide power to my Radeon card... And then, as long as I was in there, I mounted a second and third hard drive. I had to provide an extra SATA connector, and to be clear, there is no third HDD bay, but I happened to have a 5.25 caddy around, and so my third hard drive fit nicely in the second optical drive bay (which I wouldn't have needed, anyway... I really don't see the point to two optical drives unless you do a lot of disc-to-disc copying). While I was making changes, I decided to pull the stock DVD-RW drive (not a bad drive, mind you) and replace it with my own BD-RW drive.



It took some work getting the cables from my modular power supply managed, but once done, everything worked perfectly. The power supply mounted with no problems, the new hard drives all work, and the system is still so remarkably quiet I'm amazed it's got such a beefy CPU.



I didn't stop there, though. This system came with Windows 7 64-bit. That's nice and all, but after a couple years of using Windows 8 and 8.1, I was too used to the new OS and all the advancement in it (and before you gripe about how terrible Windows 8.1 is, let me point out that the under-the-hood improvements are enough of a performance boost for any gamer to think twice about being pedantic about the UI changing slightly.) With Windows 8.1 in place on this Core i5 system, with an improved video card and 8 GB of RAM, the system boots up super-fast and everything blazes.



Even before I put Windows 8.1 on this PC, though, it was pretty darn fast. The hardware is solid. The Core i5 CPU is absolutely lovely, and I have no complaints about it. The added RAM was probably the real boost to the system, though. If you absolutely hate Windows 8.1 then you will still see plenty of speed on this system as-is, with Windows 7 on it.



Despite this being an excellent computer that has changed my mind about pre-built systems, I am knocking off a point from my review for a combination of things:



First, the stock power supply was woefully inadequate for any expansion of the system. It was enough to run the hardware included, but if the average user wants to add a hard drive or video card, they're going to find out soon enough that they needed to upgrade the power supply. What's more, the included PSU has exceptionally short wires going to the CPU and motherboard, making it useful only for this particular PC & motherboard's layout. This is a minor complaint, but when they advertise that it's "That Expandable", they really should see fit to stick a beefier, more well-equipped power supply in the case.



Second, I just don't see the point to having two 5.25 bays and only two 3.25 bays when there are four SATA connections. Most people simply aren't going to need an extra optical drive, and would want that extra hard drive some day. Maybe it's just me, but I think a third 3.25 rack would have been preferable in a case like this, or, barring that, at least include a caddy to transform that 5.25 bay into a 3.25 bay. I had one lying around, but most people won't, and again they're selling this series as "Expandable" so I'd think this hardware would be part of the case design.



Finally, there are no front fans whatsoever. No hard drive cooling, no intake. I may correct this myself if I can figure out how to make it work with the nearly-sealed front panel, but I found it strange that a system that is supposed to be expandable wouldn't take into account the possibility that future upgrades might increase the interior heat and require some additional cooling.



These are, of course, all nitpick from a PC builder's point of view. For the average consumer looking for a powerful system this is a great choice. You have the ability to add that GeForce (or AMD) video card, as long as you make sure to swap out the power supply, too. You have the ability to add an extra hard drive easily (the SATA and power connectors are right there, held in place on the empty drive bay). You have 8GB of RAM and almost the entire 1 TB hard drive to work with thanks to Dell not packing in a bunch of unnecessary bloatware. You have excellent speed, and best of all, quiet cooling and power that makes this system purr.



This is an excellent choice in pre-built PCs. I can safely say that the next time I am looking to help a layperson find a pre-built desktop computer that I won't have to help them fix all the time, it will likely be a Dell. My assessment of Dell's hardware (and software) has *vastly* improved after my experience with this system. They've made consumer-friendly systems that still cater to the desires and needs of tinkerers and people in-the-know, like me.



Final Verdict: FOUR STARS for me, but it could be FIVE STARS for the average consumer who never intends to do any upgrading themselves. Let's call it FOUR AND A HALF STARS, if Amazon would let me do that.

ASUS VivoPC-VM40B-02 Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I am using this as an entertainment PC in my bedroom where, although I have enough room for a full sized PC, I wanted a small form factor so my bedroom did not look like a home theater room. I have this PC connected to the TV in my bedroom by the HDMI port. I connected the VivoPC to a stereo with standard 3.5mm to RCA cable. With its small form factor, I was able to set it on the top of an NHT speaker.



Pros:



1) Small form factor. It can be placed just about anywhere. I prefer the styling to the similar Lenovo Q and Acer Revo series;

2) It is very quiet -- unlike the full size AMD FX8350 system I built for the home theater in the family room;

3) Very attractive case with nifty light through slit in front of the PC;

4) Wireless 802.11ac networking. This enables it to communicate very quickly with the PC on which I store all of my audio and video;

5) Good connectivity with 4 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports, audio and microphone plugs, HDMI and standard VGA outputs;

6) The 3.5" 500G hard drive is easy to remove and replace so you can upgrade it easily, unlike the Lenovo and Acer models.

7) Very inexpensive.

8) While the case is made of plastic, it feels solidly built.

9) Very portable.

10) The Intel 4000 graphics is adequate for 1080p video and audio.



Cons:



1) It is slow in that it uses a Celeron dual core processor. It scored a meager 877.5 on PerformanceTest 8. If you need more power but like the small form factor, the ASUS VIVO-PC VMB60 uses an I3 or I5 processor, but costs about $100 to 200 more and is done in a brushed black rather than the attractive gold of this PC;

2) I would like a front panel USB port to connect jump drives to.

3) It came with a wired keyboard and mouse. I purchased a Logitech tk820 all in one wireless keyboard with a built in touch pad so I didn't have to mess with a mouse where I did not have a place to use it.

4) Windows 8.



I am seriously considering buying a second one for the home theater system. You may want to compare this model to the similar Lenovo Q series or Acer Revo. If you can build your own system and have an operating system floating around, you may also want to consider the Intel NUC series or Gigabyte barebones PC which requires the addition of a hard drive and memory.