Product Description

HP Pavilion M8200N Desktop PC. The HP Pavilion Media Center TV desktop PC is designed and built for your digital life. Take control of your digital entertainment with a PC that helps you consolidate, organize, and play your favorite TV shows, movies, music, photos and videos. The HP Media Center Remote Control provides access to your digital music, photos, and videos from across the room. The front panel 15 in 1 memory card reader makes it easy to transfer photos, music, and other files to and from your digital camera and other peripheral devices. The SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology lets you create custom, silkscreen quality labels and artwork directly onto LightScribe enabled CD and DVD discs. A built in drive bay fits an optional HP Personal Media Drive, for up to 500GB of additional storage that you can carry with you when you go.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1100 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: M8200N
• Dimensions: 15.16" h x 10.75" w x 7.60" l,
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3 GHz
• Memory: 3000MB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 500GB
• Processors: 2

Features

• Powerful multimedia desktop with TV tuner (NTSC/ATSC), personal video recording functionality, and programming guide
• 3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ dual-core processor, 500 GB SATA hard drive, 3 GB RAM (8 GB max), 16x LightScribe DVD drive
• Connectivity: 6 USB, 2 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 composite A/V digital audio output, surround sound speaker output, 15-in-1 memory card reader
• Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 video card with up to 288 MB shared memory, 10/100 Ethernet
• Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)

Amazon.com Product Description
The easy-to-use HP m8200n 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. You can watch, record, and pause live TV programming as well as schedule the PC to record upcoming episodes or entire series. The built-in TV tuner (providing both standard NTSC and high-def ATSC transmission) and personal video recorder (PVR) let you watch, pause, rewind, and record live television--up to 305 hours on this 500 GB hard drive. An online Electronic Program Guide (EPG) lets you review the TV schedule and select individual episodes or entire series, so you can watch your favorite shows on your own time, at your own convenience. And you can easily burn TV shows and home video to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner (16x for DVD±R), which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. LightScribe technology burns custom, silkscreen-quality labels and artwork directly onto LightScribe-enabled discs, right inside the drive.

This desktop is powered by the 3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ dual-core processor, which increases the efficiency and speed of the PC while running multiple programs and the latest multi-threaded software. A built-in drive bay fits an optional HP Personal Media Drive (PMD), for up to 500 GB of additional storage that you can carry away with you when you go (PMD not included). It also features 3 GB of installed RAM (8 GB maximum), NVidia GeForce 6150 LE video card (with 128 MB of dedicated video memory), 15-in-1 memory card reader, up to 8 channels of surround sound output, and a remote control with up to 16 feet of range.

This PC also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 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: AMD's Athlon 64 X2 6000+ dual-core processor is built for tomorrow's 64-bit applications, which will require a processor with significant power. It outperforms the highest-performing AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single-core processor on multi-tasking benchmarks by up to 30 percent. Dual-core technology is like having two processors working together, each one taking care of different applications, so power-users actually experience greater performance when multiple applications are running. Digital media enthusiasts will appreciate the enhancements while simultaneously working in high-definition video and photo editing and audio mixing programs. It includes such AMD features as HyperTransport Technology (which increases the communication between integrated circuits) and Enhanced Virus Protection.

  This 3.0 GHz processor offers a system bus with speeds up to a blazing 2000 MHz and each core offers a 1 MB L2 cache--for a 2 MB total. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

• Hard Drive: The incredibly huge 500 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space--enough for storing up to 305 hours of television programming, a vast multimedia collection, or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

• Memory: The 3 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 2 x 1 GB, 2 x 512 MB) is a good 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 enormous 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: This desktop comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and scroller mouse (both PS/2) and remote control.

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 623 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 features a drive bay that fits an optional HP Personal Media Drive--which enables you to add 500 GB of storage for your video and music libraries. It has two PCI expansion slots (none available), one PCI x16 Express slot (available), one PCI x1 Express slot (available), two 5.25-inch bays (one available), three 3.5-inch bays (two available), and the following external ports:

• 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)
• Composite video, S-Video, and analog audio inputs
• VGA video out
• Headphone and microphone jacks
• Digital SPDIF audio output
• Surround sound speakers--rear, side, center
• 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
• 15-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Pro/Duo/Pro Duo, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, XD Picture Card, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+

It includes 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).

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 Basic Edition, Roxio Creator 9 and MyDVD Basic, HP PhotoSmart Essential, and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This desktop measures 15.16 x 7.6 x 16.54 inches (LxWxD) and weighs approximately 32 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Media Center m8200n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, remote control, and power cord. 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.

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Customer Reviews

An Awesome Computer!
This is my second HP computer, I have also owned Dells, Macs, and I also use a Gateway computer at work. I think this is a great computer for the price. I was looking for a computer that could do a good job at handling photos and also editing video files. I currently use Adobe Premier 3.0 and Premier is a very memory intensive program, the new HP really handles this need well. I was concerned about the new Vista operating system, but so far, it has been working fine. I really like the interface and new features of the Vista system. I had one initial problem with Vista. Be warned that at this point, you should not try to use the "sleep mode" feature, my computer would not "wake up." I called HP tech (surprisingly easy to reach and very helpful) and they helped me set it up in the hibernation mode and said the problem will soon be fixed in a Vista update. This computer comes with 3gigs of RAM, expandable to 8. It also comes with a port for a pocket drive, which is a great option for backup and extra storage, the extra drive is not included with the unit. I have a HP WW2207 22" monitor hooked up to it and it looks and runs great! I'm sure there are bigger and better high end computers, but this HP is really well designed and the price is very reasonable.

Beware of the very poor integrated video card and noisy hard drive!
I got this desktop couple weeks ago with a new 22' LCD monitor.

ISSUE 1- When I connected the two, the screen was flickering all over. All the drivers were properly installed and the settings were fine. So to figure out what the problem was, we tried the monitor with another desktop and the desktop with another monitor. Obviously, the DESKTOP created the flickers and the monitor was fine (pretty good actually). Then, we installed an average video card with a DVI output (Oh, this desktop does NOT have a DVI output, which is a shame), and the flickering was gone. So there was something wrong with the integrated video card. Well, it is indeed a very cheap video card. Getting another video card for the PCI-Express slot is also a PROBLEM due to the TV card that is sitting right next to it. That means, you have to choose a slim video card that doesn't have a heat sinker but instead has a fan and have to bear with the extra noise. You kinda have to do that because those with a heat sink basically won't fit into the PCI-express. Finally, I got a new video card and got rid of the very annoying flickering. An extra $50.

ISSUE 2- The hard drive is VERY noisy. I am not sure if this is all due to hardware or also a Vista problem, because I installed Ubuntu (Linux), and the hard disk noise is much less if not completely gone.

ISSUE 3- Be aware that it comes with a 32 bit Vista although the cpu's are 64 bit. The machine is noticeably faster with 64 bit Ubuntu.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with this desktop, especially due to the integrated video card. I am not a gamer, so thought I wouldn't care that it is an old video card while buying. But how could I know the annoying flickering! And again, there is no DVI output.

Quite satisfactory system.
HP 8200 is a good system that works well. One notch down from their HP9040 system, the 8200 uses an AMD chip instead of Intel. The 9040 uses a quad channel while the 8200 uses a dual channel. The 8200 only has an analog output while the 9040 has an HD digital out which would make a difference if you needed to connect your system to an HD monitor or HDTV. Vista takes a little getting use to if your not familiar with it or are very use to WinXP. You will need a transfer cable if you want tranfer your files and setting easily from XP to Vista. Your can transfer files using discs but its a pain. Many of my programs on their factory discs would not install, including my HP 4010 printer. Vista does have an "incompatibility" install program to help with troublesome XP programs that won't autorun. For other programs I went to the product website, (Epson printer), and downloaded drivers and patchs. Vista will ask and sometimes find the needed downloads and patchs. With 3GB the system is fast. The over-the-air TV and Radio tuner work well. The 8200 can be your computer, TV and Radio all in one if that was a consideration, lets say for a dorm room where space is limited. My only complaint is the cheap keyboard and even cheaper mouse that comes with the 8200. I would opt for a upgrade not from HP. Otherwise, quite satisfied. By the way, some tech friends have said I should take out Vista and install WinXP, but in the long run did'nt really see any advantages to going backwards. If you want to do it, there is a link in Help that helps you do it.