Description:
While most models in HP's Pavilion a200n Desktop PC series of personal computers are best suited to those who don’t need or can’t afford a high-end personal computer, the top-of-the-line Pavilion a250n is packed with power and amenities. Gamers and anyone who works primarily with 3-D applications will want to upgrade the installed video card, but everyone else should find the Pavilion a250n more than enough computer for their needs. For the Pavilion a250n, HP has replaced the AMD Athlon processor found in the majority of the a200n series with a potent 2.6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 CPU with Hyper-Threading technology (Intel's new process whereby single CPU systems partially mimic dual-CPU systems -- thus boosting performance during high-drain procedures). The unit features a perfectly adequate amount of memory at 512 MB, but seems curiously underpowered graphically with the same 64 MB nVidia GeForce4 MX video card used in many of HP's lower-priced machines. In its stock configuration, the system will blast through most home, home office and professional 2-D tasks but will have trouble efficiently rendering some high-end 3-D animation apps and games. The Pavilion a250n is blessed with a bevy of data handling options, including a massive 120 GB hard disk, a 3.5-inch diskette drive for smaller programs and backups, a fast 48-speed CD drive or playing music discs and installing applications, and a convenient DVD-RW/CD-RW combo drive through which users may burn audio CDs, backup data, watch their favorite movies, and record homegrown videos to DVD. To exchange information with external devices such as DV camcorders and digital cameras, the system also features six fast USB 2.0 ports (two on the front), two FireWire interfaces (one front, one rear), and a 6-in-1 media card reader. Connectivity options include a 56K modem for low-speed surfing and a 10/100Base-T networking interface for high-speed e-communications. HP has added a two-button PS/2 scrolling mouse and convenient HP Multimedia keyboard but has not enclosed a display or speakers.
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