HP Pavilion a600n

10/7/04 - While most of the computer manufacturers tend to use Intel for their computer systems, HP is one of the few that also use the AMD Athlon line of processors. This helps distinguish many of the HP Pavilion computers from their Compaq Presario conterparts.

Powering the Pavilion a600n is the AMD Athlon XP 2800+. This processor provides a much faster experience compared to the Intel Celeron D line of processors particularly in office and gaming applications. Matched to this is 512MB of PC2700 DDR memory that should be plenty for most applications.

Storage is average for the Pavilion a600n. While many budget systems tend to have a CD-RW burner and DVD-ROM drives, the a600n instead uses a single 48x CD-RW combo drive that frees up a large drive bay for future expansion. Hard drive space is handled by an average sized 80GB hard drive which should be plenty for most users. Also included is a 9-in-1 media card reader for use with digital cameras and music players.

Graphics of course is lacking with the base system. The a600n uses an integrated 3D graphics processor that does not properly handle the current 3D applications. Those looking to do any form of 3D gaming do have the ability to upgrade the graphics card thanks to the included AGP 8x expansion slot.

All of this adds up to a well rounded budget computer system that can handle most applications and has the ability to be upgraded unlike many of its competing desktops.