Tagged Products - 2.66ghz
(44)
results 1 - 20 of 44 reviews
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This is an awesome gaming machine. I researched different gaming machines, read all the reviews and went ahead and took the plunge. Yes it is expensive, but well worth the price. Very easy to set up, and very quiet. It is a large heavy machine, but how often do you move your computer? I've had it for a month now and no complaints at all.
4 price(s)
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There is something eminently satisfying about seeing FOUR cores listed during BIOS POST. TWELVE Megabytes of L2 cache? Fast, fast, fast.
Installation was slightly annoying though. The processor/heatsink attaches to the motherboard with some plastic thumbscrew rubbish. It requires a specific order to press and turn the thumbscrews. Removal of the heatsink requires a bizarre turning, lifting, then turning combination of movements. It made me long for the days of using actual METAL screws to attach heatsinks to motherboards.
Also, the thermal paste appears to discharge onto the cpu after the first plastic thumbscrew is turned so be careful. Get it right the first time or plan on cleaning up the paste and possibly adding additional paste.
Am very happy with the CPU. Am not happy with the heatsink design.
Installation was slightly annoying though. The processor/heatsink attaches to the motherboard with some plastic thumbscrew rubbish. It requires a specific order to press and turn the thumbscrews. Removal of the heatsink requires a bizarre turning, lifting, then turning combination of movements. It made me long for the days of using actual METAL screws to attach heatsinks to motherboards.
Also, the thermal paste appears to discharge onto the cpu after the first plastic thumbscrew is turned so be careful. Get it right the first time or plan on cleaning up the paste and possibly adding additional paste.
Am very happy with the CPU. Am not happy with the heatsink design.
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I ordered this product about 4 days ago. I have used it a couple of times since then and things seem to have been working fine. On about my sixth try I turned on the computer and nothing appeared on the screen. I turned it off and tried again. The moniter again displayed nothing and went into the standby mode. I called HP and was almost immediatly connected. The bad part is that they had this mostly computer novice do the trouble shooting for them before they would do anything. So I got to tear down my own computer while getting directions from tech support on the other end. We almost came to a stop when my hand was to big to reach in and grab the battery that they wanted taken out and put back. I asked what if I can't get to it. The tech told me then I could either return it to Amazon or paid to get it fixed. HP would not pay for the shipping or to have it fixed until all the steps in the trouble shooting process were complete. I got someone in the household with smaller hands to help
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Q9450 comes with impressive specs, but real-life performance often does not scale well with the numbers on paper. This is not the case with this thoroughly modern processor, though. It breezes through the tough video application at 30% CPU utilization, the same application that had brought the low-end dual-core it replaces to the knees.
What pleases me the most, however, is how cool this CPU runs. I had intended to make this computer as quiet as reasonably possible. Therefore, both the CPU and the GPU had to be passively cooled. I got a big heatsink (Scythe "NINJA 2" 6Heat Pipes CPU Cooler) for this purpose and it turned out to be an overkill. The CPU barely registers a little warmth even after heavy lifting. It is in fact not any hotter than the chipset. In contrast, the GeForce 8800GT, which is rated as the most energy-efficient GPU among the latest generation, feels like hot enough to fry an egg.
Given that Nehalem "Core i7" is just around the corner, the days of LGA775 are literally
What pleases me the most, however, is how cool this CPU runs. I had intended to make this computer as quiet as reasonably possible. Therefore, both the CPU and the GPU had to be passively cooled. I got a big heatsink (Scythe "NINJA 2" 6Heat Pipes CPU Cooler) for this purpose and it turned out to be an overkill. The CPU barely registers a little warmth even after heavy lifting. It is in fact not any hotter than the chipset. In contrast, the GeForce 8800GT, which is rated as the most energy-efficient GPU among the latest generation, feels like hot enough to fry an egg.
Given that Nehalem "Core i7" is just around the corner, the days of LGA775 are literally
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I'm not one to give 5/5 stars to anything, but this computer is awesome. I added the 24" HP flatscreen monitor, and the graphics are amazing. My old PC was running well with XP, and with all the moaning about Vista, I thought about running XP on the new computer as well. That would have been a big mistake. I'm using 64 bit Vista on the HP, and with 6 MB of RAM, the thing runs beautifully. No crashes, no glitches, despite using all the Vista eye candy extras (which I recommend--they're fun after all!). I recently added a couple of Macbook laptops to the home network, and this computer was far easier to set up! Apple's built in networking capabilities are primitive, and getting the Macs set up to work with network printers was a pain. Everything worked immediately with my new HP running Vista, however, and the system has been rock solid.
The built in digital TV tuner is really fun. The Media software included works really well, letting you automatically search for over air HD channels,
The built in digital TV tuner is really fun. The Media software included works really well, letting you automatically search for over air HD channels,
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I must be one of the few who actually enjoys the new Vista 64-bit operating system. No glitches and no software issues yet. This computer is WICKED FAST as it should be with the Quad processor and the 6 Gigs of ram. Extremely happy with this investment. PLENTY of bang for my buck. I've never seen graphics programs run so fast in my life. This thing rips through high meg layered files like they were butter. I'm saving money with recording and downloading my fav TV shows on this PC. I can only imagine a gaming computer would be faster but I'm not into dropping 3 grand on a PC that'll be outdated in five years nor do I game. This PC does everything I need, want and more. Also runs much cooler and quieter than my previous HP that I got four years ago. I like that they put the power button on the top since I keep the Tower under desk. Beginning 'welcoming' animation was pretty slick and impressive (yes they dropped some bucks getting that made) Nice look also with the black gloss and touch of
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My review is for my own custom built HP 9000 series, very similar to this one.
I have 4GB of ram the maximum you can have in a 32bit system with windows Vista Premium.
I selected the highest Nvidia graphics card for use whether for TV, Gaming just onlne streaming video and I made sure it was blue ray/HD DVD so I have both as at that time they hadn't chosen. Fortunateky I have both and even had HD DVD's so this way I am ok for Blue Ray as well.
This is one of the best computers I have eve had. I had mine made back in mid December 2007 and I have been running it daily for many hours with virtually little issues or needs to contact support.
I have the HP 24" flat panel monitor and it works flawlessly with the computer.
I recommend before you buy to go to the HP website and even just do a mock custom built machine to see what you want, what they recommend and see the pricing. Then go back to the net, to Amazon to shop for the best price and combo of choices. In many cases you
I have 4GB of ram the maximum you can have in a 32bit system with windows Vista Premium.
I selected the highest Nvidia graphics card for use whether for TV, Gaming just onlne streaming video and I made sure it was blue ray/HD DVD so I have both as at that time they hadn't chosen. Fortunateky I have both and even had HD DVD's so this way I am ok for Blue Ray as well.
This is one of the best computers I have eve had. I had mine made back in mid December 2007 and I have been running it daily for many hours with virtually little issues or needs to contact support.
I have the HP 24" flat panel monitor and it works flawlessly with the computer.
I recommend before you buy to go to the HP website and even just do a mock custom built machine to see what you want, what they recommend and see the pricing. Then go back to the net, to Amazon to shop for the best price and combo of choices. In many cases you
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My old PC had issues running Photoshop CS3 and Pinnacle Studio 12. After purchasing this model last week, everything runs smooth. I'm now able to edit my high-def videos without any issues.
one negative- After turning the PC for the first time, I heard this high pitched noise. Opening the PC case, I found the cables laying on the video card fan. I took a tie-wrap and bundled the cables off the fan. I fear it may have damaged the card.
one negative- After turning the PC for the first time, I heard this high pitched noise. Opening the PC case, I found the cables laying on the video card fan. I took a tie-wrap and bundled the cables off the fan. I fear it may have damaged the card.
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This computer is extremely fast, has a huge 1 terrabyte harddrive and gigs of ram. The BIGGEST problem I have had is with the new Vista 64 bit operating system...finding other hardware that will work with it. At first the modem for my DSL didn't work, spent a coule hours on the phone with tech support. My expensive ZYXEL prestige 300 router would not work with the 64bit operating system...I spent hours on the phone with tech support for the modem and router and my ISP. I finally checked the microsoft website they recommended 4 routers for use with the 64 bit Vista, so I bought oneof them, a brand new D-LINK EBRR-2310 from amazon, with cable, it got here and I installed it, and zippo! Spent another four hours on the phone with the D-LINK guy in India and he advised me to take the router back where I got it cause it wasn't gonna work! In exasperation I talked to a techie guy at work who suggested I should try the combo modem/router by AT&T which is my ISP (ATT-Yahoo dsl) and I ordered
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The computer arrived in good condition. The box was partially open, but nothing was missing. I think HP could have done a better job with the box. The computer is very fast. I think the fact that it has 4 GB of ram helps. It has room for a second dvd player and the media drive works great. I bought 500GB drive and now I have 1.5 TB of storage space. Sweet! I was replacing a 4 year-old laptop and I wanted a much faster computer and I also wanted to be able to play blu-ray disks. Windows vista on the other hand is very disappointing. I am unable to play most blu-ray and old dvd disks. I looked in the internet for an answer and I found that many users have the same complaint. Apparently the controversial Digital Rights Management is to blame. Vista will stop playing DRM content if an unverified component is detected or suspected. It also decreases the quality of video under certain circumstances. I do not understand much about this, I only want to play high definition videos in my 24" monitor.
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This is a quality product. It's packaged well, it installs easily and it works flawlessly. The included thermal solution (heatsink and fan assembly) fits well and keeps the CPU temperature nice and low without making fan noise. The heatsink has factory pre-installed thermal compound, so you don't need any "heatsink grease" during installation.
A few "facts" about this (and other Intel Core 2 Quad) processors:
* Performance speed is better, but not a LOT better than a dual core. This is because most Windows programs only use one core anyway.
* Programs that are written for a multi CPU system (such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom) will be screaming fast when run on this chip.
* A quad core CPU is actually 2 dual cores in one package.
* This CPU is "locked" (it cannot have it's clock multiplier changed for "overclocking").
* To get an "unlocked" CPU, you must buy a $1000+ "Quad Core Extreme" chip (i.e. a QX6700).
* This CPU is not supported by older motherboards. MAKE SURE you
A few "facts" about this (and other Intel Core 2 Quad) processors:
* Performance speed is better, but not a LOT better than a dual core. This is because most Windows programs only use one core anyway.
* Programs that are written for a multi CPU system (such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom) will be screaming fast when run on this chip.
* A quad core CPU is actually 2 dual cores in one package.
* This CPU is "locked" (it cannot have it's clock multiplier changed for "overclocking").
* To get an "unlocked" CPU, you must buy a $1000+ "Quad Core Extreme" chip (i.e. a QX6700).
* This CPU is not supported by older motherboards. MAKE SURE you
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I bought this computer primarily for photo and video editing and so far, my results have been excellent. Processing and DVD creation that used to take 1 - 2 hours on my 1.7 Ghz machine, takes between 4 and 13 MINUTES!
I did have some minor problems changing over to the Vista operating system, mainly configuring my video inputs using the Vista 'Media Center'. I "fooled" the Media Center so that I could record using the 'composite' connections in the end, but I made things a LOT easier by going to the webpage of the TV Tuner card (Haupauge) and downloading the control programs that normally ship with the card - they did NOT come already installed on the computer! Once I did this, it was VERY easy to record TV from ANY of the inputs - including the 'composites'. The program even made it easy to automatically find and configure the TV channels that came "over the air", so that you could easily use the computer as a DVR to automatically record TV OR Radio shows.
This computer was BY FAR
I did have some minor problems changing over to the Vista operating system, mainly configuring my video inputs using the Vista 'Media Center'. I "fooled" the Media Center so that I could record using the 'composite' connections in the end, but I made things a LOT easier by going to the webpage of the TV Tuner card (Haupauge) and downloading the control programs that normally ship with the card - they did NOT come already installed on the computer! Once I did this, it was VERY easy to record TV from ANY of the inputs - including the 'composites'. The program even made it easy to automatically find and configure the TV channels that came "over the air", so that you could easily use the computer as a DVR to automatically record TV OR Radio shows.
This computer was BY FAR
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There are several reasons why I've only given this computer three stars.
1. It doesn't come with a Vista 64 install disk. This makes it impossible to set it up as a Raid0. It's already set up in a non-raid configuration when you get it, and without a Vista 64 disk, you're stuck.
2. It's under-powered. This thing should really have at least a 500 watt power supply. This makes upgrading a chore, since you WILL have to swap out the power supply.
3. HD DVD: can you say Betamax?
4. The case is too small, and it's further cramped with those proprietary portable media bays. Who is actually going to buy one of those overpriced things when they can buy a 1 terrabyte external hard drive for less money?
5. The hard drives keep parking their heads (clicking) unless you turn off the power saving features.
6. It will be difficult to swap out the optical drives without buying them from HP because of their non-standard appearance.
7. Instead of 4 1GB RAM sticks, it should come with 2 2GB ones.
1. It doesn't come with a Vista 64 install disk. This makes it impossible to set it up as a Raid0. It's already set up in a non-raid configuration when you get it, and without a Vista 64 disk, you're stuck.
2. It's under-powered. This thing should really have at least a 500 watt power supply. This makes upgrading a chore, since you WILL have to swap out the power supply.
3. HD DVD: can you say Betamax?
4. The case is too small, and it's further cramped with those proprietary portable media bays. Who is actually going to buy one of those overpriced things when they can buy a 1 terrabyte external hard drive for less money?
5. The hard drives keep parking their heads (clicking) unless you turn off the power saving features.
6. It will be difficult to swap out the optical drives without buying them from HP because of their non-standard appearance.
7. Instead of 4 1GB RAM sticks, it should come with 2 2GB ones.
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I've been building a number of systems lately, and needed to put together a few of my own too. So in addition to building several servers based on newer Xeon chips, I also have had the pleasure of building two core 2 quad systems recently.
Intel's entire lineup of new chips have some real positives. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Quad-Core Processor, 2.66 GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB, LGA775 is a great chip in particular that offers you some of the benefits of a server CPU at a home PC price point. It's also very compatible with the types of boards and set-ups that most gamers or heavy application users (read Photoshop :) ) will want in their rigs.
Like the Xeon Quad-core - X3350, the 9450 also gives you the 12 MB of L2 Cache, which is the largest easily available through retail channels and 50% larger than the 6600. True, for $200 you can get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 here on Amazon. It has a very similar clock speed (easily over-clocked) and a respectable 8 MB of L2 cache, which
Intel's entire lineup of new chips have some real positives. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Quad-Core Processor, 2.66 GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB, LGA775 is a great chip in particular that offers you some of the benefits of a server CPU at a home PC price point. It's also very compatible with the types of boards and set-ups that most gamers or heavy application users (read Photoshop :) ) will want in their rigs.
Like the Xeon Quad-core - X3350, the 9450 also gives you the 12 MB of L2 Cache, which is the largest easily available through retail channels and 50% larger than the 6600. True, for $200 you can get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 here on Amazon. It has a very similar clock speed (easily over-clocked) and a respectable 8 MB of L2 cache, which
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We originally bought this 20" iMac to replace our two PCs that have recently become paperweights. The computer and OSX are amazing - I agree with every raving review here. We also got the wireless keyboard and mouse which are well worth the upgrade.
I could not live with the low-quality TN screen however. I was not aware of the issue when I bought it. After setting it up, I noticed that the color tone and contrast would shift drastically as I moved my head only a few inches up and down. Granted, most LCD screens will do that to some extent, but I have never seen such poor viewing angles on a screen. For instance, in iTunes, the white and blue horizontal bars in the songlist panel would shift if I went from a slouching position to sitting straight - white bars shifted to blue, blue bars to white. There is also a very noticeable gradient vertically across the screen - the top of the screen is darker, while the icons in the dock appear washed out. There is no amount of calibration that can
I could not live with the low-quality TN screen however. I was not aware of the issue when I bought it. After setting it up, I noticed that the color tone and contrast would shift drastically as I moved my head only a few inches up and down. Granted, most LCD screens will do that to some extent, but I have never seen such poor viewing angles on a screen. For instance, in iTunes, the white and blue horizontal bars in the songlist panel would shift if I went from a slouching position to sitting straight - white bars shifted to blue, blue bars to white. There is also a very noticeable gradient vertically across the screen - the top of the screen is darker, while the icons in the dock appear washed out. There is no amount of calibration that can
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I was a Windows/PC user for 15 years, which is more than half my life. When it was time to buy a new computer recently, I waffled about making the leap to Mac and eventually turned coward. Three weeks ago I bought a new PC. I spent almost three days setting everything up and dealing with Vista. On the fourth day, it wouldn't recognise its monitor any more. I was done. I took it back and bought this beautiful baby.
I'm absolutely in love with it. The screwy secured wireless network my husband set up in our house? It took three hours to get the PC to recognize and accept it. This Mac? One minute. Everything's been like that -- beautifully simplistic and intuitively easy to use. I've cut the clutter on my desk by 2/3rds. And sweet heavens is this baby fast. The screen is gorgeous and my kids keep begging to be allowed to play with it. Not going to happen. The iMac is mine, all mine!
The only drawback I've found is that I haven't found a personal finance program that competes
I'm absolutely in love with it. The screwy secured wireless network my husband set up in our house? It took three hours to get the PC to recognize and accept it. This Mac? One minute. Everything's been like that -- beautifully simplistic and intuitively easy to use. I've cut the clutter on my desk by 2/3rds. And sweet heavens is this baby fast. The screen is gorgeous and my kids keep begging to be allowed to play with it. Not going to happen. The iMac is mine, all mine!
The only drawback I've found is that I haven't found a personal finance program that competes
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Like another reviewer, we bought this with our stimulus check to replace a 7 year old machine. This is our first Mac, and, although I had reasons to switch, I am constantly blown away by all of the little details, the fit and finish of this beautiful machine. Even the keyboard makes other keyboards seem like cheap, flimsy crap. OS X is impressive, the processor, hard drive and memory haven't been taxed yet. I'm a Windows developer by day, but can't wait to use this machine. The UNIX underpinnings and XCode tools are wonderful. I can't say enough good things about this, but I don't have any other Mac experience less than 15 years old to compare it to. I considered the refurbished 24", primarily because of the IPS vs TN display, but the display is fantastic compared to my 22" displays at work, and the bump in processor speed and front side bus makes this a bit more future proof - I plan on having this for years to come, so I wanted to make sure I had the latest proc.
Highly recom
Highly recom
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About 2 weeks ago i had ordered this processor and have it installed was running a dual core processor from 2005. Insteading of paying a huge amount for the qx9650 was able to get this chip overclocked to 3.3 gig, as for gaming use. Yes it does make a difference that all depends on which game you are running. Example and case in the newly released Age of Conan, Running this the game is running smooth and clean. Would have gotten the q9550 didnt want to spend the extra money. Is the chip a little pricey yes, it just got released
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I really like the computer, runs quiet and fast. Looks good and has pretty much all features. I recommend this product to anyone.
Three things I liked less, it does not have bluetooth which is clear from the specs, but it would still be a "nice to have".
It does not have 2 DVI ports, instead it comes with one DVI and one HDMI and you need to buy a separate HDMI to DVI converter to hook up two DVI monitors.
And three, the software is pre-installed but not included on a CD. I contacted tech support and they acknowledge that when you need to re-install your operating system you just lost all tools and are pretty much on your own.
One last piece of feedback, when I installed Symantect Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.2 I ran into an error. HP was very quick to refer me to Symantec, so do not expect support unless it is clearly a sole HP issue.
Three things I liked less, it does not have bluetooth which is clear from the specs, but it would still be a "nice to have".
It does not have 2 DVI ports, instead it comes with one DVI and one HDMI and you need to buy a separate HDMI to DVI converter to hook up two DVI monitors.
And three, the software is pre-installed but not included on a CD. I contacted tech support and they acknowledge that when you need to re-install your operating system you just lost all tools and are pretty much on your own.
One last piece of feedback, when I installed Symantect Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.2 I ran into an error. HP was very quick to refer me to Symantec, so do not expect support unless it is clearly a sole HP issue.
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I recently had the pleasure to install the Xeon Quad-core - X3350 into a new server that is pulling multiple duties. There are a number of reasons to get this processor for specific scenarios and many reasons to avoid it in most cases. Bottom line, for $200 you can get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 that is very similar. The main benefit to this guy is that it is compatible with the 3200 board architecture that gives you ECC DDR2 800 ram and some other extras. The other obvious benefit is that you get the 12 MB of L2 Cache, which is the largest easily available through retail channels and 50% larger than the 6600.
The price here on Amazon of just under $400 isn't far off from what I paid at my brick and mortar hardware place.
The front side bus compatibility is pretty comparable across the different architectures. Most have support for a 1333 FSB. In this case, if you have a smaller server that requires you to use a uni-processor board, this is one of the best chips you can build
The price here on Amazon of just under $400 isn't far off from what I paid at my brick and mortar hardware place.
The front side bus compatibility is pretty comparable across the different architectures. Most have support for a 1333 FSB. In this case, if you have a smaller server that requires you to use a uni-processor board, this is one of the best chips you can build
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