HP Pavilion 6712 - C 667 MHz - 15" CRT

Author's product rating:   

Speed	Average
Design	Excellent
Manufacturer Support	Satisfactory
Ease of use	Easy
Value For Money	Poor

Advantages:	Reliable, looks stoosh, lasted over 4 years of daily use
Disadvantages:	4 . 5 years old and beginning to show

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

WHAT'S THIS THEN?
It's a computer. Not the keyboard or mouse or monitor, just the boring box thing that you press "on" and, like the Post Office, it's the small thing that makes the big things happen. I bought this in March 2000 for a whopping £999. I say "whopping" because when you look at the specifications of the machine, you'll realise that that sort of money is a lot to pay for a machine of this limited capability. Howver, in my defence, this was possibly the most highest, affordable spec available back then. You know how whooshy the world of PCs are. I'll spend the same today and it'll be obselete by 2008.

WHAT DO THE MANUFACTURERS SAY?
"Hewlett-Packard has given the concept of value a whole new look with the HP Pavilion PC. Combining a dependable, high-speed processor with a stylish, compact, all-new chassis design, it delivers a price/performance balance that is ideal for first-time PC buyers and those who want an inexpensive second computer. Beneath the sleek, translucent design, however, is plenty of room to grow, because this design allows you to add features, as your computing needs change, boosting performance and expanding your multimedia possibilities in the process. The HP Pavilion PC - it's quality and value. This is a computing platform that you won't outgrow, because when you invest in the Hewlett-Packard Pavilion PC, you've invested in a powerful, do-it-all solution. It is easily expandable, so when you want to add the latest features, more memory or additional storage capacity, you can do so - easily and cost effectively. The vast resources of the Internet are always just a few easy steps away with the HP Pavilion PC. One-touch Internet keyboard gives you fast, customizable access to your favorite online destinations, and the HP Pavilion PC's powerful processor and the integrated modem makes web browsing more productive. From timely, valuable support to its newly designed shape, the HP Pavilion PC is designed to fit your life. The translucent look gives you a stylish view and the rounded corners and streamlined architecture give you full capabilities in a smaller, more attractive design. "

I have to agree with most that: the Pavilion looks like one of those Texet calculators with friendly curves and odd colours (my PC is grey, black and turquoise with a handy "features at a glance" sticker. It makes a great first PC and it compatibility with the internet and it's acceptance of every program I've ever downloaded into it makes a refreshing change.

WHAT DO YOU GET WITH IT?
Here's the original spec:

-Windows 98
-566 MHZ Celeron processor
-15GB hard drive
-Standard floppy drive
-CD-ROM drive (not CDR or CDRW!)
-64MB of memory
-Standard 56k modem

Here are the software and accessories that came with mine:

-Lexmark Z12 ColourFine printer
-Standard
-MS IE5
-MS Works 2000
-101/102 Internet ready MS keyboard
-HP mouse
-HP Pavilion M50 monitor (review to follow)

WHAT CAN I DO ON IT?
Everything you want to do, really. The 15GB hard drive can store enough information for even daily users like myself. I tend to download a lot of music and I currently have about 160 (legal!) songs at 3mb each. I have installed about 75 programs from Kazaa to Photoshop on it and there's still about 7.2GB free. It came internet-ready and was bundled with a load of useless software that I quickly deleted. MS Works is just a poor relation of MS Office but does the job. It features a WP, spreadsheet, database (to 32,000 records), address book and a calendar. I use my PC for internet access and music downloads, a lot of spreadsheets and word processing and to burn CDs. I have lot of games for the kids installed and, as I said, still have about half of the original disc space left.

IS IT ANY GOOD?
I think so. It's sleek grey and black design makes it look good for a start. For a 566MHZ processor, it's still pretty fast and I have added a lot of programs and data to the computer and it still bangs away daily without any problems.

IS IT STILL RELEVANT TODAY?
Just about. You've seen the spec of mine and have hopefullly stopped laughing now, but for daily surfing and downloads it's ideal. OK it's got Windows 98 on it and that can be a bit of a drag especially when I use XP at work. But generally, until the day it dies on me, I'm quite happy to keep on using it.

SUGGESTED UPGRADES
When I discovered the joys of MP3 burning about three years ago, the first thing do go was the antiquated CD ROM drive. I bought a Sony rewritable drive which packed up last year and so I replaced this with an LG rewritable drive. I have also:
-installed broadband
-installed 75 programs (mainly from the net)
-changed the internet keyboard to a normal one

The above was done without any detrimental effect to the running of the PC. I've received no software/hardware conflicts on my system and am happy to report I've not had to call HP support since I've had the Pavilion.

HOW MUCH CAN I EXPECT TO PAY FOR ONE?
If you bought the exact spec of mine, you'd surely get change out of £150! I have seen one of the new Pavilion models (the 710) on Kelkoo for £435.00. This includes bang up to date spec (eg 2.77GHZ processor) with an 80GB hard drive and delivery.

OVERALL
I love it. It's been like a faithful dog or a reliable car and I am happy to report that I won't dipping into the rip off world of PC just yet!

Thanks for reading!