HP 110-326 Desktop (Pentium, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD)
CUSTOMER REVIEW
This desktop PC is nothing special, and priced too high for its specs and features. Mediocre performance in a PC released in August of 2014 is not what I'm looking for at any price, and thus this PC doesn't do it for me.
However, I can't really give it a lower star review as what it does have, works as expected. The 3 star (it's OK) relates to its performance and lack of a HDMI or USB 3.0 port.
I did not purchase this PC, but a friend did, and I advised him to return it after hearing how much he'd paid. He did find another desktop with HDMI and USB 3.0 for less than he paid for this one to suit his needs.
Please note that I have not added the specs in this review, however there is a link at the bottom of this writing to the HP site where you can see them.
WHO WOULD LIKE THIS PC?
If you are looking to email, surf the Internet, play around on Facebook, watch a movie or similar, this PC will work for you. It's not ultra-fast, but it's not slow either. It could work for students who want to do homework online using Google Docs or web-based software.
Unfortunately there are a lot of PCs that fall into this home/student category, and many of them have better specs for about the same price or less. I do like that this PC's memory can be upgraded to 16 GB, which for me is a great perk, but only if this PC was in the sub-300 price range.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
As I mentioned, this PC can be upgraded to 16 GB of memory which is fabulous, but an added expense. You've got (2) slots, thus you'd need to get (2) 8GB dimms to max out the memory.
There's Beats Audio support and 5.1 audio (surround sound) support installed. The audio is integrated, but enhanced.
The installed 500 GB hard drive is 7200 RPMs versus the slower 5400 RPM that's generally standard in the lower end desktop and laptop PCs.
The 7-in-1 media card reader and DVD (burner) drive, which allows for use with CDs and DVDs - read and write, work well.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE
No HDMI? Are you kidding me?!
No PC produced in 2014 should be without an HDMI port and this one does not have HDMI. VGA and DVI-D connectivity are there, so most monitors will work, but you can't easily connect this PC to an HDMI port on your HDTV, which is a bummer.
NO USB 3.0 ports?! Again, what's the deal HP?
USB 3.0 is the latest standard for faster data transfers. No current PC (laptop or desktop) should be shipping without at least one port dedicated to USB 3.0. This PC has (6) USB 2.0 ports; (4) on the back and (2) on the front.
Integrated audio and video are OK, but certainly not entertainment ready. Even with the 5.1 and Beats Audio support.
CONCLUSION
There's simply nothing about this HP offering to set it apart. The processor is good and the ability to upgrade the memory is awesome, but the lack of HDMI and USB 3.0 connectivity, along with the smaller 500 GB hard drive size make the asking price too high.
Despite being released only a few months ago, there's no real room to grow with this one - other than the memory upgrade. The PC has too few positives for me to want to recommend it to others.
I recommend if you are looking for a desktop PC, keep in mind that four hundred should get you a solid processor, a good amount of memory and a tower with at least (1) USB 3.0 port and HDMI. Anything less, you're paying too much.
Check out HP's Pavillion series to find it. Something like: HP Pavilion 500-336 Desktop Computer on sale is a much better deal! Even this one: HP 110-430 Desktop (Intel Celeron J1800, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD) has USB 3.0 and it's cheap.
You may also like the HP Chromebox CB1-014 Desktop (White), which can connect to a HDTV or even a dual monitor setup for about one-fifty. You do have to supply a keyboard and mouse for the Chromebox, but you can connect via DisplayPort or HDMI, or both for the dual monitor thing to work. Check out my review of it on that product - it's a video one.
NOTE: If you want to know the specs on this PC, go to the HP site and do a search for 'HP 110-326 desktop' or check out http://ift.tt/1ydzROF .
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