Pros & Cons
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- Windows 7.
- Solidly built.
- Good price.
- Dual-core all-in-one desktop.
- All the internals built into the screen.
- HD capable graphics.
- Improved MediaSmart software.
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- Low screen resolution (1,366-by-768) prevents 3D testing.
- Windows 7 and PhotoShop incompatibilities.
- Just 60 days of Internet Security updates.
- Bloatware.
HP Pavilion All-in-One MS214 PC Specs
| Graphics Card: | AMD Radeon HD 3200 |
| Monitor Type: | LCD Widescreen |
| Native Resolution: | 1366 x 768 |
| Operating System: | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Primary Optical Drive: | Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW |
| Processor Family: | AMD Athlon X2 |
| Processor Name: | AMD Athlon X2 3250e |
| Processor Speed: | 1.5 GHz |
| RAM: | 2 GB |
| Screen Size: | 18.5 inches |
| Secondary Optical Drive: | None |
| Storage Capacity (as Tested): | 320 GB |
| Type: | All-in-one |
| Type: | Mainstream |
| Type: | Value |
In Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" commercials, "Lauren" is shown buying the HP dv7, a 17-inch laptop PC for under $700. If you can forgo the "untethered" battery operation of the dv7, then HP has a cheaper, larger-screen option for you with the HP Pavilion All-in-One MS214 PC ($599 list). It's a good choice for the person that needs a desktop PC and doesn't want to spend a whole lot of money. It's got all the components necessary for Windows 7 Home Premium, and thus comes equipped with Microsoft's new operating system. It's designed to be your family's digital hub, meaning that all family members can use it to view and post info to the Web and social networking sites.
Design and Features
The MS214 is a pretty standard looking all-in-one desktop PC. From the front, it resembles a 16:9 widescreen monitor, and sports a fairly thin profile. On the back, it has a bunch of connector ports. Like the
Compared with the EX1601-01, the MS214 comes out ahead with a full dual-core AMD Athlon X2 3250e processor, nicer screen, and above all more memory (2GB) and a HD-capable graphics card. While you theoretically can crack the cases on these systems for upgrades, the fact of the matter is almost no one upgrades PCs these days. They just get a new one when the old one gets to feel "slow." Having the 2GB and a dual-core processor make a huge difference compared with the 1GB and single core you get in cheaper nettop PCs. It might be puzzling, however, that HP went with a 64-bit Windows 7 OS but only put 2GB of memory in this desktop. But I think vendors are going with 64-bit Windows 7 to simplify the supply chain. That way, the user is ready in case he or she bumps his system over 8GB later on.
Speaking of huge differences, the dual core Athlon X2 and more memory (than found on nettops) helped when viewing HD videos off of YouTube and other video streaming sites. When you view these videos on systems with single-core Atom processors like the Tangent Vita LT or eMachines, the video is jerky and unwatchable. The Athlon X2 CPU helps the MS214 display the video correctly. I'm hoping that Adobe Flash will be updated in the future to support GPUs like the ATI Radeon HD 3200 in the MS214, for even better video viewing performance.
The MS214 comes with HP's new MediaSmart interface, which is an off-shoot of the program HP developed for its all in one TouchSmart PCs like the
Performance
The MS214 shows its extra performance capabilities in the benchmark tests. With a PCMark Vantage score of 2,631 points, the MS214 outclasses the all in one nettops in this category, like the EZ160-01, Averatec D1133,
The only fly in the ointment was the MS214's PhotoShop CS4 test score of 14:45. The slow performance could be due to the MS214's relatively slow AMD Athlon X2 3250 processor, but over 14 minutes is a long time to wait for even casual photo editing. Then again, this is better than the nettops above that can't even run PhotoShop at all. I think this means that PhotoShop CS4 needs an update for Windows 7 64-bit, as there were times during the test when it seemed unreasonably slow. We hope to revisit this issue once Adobe patches CS4 or releases CS5. This was the first desktop we've reviewed with Windows 7, so hopefully the patch arrives soon. The MS214's 1,266 by 768 resolution screen prevented us from running the 3D benchmark tests on the system, which happens often on all-in-one nettops.
Compared with the Atom-powered competition like the Asus Eee Top 1602, eMachines EZ1601-01, and Tangent Vita LT, the HP Pavilion All-in-One MS214 PC is a much better performer due to the dual core Athlon X2 processor, 2GB of RAM, and HD-capable graphics. The Averatec D1133 looks nice and is similarly equipped, but seems a little less sturdy. Aside from the MS214's PhotoShop performance (which I attribute to the program, not the PC), the MS214 also performs better than the dual-core Atom-powered Lenovo C300. So why is the C300 still our Editors' Choice for both cheap PCs and nettops? For one, the C300 has a larger 20-inch screen compared with the MS214's 18.5 incher. The C300 has a lot less bloatware on it, and ultimately the top-of-the-line C300 is $50 cheaper, which is a lot of money at this price point.
That said, the HP Pavilion All-in-One MS214 is a good choice for the all in one PC fan who wants a little more "oomph" for his $600, since it is the overall performance leader in the category. It exists in a place between the cheapest all in one nettops and the more expensive dual-core media-oriented all in one desktops, and therefore can appeal to a wide array of folks. A few glitches hold the system back from the top of the heap, but the underlying hardware is certainly worth noting. If the MS214 is in a store near you, take a look.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS: Check out the test scores for the
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