The AM Forum

I am looking at a new computer. Specifically a HP - Pavilion Desktop Model: p6-2014

Having had very bad experience with my Dell PS, and RFI (ultimatley having to replace the supply) I am reluctant to move ahead with a new system. Anyone have experience with HP supplies either good or bad?

Thanks

Carl
/KPD
 

I use an HP Pavilion (dual core) in the shack with the Flex. Works like a charm for the last several years. Only problem is that screen saver got disabled permanently during one of the service pack upgrades. Not a big woo.

Use two HP Pavilions (quad cores) in the office for the last several years. They're generally on 14 hours or so hours each day. Best machines I've ever had in here. Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales got me poking around the HP site again to maybe replace the machine in the shack. I would not go back to a Dell machine. Couldn't stand the pain, frustration, and talking to people in remote parts of India to solve any issues. With the Dell machine, I finally had to resort to the online forum for user help which also was an experience in itself.

Hope you don't have trouble with it, the customer service sucks.  I suggest an Acer.

I use only Dell machines here and do not have any problems??
1GHz on the net
2.4 GHz quad core shack
2.7 GHz dual core in my son's room
Daughter has a Dell Lap Top

i absolutely hate our dell inspiron 531, that thing is so slow compared to my emachines desktop that also runs vista, and they both are running similar components. that's why i have a usb drive with linux on it, that way when i want to use the dell and just need to get on the internet i use linux. plus dell customer service sucks.

Due to that pesky "lowest bidder for a state contract" thing, at work we use Dell computers and HP printers. Both of them generally work OK, but when they don't the customer service for both is abysmal according to a good friend who's the IT guy for our building. The phone answerers (I can't in good conscience call them 'techs') are strictly script-readers and totally ignorant of anything that isn't in the script.

I haven't bought a commercial desktop computer in 15 years, since I always have my friend build mine. I'm currently using only laptops at home and have had the best service over the years with Toshiba.

I have no info on the RFI issue with either Dell or HP. I use the Lind Electronics 12 VDC power supplies for the lappies and I've never experienced any RFI problems with them running the laptops off the 12 VDC system.

Of course Carl, you know that this thread will roll the same way as the thread for "what's the best amateur band receiver".

My suggestion is to review the customer reviews at various places that have sold the particular machine and/or brand that you are interested in purchasing. Online reviews are abundant and generally cover the internal product items more broadly. However, I doubt many, if any, get into the specifics of RFI, but it might worth a look.

  Carl,

   Your last experience was covered pretty well here:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=21930.msg157380;topicseen#msg157380

  The issue should be PFC or not PFC. The Antec you bought was PFC. PFC stands for Power Factor Corrected. The OEM's on a razor cost margin are more likely to skip PFC as it raises the cost. Still if your buying a ready made computer with all the software bloat included, I don't think you will get a PFC power supply. Maybe the marketing blurb will say PFC somewhere but I doubt it.

  The issue might then become which OEM's can use a "clone standardized" power supply? I hear that Dell in the past swapped a few wires around in the harness so that anybody trying to put a "clone" supply would fry the motherboard. That is a just a rumor I heard once a long time ago.

Jim
WD5JKO

I'm running two Dell systems within six feet of my HT-32/SX-101A station.   One is a new Inspiron 560/Windows 7 and the other is a Dimension 8100/XP that I bought new in 2001.   Also in the room are an SX-71 and SX-100.  The SX-71 is within four or five feet of the computers.

We're new at this QTH and I had noise on the lower end of the broadcast band until I put up an outside antenna.   I never was able to pin the noise on the computers.  The only thing I didn't turn off for test is the AT&T U-Verse modem but I had the noise before that was installed.

Incidentally, I've had excellent service from both Dell and HP on infant mortality problems.  In the HP case, the motherboard failed and they FedEx overnighted the box in both directions.  The turnaround was about five days.  Same with Dell on a bad keyboard.

I've found on both my computers and my son's that Vista is a resource hog which can't be run satisfactorily on a system without at least a dual-core processor.   Adding memory can make the experience bearable but there's a limit to that.

Harry, KT4AE
Watkinsville, Georgia

Thanks all- I bought the HP - Pavilion Desktop Model: p6-2014 and it is as quiet as a church mouse on the radio. Appreciate all the input.
Nice small machine, came with 8 gb of ram and 1 TB of HD for $499. Had I moved a week earlier it was on sale for $399.
Carl
/KPD