HP Envy - All in One Desktop

[lindbhr]

Any opinions on the HP Envy all in one desktops? Especially the 23" model with TV tuner?

Thanks, Hugh

[Chocaholic]

This is the only HP envy I have. Oh....you mean computers? Never mind.

[5String43]

Don't know about the Envy, but I've just bought a Pavilion all-in-one 23-incher, cordless mouse and keyboard. The thing is brilliant. Made sure I got one with Windows 7, rather than Windows 8, though - had to buy from Amazon to do that.

[azasadny]

As a person who has to repair/upgrade PC's for all my family and friends, I do not care for the "all-in-one" approach because of limited upgradeability and repair/replacement capabilities. If you have a good warranty and are prepared to replace the entire unit after the warranty has expired, then you're all set... Just my .02 worth....

[masraum]

Like 5string43, I don't know about the envy, but I do know about the pavilion. I bought a quad core, 23", touch screen, Windows 7 model a year ago. I went with plenty of processor and memory so I wouldn't have to worry about upgrading as soon. I don't use the touch screen or the tv tuner, but the pc works well. I like it, and it cleans up the space around my desk, fewer cables and no desktop/tower. There is no provision for a second monitor, but I bought a usb adapter that supports my second 24" monitor at 1920x1200 without any problems. The only thing that I would like is the ability to have two hard drives. It would be nice to have a SSD for the OS and then a larger drive for local storage (besides my NAS). But that's not a deal breaker for me. All in all it seems like a pretty solid pc for what I do which is web, office, photos, video, etc.... I don't do any gaming, so I can't comment on that.

The hard drive, optical drive and RAM can all be replaced fairly easily. I assume the motherboard and power supply would probably suck to replace at best.

[lindbhr]

Thanks for sharing your insights. Also, trying to decide how big an issue Windows 7 versus Windows 8 will be for me. Maybe I can test drive Windows 8 at Best Buy?

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by lindbhr

Also, trying to decide how big an issue Windows 7 versus Windows 8 will be for me. Maybe I can test drive Windows 8 at Best Buy?

You can sometimes (maybe always???) use your Windows S/N to download an earlier version. I know I did this when I got Vista with a machine. At the suggestion of my dealer, I used the S/N & downloaded XP after it was officially disco'd. But check the internets cause a BB employee wouldn't know.

Ian

[john70t]

I'm not big on the "locked hood" thing.

Also, I prefer to have business usage/storage offline: I.E. not connected to the internet by rootkit software from media companies, or other pre-installed crapware monkeying around with the computer.
Business is business, entertainment is entertainment.