Possibly Purchasing a Prebuilt HP....

yarn9909

Distinguished
Feb 20, 2011
10
0
18,510
Hello! I currently have a Dell Studio XPS that is about 7 years old. I've been very happy with the system, but it's time for an upgrade. I am looking at doing graphic design and gaming on the PC. I am looking at purchasing an HP this time around. I've been happy with HPs and Dell. I am not looking at building my own computer. The model I'm looking at is the HP ENVY Phoenix 860ST. Couple of questions:

- Are there any processors or important hardware updates that are worth waiting for coming out anytime soon?
- When is the best time of year to purchase an HP?
- Any previous experience with this model or opinions?

Help is much appreciated! :)
 
Why do you think that HPs are trash? I've had one and was happy with the performance and didn't have problems. What prebuilt manufactures do recommend going with?

Also, any particular reason why the Nvidia Pascal chipset is worth waiting for?
 


I think HPs are trash because they have poor reliability ratings. Let's see here... ah, first we'll look at what Digital Trends and PCMag have to say. Hmm, I don't think two stars is a good rating, but it's a good start.

Ah, now let's look at the one HP that managed to make it's way to the top 10! It's a workstation (HP Z840) with a Xeon processor (meant for servers and workstations) and an Nvidia Quadro 4200K (meant for workstations), but the card itself is meant for CAD and not gaming (i.e., workstations). You're spending the equivalent of $800 retail on a graphics card that's not meant for average-Joe consumers. In fact, you're spending more than $200 more than what's needed to get an Nvidia GTX 980, so I don't know why that's reasonable -- especially so, seeing that you don't need ECC. Did I fail to mention that the Xeon processor is meant for servers? Whoops, I already have.

Are the Intel Xeon or Nvidia Quadro product lines crap? Nope. But, HPs still are.

End result? The day HP returns to its former glory in the 1990s is the day I'll recommend an HP.
 
What type of prebuilt computer do you recommend that would have a solid state hard drive, DDR4, great graphics card, and great processor? Not to mention good support? The Asus above does not look that great. Pricewise, less expensive. I am not looking at building a PC. Open to other suggestions.
 
Well, Falcon and AVADirect do have a 3-year warranty -- those two are pretty reputable folks. I can definitely say that the latter of the two can provide you something closer to your budgetary needs. However, in the end it's your money. If you want to spend $1300 on a rig that absolutely will not be suitable for gaming (i.e., the Nvidia GTX 745), it's all gravy. For the same money, you could build yourself a really good gaming machine, but that's clearly out of the question for you.

End result? Go ahead, buy the HP -- it's the best bad advice I can give (correction, buying an HP and voting for Fiorina).
 


I wasn't planning on getting the base model GTX 745 that comes with the system. I can get a GTX 960, 500GB solid state, and 16GB DDR4 for around $1500 from HP. As I said I am totally open to suggestions with these other manufacturers, but I was checking out their sites, for a base model with Falcon - the Talon is $2500. What model(s) are $1500 that would outperform this system and last me for a long time?
 


Thank you for catching my mistake, much appreciated. :wahoo:, I gave you a +1 for your diligence.
 


I just bought the same unit but they packed all the 'goodies' into a Phoenix 850st case which has a 500w power supply vs. the 600w listed...

 


Where is the 600w supply listed? I am in the exact same boat as yarn9909 (Dell XPS 410 bought in 2007, with various upgrades along the way) and was considering the exact same model and custom built the tower up to about 2600.00 (including the GTX 980ti, 32gb ram, 512 ssd, 3tb HD). I have bought many HP products in the past with no problems, but I question the expandability of the motherboard. My Dell has been a great reputable machine and is my longest owned PC. I went to Dell to try to build the exact same machine and had to end up with an ugly triangle Alienware and with all the same components, a price of 3500.00. My weakness I admit is my preference of a prebuilt machine. Maybe I need to rethink this......

Update: I just spoke to a HP rep and they stated 600w..... Have you raised the issue with the 500W power supply?