A Review of the Space Saving HP Pavilion S3400F Slimline Desktop PC: A Cost and Space Saving Double Whammy!

Saving space is very important for most consumers but especially so for students and the business person. In this case the HP Pavilion S3400F should meet those needs and more. With the average consumer building impressive multimedia centers in their living rooms thanks to low HD television prices, a lot of people have looked toward small desktops to operate as the backbone of their living room's entertainment center. With this in mind I'm going to take a critical look at the 3400F and let you know what kind of performance to expect and who will get the most out of their purchase. First however let me start with a few of the basics.

Hardware:

Processor: 2.7 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+

Storage Space: 500 GB hard drive

RAM: 3 GB RAM (Expandable up to 4GB)

Optical Drive: CD R/RW with integrated DVD +/- Burner

Video Accelerator: Nvidia GeForce Go 6150

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

Also in the box: keyboard and mouse (both wired PS/2)

Dimensions: 13.9 x 4.2 x 10.9

These little slim line PCs are designed to save space but sometimes at the cost of performance. This isn't the case with the S3400F Pavilion from HP. This little desktop is just 4.2" thin and packs a punch with the 64 bit 2.7 GHz AMD. It starts up ultra quick and multitasks well. I haven't seen any considerable lag with normal use. It handles photoshop well and plays moderately graphically intensive games. It is a great multipurpose PC.

Connectivity:

Integrated WiFi

1 Ethernet port

6 2.0 USB ports (these can be used for connecting anything from printers to digital cameras to mp3 players)

1 FireWire (this port is used for fast data transfer from PC to PC or from digital camcorders)

15 in 1 memory reader (use this to directly insert your solid state memory cards from digital cameras and other portable devices)

2 PS/2 ports (older port for connecting input devices like mice and keyboards)

1 VGA output (this is the typical monitor output)

Mic in / audio out

56K modem

The connectivity is standard, however I like that it has integrated WiFi, you don't see that in every desktop but since it is a slim desktop it allows for it to be really tucked away (when you add a wireless mouse / keyboard to the mix). It is an excellent option for students with limited space, or an office. It isn't a great option for an entertainment center PC as it comes from the manufacturer. Since it is a slim style desktop the HP S3400F doesn't really lend itself to expandability well, so what you see is pretty much what you get. It currently goes for a little over $550. This is a pretty good price for all that you get, I would expect for it to maintain around this price for some time.