Get a loaded HP gaming desktop for $619.99

This is the system that will be powering Cheapskate Labs for the foreseeable future.

(Credit: eCost)

Well, I did it. After four years with a hulking, noisy, upgraded-to-the-limit Pentium 4 tower, I finally pulled the trigger on a new system. It's a refurbished HP Pavilion M9350F, which eCost has on sale for $619.99.

The specs on this thing are pretty unreal: a quad-core AMD processor, 6GB of RAM, a 750GB hard drive, a 512MB GeForce 9800GT graphics card, a TV tuner, and 802.11n wireless connectivity. No Blu-ray drive, but I honestly couldn't care less. I'm happy with the LightScribe burner.

I just hope that it's quieter than the jet turbine that currently sits under my desk. And I'm a bit concerned about overheating, which, according to a few user reviews I've read, is a problem with this model.

But I'll deal with that, if and when it occurs. This system lists for about $1,200, so $620 (plus $30 for shipping) was too good to pass up. I can't offer a hands-on recommendation yet, but I will say I've never seen a system as loaded as this one for such a low price.

Because this is a refurb, it comes with only a 90-day warranty. That doesn't bother me. In my experience, a desktop either works, or it doesn't. Any problems should manifest within those first three months.

Thanks to reader j_a_s_p_e_r for the heads-up on this deal!

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

You are welcome! I got the sibling intel quad core m9250f and I am very happy. No overheating issues for me, just keep it dust free and give it clearance in the back.

[checodaman]

With Riva Tuner you can juice that GPU wayyy up, but that'll require coolers...althought the tower doesnt look big enough. All in all thats beastly though. Are the multipliers on the 9850 locked or unlocked? Mmm thats a deal man - wow.

[Notoapplefanbois]

Wow, good price for a pre-built,

But, you could build a far better PC for around the same price here in the UK, so it's really a waste of money if you can build a PC by yourself or know someone who can build it for you.

@checodaman: Since it's OEM it'll almost definetly be a standard edition so it'll be locked

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

NO WAY. I checked. Rough estimates: GeForce 9800GT = $150, Hauppage TV Tuner =$150, Vista Home Premium OEM $150 OK NOW add the essentials MB, CPU, RAM and HDD and see what YOU Get

[rickbroida]

I will have to respectfully disagree. There is no way on earth you could build your own machine with these specs for this amount of money. As jasper points out, the video card and OS alone would run you $300.

[Notoapplefanbois]

well maybe in the U.S. but in the UK I can get the exact same specs for about £350 or about $570

[mrredsun]

Are you not including VAT? From what I understand, electronic components are more expensive in Great Britain. You *do* have to import them from Taiwan, right?

[Notoapplefanbois]

@mrredsun: Not where I live I don't :), and with our sh*tty economy it's a bit cheaper than overseas most of the time especially since shipping within the UK is normally anywhere from free to £10 whereas from overseas that might go up to £100's, since last time I ordered something from outside the EU, the shipping cost more than the item.

@j_a_s_p_e_r: well over here using rough estimates: 9800GT = $110, Vista home Premium = $80, 6gb of ddr2 = $60, quad core amd cpu = $120, MoBo is about $60, lightscribe burner = $60, 750gb hard drive = $60, wifi card = $20 and tv tuner = $20 and cables =$10 so around $600, and that $20 margin is enough to upgrade to a GTX+ GPU and you would probably drop the lightscribe for a standard dvd drive so take $30 which would get you a mid-end quad core amd instead or a 4870 GPU

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

@Notoapplefanbois The Hauppage HVR-1800 is no $20 tv tuner! Also the Wifi is Wireless-N, The network is gigabyte networking. Then you also have to take into account the wireless KB and Mouse and an excellent remote. Lastly I would not buy a "cloner" video card ever again (I've got burned before.. hah, made a pun). To get to the $600 level you have to cut corners and buy the cheapest of everything.

BTW. I've seen Vista Home Premium OEM for $89 ONCE on a black friday ad and it was for the 32 bit version only (never the $80 you mentioned). You need 64 bit if you intend to put more the ~3.5 GB in your system

[Notoapplefanbois]

@j_a_s_p_e_r: look at UK prices and you'll get my view, second, who would buy a $150 tuner if you can get a better one for $20? (well fanboi's but they don't count as people). also the 64bit and 32bit prices are the same in the UK so it wouldn't make any difference to the price.

[Georgia in MS]

Can you connect an HD cable box to this for benefit of recording HDTV?

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

Not sure (check the site for the hauppage tuner), I'm too much of a cheapskate and just go for the free ATSC HD. "24" never looked so good on my 24" monitor :)

[mjn507]

Depends on which hauppauge tuner that is included. I have hvr-1600 that has atsc tuner with a built-in qam tuner. So I just plug cable into the atsc tuner and get quite a few qam channels -- no antenna positioning for me!

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

mjn507 - Nice tip about the cable into the ATSC tuner... I will need to investigate that as an option. The 1800 HVR hauppage card does allow capture of SD inputs (2 sets) from any source (great for that old camcorder!). It also has a IR redirector(?) for a set top box. Look at TheGreenButton.com about how to get HD from other sources.

There is also slingbox and DirectTV has streaming video if you a verified networked receiver.

[tipoo_]

That sounds like a fantastic deal for the price, good hunting.


if it overheats you could always replace the thermal grease with higher quality stuff, or put another exhaust fan in or CPU heatsink in.

[checodaman]

Although CPU temp is a concern Id be interested to see how hot the GPU is running heavy loads in that small case, I dont see any exhaust on the side there. I suppose you could stick a fan on it =).

@notapplefanbois - I thought that any 9850 was unlocked, hmm any 9850 you buy by itself is black edition. I have no idea I got a stupid 9500 which is strictly locked. Yay.

[Notoapplefanbois]

@checodman: oh, we have Standard edition 9850's and Black edition one's for a tad more, I still think there's no point in getting an AMD quad since the top end dual core with good cooling and a bit of overclocking would do nearly as good a job for about $40 less

[happyholycow]

@tipoo_ I agree
I was going to build a comparable computer for $800, so I would think that it is fine. Test everything out in the first 90 days; on refurbs check all the ports etc. although I will be buying this.

[AppleSuxLeo]

That`s got unreal specs for the money. And it will play Halo2 ! I just built a new system using my XP Home from my old computer , and MSFT authorized it for the new computer , but Halo 2 says I need Vista to play it :( I`m holding out for "7" not because anything wrong with the upgraded Vista , but just because I feel "7" is right around the corner. By that time Halo 3 will probably be on the PC.

[indoorsman]

Maybe MS should bundle Halo 3 w/ Windows 7 to encourage the upgrade....

[Notoapplefanbois]

it'll play crysis let alone Halo 2, not on very high settings mind you but it'll still play on high settings

[mjkinnyc]

I thought electronics in UK were much more expensive than in the states?

[Notoapplefanbois]

As said above, not in this current economic status

[lazynutz]

***CAUTION***
Anybody who has purchased from eCost knows they have a reputation as a horrible online retailer with every shady tactic used by them. Do some reading about them before placing an order. I am surprised cnet is showcasing this.... eCost is a very shady company.

[Georgia in MS]

Hmmm.... to evaluate this comment - perhaps this might help http://www.resellerratings.com/store/eCost

Thanks for the info.

[kaestar]

No Way. I understand people have bad experiences but i have been dealing with this company for over 4 years and now i have 3 TV's from them and I had already bought this same computer back in December. I'm also in the process of getting another TV. Great company best prices around most of the time

[lazynutz]

Hmm... Well, on that reseller ratings site eCost has a score of 2.04/10 compared to a 7.95/10 rating for all stores for the past six months.

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

It is true, but if you keep on their case they can work for you. I've dealt with them, just be firm and don't let them walk over you. I purchased my m9250f from buy.com and I had some hassles that I had to fight with them (Item was backorder when listed as in stock), but once it got in stock I got expedited delivery...

[rickbroida]

This is a good point to raise, as eCost does indeed have some bad ratings out there. That said, I've had only one problem in several years of doing business with them, and they quickly corrected it. I wouldn't spend my money there if I thought they were "horrible."

[CEB1970]

eCost's return policy sucks. To put it very simply: if you are not SURE you want a product, do NOT order from eCost. However, if you are SURE you want the product, then you can get a good deal at eCost. They will replace a defective item, but they tend to not accept returns for items that you decide you do not want or that do not work the way you expected.

[Dan7637]

stop bit-hing about vista, its a good OS- best made by microsoft so far, if you have had a bad experience that sucks but why diss the OS and complain, now i wish i had found this before i had bought my HP a6330f PC

[Notoapplefanbois]

Agreed about vista, everyone says you need 2gb of ram, that's bs, providing you just use it lightly then it'll run pretty fast on 768mb like I do on my old sony vaio. Sure it'll run faster on xp but the aero interface is just so much nicer to use, but I must admit it is a must to turn off aero if you're using your PC for gaming.

[illegallydead]

There wasn't a single comment "bit-hing" about Vista. The closest anyone came is saying that he/she will wait for Windows 7 since it is "just around the corner" and don't want to pay Microsoft twice in rapid succession.

[FWPunk]

I've got to agree with you dan, when I first got vista I hated on it pretty hard(mostly because I had heard it sucked). but after using it for over a year now I can honestly say it does work better then xp. I get blue screen alot less... in fact I dont believe I've ever had one.

[illegallydead]

I think the only reason people hate on it is because of the god-awful driver support and such the first few months. It got a bad wrap and has so far been unable to live it down (it is easy to build bad reputation, and VERY hard to re-build a good one)
Me thinks this is why MS is releasing Windows 7 now, so that they can get something with a different name on shelves so they can shake the (more or less unfounded) hate surrounding Vista.

[Nychocolips]

:( This is the system i was looking for. Heck, I think it was Jasper who told me to keep an eye out for this type of package. If only I had waited a couple of weeks. Well, I did end up with a good system for a good price. It just doesn't have the Tuner & Lightscribe. :((

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

I tried to get a hold of you...CNet Profiles don't have person to person communication lines. BTW NewEgg has the Hauppauge HVR-2250 for $110 FS. Don't know how good it is, but its a great brand. People don't really like the bundled PVR software and just go with Media Center

[Nychocolips]

Thanks, Jasper. I'll check it out. :)

[Georgia in MS]

I bite the bullet and ordered this. We'll see how eCost works out.

Lots of reviews about heat problems. Some say change power supply and add a card cooling supply. I will make these changes because I can't stand problems. For $50 to $100, it's worth it me to fix any worries.

Could someone tell me what they would buy from Newegg (or similar online store) for this PC to avoid the heat problems?

[Georgia in MS]

below "krimey" had listed a link for this site http://www.vistax64.com/general-discussion/195013-pc-freezes-3.html . if you read it - the guy with this unit says he opened a bay door and it made circulating air much better. Seems like you would want some kind of screen to keep dust out tho??

Maybe we should post back in 30 days how eCost worked for everyone. Maybe we should go to that reseller ratings site and give a rating once we get our units.

Yes could someone please recommend what to buy to help with the over heating issues. It would be much appreciated.

thank you in advance,
Erich

[illegallydead]

As with any thermal issue, start with re-applying some really good thermal compound to the CPU. Then get a bigger and beefier fan if you can find one. You may look into liquid cooling if you can find a good enough deal on it. The moral of the story is to get as much airflow as possible, so get a big-a_s fan for the CPU, and maybe better fans for any other air vents on the box...

[ratman2.0]

liquid cooling is just over the top, low cost method, cut out the fan grills for better airflow, slap on some mx-2 or arctic silver thermal paste. not sure if the mounting brackets are the same but you can get a cheap cpu cooler for this, scythe ninja 2 mite be a bit big but it cools really well. a arctic cooling accelero s1 rev2 would prolly fit too and zip tying a fan onto it would reduce temps even more.

if it were me however, i wouldnt worry about overheating that much unless you place it near a fireplace XD

[ohiostfbfan]

This is a great deal but if you want to get this think about getting the one thats on sellout.woot.com today. It is pretty much the same but also had a bluray drive . It's $700

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

Unfortunately its not quite "almost the same" (QC 1.8 Ghz, 4GB Ram, 8500 GT, 500GB HDD). Acacia mother board ? Small formfactor...

[krimey]

I bit too, today. Funny, after this initial 'bargain', it temporarily when down to 599 for like a few minutes or so. Now its back up to 619 for another bunch of hours.

As for ways to prevent issues, I googled 'M9350F cooling' and found these to be informative:
vistax64.com/general-discussion/195013-pc-freezes.html
They eventually get to cooling as an issue and suggest some freeware to see the temps as well as freeware to change the speed of the video card fan which is purportedly defaulted too slow. Also there are suggestions that the latest drivers help too.

Another site was the social.technet at microsoft. They have a thread: 'Vista x64 (huge) perfomance issues on a high-end PC'. Some of them got a bit carried away, mentioning replacing the MB and constant restores but it might serve a troubleshooter well anyway.

In newegg comments someone mentioned the PSU plug requirements in case you want to preemptively buy a more worthy power supply: "...you need a x1-4 Pin CPU, x1-PCI-E x1-24 Pin Main or x1-20+4 Pin, x2 Sata, x1-4 Pin Moldex, x1-4 Pin Floppy". newegg also has the best pics of the inside I've seen; that way you have an idea of what to expect.

Not impressed with the woot one as a close alternative. Its missing wireless n, has a differing video card, smaller chip, smaller HD, less ram, etc.

[rickbroida]

Interestingly, it was $625 until just a minute or two before I ordered (and subsequently posted about it), and then suddenly it was down to $619. Never saw $599, though... wonder if they'd credit me the difference. Can't hurt to ask!

[sandrat888]

would this one fit and work with the HP Pavilion M9350F?

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $54.99 after $40 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=903362-2-0-ARTICLE-0&Item=N82E16817341019&nm_mc=AFC-DealNews&cm_mmc=AFC-DealNews-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA

[itymon]

if i had $619.99 right now i would buy that in a heartbeat....

it would run gta iv rather exceptionally.... throw in a 280gtx... it'd be a nice rig..

[sandrat888]

It would be great if people can post suggestions on acutal PSU, fan etc that can address the potential heat problem here to this thread, so others can easily find and purchase them.

[justanotherrs]

Unless you have the Vista 64 bit version (which supposedly isn't very compatible with most games), that 6 GB of RAM is pretty useless. You are only going to be able to use 3. Not sure why they would bother to install that much.

[krimey]

I think because it comes with: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit w/ SP1.

[streamline35]

Wrong - I'm running 64 vista (to take advantage of my 4 gb of ram) and it has had no problems with any games I throw at it. It actually runs most games as well, or better than when I was using xp (dx10 games tend to run better, everything else runs the same)

[cmpbllman9]

WHOA! this kind of deal is unheard of, im already setting up my order!!!

No one at this point in time could ever build a computer at that price. NO ONE. this deal is one of those, "once in a lifetime," sorta thing.

[Angarvin517]

I ordered it too, also was kind of upset when i realized the deal was going to last another couple days..i could of slept on it. But i cant wait to run this baby and use it as my 3d modeling rig. i'll let you guys know how ecost holds up and how this baby runs... I'm worried about getting scrooged by them after reading some of your guys' comments.

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

Here were the issues I had with eCost
- years ago they had $1.99 shipping. The catch was they tacked on a handeling fee, thinking I wouldn't notice (In my case it was almost $8!).
- then there was the time I ordered an item and just after ordering the price went up and my order went into back order while the product was listed as "available" at a higher price. Yeah right! Can anyone say "price mistake, lets stall the guy till he cancels" - watch out for this one!
- I've had issues with poor packaging

All this said, I can live with it. I fight with them and they come through in the end.

I've had worse dealings with Geeks.com, they sent me a dual core instead of a quad core (the refurb HP models were just one digit different). Honest mistake? maybe, but you have to watch these companies and look out for yourself.

I've had bad dealings with Buy.com where "in stock" really means "drop ship", which may be the case with this system. Lets just hope HP have enough refurbs to cover all orders