Product Reviews

If you want to play the very latest 3D games, you'll need a powerhouse of a PC with all the latest components, and that means spending some serious lolly. If, on the other hand, you just want to surf the Internet or write the odd letter, all that computing power would be a waste of money. It's for these users with more modest ambitions that HP has built the Presario SR1519EA. It isn't a gaming beast, but it's powerful enough to run everyday software, and, more importantly, it won't break the bank.

NEED FOR SPEED

This system isn't designed for playing the latest games. It ran our Doom 3 benchmark at an unplayable 2.1 frames per second (fps). Even if you turn the 3D settings right down you won't get a playable frame rate in modern games. However, it did much better in our normal performance benchmarks, scoring 67.9 points. This tells us that the SR1519EA is powerful enough to run most of the software that's around at the moment. Certainly, if you're just using it for office-type tasks and the Internet it won't feel sluggish or underpowered. We were a bit surprised, though, to see that HP has fitted a single 512MB stick of RAM. The MSI motherboard in this system has two memory controllers, so installing two 256MB of RAM would have squeezed a bit more power out of this computer.

FEATURES

The Presario's 160GB hard disk offers plenty of storage space. This is important because these days even non-gamers have lots of large files to store - particularly MP3s and digital photo collections.

The SR1519EA has a decent 512MB of RAM, which is enough for most people, unless you want to convert video files or edit lots of photos. Digital photographers will also find the built-in card reader useful. If your camera uses Memory Stick, SmartMedia, Compact Flash, SD or MMC, you'll be able to plug its memory card directly into your PC

The HP also comes with a decent amount of software, including the budget office suite Microsoft

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Works 8. We always like to see this kind of product included in the purchase price. It's really frustrating to get your brand new PC set up, then switch it on only and find out you can't even write a letter on it.

LOOK AND FEEL

The HP's VS-17 TFT monitor is evenly lit across the whole screen. Colours are bright and well-rendered, and it has a response time of 16 milliseconds - not great, but fine for watching the odd DVD movie without noticing too much blurring.

The SR1519EA's speakers are built into its monitor. As you'd expect, they're puny and tinny - fine for a bit of Internet radio, but not much else. This system is also sold for £389 without a monitor, so if you want to buy it with the VS-17 you'll need to ask for it by name when you call the HP sales line.

We were surprised to see a ball mouse. These wear out much quicker than optical mice because their balls get sticky and clogged with fluff. This makes using them a pain by the time they come to the end of their lives. The HP's keyboard is plain, but comfortable to use. The keys had plenty of ravel, but felt a bit loose and 'clicky'.

PLUGGING THINGS IN

The SR1519EA has six USB 2 ports, including two round the front where they're easy to get to. There are also mic and headphone connections, and a FireWire port on the case's front.

The case itself is rather squat, so it's a bit cramped to work in. The memory slots, for example, are obscured by a tangle of power cables.

On the bright side, the motherboard has a 16xPCI-Express graphics slot, so you'll be able to upgrade to the latest graphics card. Carrying on in this vein, the processor socket is AMD's Socket 939. All the latest AMD chips fit into this socket, which is great if you plan to upgrade later on.

If you decide to upgrade your processor or graphics card, you probably won't need to buy a new power supply. The unit in this PC is only rated at 300 watts, but it supplies 19 amps on the 12V line. That's enough for all the most powerful components. The case itself is adequately cooled with a single 60mm fan.

BUYING DECISIONS

There are lots of good things about the Presario SR1519EA: it's expansion potential in particular. On the other hand, HP has also made some odd decisions, for instance only one stick of RAM. Compared to our current Best Buys, this system is also under-specced. For just £30 more you can buy the Vantage Firefly Pro that has an almost identical configuration, but a much better graphics card and decent speakers.