HP D330 DG306A

Using the power offered by today's processors, even mundane business machines become powerful beasts, with the D330's mid-range 2.4GHz Pentium 4 chewing through office tasks with ease. Backed up by 256MB of PC2700 DDR RAM, there's headroom for more intensive work too, as witnessed by our 2D benchmark score of 1.29. The 40GB of hard disk storage will be sufficient for most office lifetimes, although with just a CD-ROM on-board, local backup options are limited.

The desktop case can be stood on its side to reduce the desk space it takes up, but considering there's a microATX board inside it's surprising the case is still the same size as a standard ATX system. It also means there's a fair amount of dead space at the front and middle of the chassis.

Access is otherwise simple, with captive thumbscrews being easy to remove when taking off the lid. Everything from the CPU heatsink and fan to the hard disk are quickly changeable, thanks to some excellent tool-less design. Even the three spare PCI slots employ an ingenious and robust securing system, with the same going for the vacant AGP slot. The processor is upgradable too, supporting Pentium 4Cs with Hyper-Threading up to 3.2GHz. There's a spare 3.5in bay for an extra hard disk, and a 5.25in bay to add an extra optical drive if needed.

Externally, expansion is possible via two front-mounted USB 2 ports, joined by another four at the back. As expected, there's no FireWire or modem, but Gigabit Ethernet is included.

Graphics are catered for by Intel's 865 shared chipset, borrowing 8MB from the system memory. 3DMark2001 SE reported a meagre score of 2,782 in 32-bit XGA, but it won't be a bottleneck for 2D applications.

There's only a D-SUB output, which is a shame, as most TFT displays, such as the 17in HP L1730 P9625A that's pictured here (and sells for £400), have DVI inputs that offer enhanced image quality. This panel offers a well-constructed, adjustable stand and the ability to rotate 90 degrees in portrait mode. Unfortunately, its hazy definition is apparent even on the Desktop, with no amount of adjustment helping. Viewing angles, particularly in the vertical, are poor too.

HP's three-year, on-site, next-business-day warranty is par for the course, and the company's pedigree in providing support will be attractive to many. The bundled software is useful, comprising Microsoft Works 2003 and Norton AntiVirus.

This is a capable and reasonably priced machine, able to handle office tasks straight from the box and offering potential to upgrade.

Author: Ross Burridge