The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

My s3220n continues to "stutter" when playing music or movies in either WMP, Media Center, etc. Since I bought it to use as a media center PC, it is proving to be about worthless. I have maxed out the RAM at 4gb knowing that Vista is a memory hog. But it didn't help. I have disabled all unnecessary stuff running in the background including sidebar, my antivirus program, etc, but to no avail. The sound stutter is especially pronounced when watching an HD broadcast. Reading the various forums, I understand this may be more of a VISTA issue than my PC. Anyone here using their Slimline as a media center and having sound issues?
 
what speed processor do you have with your stuttering problems.

Open up the task manager - show all processes and leave that up while you play back your media - see what processing are taking memory and CPU. Up the priority of your WMP player to above normal levels by right clicking on that task and giving it processor priority. Those are a few of the things I'd try. I've not exp. this with my S3200N and BE-2400 Processor.
 
It's not a Vista issue - there has to be something else. If anything Vista goes overboard in trying to avoid video/audio stutter. Hell you shouldn't get any stuttering using the on-board video with 1 GB and Vista, so something else is up.

Have you reinstalled the OS?
 
For anyone interested, here are all of the NVidia low profile video cards that Newegg sells.

Edit: For some reason, the $70 XFX 9500GT (LP) that someone mentioned a few pages ago is absent from that list. :confused:
 
Hi guys

just popped in to say happy new year to you all :D

i bet you thought my slimline had fried by now especially with all the doubters in here lol anyhoos...... as i am playing red alert 3 at the moment, this baby is $hit of a shovel and is running as smooth as my daughters bum, and just for the record......
NO, the god damn plane hasnt crashed into the mountain yet!

my next card will be a 9800gt (R.I.P. HP Slimline) im looking for this bad boy to fully heat my house when its up and running, my carbon footprint shall be alot lower now :D heh heh!

i do sympothise with all these people that are having issues with there cards and base units!!! it does suck when you get to speak to raj iqbal (stereo typical judgement on my behalf) in support if you can understand him at all......and in most cases NOT! since i live in the UK, i have to say that the general support for any company $uck balz! this worldwide Credit Crunch does not taste good at all, i might taste a new currency since the £ (sterling / GBP) tastes like $hit :p :confused: :mad:

where on earth can i buy an internet for my commodore vic20? it has 8k of ram :p

regards me
 
My computer stuttered just like you. The problem was with my Antivirus Suite. I had some net scanner enabled. I think I had MacAfee at the time. I disabled it and the problems went away.
 
Since I found some mention of the Acer Aspire x1200 in this thread I just thought that I would chime in since I picked up the package at Circuit City that has the monitor since I needed another one anyway. I plan on hooking up the x1200 to my Panasonic plasma and will use it mainly for browsing on the big screen and maybe some light game playing. I will be investigating better PSU's and video cards and figure that this thread will be helpful from what I have read so far.

I'll post back later once I get it all set up.
 
I installed my new power supply today, but I still got no POST. I don't know what's wrong. Maybe I damaged mobo/cpu.
 
what is the final verdict with these machines? good for htpc use or not? the last few pages refer to some problems that lead me to believe they arent...
 
complexx said:
what is the final verdict with these machines? good for htpc use or not? the last few pages refer to some problems that lead me to believe they arent...
Click to expand...

From what I've read, they're good for HTPCs, as long as you don't try to push them and run power-hungry video games. Remember, they have a puny PSU, so don't go heavier than a 9500 video card (GS or maybe GT if paired w/ an Intel CPU).
 
complexx - my slimline has been used for a HTPC and worked flawlessly for about 8 months?
 
Thanks... I'm trying to decide whether to buy one of these or to build my own. All I know is that I'll do almost anything to decrease how much i pay to my cable provider... even if that means buying an HTPC just for DVR...

any recommendations that haven't been noted on the boards here if I'm just using it as a DVR?
 
complexx said:
Thanks... I'm trying to decide whether to buy one of these or to build my own. All I know is that I'll do almost anything to decrease how much i pay to my cable provider... even if that means buying an HTPC just for DVR...

any recommendations that haven't been noted on the boards here if I'm just using it as a DVR?
Click to expand...

If you're on a budget and strictly want it as a DVR, then get the cheapest Slimline you can find on ubid.com. :cool:
 
Thanks Archea! Here are the specs:

Motherboard
Acacia-GL6E
Athlon 64 X2 (B) 5000+ 2.6 GHz (65W)
2000 MT/s (mega transfers/second)
Socket AM2
GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 chipset
4 GB installed memory
PC2-5300 MB/sec
240 pin, DDR2 SDRAM

Right now I am watching the Ravens and the Eagles in HD. The Windows Media Center priority was set to above normal in task manager. I changed it to high. No stutter so far!
 
jep5555 said:
Thanks! Here are the specs:

...

Right now I am watching the Ravens and the Eagles in HD. The Windows Media Center priority was set to above normal in task manager. I changed it to high. No stutter so far!
Click to expand...

You mean you're watching the Vikings and Eagles. The Ravens just beat the Dolphins a little while ago.
 
^ Cool, so playback is completely smooth with no stuttering, despite no dedicated video card? I forgot if FOX HD is 720p or 1080i, but regardless, it shouldn't be as stressing on the system as Blu-ray 1080p.
 
beowulf7 said:
^ Cool, so playback is completely smooth with no stuttering, despite no dedicated video card? I forgot if FOX HD is 720p or 1080i, but regardless, it shouldn't be as stressing on the system as Blu-ray 1080p.
Click to expand...

Yeah it was the first time I have been able to watch anything in HD without the stuttering sound and jumpy picture. But I don't have a BluRay player - don't know how that will work. I have read some of the posts regarding upgrades to this machine. Given the specs, what video card would you recommend?
 
jep5555 said:
Yeah it was the first time I have been able to watch anything in HD without the stuttering sound and jumpy picture. But I don't have a BluRay player - don't know how that will work. I have read some of the posts regarding upgrades to this machine. Given the specs, what video card would you recommend?
Click to expand...

The most powerful video card I'd recommend is a 9500GT. Anything stronger, and you're seriously risking your PSU and entire Slimline for that matter.
 
And even only a 9500GT if he wants to play modern games, otherwise a 9400GT is a better fit - less power draw, accelerates video and can do casual gaming well.
 
Regional Coffee said:
And even only a 9500GT if he wants to play modern games, otherwise a 9400GT is a better fit - less power draw, accelerates video and can do casual gaming well.
Click to expand...

I am not a serious gamer - this is a media center PC only - movies, TV, music. I think my specs show a 160w power supply. Will the 9400GT coexist pretty well with it or will it need to be upgraded too?
 
I could not get the Galaxy NVidia 8500 GT 512MB working on my PC... It worked for a week, then stopped outputing video.

I know it still works, as it is being used right now in another computer.

However, the ATI Radeon 3450 (Not sure about the memory) from ASUS works perfectly, and brought my Vista score in graphics to a 4.0.

I will try the Radeon 3650 next if the 3450 stays stable, and will post again if I can get it to work.
 
jep5555 said:
I am not a serious gamer - this is a media center PC only - movies, TV, music. I think my specs show a 160w power supply. Will the 9400GT coexist pretty well with it or will it need to be upgraded too?
Click to expand...
No, the 9400GT should be fine with that PSU, even with a 64wt Athlon. It is very low power.
 
I am very much looking forward to the release of a low profile 9800 gt. Anybody have a release date confirmed?
 
Hi everyone! I'm new to this thread, but I've had my s3400f for at least 6 months now. I've read most of this thread, however I still have a few questions/concerns, and I was wondering if anybody could please help.
While looking to update my BIOS, I contacted an HP technician, who clarified the steps for me. He then provided a link to download the (Sept) BIOS, which I did without thinking to double check version number. Anyway, I now have version 5.18. Problem is, I just noticed there was also a version 5.15, which I did not install. Do I need to install version 5.15, or is it somehow included in 5.18? Also, CPU-Z says my 5.18 was released 06/18/2008 where HP's 5.18 was released 9/2008....? Motherboard is M2N61-AR. I'm kinda clueless here, lol. Thanks for any help.
 
Just installed the ATI Radeon HD 3650 (512MB), and it seems as stable as a rock right now...

I have played Crysis for a while, as well as BF2, and no problems or artifacts. I will let everyone know if any problems arise.

I have a HP Slimline s3100n, and have upgraded the RAM to 2GB and video card-- nothing else.
 
Hello. I have been following this thread and as a result I am considering buying one of these pc's. The one I found is the s3445la, a model for sale in some countries in latin america (I live in Venezuela), and configured for "low cost" multimedia enjoyment.

Processor: C2D E4600 (C) DC 2.4 GHz (65W).
Motherboard: Foxconn Irvine-GL6E, 800 MHz fsb.
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
Mem: 2Gb 667 MHz (4Gb max) DDR2.
HDD: 500 Gb, SATA 3Gb/s
DVD: 16X +/-R/RW lightscribe sata drive.
PCI express tv tuner card
Memory card reader
USB/1394a/lan/audio/spdif ports.
Wireless keyboard and mouse
Remote control (tv watch - I guess)
Vista Home Premium
Video Card: GeForce 8400HD, 256 MB, HDMI and DVI ports.

It seems to be a thorough configuration for the intended use. Appreciate yor comments/opinions about this.

Only thing am not sure about is the graphics card, GeForce 8400HD. I have been looking for information about the performance of this card but have found nothing so far. Do you have any?
Thanks for your help.
Ignacio
 
Guys, ever since I insatlled the XFX 9400GT, I've been experiencing a LOT of lockups. My specs are in my sig. Basically, the computer will just freeze. I have to shut the power off. And when I reboot it will typically stall when it shows the load bar and I have to power down sometimes two more times for it to successfully reboot. I've tried fresh installs of Vista both installing all recommended updates and just the critical ones. I suspect it might be the WD Raptor failing as it has been making an inordinate amount of noise (or more than it usually does as it's a loud drive to begin with). Although I guess it might be my memory failing as well? I just do hope that it is not my power supply failing. I've run diagnostics and everything passes. I'm going to try and swap out the Raptor for a regular Caviar. Any ideas?
 
Also, I'm wondering if it would be worth the $80 to upgrade my 4400+ to the 6000+? Or is the performance improvement pretty much marginal?
 
The Ronin - - - what happens if you put your PC in full performance mode through the power settings and run a CPU crunching test like prime95 or a program like future mark? If it locks up in an few minutes it is a problem with your power supply being overloaded.
(you've not upgraded your PSU right?)

Performance increase would be worthwhile from a 4400+ to the 6000+ - but do they make the 6000+ in a 65 watt processor? Last I knew the EE processors only went to 56000+
For sure you can't use the 90 or 95 watt processors with the standard PSU.
 
Ignacio49 said:
Only thing am not sure about is the graphics card, GeForce 8400HD. I have been looking for information about the performance of this card but have found nothing so far. Do you have any?
Thanks for your help.
Ignacio
Click to expand...

The 8400 card is a good card for all things multimedia including HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback capabilities if needed....it is an acceptable card for light duty game use. My wife has an 8400GS in her computer and it works great for everything she does and some light gaming.
 
Halsey said:
Anyway, I now have version 5.18. Problem is, I just noticed there was also a version 5.15, which I did not install. Do I need to install version 5.15, or is it somehow included in 5.18? Also, CPU-Z says my 5.18 was released 06/18/2008 where HP's 5.18 was released 9/2008....? Motherboard is M2N61-AR. I'm kinda clueless here, lol. Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Only the newest BIOS update is required and they include all previous updates - You do not have to update in order. So skipping a BIOS update is NOT a problem.
 
Archaea said:
The Ronin - - - what happens if you put your PC in full performance mode through the power settings and run a CPU crunching test like prime95 or a program like future mark? If it locks up in an few minutes it is a problem with your power supply being overloaded.
(you've not upgraded your PSU right?)

Performance increase would be worthwhile from a 4400+ to the 6000+ - but do they make the 6000+ in a 65 watt processor? Last I knew the EE processors only went to 56000+
For sure you can't use the 90 or 95 watt processors with the standard PSU.
Click to expand...

Aechaea!! Great to see a familiar face! Thank you for the advice. I've actually gone ahead and replaced the HD with the stock 350 GB. Things are running smoothly so far. And no, I did not upgrade the power supply. :(
 
Archaea said:
Only the newest BIOS update is required and they include all previous updates - You do not have to update in order. So skipping a BIOS update is NOT a problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Archaea! I appreciate your help.


TIWizard- Keep us posted on your Radeon 3650. I hope it works. I was looking at a Radeon 3450 as a possible video card update, but I'd prefer the Radeon 3650 if the Slimlines can handle it.
 
Ignacio49 said:
Hello. I have been following this thread and as a result I am considering buying one of these pc's. The one I found is the s3445la, a model for sale in some countries in latin america (I live in Venezuela), and configured for "low cost" multimedia enjoyment.

Processor: C2D E4600 (C) DC 2.4 GHz (65W).
Motherboard: Foxconn Irvine-GL6E, 800 MHz fsb.
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
Mem: 2Gb 667 MHz (4Gb max) DDR2.
HDD: 500 Gb, SATA 3Gb/s
DVD: 16X +/-R/RW lightscribe sata drive.
PCI express tv tuner card
Memory card reader
USB/1394a/lan/audio/spdif ports.
Wireless keyboard and mouse
Remote control (tv watch - I guess)
Vista Home Premium
Video Card: GeForce 8400HD, 256 MB, HDMI and DVI ports.

It seems to be a thorough configuration for the intended use. Appreciate yor comments/opinions about this.

Only thing am not sure about is the graphics card, GeForce 8400HD. I have been looking for information about the performance of this card but have found nothing so far. Do you have any?
Thanks for your help.
Ignacio
Click to expand...

I would get more RAM and Vista 64bit. Which, I just did a couple of months ago when I ordered a s3600z for my parents. It was build to order though.
 
hope this isnt a serious problem, after upgrading from a hd3450 to a 9500gt my rig was working fine for a couple of weeks until yesterday, my prob is when i shut down my pc everything (monitors, windows, mouse) shuts down, except for cpu itself, for awhile i thought that i just put it to sleep mode, but it wouldnt respond to clicks on the keyboard and the mouse, like i said everything shut down except for the cpu..so i can still hear the fans spinning inside and the blue light on the power button is still on

so i have to manually shut it down (pressing on the power button for a few seconds) when i turn it back on everything seems to be fine and running smoothly..kinda funny dontcha think? i wonder what's wrong..hope its not psu or graphics card related..
 
brons2 said:
I would get more RAM and Vista 64bit. Which, I just did a couple of months ago when I ordered a s3600z for my parents. It was build to order though.
Click to expand...

Yes brons2, I would like more RAM, but seller does not offer any flexibility/changes.

Same with Vista 64bit, except that I do not see any advantage (in my case) in going 64bit. On the contrary, I've read about problems caused by software not fully compatible with 64bit. Feel free to comment - I'm always willing to learn.

Regards,
Ignacio
 
I had enough trust in 64bit to give it that way to my parents as their main computer. They are not technical or computer savvy. YMMV, of course.

I understand though if this is not a build to order model there will not be opportunity for changes. But you should do ok with 2GB and 32 bit Vista. It looks well configured for using as a home theater PC.

My parents machine has an AMD 4850e (45w) a 9300GS with HDMI out and a Blu-Ray, I hooked it up to both my HDTV and theirs and watched some Blu-Ray movies. Once I compensated for the overscan it looked fantastic. Your proposed PC, while not having a Blu-Ray player, should work great for TV, DVD, or Internet content viewing. Intel CPU will be faster.

Does the 8400HD do HDCP? I guess it doesn't matter if you're not going to do Blu-Ray with it.
 
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