Fast and impressive

My husband and I purchased the HP Pavillion with AMD Phenom Processor, 6 GB RAM and Vista Home Premium in a package deal from Best Buy online in November.

We both were using my 6 year old laptop, which recently began shorting out and shocked me twice. We had known the time would come to pitch the old computer for months, and had been researching desktops for over a year.

When the opportunity arose to purchase this computer at a great price, we pounced on it, and are very glad we did!

The setup was extremely simple. My husband plugged in all the components, followed the on-screen prompts, and had everything up and running in about 10 minutes.

We are very impressed with the speed of this unit. The quad-core processor and 6GB of RAM enables multitasking without lag. I can insert my digital camera's SD card into the convenient slot at the front of the computer, retrieve photos, edit them with Photoshop, upload completed images to an online photo website, and order prints all at the same time and with lightening speed!

The power button is clear as glass with a soft bluish-white light below, which makes it very easy to find under a dark desk.

The included Vista Home Premium operating system is new yet familiar. The functions are similar to the "old" Windows systems, which I found unexpected but pleasing. We are still learning to use Vista to its fullest potential, which I know will take some time, but this is an enjoyable process.

Vista is intuitive - it "asks" me questions and answers my needs without prompting. When I hover over windows on the toolbar, a small screen shot appears to remind me what I had open. I LOVE this! If I am working on a task, I can quickly preview any window without having to maximize the whole program.

The amount of provided storage space is a comforting thought, considering the thousands of photos I am transferring from our old laptop, and the countless other thousands I am sure I will be adding. Having a toddler and pets guarantees many photographic memories over the years, and I feel good knowing this computer will be able to handle the masses while still running smoothly.

There are many programs built in, including these: Windows Media Center (watch DVDs or recorded media, looks as if you can connect with your TV's DVR if you own a tuner), Windows Photo Gallery (cool photo viewing program with some simple editing capabilities such as red eye removal, color adjustment, cropping, etc.), Windows Media Player (play music, video clips, etc.), Windows DVD Maker (allows you to burn photos and videos onto DVD and organize them with stylish menus and options), Windows Movie Maker (stitch together and edit digital video clips), Windows Meeting Space (for file and document sharing), LightScribe disk creator (burns images and text onto discs for titling purposes), Quicken Financial Center, Muvee (another simple video clip-editing program), and a ton of cool games (some of which are limited free access, only playable a few times).

Also included were a HP keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is black with a matte silver stripe along the top. There are many functions on board aside from the normal keys - for instance, there is a button with a graphic of a crescent moon which puts the monitor to sleep when pressed. There are also shortcut buttons to access internet, search, mail, etc. The mouse is all black and includes a rubber scroll wheel at the center. It fits nicely into the hand and operates smoothly.

The computer itself seems physically strong and well-built. The black gloss and matte finishes lend a modern and stylish appearance. It just oozes technology.

Startup is very quick, and the computer is ready for use in under 2 minutes.

In the month we have owned this computer, we have had no disappointments or letdowns. Its performance has exceeded my expectations, and I hope that our good experience so far is indicative of what is to come.