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HP Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £499.99
inc VAT

The small, quiet HP Pavilion is fine for undemanding users, but it can't handle games, and you pay a premium for the compact design.

Specifications

2.5GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200, 3.000000 RAM, 20in 1,600×900 display, Windows Vista Home Premium

PC World

With its small, thin case, the Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p is by far the most compact PC on test.

However, its combination of a Pentium Dual Core E5200 processor and 3GB of RAM is the slowest here. What’s more, the use of integrated graphics makes it unsuitable for gaming, with both Call of Duty 4 and Crysis steadfastly refusing to run.

The compact design means there’s barely any room inside, so this isn’t a good choice if you want room for future upgrades. The power supply blocks the motherboard’s sole PCI slot, while the DVD writer and 320GB hard disk fill the only available drive bays.

On the plus side, it’s virtually silent, with a side-mounted Cooler Master case fan quietly keeping the innards cool. The lack of a separate graphics card and the low-powered processor also mean the PC can make do with a 220W power supply; when running at full pelt, it drew just 65W, so your electricity bills won’t rocket.

The 20in HP 2009v monitor complements the system. Although it has a relatively high native resolution of 1,600×900, we found that colours were oversaturated and text wasn’t as sharp as on the other models on test, perhaps due to the analogue-only interface. The built-in speakers are passable for Windows sounds.

The Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p is the only PC on test to include built-in WiFi, but it doesn’t support the faster Draft-N standard, which the majority of new routers use. As with Dell’s keyboard, we found that the keys on this HP model were too deep, making it too easy to bash your thumbs on the lower edge. HP also bundles a Deskjet F2280 all-in-one printer and scanner. Don’t expect wonders from this, but retailing at around £30 it’s a nice extra to have.

With integrated graphics and virtually no upgrade potential, the S5108uk-p won’t appeal to everyone, but those who want a slim, quiet PC will find it fits the bill nicely. If that’s not a concern, Mesh’s Matrix II TT is a better buy.

Basic Specifications

Rating ****
Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200
Processor external bus 200MHz (800MHz quad-pumped FSB)
Processor multiplier x12.5
Processor clock speed 2.5GHz
Processor socket LGA775
Level 1 cache 64KB
Level 2 cache 2,048KB
Memory 3.000000
Memory type PC2-6400
Maximum memory 4GB
Motherboard MSI MS-7525
Motherboard chipset Intel G31 + ICH7
Power consumption standby 3W
Power consumption idle 47W
Power consumption active 65W

Ports

USB2 ports (front/rear) 2/4
Firewire ports (front/rear) 0/0
eSATA ports (front/rear) 0/0
Wired network ports 1x 10/100
Wireless networking support 802.11b/g
Other ports none

Internal Expansion

Case mini PC
PCI-E x1 slots (free) 2 (2)
PCI-E x16 slots (free) 1 (1)
Free Serial ATA ports 2
Free memory slots 0
Free 3.5in drive bays 0

Hard Disk

Hard disk model(s) Hitachi DeskStar 7K1000.B (HDT721032SLA380)
Interface SATA 300
Total storage capacity 320GB
Spindle speed 7,200rpm

Graphics

Graphics card(s) Intel GMA 3100
Graphics/video ports VGA

Sound

Sound Realtek High Definition Audio
Sound outputs stereo line out
Speakers none

Removable Drives

3.5in floppy drive no
Supported memory cards SD, MMC, Memory Stick Pro, xD
Optical drive model HL-DT-ST GH40L
Optical drive type(s) DVD+/-RW +/-DL DVD-RAM

Display

Viewable size 20 in
Screen model HP 2009v
Native resolution 1,600×900
Response time 5ms
Screen inputs VGA

Other Hardware

Modem No
Keyboard HP KU-0841
Mouse HP optical mouse

Software

Software included Microsoft Works 9
Operating system Windows Vista Home Premium
Operating system restore option restore partition

Buying Information

Warranty one year collect and return
Price £500
Details www.pcworld.co.uk

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