How are HP/Compaq Systems?

I wanted to check with those of you are using HP/Compaq boxes and how
you rate them on performance, reliability and support. I am in the
market for a new system $1500 range and typically have about 200
features per component, some surfacing and 500 comps in assys. A few
models that I am looking at are the Presario SR1730Z - Ath 64 3800, HP
DX5150 - Ath 64 3800 X2, XW6200 - Xenon 3.0. I would add a nVidia
FX550 video card to any of these systems. Another alternative would be
a "white-box" system from a box builder with an Ath 64 3800 X2.

TIA

 

I use a SR1750NX at home it is about 90% as fast as my Dell (Precission
670) at work. we do alot of complex models with 10K faces per part and
it has been very good at working with these large parts. i have also
test it on one of our assemblies (5k parts) and was arraying the
assembly until i ran out of memory. had 20 assys. on screen before i
got a slowdown. this is the last Compaq that will bear the compaq
name. all new ones will be HP. my home system is running an ATI video
and worls well with SWx.

iQ

 

Pretty impressive for a 3500 machine w/1GB of RAM. This machine is
about $500 now. Any problems with Media Center Edition OS and
Solidworks.?

 

yes it was a real good sysem for the price. i got it for that price as
a demo unit 4-5 months ago. i had to reinstall all software and i had
one item that failed to install correctly. it was a pretty show that
could not find a file it needed and it was in a loop until i
un-installed it. all worked fine after that. as for the OS, i have
had no problem with it. i have not networked this computer yet. my
daughter has installed many games on it and i only did SolidWorks. i
am impressed that there have been no problems interacting with what
games install and SWx. been a great system for home. this may change
as i network the system. MRW

 

* :

The reliability of HP systems is usually great as is the support...

You should be aware that HPs "Pavilion" and "Compaq Presario" lines are
cheap home user systems that are neither build or serviced by HP itself
but by some 3rd party vendor (i.e. in Germany it's Medion). Neither
quality nor support is even close to that or "real" HP computers.

The dx and xw series are "real" HPs. But the dx series are basically
office PCs with limited expandability, and the dx5150 also uses the slow
ATI Xpress 200 chipset which has a horrible USB performance.

If I were You I'd check the HP RENEW program. HP RENEW means systems
which have been used as demo systems on fairs etc and which are returned
to factory, have been cleaned, parts showing wear have been replaced,
were upgraded and repackaged. These systems look like new, smell like
new, and also come with a fresh warranty of the same length like new
units, but the price is up to 40% lower.

The $1500 budget could bring you already a nice HP xw6200 with decent
gfx and RAM. Maybe you can also find a good deal for a RENEW xw8200
(Dual XEON) or xw9300 (Dual Opteron). These systems are rock-solid and
come with 3yr onsite warranty.

Benjamin (with xw8200 and xw9300)