HP Pavilion P6230y
Manufacturer: HP Part number: P6230y
- CNET Editor rating: 2.5 stars Average
- Design: 7.0
Features: 5.0
Performance: 6.0
Service and support: 7.0
Overall score: 5.5 (2.5 stars) - Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The HP Pavilion P6230y yields decent scores, but we have a hard time recommending a system that comes at a higher cost and with a slower performance rating than competing systems. This system has a few uncommon features for its price, but nothing that makes up for its overall poor bang for the buck.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Buy | ![]() | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 02/08/2010 |
CNET editors' review
HP Pavilion P6230y price range: $679.99
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 11/23/2009
The good: Ample room for expansion; decent performance results.
The bad: Other, faster PCs cost less.
The bottom line: The HP Pavilion P6230y yields decent scores, but we have a hard time recommending a system that comes at a higher cost and with a slower performance rating than competing systems. This system has a few uncommon features for its price, but nothing that makes up for its overall poor bang for the buck.
Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.
The $680 Pavilion P6230y is another midrange HP desktop PC that looks good on paper, but can't keep up with the competition in price and performance. It can certainly handle its own in day-to-day use, but the competing Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004 makes this Pavilion look slow and overpriced.
Not a whole lot has changed on the P6230y since we reviewed its cheaper sibling, the p6110y. Most of the desktops that take a turn through our labs have a similar black, glossy case; but HP adds flashy accents, like a soft-blue LED-lit power button and a sliding panel on the face of the system that conceals the media card reader and front USB 2.0 and audio ports. Aesthetically speaking, we're confident that this system will fit anywhere without causing a stir.
| HP Pavilion P6230y | Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004 | |
| Price | $680 | $650 |
| CPU | 2.6GHz AMD Phenom II X4 810 | 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 |
| Memory | 8GB 800MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 8GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 256MB (shared) ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics chip | 32MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 750GB, 7,200rpm | 1TB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless, 10/100/1,000 Ethernet LAN | 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
The most glaring difference in a side-by-side comparison with the Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004 is the HP's diminutive quad-core AMD chip, which is left in the dust in performance and power efficiency tests by the Asus' quad-core Intel CPU, even despite a slightly faster clock speed. For $30 less than the HP, Asus offers more storage room to offset the lack of built-in wireless, which can be easily added thanks to the Asus' ample expansion space.
Since the Asus actually costs less than the HP, the Pavilion P6230y essentially offers less computer for more money than the competition. Thankfully, HP is more generous with its port offerings than its computing power. You get two USB ports on the front of the tower, with six more ports around the back, along with 7.1 analog audio, coaxial digital audio, FireWire, VGA, DVI, Ethernet, and a built-in wireless-networking card. Neither system has an eSATA port, nor do we suspect that most people would miss it. However, you can definitely find it on other PCs in this price range.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
| Multiple CPUs | Single CPU |
Before you make a buying decision in favor of HP, consider that the P2630y comes in second to the Asus in almost every test, except for the Cinebench tests that give credit to the highest clock speeds. The only system that gives the Asus a run is the ZT Affinity 7334Ma, but keep in mind that the extra processor speed will cost you $120 more than the HP and $150 more than the Asus.
Anyone still intent on buying this PC for whatever reason will find ample room inside the tower for future upgrades. You get a free 16x PCI Express graphics slot, three 1x PCI Express slots, and room for one more hard drive if you can get past the awkwardly placed cage that stands vertically against the back wall of the interior. Also, keep in mind that if you plan to upgrade memory down the line, you'll need to discard the existing RAM, since all four slots are currently occupied.
| HP Pavilion P6230y | Average watts per hour |
| Off | 0.49 |
| Sleep | 1.72 |
| Idle | 61.04 |
| Load | 111.61 |
| Raw (annual kWh) | 239.148 |
| Energy Star compliant | No |
| Annual energy consumption cost | $27.14 |
The HP Pavilion P6230y fares well against the competition in terms of the energy cost required to keep it running for a year. Coming in at just a few cents more than $27, HP manages to keep costs low, although the P5230y doesn't have much hardware inside to threaten your monthly energy bill in the first place. With a video chip integrated into the motherboard that handles all standard desktop applications and a newer AMD chip, we're not surprised that HP trends toward the more efficient end of the power-draw spectrum.
We used the Asus system as this HP's primary competition because their prices are identical and they have similar feature sets. We'd say Asus won the hardware match-up; however, service and support is a different story. HP's support offerings, on par with Dell's or Gateway's, give you one year of parts-and-labor warranty protection, as well as 24-7 toll-free phone support. We also appreciate its vast array of online support, including live chat. At least for now, HP has the upper hand in customer service.
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300; 8GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 32MB Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip; 1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive
Gateway DX4300-11
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 2.5GHz AMD Phenom II X4 805; 8GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics chip; 1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive
Gateway SX2800-01
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit; 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 32MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip; 640GB, 7,200rpm hard drive
HP Pavilion P6230y
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit; 2.6 GHz AMD Phenom II X4 810; 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics chip; 750GB, 7,200rpm hard drive
ZT Group Affinity 7334Ma
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (SP2); 3GHz AMD Phenom II X4 945 Quad Core ; 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 384MB (shared) ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics chip; 1TB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HP
- Part number: P6230y
- Description: The HP Pavilion p6200 desktop PC series delivers all round performance and impressive ease-of-use, all wrapped up in a classic, timeless design.
General
- Type Personal computer
- Recommended Use Home use
- Product Form Factor Tower
- Built-in Devices Keyboard, LED panel
- Width 7 in
- Depth 16.9 in
- Height 15.3 in
- Weight 9.7 lbs
- Desktop type Budget desktop system
Processor
- Type AMD Phenom II X4 810 / 2.6 GHz
- Multi-Core Technology Quad-Core
- 64-bit Computing Yes
- Installed Qty 1
- Max Supported Qty 1
Cache Memory
- Type L2 cache
- Installed Size 2 MB
- Cache Per Processor 2 MB
Mainboard
- Data bus speed 4000 MHz
RAM
- Installed Size 8 GB / 16 GB (max)
- Technology DDR3 SDRAM
- Form Factor DIMM 240-pin
Storage Controller
- Type 1 x Serial ATA - Integrated
- Controller interface type Serial ATA-300
Storage
- Floppy drive type None
- Hard Drive 1 x 750 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm
- Hard Drive (2nd) None
Optical Storage
- Type DVD±RW (±R DL) - Serial ATA
- CD / DVD read speed 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD)
- CD / DVD write speed 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 12x (DVD±R DL)
- CD / DVD rewrite speed 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 12x (DVD-RAM)
- Disc Labeling Technology LightScribe Technology
Optical Storage (2nd)
- Type None
Storage Removable
- Type None
Monitor
- Monitor Type None.
Graphics Controller
- Type Integrated
- Graphics Processor / Vendor ATI Radeon HD 4200 Shared video memory (UMA)
- Video Memory 256 MB / 3067 MB (max)
- Max Allocated RAM Size 256 MB
- Total Available Graphics Memory 3067 MB
Audio Output
- Type Sound card - Integrated
- Sound card name Integrated Audio
- Sound output mode 7.1 channel surround
- Audio output compliant standards High Definition Audio
- Speaker(s) None
Keyboard
- Keyboard interface USB
Input Device
- Type Mouse, Keyboard
Mouse
- Mouse technology Optical
- Mouse interface USB
Audio Input
- Type None
Networking
- Networking Network adapter
- Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data Link Protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
- Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays Total (Free) External, 2 ( 1 ) x Internal - 5.25", 3 ( 2 ) x 3.5"
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) 4 Memory - DIMM 240-pin, 1 ( 0 ) x Processor, 1 ( 1 ) x PCI Express x16
- Interfaces 8 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A ( 2 front, 6 rear ), 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
Printer
- Type None
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included Power cable ( 1 pcs.)
- Features 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN
Power
- Power device type Power supply
- Power provided 300 Watt
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
- Software CyberLink DVD Suite, Microsoft Works 9.0, Microsoft Windows DVD Maker, Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Trial)
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Card Reader
- Card reader 15 in 1 card reader
- Supported flash memory cards RS-MMC, miniSD, Microdrive, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, SmartMedia Card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCardplus, Memory Stick PRO Duo, MultiMediaCardmobile, CompactFlash Card type I, CompactFlash Card type II
Sustainability
- Greenpeace policy rating (Dec 2009) 4.7
Accessories
- HP Wireless Comfort Mouse (black) (33504172)24.58 - 36.83
- HP mouse (30590529)15.43 - 25.27
- HP Notebook Storage Cart 20-User - notebook storage cart (30541924)999.99
- HP Ultra Mini Optical Mouse with Retractable Cord - mouse (31217622)13.99 - 21.92
- HP Ultra Mini USB Numeric Keypad - keypad (31470034)17.59 - 32.83
- Adesso SlimMedia Pro Keyboard with built-in card reader and USB 2.0 hub - keyboard (33891592)20.57 - 24.99
- CTA Link 2 Mobile keypad (32425859)29.95 - 37.61
- Cherry Advanced Performance Line LPOS G86-71400 - keyboard , touchpad (32981227)111.10 - 125.00
- Cherry Advanced Performance Line LPOS G86-71400 - keyboard , touchpad (32981248)105.47 - 111.10
- Cherry Advanced Performance Line LPOS G86-71401 - keyboard , touchpad (32981196)121.10 - 138.00
- HP Comfort Mouse (crimson) (33620517)34.82 - 36.15
- 3BTN MOUSE PS2 ONLY 95/98/W2K/WME/NT/XP (20584851)
- 3BTN SCROLLPOINT OPTICAL MOUSE PS2 USB 800 DPI (20587152)24.00 - 28.00
- 3Dconnexion SpacePilot PRO - 3D motion controller (33656512)379.88 - 409.99
- 3M EM500GPL Ergonomic Mouse (large) (30449890)50.62 - 72.95
Manufacturer info
- HP
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HP products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.hp.com
- Address:
3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185







