HP Athlon 64 32 business desktop a great bit of kit

CORRECTION Knock off 32 bits and the review remains OK. BIOS Mag has said it made a mistake. Maybe the INQ should have proof read it better. But what is the real cost in terms of chip fab, we ask ourselves? Ed.

HP'S new dx6050 range represents outstanding value for business users. From just £299 you can have a 64-bit system based on AMD's Athlon 64 processor, 512MB of DDR SDRAM and a 40GB hard disk. The system's black-and-silver mini-tower enclosure (175x411x368mm, 10.92g) is utilitarian by design and is unlikely to turn heads, but offers quick access to most of the features a typical business user is likely to need. High-end users will likely have to upgrade the onboard graphics solution to an AGP 8X-based graphics card, but others should be well served for running a variety of challenging business and lightweight graphics applications.

Pros: Fantastic value; 64-bit processor; tool-free case
Cons: No monitor; performance is a little sluggish

The dx6050 range is HP's first AMD Athlon XP-powered system available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Not only that, the system can be yours from just £299 - a staggeringly low price that is sure to appeal to corporate users, small businesses and educational institutions.

The entry-level model reviewed here (PD458A) comes with a 2.08GHz AMD 2800+ Athlon XP processor (3200+ part is optional), an nVidia GeForce4 MX graphics chipset with 32MB of DDR SDRAM and dual-monitor outputs, a 40GB Ultra ATA/100 hard disk (upgradable to 160GB) and 512MB of PC2700 memory (upgradable to 2GB). Optical storage comes in the form of a CD-RW (48X)/DVD-ROM (16X) combo drive (4X DVD+R/RW drive also available), and there's even a 3.5in. floppy disk drive. Audio is driven by an onboard 2:1 Soundmax chipset with a 3-Watt internal speaker. You don't get a monitor or external speakers included in the price, but HP does supply a matching black wired keyboard and two-button optical scroll mouse.

Connectivity options are pretty much standard for a business PC, although we were impressed by the inclusion of six USB 2.0 ports (two at the front and four at the back). The dx6050 also comes with two VGA ports for running dual displays, serial, parallel and two PS/2 ports (mouse connects via USB), headphone and microphone jacks (both at front), as well as a 10/100Base-T port. There's no modem shipped as standard because customers are likely to connect the system to a company network for Web access.

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Similar to many systems with a mini-tower enclosure, the dx6050's capacity for upgrades is somewhat limited - so much so that you've only got space to add another external drive, such as a DVD-recorder. Although the nVidia GeForce4 MX graphics chipset is integrated onto the motherboard, you can add a more powerful AGP-based graphics card to the system at a later date if required. Memory can be added to the standard ATX motherboard via the two DIMM slots (one already occupied by the 512MB module), and you can add plug-in cards into the three available PCI slots.

HP hasn't compromised on software either and the system comes with Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2004, Roxio's EZ CD Creator 5.3 Basic Edition (included with all re-writable drives), Intervideo's WinDVD (included with all DVD-ROM drives), MyDVD Suite (included with all DVD re-writable drives), and Dantz's Retrospect Backup 6.5 (included with all re-writable drives). Microsoft's Works 2003 Basic is an optional extra, as is Microsoft's Windows Office 2003 Small Business Edition. For those who don't want Windows XP Professional pre-installed, HP offers the choice of Windows XP Home Edition or Mandrake Linux 9.2.

When it comes to raw performance, HP's dx650 is a little on the slow side considering it's based on a 2.08GHz processor. It handles typical business applications amicably though, such as word processors and spreadsheets, and its full speed potential can only be judged when the 64-bit version of Windows is released later this year. You'll need to replace the onboad graphics chipset with a decent AGP 8X solution if you work with graphics though, especially as the nVidia GeForce4 MX graphics chipset has just 32MB of memory. If you intend to run a variety of challenging business and light graphics applications, the dx650 is more than up for the challenge. If you find it struggles, you can always purchase a faster CPU and double its memory for not much financial outlay.

Review kindly supplied by BIOS Magazine. Go to that page for its performance testing results and pricing