Executive Summary:
The HP Compaq dx2250 Microtower Business PC is a value PC that's 64-bit compatible, with dual-monitor support option, Vista compatibility, and 16x PCI Express card support. |
Summary
HP Compaq dx2250
Microtower Business PC
Pros: Excellent value, good performance,
64-bit compatibility, dual-monitor support
(with additional ATI graphics card), very quiet
Cons: No TPM support
Rating: 
Price: Starts at $359; tested configuration,
$538
Recommendation: For SMBs and
enterprises looking for the most power at the
lowest price point, this basic value-oriented business system is a great choice.
Contact: HP • 800-752-0900 •
www.hp.com |
The HP Compaq dx2250 Microtower
Business PC provides a great balance
of value and power. The dx2250 was
designed as a task-oriented value PC and is
particularly well suited to small-to-midsized
businesses (SMBs) or large enterprises
looking to get the most power at the lowest
price point. Although the dx2250 lacks
high-end features such as Trusted Platform Module (TPM) support, it does provide some other performance
features that are unusual in a lowerpriced
system, such as 16x PCI Express
card and dual-monitor support.
The unit I reviewed was equipped with
one AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual-core
CPU running at 2GHz; 1GB of RAM; an
80GB 7200rpm Serial ATA (SATA) hard
drive; an ATI Radeon X300 integrated
graphics controller with 256MB of allocated
video memory; and a DVD-RW optical drive.
There was no diskette drive. The system
was also equipped with three USB 2.0 ports
on the front of the unit plus headphone
and microphone jacks. In addition, there
was a SmartMedia/xD slot; a Compact-Flash Adapter slot; an AD/MMC slot; and a
Memory Stick Pro/Memory Stick Pro Duo
slot. Located on the back of the unit was
a 10/100MB Ethernet adapter; four USB
2.0 ports; one serial port; one parallel port;
an audio line-in port and an audio line-out
port; a VGA port; a Digital Visual Interface
(DVI) port; and keyboard and mouse ports.
The dx2250 utilizes a basic case design
that’s opened by the removal of two screws.
Inside the case, the system has a 250-watt
power supply, two full-height PCI slots,
one full-sized PCI Express x1 slot, and 1 PCI
Express x16 graphics slot. The dx2250 supports
a maximum of 2GB of Double Data
Rate 2 (DDR2) SDRAM in two DIMM slots.
Additionally, the dx2250 supports a maximum
of two SATA drives. The microtower
case design provides plenty of room for
expandability.
The dx2250 that I tested came preloaded
with Windows XP Professional SP2.
You can also get it preloaded with Windows
Vista Business, Windows XP Home Edition,
or FreeDOS. HP offers 19 different processors
ranging from the AMD Sempron 3600
to the AMD Athlon dual-core 64 5600+.
You can choose among three different
7200rpm hard drive options ranging from
80GB to 256GB. The system comes with
HP’s Backup and Recovery Manager, Corel
InterVideo WinDVD, and a 60-day trial copy
of Symantec AntiVirus 10. Other software
options include Microsoft Office 2007 and
Microsoft Works 8.5.
The out-of-box experience was very good,
and the system was up and running in about
a minute. After an initial fan burst when the
unit is first powered on, the fan runs quietly,
utilizing HP’s cooling algorithms to control
fan speed and on/off. One pleasant surprise
considering that this is a value PC is the
unit’s dual-monitor support. The unit supports
ATI’s SurroundView technology, which
essentially lets you add an ATI PCI Express
graphics card. The system simultaneously
drives monitors from both the PCI Express
card and the integrated graphics adapter.
Although my test system didn’t have Vista
loaded, the integrated adapter is compatible
with Vista’s new Aero interface. As you
would expect, when running average office
tasks the system performed well.
If you’re looking for a basic value-oriented
business system, I recommend the
dx2250. Its low cost combined with good
performance makes it a great choice for
typical office tasks.
—Michael Otey