HP Envy Phoenix H9-1330 Desktop (Black)

My previous PC (which is still in use) was an excellent computer, but in the past three years a lot of improvements have become standard issue on PCs while I had to keep buying adapters and dongles to use new technology on my older machine. I am delighted that this computer came standard with Bluetooth capabilities, USB 3. 0 ports and HDMI support. With this unit I was able to hook up my bluetooth keyboard, wireless mouse, and HDMI monitor and really minimize the amount of cords going into the back of my computer and the amount of stationery devices on my desktop. The PC was entirely hooked-up in less than a minute. Actually booting up the PC for the first time with Windows 8 also seemed faster than my Windows 7 launch. Be forewarned that you need to sign-in with an existing Windows Live ID or create one.

The design of this computer is very attractive. It stacks up as slightly taller (about 1/2") than my last HP PC. This largely seems to be because of the top-mounted headphone, Microphone, and USB 2. 0 jacks. These jacks face the back of the computer. The top of the PC (minus the dash for the plugs), has a beveled shape which makes it nice for charging and storing devices since it minimizes the chances for accidentally knocking a peripheral off the top of the PC (see my picture uploaded by the product images). The splashes of red color you see in the photograph are actually light strategically peeking out from the case to lend a specific aesthetic to the tower.

I wanted to focus on the details above first since the product description page offers almost all the item hardware and software specifics an individual would need to know. However, I do have a few comments about those also.

The computer does not have a VGA input, but it includes a dongle that adapts your VGA cable to fit in the DVI port. I was delighted by this because I was able to use my HDMI cable from my monitor to this computer and use my existing VGA cable to keep my older computer hooked up to the same monitor (the HP w2207h).

It only took me a couple of days to get accustomed to the Windows 8 interface, but I can see how it would be a bit overwhelming to someone not already familiar with apps in another OS or without a touch device that maximizes it. My bluetooth keyboard (the PC comes with both a standard cord-attached USB keyboard and mouse) allows me to scroll through open apps and the other actions are easy enough to do with a standard mouse and the use of the Windows start button on keyboards. I found that claims about being able to reach the old desktop are greatly exaggerated unless you pin everything you love to the taskbar since there is no way to add the classic start screen button to the desktop view without installing third-party software and tweaks.

Review about HP Envy Phoenix h9-1330 Desktop (Black)

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Features:

• Intel Core i5 3570 Processor 3.4 GHz (6 MB cache)
• 10GB DDR3
• 2048 GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive0 GB Solid State Drive
• Windows 8

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