Desktop PC Review: HP Compaq 8000 Elite

Newer equals better, right? It's common knowledge, after all, that computers become obsolete almost as soon as you get them out of the box. And who wants to be stuck with yesterday's tech? So it's not surprising that many IT managers looking at HP's desktop offerings might opt for the Compaq 8100 Elite ($900) -- a small-form-factor desktop that features Intel's Core i5-650 CPU.

Not surprising, but not necessarily the smartest move. HP also sells another compact desktop, the 8000 Elite, that uses slightly older technology -- specifically, Intel's Core 2 Quad Q8400. And for only $80 more, the 8000 gives you quad-core instead of dual-core processing, 4GB of RAM instead of 2GB, and Nvidia Quadro discrete instead of Intel integrated graphics. If you care more about bang for the buck than bragging rights, the older platform is the better deal.

What Else Is Under the Hood?

Priced at $980 with a three-year limited next-day on-site warranty, the HP Compaq 8000 Elite small-form-factor desktop is a slightly bulkier cousin of the 8000f Elite "ultra slim" model we reviewed back in May. At 13.3 by 14.9 by 4 inches and weighing just under 17 pounds, it should fit comfortably into most workspaces, while allowing for a great deal more expandability than we'd seen in its smaller relation.

As noted earlier, for example, our test unit came equipped with 4GB of DDR3 memory. But thanks to the Intel Q45 Express chipset that the 2.26GHz Q8400 processor has been paired with, the 8000 Elite's four DIMM slots can be used to upgrade the system to a maximum of 16GB of RAM, an amount that few casual or even hardcore business users will likely need to exceed any time soon.

Also as noted, instead of the chipset's Intel GMA X4500HD graphics, HP went with an Nvidia Quadro NVS 290, a dedicated graphics card that sports 256MB of memory. Other options are also available, including Nvidia and ATI cards that should meet the needs of most prospective buyers. And with one PCIe x16 and two PCIe x1 expansion slots available on the motherboard, there are any number of display options available, with the main limiting factor being the HP's 240-watt power supply.

Storage-wise, the 8000 Elite comes with a 250GB, 7,200-rpm SATA hard drive, with HP offering a number of other storage options including a 10,000-rpm SATA drive or even a 64GB solid-state drive. For an optical drive, our review unit came equipped with a 16X SuperMulti LightScribe DVD±RW burner, though buyers can opt for a Blu-ray writer instead.

Getting around in the case is easier than you might expect from a compact design. One pull of the access panel handle is all it takes to get at the 8000's innards. And while it might look too cramped to navigate in there, a number of the components simply pull away to provide easier access to what lie beneath them.

So if you need to upgrade the RAM, just pull the optical drive out of the way and snap it in. Getting to the expansion slots, similarly, is just a matter of pulling away a cover. And if you want to replace the hard drive, do the same with the power supply. But while replacing drives is a snap, just don't expect to fit additional ones into the case, or to close the lid on any full-height as opposed to low-profile expansion cards.

For external connections, meanwhile, the HP Compaq 8000 Elite comes with 10 USB 2.0 ports (four in the front, six in the back); PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors; audio line-in and -out ports; a serial port; an Ethernet port; VGA and DisplayPort connectors; and a flash-card reader that can handle a variety of formats.

Using the 8000 Elite

Getting the system set up was simple and straightforward: Just connect the cables, power up the machine, and set a few Windows options, and you'll be up and running in moments. Our review unit came loaded with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional and, thankfully, very little else; a few useful utilities are included, including the requisite trial of Microsoft Office, but the drive isn't filled up with the bloatware found on too many machines.

The supplied keyboard and mouse were as basic as it gets, connecting via the PS/2 ports that seem like relics from a bygone computing era. But while a home user might have little use for PS/2 connectors, there are businesses out there clinging to boxfuls of old keyboards and mice that the HP's inclusion will let them make use of.

It may be more than a year old, but the Core 2 Quad CPU powered the 8000 Elite to some pleasantly surprising benchmark results. The system rendered Cinebench 11.5's sample scene in just 2 minutes and 12 seconds, and posted a respectable score of 6,367 in PCMark Vantage.

The 8000 Elite's graphics performance, meanwhile, was also more than adequate for a compact business-class machine, with a 3DMark06 score of 1,732 and 4.33 frames per second in Cinebench's OpenGL animation. Neither of these is an earth-shattering score, but given that few are likely to buy this system expecting it to be a game-worthy machine, they're nothing to scoff at, and a good deal better than the system would have managed if it had relied on the integrated GMA X4500HD.

And all this looked great on the HP ZR22w 21.5-inch LCD monitor that HP provided for use in the review. This S-IPS (super in-plane switching) monitor offers a full HD resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels; an integrated 4-port USB hub; and connections for VGA, DVI and DisplayPort.

The included quick-release stand makes it easy to pivot, swivel, tilt, and adjust the height of the monitor, and its cable management solution helps keep cables from getting too unruly. Additional stands are also available from HP, as is an LCD speaker bar, a handy option if you need better sound capabilities than the 8000's integrated speaker or headphones without taking up desk space with external speakers.

As anyone who's used both TN (twisted nematic) and IPS displays can tell you, there's just no comparison when it comes to color representation and viewing angles. This is why so many willingly pay a price premium for IPS displays. So while the suggested $289 may be more than you'd pay for a 21.5-inch TN monitor, you'll also get more for that money.

More for the money is a nice motto for the HP Compaq 8000 Elite. It's a worthy machine that strikes a nice balance of price and performance, with a size that is small enough to fit on most desktops without many of the compromises that an even smaller form factor might force you to make. No, it doesn't sport the latest and greatest processor or graphics card, but what it does come equipped with performs well and will meet the needs of most business users without breaking the bank.