HP Media Center m7260n Photosmart PC

Notably missing is a DVI connector, leaving you no way to send a digital signal to a display device--a must for connecting to a big-screen TV. Also, instead of having the optical Toslink digital audio port found on most Media Center PCs, the m7260n has the coaxial S/PDIF version, which uses a standard RCA jack. And the PC has only a single TV tuner, meaning you can't watch one program while recording a second with Windows XP Media Center's digital video recording capabilities.

A 300GB hard drive and a dual-layer DVD±RW drive offer ample data storage for most users. If you need extra room, you can add up to 300GB more with HP's Personal Media Drive, a separately purchased USB external hard drive that slides into a special docking bay on the front of the PC's case.

Other pluses for multimedia users: HP's Image Zone software organizes and manages photographs with minimal fuss, and the company's LightScribe technology enables your DVD drive to etch a label or graphic onto compatible media.

The m7260n also has the hardware to handle both Media Center tasks and standard computing work. Thanks to its dual-core 3-GHz Pentium D 830 CPU and 1GB of DDR2-533 SDRAM, the m7260n posted a WorldBench 5 score of 88, a result comparable to the scores of similarly equipped systems we've tested. Frame rates on video game tests were passable, but tended to be a fraction of what three other tested budget-priced Media Center PCs produced. For example, on Unreal Tournament at 1024 by 768 resolution, the m7260n generated an average of 141 frames per second, while the $1888 Polywell MiniBox 939NX-MCE kicked out 233 fps. Game play on Return to Castle Wolfenstein looked smooth, but appeared dark on HP's F1905 flat-panel display.

Upshot: The user-friendly m7260n is well suited to less-experienced users who want a PC for both everyday computing and Media Center duties.

Kirk Steers