HP Pavilion P6110y desktop

The HP's motherboard features only the most basic inputs and outputs, and its single FireWire 400 port is the only departure from the norm. The Asus Essentio, on the other hand, offers no FireWire, but instead includes an HDMI video output, as well as 802.11 b/g wireless networking via an add-in card. Those two features might not have the greatest utility given the Essentio's midtower form factor, but the simple fact that they're present gives the Asus system some distinction. Depending on your peripheral connection needs you might find the HP's FireWire port enough to sway you decision. For our money, we think the Asus system offers more exciting extras.

Look deeper into the specs of the Pavilion p6110y as compared with its competition and your impression might change. It's not that HP has made any significant missteps with this configuration; it's simply that it lacks inspiration. You'll note in our comparison box that the Asus Essentio desktop offers almost the exact same hardware for $10 less than the HP. That price difference will likely change depending on the retailer, but what's probably more impactful are the graphics chip and accompanying motherboard in each system.

The most interesting thing about the Pavilion p6110y might be its new design. There's nothing drastically different about it, but HP has moved the optical-drive eject buttons to the side of the front panel, and has also gone to an almost entirely black color palette on the trim around the case. The resulting classier look gives this system more shelf appeal, and you might find the Pavilion p6110y one of the more polished-looking midtower PCs. If aesthetics factor into your buying decision, HP might indeed persuade you with this PC's good looks.

HP's Pavilion p6110y is first out of the gate in our back-to-school desktop roundup for 2009. And while there's certainly nothing glaringly wrong with this spare $509 midtower, we can't help noticing that HP hasn't done a lot distinguish this PC from its competition. Next to a quad-core slim tower from or new Wi-Fi and HDMI-equipped midtower, this Pavilion's has only a FireWire port, HP's easy-to-navigate Web site, and a lightly tweaked case design to help it stand out, which earn it only a lukewarm recommendation.

Editors' note: This review is part of our , covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems that can be found in retail stores.

Price range:

Specifications: Processor: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz) ; RAM installed: 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM ; Hard drive: 640 GB Standard ;

The bottom line: HP's Pavilion p6110y isn't necessarily an offensive system, and its case might even entice you to give it a second look. We just wish HP had taken a more substantive approach to help this desktop stand out. Its FireWire port might sway you, but otherwise you can find more interesting features from other PCs on the shelf.

The bad: Few interesting features; outperformed by other desktops in its price range.

The good: Classy case design; FireWire port; upgradeable; customer-friendly support.

Product summary

The good: Classy case design; FireWire port; upgradeable; customer-friendly support.