HP Pavilion Desktop
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktops have some of the best prices for pre-built gaming PCs.The HP Pavilion have great hardware for their price.The cheapest option is the round about $499 HP Gaming Desktop with a Ryzen 3, RX 5500, and 8GB of RAM.It comes with a 400-watt power supply, which can support higher-spec graphics cards in the future.The motherboard is a completely customized form factor, so upgradeability is limited.The HP Pavilion Desktops are suitable for first-time PC gamers looking for a pre-built gaming PC.
Design and Specs
The HP Pavilion Desktop is small and compact, fitting easily on any desk.Some people love the design of the desktop, while others hate it.
HP Pavilion Gaming PC Specs
- The HP Pavilion comes with a CPU i5 10 400F and an RTX 3050.
- The system has 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD.
- At this point, the same specs are available in the system, but with a CPU i5 11 400 and an RTX 3060, which is more expensive.
Upgrading the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktops
The HP Pavilion Gaming pc have limited upgradeability.The graphics card, CPU, and RAM can be changed, but the motherboard is not upgradable.The cooling on the HP Pavilion cases is poor, so running higher-spec components will not give maximum performance.
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with GTX 1660 Super
For an extra $90, the HP Pavilion Gaming pc can be upgraded to a GTX 1660 Super.The performance of the GTX 1660 Super is significantly better than the RX 5500 or the 1650 Super.1660 builds are currently going for $1000 on Amazon and other major retailers.The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with the GTX 1660 Super is a great starter PC for first-time gamers.
Customizing the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with Intel
- The HP Pavilion Desktop can be customized with Intel components.
- The i5 11,400 is an excellent CPU, and the desktop can be upgraded with an RTX 3060 for $979.
- The power supply needs to be upgraded to 500 watts to support the RTX 3060.
- The HP Pavilion Gaming pc with the RTX 3060 is not going to perform as well as other off-the-shelf PCs.
- The cooling on the HP Pavilion cases is not ideal for high-performance components.
Comparing the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with other off-the-shelf PCs
- The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with the RTX 3060 and 16GB of RAM costs around $1100.
- A similar build from NZXT’s Starter Series is $20 cheaper, but it uses all off-the-shelf hardware.
- The NZXT Starter PC has better upgradeability than the HP Pavilion Gaming.
Building or buying the system
It comes down to whether building or buying this particular form factor with that level of components is worth it.It is recommended to go ahead and buy a system like the 1660 Super and Ryzen 5 5600G.
It may not be worth it to go for the i5 11 400 and RTX 3060, as it doesn’t take the performance up that much more.
Bloatware and Antivirus on the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
The HP Pavilion Gaming pc comes with some bloatware, but the only program that needs to be uninstalled is the McAfee antivirus, which uses too much CPU.The Omen Control Center is included, but it does not allow for changing the purple light to green, only the animations and temperature monitoring.
Benchmark Testing for the HP Pavilion Gaming Pc
- The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop was tested for performance in Valorant, running at 200FPS on average with CPU temperatures at 70 degrees Celsius and GPU temperatures at 60 degrees Celsius.
- Upgrading the RAM can lead to better performance in games.
- Tested GTA 5 on high settings and maintained above 120 fps average
- Expect to run GTA 5 at above 80 fps average in high settings
- Temperature for CPU was cool at 60 degrees Celsius and 70 degrees Celsius for GPU
- Tested Fortnite Battle Royale Pro settings with distance view set to ultra and everything else on low
- Averaged above 300 fps while loading and above 200 fps while battling with an average of 70 degrees Celsius for both CPU and GPU
- Warzone was tested on low settings and averaged 80 fps on the whole test and in some cases went up to 110 fps
- Temperature for CPU and GPU went up by 10 degrees Celsius but still playable with a 75Hz monitor
- Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested with everything set to high and averaged above 30 fps
- Console type of experience but still good for the price
Conclusion
Recommended for budget between $700 to $900Good value for the money.
A: The specifications of the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop can vary depending on the specific model, but generally they come with an Intel or AMD processor, NVIDIA or AMD Radeon graphics, up to 32GB of RAM, and varying amounts of storage, ranging from 256GB to 1TB SSDs and 1TB to 2TB HDDs.
A: Yes, the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop is designed to be easily upgradeable. You can add or upgrade components such as the RAM, storage, and graphics card.
A: The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop is designed to handle a wide range of games, from simple indie titles to demanding AAA games. You can play games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and many others on this desktop.
A: The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop comes with a variety of ports, including USB Type-C, USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and audio jacks. The exact port configuration may vary depending on the specific model.
A: The HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop comes with Windows 10 pre-installed, but you can also choose to install a different operating system if you prefer.
