The fine folks at HP sent us a review unit of the HP Compaq 6005 Pro to play around with and I have to say I was pretty impressed.
HP designed the ultra slim form factor PC for the business product line, so naturally they kept to a very small frame which is about the size of a ream of paper (see pictures below).? Don’t let the 4.2 liter design fool you…this computer packs some punch under the hood.
Design– As stated at the top of this post, this computer is SMALL.? The ultra slim form factor boasts 4 USB ports right in the front of the computer with a full size DVD writer and some audio connectors.? After some real thought…what more could you need on the front of a computer?? I like the fan in the front as well, it helps spread the air around in the computer; this PC is virtually quiet.
While the boxy design is a bit thick (for an ultra slim PC) it does have a nice stand that makes it easy to store on a desk or tucked away on the ground.
The back of the computer has 6 extra USB ports, PS/2 connectors, a VGA port and a display port.? One of my issues with this design is the lack of a built in DVI or HDMI port on the back of the PC.? While the display port may offer those solutions, I’d like to be able to use a DVI connection without purchasing an extra adapter.? VGA is really becoming a thing of the past in the work place due to the ergonomic benefit of an LCD on the eyes.? It’s increasingly rare to see modern offices using old CRT monitors rather than LCD’s…most of which are digitally connected with DVI or HDMI cables.
Hardware- The computer that HP sent me was equip with a AMD Phenom II X4 Processor B95 (quad core) processor that had some major bite.? Unfortunately, like all quad cores, I deemed it a bit unnecessary in a computer of this stature as it most likely will be used for emailing, data/word processing.? The dual cores that most of these computers ship with, is plenty CPU juice that a user would need.
The 4 gigs of RAM as well should be sufficient for years to come, and allow a user to upgrade the RAM to 8 gigs. The computer came with a 250gig hard drive but in reality this is made to be a workstation running of a network.? Most office work anyway is very small and would not require larger hard drives like personal computers need due to movies, pictures and music.
The only aspect of this PC I was a bit turned off on was the integrated graphics.? While this is a business PC, we live in a world where integrated graphics can be pretty powerful (this computer does support Aero), but unfortunately don’t have high hopes in this PC for many other features.? It’s important to note that most business PC’s would have integrated graphics…so in the future I would be more impressed to see SOME life in the graphics department.? With the ATI Radeon HD 4200, you would be able to watch those HD videos at work, but look elsewhere if you’re trying to game at lunch!? This computer had no problem going up to the 1920X1080 resolution on one of my monitors or wide screen resolution of the 22″ HP with this machine.
The connections in the back of this computer are ideal for a business environment; supporting legacy PS/2 devices as well as a VGA monitor slot.? The non-traditional power cord is a bit unconventional for trying to recycle PC parts but the additional 6 USB ports on the back make up for it.? Oh…did I mention the built in wireless N card…? (major thumbs up).? This is great if you’re trying to make your office or desk a bit less cluttered…ethernet cords are notorious for getting kinks in them or being obtrusive.
Energy efficient- The world is moving to a green IT environment.? We are done with the days of incredibly powerful and power hungry machines- we’re into niche computing where a computer is built for the role it will be playing.? This computer fits into the business role of having a machine that is designed to be on all the time and be cost efficient.? The Compaq 6005 Pro is an energy efficient machine running at only 22W of power when idle and has an 87% efficient PSU.? Not only is that good for the upfront cost, it absolutely factors in your running cost.? Those energy bills don’t pay themselves and people forget that it can be the difference between a hundred or so dollars for years to come!
Overall Thoughts- This computer runs Windows 7 very well and I highly suggest it to any business looking to enter in a line of dependable PC’s.? Not only is it incredibly energy efficient, its perfect for supporting old hardware but including the modern software and PC parts that would be solid for years to come (including that 3 year warranty).? The Windows Experience Index gave it a 4.5 with the real bottleneck at the graphics but that would be expected from any business machine.
I would even argue that this would make a great HTPC with its low power consumption and quiet/cool design.? The computer itself handled HD encoding very well and the fact that it ships with a wireless N card makes it more attractive to users who can’t run cables all over their houses.? The only problem I see there is trying to find an adapter for that display port to connect to a TV via HDMI.
If you’re looking for that PC to throw in a home office, I suggest you look at this small and compact computer as it really will change your desk outlook and make you more of a green PC user- think about the money you could save!? Hop on over to the HP website and check out the options, see if its right for you.
