HP has unveiled their “Pavilion Mini Computer.” While it is not as compact as a PC stick, the Pavilion is a small, stylish box that barely takes up any of your precious desk space. However, HP has focused a little too much on form over function. Getting the HP Pavilion Mini up and running is a doddle if you have set up a Windows PC before. Even if this is your first time, it will not be a great deal harder.
Software & Setup
Windows 8.1 is the Mini’s operating system of choice, although you have the option of upgrading to Windows 10 for free. As is often the case with affordable PC’s, HP has bundled a wide range of programs. Some are useful, some are not. In addition to all of the above, HP provides 25GB of free Dropbox storage, even though this expires after only six months. You also get three months of Evernote Premium and a one-month trial of McAfee LiveSafe.
If all of that was not quite enough, you also get a free copy of Farm Frenzy and ten sessions of Plants vs. Zombies. Through My-sms, you can also send and receive texts on the Pavilion. There is a sinewy HP suite included as standard, comprising Connected Drive, Connected Photo, Connected Music, SimplePass security and Support Assistant. Once you are connected the Mini to your monitor, just switch it on and follow the on-screen instructions. Since there are four USB ports on board, you can hook up your keyboard and mouse forthwith and breeze through the standard Windows 8.1 setup process.
Functionality
Right about now you’re probably thinking, so far, so good. However, it is with functioning that things take a turn for the worse. Our review sample runs on a dual-core Intel Pentium 3558U processor, paired with 4GB of RAM, although two higher-grade models are available. It is a basic setup, designed to handle light tasks. However, from the outset, Secure Data explains that the Mini proved sluggish and undependable.
Design
The Mini is fundamentally a cuboid, with curved corners and sides. It is dotted all round with ports and cooling grilles. The flat, grey top panel featuring the HP logo is held in place by the all-extensive light-silver chassis, even though it does not sit tightly enough in its frame.
It wriggles around at the slightest touch. Overall build quality is good, however. The main shell is sturdy and the cushion of black rubber on the base helps to keep the Mini stable on your desktop. In spite of being relatively light, at just under 650g, the Mini feels heavier because it is so compact. This is not a bad thing; however the Mini is reassuringly weighty.
Final Decision
The HP Pavilion mini desktop is as slick as it looks.