HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One PC

HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-One PC. The HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-one PC is a quad-core powered, large screen business desktop PC. It has an intelligent yet sedate design, good performance numbers, and would be a good fit for your space-constrained line workers who need just a bit more performance and screen room. It's a little pricey, especially considering that you can get systems with a few more bells an whistles for less money. Ultimately is the 8200 Elite is a decent choice if your business already has a buy contract for HP Compaq 8200 Elite PCs, but consider a lower-clocked processor to lock in a better price.

The HP Compaq 8200 Elite All-in-one PC is a nice performer with a restrained, yet intelligent design. However, it's a smidge too expensive for what you get in this configuration. Compact all-in-one form factor. Storage area for keyboard. Quad-core processor. Wireless mouse and keyboard. 802.11a/b/g/n dual channel Wi-Fi. Lots of options. 3 year warranty. No USB 3.0, eSATA, nor HDMI in. External power brick. A few pieces of bloatware.

Design and Features
The 8200 Elite has the same design ID as previous business all-in-one desktops, similar to but distinct from HP systems like the Editor's Choice winning HP Omni 220-1080qd. The 8200 Elite has a basic black motif, with glossy and matte finish panels all over. It's built into an easel-style chassis, with a simple stand and a single hinge attached to the back panel so you can tilt the screen to your liking. The system's speakers are built below the screen, perfectly placed for kiosk or reception desk use. The screen chassis floats above the system's stand, similar to the HP Omni and Apple iMac systems, so there's a handy spot below the screen to stow your keyboard. The desktop includes a 1.3MP webcam for video conferencing. The only other notable feature on the front panel is the power button.

The left hand side of the 8200 Elite is where you'll find two USB 2.0 ports, audio, and a 6-in-1 card reader (mainly variants of SD and Memory Stick). The right side has the system's tray-loading DVD drive, drive activity light, and brightness controls. The back is relatively Spartan, with four more USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, audio, and the power connector for the external power brick. The back panel can be removed relatively easily to swap out the drives and get to the memory DIMM slots (two total). There are a few ports we'd like to see in every business PC that this system lacks: eSATA and USB 3.0 for connecting speedier hard drives, HDMI-in or DisplayPort-in for connecting laptops or newer desktops, and HDMI-out or DisplayPort-out for multiple monitor support. HDMI-in or DisplayPort-in really come into play when the Core i7-2600S processor becomes too slow: you can hook up a laptop or newer desktop PC in the future to extend the monitor's life.

The desktop comes with plenty of pre-installed software, including a package that can take the sting out of the HDMI port's absence. The system includes HP's LinkUp software, which lets you remote control and mirror the screen on any Windows 7 laptop or desktop on your LAN. This way you can work on any PC in your local network, using the 8200 Elite's large screen. Other pre-installed software may (or may not) have a use in your organization. The extra software includes Uola (website creation and hosting), Huddle (collaboration, workflow, and virtual work spaces), Office 2010 Starter, Norton Internet Security (a paltry 60-day subscription), HP MyRoom (video conferencing), HP Virtual Rooms (multi-user virtual meetings), MSN, YouCam, HP Protect Tools, HP CA Management agent (asset management), and Xobini (address book). Most of this stuff is benign, but your IT folks may need to spend some time uninstalling unwanted programs or cleaning up this system before dropping it on users' desks.

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