I have been using the HP Compaq dc7900 Ultra-Slim Desktop PC for the past three months as part of a long-term review.
This is one nice PC.
Unboxing
The dc7900 came in a fairly largish box, which was surprising until I opened it, and remembered that it had to contain a full size keyboard!
As is usual with HP products, it was well packaged, contained all the necessary cabling, including a USB mouse*.
Installation
Initial installation was at the Orbiting O’Odua.
I connected the system to my network (wired) through a CradlePoint MBR1000 router.
I turned on the system, and received my first shock: it was running Windows XP! However, since I had been informed of that prior to receipt of the system, it was all good.
I installed the Logikworx Standard Business Desktop, and went began testing.
The HP Compaq dc7900 Ultra-Slim PC
I really wanted to review this system for three primary reasons:
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The slim form-factor is currently being used by a majority of our clients. Since those desktops would be reaching the end of their operational life sometime within the next several months. I wanted to make a review a current system with a view to making a recommendation.
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Secondly, I wanted to test the ‘green’ virtues of this slim PC.
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Finally, for current users of Windows XP, especially a potential client with several thousand desktops are all running XP, I wanted to see how it performed right now, and it the dc7900 had the headroom to perform in the future.
Size-wise, this PC is just right. Smaller than the smallest Dell unit we had placed in the past while being more powerful that those systems. With Intel dual-core processors and 2GB of RAM, the dc7900 proved to be capable of a primary desktop unit for years to come.
The dc7900 is already Energy Star 5.0 compliant, with each unit shipping with an 87% efficient power supply.
Performance
This is one fast puppy.
The dc7900 uses a 3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU, an Intel 4500 Media Accelerator GPU, and came with a 160GB hard disk.
I was able to perform daily desktop productivity tasks without the system hiccupping at all!
Moreover, HP imbued the dc7900 with integrated systems and add-ins that add more value and functionality to the dc7900. They are:
HP Power Manager
This is free power management software that ships with the dc7900 series. Client-based, it allows for computation, in real dollars and cents, of the power consumption of the dc7900.
Mozilla Virtual Browser by HP & Symantec
This one was new to me.
A collaboration by HP and Symantec, this exclusive-to-HP version of the browser is sandboxed for added security.
In my tests of it, the dc7900 was as responsive with the Mozilla Virtual Browser, as another install on the same device, using another partition.
For businesses, the Virtual Browser is an added benefit, since it helps mitigate the issues with errant employees surfing the Intertubes willy-nilly, and putting the entire enterprise at risk.
However, In-Private browsing offered by Microsoft as part of Internet Explorer 8, also sandboxes for you.
HP ProtectTools
This is a wizard-based software suite made up of several modules that serve to protect your system.
What can you do with Protect Tools:
a) Encrypt and sign emails and documents.
b) Credentials Manager to manage credentials.
c) Multi-factor authorization.
d) Privacy Manager.
e) Direct Access Manager, helping restrict/authenticate write functionality of all drives and USB ports.
The photograph to the left shows a configuration of the dc7900 that I am enamored with: the Integrated WorkCenter.
This is as one-piece as you can get to a customizable PC in the Windows realm. That solution connects to any VESA standard-mount monitor up to 22 inches.
Additionally, the dc7900 supports dual monitors out-of-the-box: a standard monitor, and a DisplayPort unit.
Conclusions
I tested the dc7900 at several client locations in order to gauge user acceptability. It passed.
Running over the several networks, the dc7900 displayed nary a whimper as I threw more stuff at it.
Interestingly, it also works well as a living-room system due to the size and quietness.
However, that was not enough for me.
I decided to go off the ranch and install other operating systems on the dc7900 in order to see if some weirdo component had been subdulously inserted into the computer by HP in order to create lock-in.
Windows Vista SP2
I installed Windows Vista SP2 from a standard image used by Mediklabs, and it worked flawlessly. Installation concluded in 27 minutes, and all devices worked OK.
Windows 7 RC
Not leaving enough alone, I decided to install Windows 7 Release Candidate, build 7100 on the dc7900. I hate to sound like a broken record, but it worked flawlessly as well, with installation concluding in 19 minutes.
The HP Compaq dc7900 is a small-format system. However, from (physical build) system integrity, where it can support up to 67 pounds I am told, to performance, to the included software, this is one big system.
It is also engineered for the new global awareness of environmental responsibility.
Not surprisingly, it is the recipient of the SmallBizWindows Superstar Award.
*In 2009 alone, I have sent back, un-reviewed, four systems – two desktops, a workstation, and a server – sent for review with PS2 input devices. No, they were not from HP, and it is 2009 for goodness sakes!
