HP Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p review

With its small, thin case, the Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p is by far the most compact PC on test.

However, its combination of a Pentium Dual Core E5200 processor and 3GB of RAM is the slowest here. What’s more, the use of integrated graphics makes it unsuitable for gaming, with both Call of Duty 4 and Crysis steadfastly refusing to run.

The compact design means there’s barely any room inside, so this isn’t a good choice if you want room for future upgrades. The power supply blocks the motherboard’s sole PCI slot, while the DVD writer and 320GB hard disk fill the only available drive bays.

On the plus side, it’s virtually silent, with a side-mounted Cooler Master case fan quietly keeping the innards cool. The lack of a separate graphics card and the low-powered processor also mean the PC can make do with a 220W power supply; when running at full pelt, it drew just 65W, so your electricity bills won’t rocket.

The 20in HP 2009v monitor complements the system. Although it has a relatively high native resolution of 1,600×900, we found that colours were oversaturated and text wasn’t as sharp as on the other models on test, perhaps due to the analogue-only interface. The built-in speakers are passable for Windows sounds.

The Pavilion Slimline s5108uk-p is the only PC on test to include built-in WiFi, but it doesn’t support the faster Draft-N standard, which the majority of new routers use. As with Dell’s keyboard, we found that the keys on this HP model were too deep, making it too easy to bash your thumbs on the lower edge. HP also bundles a Deskjet F2280 all-in-one printer and scanner. Don’t expect wonders from this, but retailing at around £30 it’s a nice extra to have.

With integrated graphics and virtually no upgrade potential, the S5108uk-p won’t appeal to everyone, but those who want a slim, quiet PC will find it fits the bill nicely. If that’s not a concern, Mesh’s Matrix II TT is a better buy.