Get a hexa-core HP desktop for $399 shipped

This is an update of a deal I wrote about earlier this year. Now it's even cheaper!

Desktops! You still love 'em, you crazy people. And why not? Power, expandability, cool monolithic looks -- what's not to like? Actually, desktops will always have a special place in my heart as well, even if I've largely moved on to laptops and tablets.

Today only, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the refurbished HP Envy H8-1534 hexa-core desktop for $399 shipped. That's $70 less than the last time I wrote about it, and hundreds below the price back when it was new.

Update: Sorry, folks, looks like this is sold out. The deal page now shows a Bluetooth headset. Fear not, I'll keep my eyes peeled for more desktop deals.

Note: Daily Steals is notoriously slow to ship. Your order could literally take three to four weeks to arrive. If you don't want to wait that long, please don't order this. (Which is my way of saying, please don't e-mail me in a huff three to four weeks from now because your order hasn't arrived.)

In case you're geometry-challenged, hexa means six. Does any software actually take advantage of six independent processor cores? Who knows? Who cares? Six cores! Hey, nobody needs a Tesla to drive to the grocery store, but you'd gladly take one, wouldn't you?

Those cores reside inside a 3.8GHz AMD FX-6200 processor, here paired with 6GB of DDR3 memory, a 1.5TB hard drive, and an Eyefinity Radeon HD 7570 video card with 2GB of dedicated DDR3 RAM.

In other words, crank up the special effects on your favorite games; the Envy should be able to handle them without breaking a sweat. The system also features a DVD burner, a media reader, eight USB ports (two of them USB 3.0), Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and Windows 8.

No doubt many of you will turn your nose up at this last, but it's easy enough to live with Windows 8 by pretending it's not there. Personally, I use Classic Shell to boot straight to Desktop mode and restore the Start button.

I also think this is a pretty sexy-looking tower, with its glossy black front panel and glowing, Cylon-like red LED. CNET hasn't reviewed it, but review aggregator TestFreaks reports a score of 9.2 out of 10.

The only real shortcoming (besides the wired mouse and keyboard) is the 90-day warranty, which is fairly typical for a refurbished desktop. But unless the motherboard or power supply dies, most desktops are pretty easy to repair should the need arise. (That's just my opinion, having repaired loads of them over the years.)

Bottom line: If you're looking for a power-packed tower that should cover all your computing needs for the foreseeable future, and you're willing to wait a few weeks for delivery, this is the deal to beat.

Bonus deal: It's always a good idea to keep a data-recovery utility on hand, just in case. For a limited time, SharewareOnSale has Wondershare Data Recovery (Win) absolutely free. This tool, which normally costs $39.99, promises to help you recover lost and deleted files and partitions. And although it's provided here without tech support or updates, you can reinstall it at a later date if necessary.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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