Why You Can Trust CNET HP Pavilion s5-1060 - Slimline - Core i5 2310 2.9 GHz - Monitor : none. review: HP Pavilion s5-1060 - Slimline - Core i5 2310 2.9 GHz - Monitor : none.
HP Pavilion s5-1060 - Slimline - Core i5 2310 2.9 GHz - Monitor : none.
As a kitted-out media slim tower, the HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 offers few surprises given its price and its specifications, despite an updated chassis design. This system will provide you with capable day-to-day performance, and a versatile assortment of multimedia-oriented features that make it well-suited for general purpose duty in a dorm, in a living room, or elsewhere. Our one hesitation comes from a competing slim tower from Lenovo that offers similar features and a faster CPU in the same price range as this Slimline, which HP sells for $829, although we've seen it for as low as $769. Although the HP is likely a touch slower than that Lenovo system, it has a few extra features that expand its functionality, making this a more well-rounded do-it-all PC, and the better value.
HP Pavilion s5-1060 - Slimline - Core i5 2310 2.9 GHz - Monitor : none.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The new design on this Slimline isn't a major departure from the older model. The front panel has a cleaner look, with less emphasis on gray trim than in the past, as well as a completely hidden optical drive tray, but otherwise the glossy black Slimline case retains the same stature as a monolith-in-miniature.
| HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 | Lenovo H330 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $829 | $799 |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel P67 | Intel P67 |
| CPU | 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 2130 | 3.3GHz Intel Core i5 2500 |
| Memory | 6GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6450 | 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450 |
| Hard drives | 1TB 7,200 rpm | 1TB, 7,200 rpm |
| Optical drive | Blu-ray/DVD burner combo drive | Blu-ray/DVD burner combo drive |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
We have not reviewed the Lenovo H330, so we can only speculate as to its performance, but based purely on its spec sheet, it seems to offer more robust performance than the Slimline S5-1060. The Lenovo system has a faster CPU, and more system and 3D graphics memory than the HP, so barring a significant configuration error on Lenovo's part, we would expect the H330 to outperform the HP. They match up very closely on features as well, although the HP has a few extras you won't find on the Lenovo system, including a TV tuner, a dedicated optical audio output, and wireless networking.
You could call these two PCs equal in terms of overall value, but we find that the HP's Wi-Fi and the TV tuner in particular have more everyday benefits than the Lenovo's likely marginal performance increases. It's possible that an extra portion of video memory may push a game over the edge into playability, or that heavy photographers may appreciate shaving a few seconds off of a batch process, but we'd bet that the average consumers to whom these PCs are targeted will find the HP's extras more useful.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | Rendering Multiple CPUs | | Rendering Single CPU |
We have not reviewed the competing Lenovo H330, nor do we have results for any recent comparison systems in the HP's $800 price range, so our performance analysis can only say that the Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 is as fast as we expect in relation to systems above and below the HP's price point. The Pavilion P7-1070t and the Acer AM3970-U5022 both cost around $500, the Gateway comes in at $599, and the Lenovo IdeaCentre K330 goes for $1,000. That said, the K330 and its 3.3GHz Core i5 2500 chip likely offer similar performance to the slim-tower H330 with the same CPU, making it a good competitive stand-in. As you can see, the Slimline is slightly slower than the Lenovo IdeaCentre K330, but not enough to make a dramatic dent in your productivity.
We spent some time gaming on the Pavilion Slimline S5-1060, and despite its discrete graphics card, this system really isn't what we'd call a gaming PC. With only 512MB of onboard video memory, the already lower-end Radon HD 6450 card in this system can't handle more demanding games like Metro 2033, even at lower image quality settings. You should be able to play more mainstream games on this system, including ports of console titles, but serious gamers shouldn't even consider this an upgrade platform. You might get away with adding a slightly faster 3D card, or a card with more memory for a marginal performance boost post-purchase, but the Slimline's 270-watt power supply and a half-height card limitation due to the narrow case will prevent more robust upgrades.
You actually get a reasonable amount of room for other upgrades, though, which is surprising given the size of the Slimline case. Along with the discrete graphics card and the TV tuner card, you also get two free 1x PCI Express slots, which would let you add a sound card, a specialized data input or some other upgrade. You also get room to add two additional memory sticks. The only big limitation comes with internal storage, where you get only a single hard-drive bay.
External connectivity is a little more disappointing. HP has at least provided a variety of media-oriented outputs. You get HDMI and DVI outputs on the graphics card, along with 7.1 analog audio and a dedicated S/PDIF digital audio output. For data ports, though, you get only four USB 2.0 jacks on the back of the case, and another two on the front. USB 3.0, FireWire, and eSATA are all absent.
 Juice box | |||
| HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.41 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 1.34 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 42.46 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 90.11 | ||
| Raw kWh | 172.21 | ||
| EnergyStar compliant | Yes | ||
| Annual energy cost | $19.55 | ||
The power consumption for these systems scales almost in direct proportion to their relative performance. We can't ask for much more than that, and the low draw from these systems, all based on Intel's second-generation Core i3 and Core i5 chips, is a strong testament to the improvements Intel has made to power efficiency in its newest CPUs. Your move, AMD.
Service and support
HP includes a one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the Pavilion Slimline S5-1060, in keeping with the industry-standard one-year coverage plan. You also get 24-7 toll-free phone support and a variety of support resources available on HP's Web site, as well as on the system itself.
Conclusion
Lenovo has stepped up its consumer desktop efforts in the United States over the past year or so, and the Lenovo H330 poses a significant challenge to the HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060. Thanks to a savvy selection of features, HP fends off the competition with the overall value in this system, sacrificing a marginal performance increase for more versatile functionality. As long as you don't mind a few extra processing seconds here and there, the Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 should meet all of your home productivity and entertainment needs.
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Acer Aspire AM3970-U5022 (Core i3-2100, Summer 2011)
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.1GHz Intel Core i3 2100; 6GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 64MB (shared) Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics; 1TB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
Gateway FX6850-51u (Core i7 2600, Spring 2011)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 3.4GHz Intel Core i7 2600; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1.5GB Nvidia GeForce GT440; 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive
HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 (Core i5 2310, Summer 2011
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 2130; 6GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6450; 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive
Lenovo IdeaCentre K330 (Core i5 2500, Spring 2011)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit; 3.3GHz Intel Core i5 2500; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1.5GB Nvidia GeForce GT440; 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive
HP Pavilion p7-1070t
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.1GHz Intel Core i3-2100; 8GB 1,066MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 64MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 2000 integrated graphics; 1TB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive