HP ENVY H8-1549

PCs in USA are cheap. Refurbished PCs are even cheaper. And since my CFO have approved my PC refresh strategy for 2013, I set my mind on importing one in.

My requirements are pretty simple. Main processor have to be Intel i7 quad core, with space to grow (as in RAM, PCI-E, 5.25" and 3.5" slots/bay) for future proofing. Graphics optional as I can always swap in a gaming-grade one later. Hopefully to have a 5.1 or 7.1 onboard sound so that I can take advantage of my existing Roccat Kave. Main reason for a desktop instead of notebook is to go back to gaming which I have put on hiatus to concentrate on kid-rearing. Now that they are older, I can also start introducing them to mainstream gaming.

After scouring the usual deals sites for a few days, by God's grace, I found the "one" at Woot. Its a commonly missed section called Moofi in Woot which consists on community sourced deals. Anyway, this is it - HP ENVY H8-1549 (Specs are listed on page). It meets almost all of my requirements except that the graphics card is a bit weak which I responded with an even more recent buy (More on that later, this post first to create some context).

It's pretty cheap at US$599.99 (not inclusive of US$5 Woot shipping). With some local comparisons at minimally S$1300 for an i5 or S$1700 for an i7. Even with shipping all in, I paid around S$900 for this. Yes, its refurbished, but refurbs by big brands are usually as good as new and its a very good way to save some dough.

Ordered from Woot on 23 Aug, delivered to HopShopGo on 03 Sep, 11 days total. Then shipped out from HopShopGo on 06 Sep, reached me on 10 Sep, 5 more days. Grand total days taken = 16 days.

I've been using this machine for a few weeks now and very happy with it. Have changed the main driver into an SSD which i imported previously and have ordered a graphics card which will reach me soon!