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GOOD
The HP ENVY 750-420 ticks all boxes for those folks in the market for a midrange tower PC that features an admirable amount of forward looking technology, including: a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 10 preinstalled, 1TB storage+256GB SSD, 8 GB system memory and enough room to grow into something bigger. PROS: Powerful 6th Gen. Intel Core i5 processor and roomy drive. Excellent day-to-day performance. USB 3.0 ports on the top panel. CONS: The minimalist design might be unappealing to some.
The HP ENVY 750-420 is one of those midrange desktop PCs that works very well now, and have potential to grow through upgrades into a great system later. It is already equipped with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB memory, AMD Radeon HD R7 450 GPU and a massive 1TB of hard drive storage plus a 256GB solid state drive (SSD).
It may not be the best for complex gaming tasks considering that the Radeon HD R7 450 graphics card is an equivalent of Nvidia’s GeForce 840M graphics card, but it does suffice for day-to-day computing including media creation, video editing among other tasks that need some muscle to complete.
That said, if you want a system that can grow with you, and if you’re the type who likes to tinker, then the Envy 750 is something you should be looking at. Expandability, new technologies, multimedia performance, multitasking prowess, and a decent price all factor in for a win.
Design and Features
The ENVY 750-420’s design subtly looks like last year’s iteration of the Envy 750 model, the HP Envy 750-140, that is clad in a silver-type design that is smart, sophisticated and stylish hence you can proudly display it in your living room or in the office. At 21.7 pounds, the system is quite portable (at least for desktop standards), thus can be easily moved from one spot to the other in the office without necessarily modifying the entire setup.
Similarly, the standard-tower design allows it to fit on most work tops thanks to a slim profile that measures 15.79 by 6.5 by 15.95 inches (HWD). If you’re working on a constrained office environment, then here is a multi-purpose PC that can fit almost anywhere.
Connectivity is excellent. On the top of the chassis you’ll find USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.0 (Type-C) and a headphone and microphone jack. The back holds a plethora of connectivity ports including two more USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, a line in/out audio port and a microphone jack. Wireless connectivity comes via Dual-band Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2.
A vertical tray loading DVD burner as well as a 7-in-1 media card reader, come handy in case you need to watch some old movies or transfer files to an SD card. Also, bundled into the package are HP wireless keyboard and optical mouse, which is impressive considering that most come with wired peripherals, though the monitor is not included, but you can always buy that separately.
Performance
As mentioned earlier, the ENVY 750-420 is equipped with a sixth-generation 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-6700 processor and AMD Radeon HD R7 450 GPU, with the quad core supporting up to 4.0GHz clock speed in turbo mode. Combined with 8GB of DDR4 system memory (upgradable to 16GB), the HP Envy stands out as one of the potent multi-purpose desktops in the midrange category.
Tested in standard mode, without overclocking engaged — considering that most rivals opt for the perks of high-performing Core i7 processors, it held its own as a surprisingly potent performer. Perhaps this affirms the impressive 9962 CPU Passmark Score, which is a rarity in most desktop PCs of its ilk.
This is the same configuration we’ve seen in our Editors’ Choice desktop PC, the ASUS G11CD-DB72. Compared: the latter gains an edge in gaming thanks to the latest Pascal-based Nvidia GeForce GTX1080 GPU that gives it muscle to handle most modern games at butter-smooth frame rates per second (FPS) even and high settings. Also, it leverages multitasking performance since it doubles the memory to 16GB, and can be upgraded to 32GB, which adds up to more processing power.
To that, add 8GB of system memory; enough for most users alongside ample storage. Should you need more, you have the option of expanding it to 16GB since the mainboard has an extra slot. For storage, you have a 1TB hard drive at 7200 rpm (rotations per minute) and an extra 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD), that suffices for faster boot times, while the 1TB provides a smart way to store all your downloads, video files among other downloads. The system comes with Windows 10 (Home) preinstalled, though some preinstalled bloatware will require a couple of minutes to uninstall.
Final Verdict
The HP ENVY 750-420 combines powerful performance, ample real estate to grow alongside a great minimalist design, and brings to the competition some forward-looking technologies that will remain relevant for the next 3-5 years. Still, the bald design might be unappealing to some, but it isn’t much of a deal-breaker in such an awesome machine. Nevertheless, the HP ENVY 750-420 is still a smart buy for a mid-tower multimedia PC thanks to a great design that has potential to grow into something bigger, ample storage and a higher tier processor, making it a great value.
Editors' Choice
HP ENVY Desktop Computer, Intel Core i7-10700, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard Drive & 512 GB SSD Storage, Windows 10 Pro (TE01-1022, 2020 Model)
