2. The Case And Hardware

At first glance, the m7580n is a fairly standard looking PC. Visually, it has a decent, if slightly mundane look about it. The case itself is made of Steel with a plastic front bezel painted to match. Weighing in at slightly under 30lbs, the steel construction of the m7580n gives it a substantial and sturdy feel.

Like most Brand name retail PCs, the m7580n has obviously paid a visit to the sticker factory where it was fitted with stickers from top to bottom. As a general rule, I'm against PC stickers. If they are left on the computer for long before you try to remove them, the backing turns to a disgusting goo that is almost impossible to clean off. I've seen enough filthy remnants of half-torn dog-eared stickers on other people's PCs to last me a lifetime. Besides, it would be nice get to turn my computer on before having to deal with banner adds.

The HP Photosmart digital camera dock compartment

The m7580n has a top compartment that is designed to house an HP Photosmart digital camera dock. This is only an impressive feature for those who actually use an HP camera with a dock. If you don't use an HP camera and dock you get to have a strange hole in the top of your computer that will surely do a great job collecting little bits of lint and gum wrappers. HP has tried to expand the functionality of the compartment by designing it to double as a CD/DVD holder, but stacking CDs and DVDs on top of each other is a great way to scratch them so I wouldn't recommend it. The cover for the compartment pulls completely off, so it won't be long before the kids run off with it, and you are left with an uncovered lint compartment. Unless they are very creative and decide to use it as a planter or a candy dispenser, People who do not use HP cameras will wonder why there's a large hole in the top of their new computer.

The multimedia card reader

The M7580n has a decent 9-in-1 memory card reader which is essential for those who enjoy digital photography, and unlike the HP dock compartment, it's universal to most camera storage devices.

The following card formats are supported:

Smart Media (SM) xD Multimedia Card (MMC) Secure digital (SD) Compact Flash type I Compact Flash type II Microdrive Memory Stick Memory Stick Pro

The front bezel doors

There are two doors on the front bezel of the m7580n that open to reveal the front ports and the HP personal Media Drive bay. The front ports are slightly more extensive than a standard PC's ports might be. They include Audio/Video inputs along with the usual USB 2.0, Firewire, and headset jacks. The AV ports connect to the Hauppauge capture card and can be used to input a video signal from devices that use composite (RCA) and S-video A/V outputs. (Camcorders etc.) Devices that use Composite and S-Video are rapidly declining in use as digital video gains popularity, but there are still plenty of devices that can still make use of them. The Personal Media Drive bay can be used with HP's expensive and proprietary USB 2.0 based removable hard drives. If you want to expand your storage space, a generic external hard drive would be much more cost effective.