Lenovo H430 Desktop: Core i5 3330 3GHz, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVD Burner, Windows 8 $375 + Free Shipping
 

It is very hard if not impossible to find an Ivy Bridge i5 in this price range. Don't hesitate - these may not last.

Lenovo H430-57311430 Desktop PC [staples.com] (Item# 985090)

$449.99 - $75 coupon = $374.99 + tax

• Intel Core i5-3330 3GHz
• 8GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory
• 1TB SATA Hard Drive
• DVD Burner
• Media Card Reader
• Gigabit LAN
• Windows 8

In-Store Coupon Code: 99842
Online / Phone Coupon Code: 70921

Lenovo H430 Desktop: Core i5 3330 3GHz, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVD Burner, Windows 8 $375 + Free Shipping
 

Update: Out of stock online. For in-store purchases, use this Printable Coupon


Staples has Lenovo H430 Desktop PC for $450 - $75 off coupon code 70921 = $375 with free shipping. Thanks deelseaker

Specs

• Intel Core i5-3330 3GHz
• 8GB DDR3
• 1TB Hard Drive
• Integrated Intel HD graphics
• DVD Burner
• Windows 8

OOS Online

Alternate link to the coupon [staples.com] if the OP's one doesn't work for you. Thanks to blueribb.

Previous (12/7/2012 $400 AC) discussion of this system
http://slickdeals.net/f/5658626-L...d-In-Store

This system supports Windows 7. Drivers are available on Lenovo's website.

Plenty around me, some in SF, some in Sacramento, not sure if I need another computer but I put in a reserve for pickup even though I may or may not buy it.

tempting -- wanting to waste my tax refund on a new PC.

Hoping something pops up with more than 8g max RAM and non-integrated video. This however is a good price.

Does this need a none integrated video card to run two monitors?

Tempted to cancel my Dell 660s order.

Is this worth $100 more than the H430 i3 from Staples last week?

I've seen that this one maxes out at both 8gb ram and at 16gb ram. Anyone know for sure?

Here is this...

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us...LLC&NID=CJ

I'm not too sure about being able to use the coupon with the already-reduced price. On the product page, it says:

Save $150 Instantly!
**While supplies last. May not be valid in combination with other offers. Offer subject to change.
Offer Expires on 02/23/2013

On the coupon itself, it says:
"Each item purchased can only be discounted by one coupon, applied by cashier in
order received and prior to tax."

Seems a little more strict than their last $75-off coupon. Can anybody confirm the coupon works with the reduced price? I may give it a shot if it does.

Staples coupon policy states that they will honor coupons up to 7 days after expiration. There is a policy sheet they have in store that they will give you a copy of. So if you buy today, you can still use that coupon.

I just purchased this in-store. The coupon scanned with no problem to bring the price down to $375.

Pretty awesome deal for a general purpose computer. TU

Is it possible to add discrete graphics to this?

Do I just tell the person checking me out that I have this coupon code? Or do I need to print something out?

I added this computer to my shopping cart on Staples.com. The price went up to $505.99 with a $56.00 coupon to be applied if terms are met. Looks like they are intentionally preventing an additional coupon from being applied, at least online :(

I wouldn't risk going with just the code. Print out the .pdf in the first post of the thread.

Tech specs on the Lenovo site suggest that it should be possible to add a discrete video card, see discrete options in the Graphics section: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us...ries/h430/

Had no problem buying one with the coupon in-store. $407 out the door. 14 days to return, plenty of time to decide. Thanks OP, repped!

Is this a Quad Core? Newegg seems to say so.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6819116781

Is there any way for us to find out how many internal HDD bays there are for the case?
I'd like to figure out what sort of upgrades I can look forward to.

Pardon the "will this run _____" question, but I'm considering giving my current desktop (and it's 9800gt) to my nephew, who loves games but whose PC sucks bad.

Will I still able to run TF2, Civ 5, and minecraft using the integrated graphics on this one, at performance similar to what I'm getting on my current (old!) Dell Inspiron Q6600 3gb RAM 9800GT machine? Not on high either, just at a decent framerate and resolution (less than HD is fine!)?

Thanks, my nephew appreciates your input. ;)

Absolutely craptastic graphics:

No, everything is much faster than your setup except the GPU, but that's the most important part for games. You could keep the GPU from your existing computer, or figure spending $50-$100 on a decent but low end GPU to add to this.

Someone reported in the previous thread (see the the wiki for link) that it will take 16GB of RAM.
Yes. Unless you replace the PSU, you are limited to something that does not require an additional power connector.
Yes. Unless there is a recently released obscure oddity, desktop Ivy Bridge i3, i5 and i7 CPUs are dual-, non-hyperthreaded quad- and hyperthreaded quad-core respectively.
Based on the previous discussion, it has two available HDD bays and two free SATA II ports.

You wouldn't by chance know which direction the bays face, would you?
(Could I swap drives without having to take out whatever I have in the PCI slots?)

Deal is B&M only.

Just picked one up for $349.99 + Tax after coupon. You need to be a premier member. Here is how to save an extra $25 YMMV.

On line sign in and add to cart, if you are a premier member (5% off anything) it will give you a price of $424.99. Go back to the main page and it should show $424.99. Print the page and take with you to the store. Manager took it with no issues.....$424.99 - $75 (coupon) = $349.99 plus tax.

Worked for me....YMMV....

Nice--how does one become a Premier member? I couldn't find it on their site.

Since when did premier members get 5% off everything?

so recently my mobo for my amd phenom II 950 black edition fried and i'm wondering is it worth it to just buy this instead of a new mobo cpu combo because with the fried mobo buying a replacement of the amd3 chipset seems to be a waste and might as well upgrade. My plan would be to put in my own psu from my pc and ram and GPU.

also does staples have a OS downgrade option, really hate windows 8, if not i'll just make the 1tb a slave to my ssd from my fried pc and save the win8 key for when they make it useable/stop supporting win7

Thumbs Up and in 4 1. My desktop just broke and I was looking to replace. I already ordered the 660s. But this has better memory and stuff. Awesome!!! Thanks OP.

Since never. He's confused.

Just got one at the Kiosk for $404 after tax in Rossmoor, CA. Thanks, OP!

They also have the i3 model with 4gb of RAM for $350 before coupon.

Thanks OP for the deal.
Good deal. Perfect for everyday use.

I'm in the market for a new or used desktop. I'm debating on this vs. a local used desktop I found with this ad for $600. What do you think would be the better deal?

Since last April according to a thread right here on SD. Not everyone got this offer though.

http://slickdeals.net/f/4094986-S...ril-1-2012

I remember that. I think it was regional and not based on status.

Congrats!

Got one, pretty good deal. Thanks.

Click the link below....5% off everything

https://www.staplesrewardscenter....Login.aspx

3rd gen I5 and no USB 3.0?

lenovo support has been perfect for me buying from their outlet. they send techs to my home next day and overnight parts and disks to me for free.

I assume staples does not do the same.

The drives are oriented front to back, NOT sideways. Lots of "internals" pictures on Newegg [newegg.com].

Not a bad price for a desktop, wishing to replace a couple and may swipe me one.

Put in a reservation for one at my local staples and they never e-mailed/called me back

My local store refused to honor the coupon. :(

Staples refused to honor their own coupon? What was their reasoning?

I pressed a little and all they would tell me is that the coupon only applied to selected Windows 8 computers, despite the plain language at the top and in the fine print that says the coupon is good on "any Windows 8/RT laptop, desktop, or laptop." I pointed this language out to them to no avail. They didn't say anything about combined discounts. They just flat out said the coupon did not apply.

Just out of curiosity, were you trying to buy this H430? I've reserved one, but have to drive quite a ways to the Staples where it's in stock. Wondering if I need to call ahead to check on the coupon first.

am i reading it correctly, only 6 usb 2.0 ports and no usb 3.0? this is definitely an old model.

have had the same thing happen to me. Have even been told once at one staples that they will not honor coupons anymore if its a print out. What?? I got it off your website you goof. Thus I hardly ever go to Staples.

I just did a chat with Staples customer support, and the rep said the coupon would work on this item in-store. I'm printing that out to take with me. Might be a good idea for anyone else planning on using the coupon!

Sorry I'm blind, does anyone have a copy of the coupon?

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a video card to add onto this? I don't require much in terms of graphics, just enough for SC2, DotA2, and mayb Civ5

It's an attachment in the OP. I also made a link within the text to make it more convenient. Here is is, just in case:

Staples Coupon - $75 off Windows 8 PCs

Thanks. Much appreciated.

go later when another manager is on duty.

you ran into an idiot.

I purchase it this morning at the store. I made a reservation yesterday and pick it up this morning.

My local stores were all out of stock but I went to the staples in Elk Grove, CA. The manager was able to honor the coupon and placed an online order for me. The computer will be shipped to my house. Free shipping, $402 OTD. Great deal cheers!

My local Staples still has in stock. Just reserved one online and wait for the confirmation. Thanks.

Can anyone confirm what power supply wattage is in this? I don't see it anywhere. TIA!

i guess i'm just not seeing how this is a good deal for $400

once you part out the cpu, ram, and hard drive you're left with paying almost $200 for a lame case/psu, basic mobo and optical drive

......???

Short answer: As far as I know, this is the least expensive pre-built Ivy Bridge i5-based configuration we have seen.

Long answer: This is a deal on a pre-built PC for the 90% of people/businesses that do not do BYO. It comes with a geniuine copy of Windows and a 1-year warranty, something that you obviously don't put any value on. Plus you are undervaluing the CPU, the RAM, the hard drive and the cost of labor - not even mentioning a possible opportunity cost.

Here is the BYO Computer thread for your pleasure.

Just bought two at the store (Naperville IL)...had one in stock and the other delivers tomorrow. No problem using the coupon. 402 ea. out the door.

Manager was excellent...happy to accept the coupon and went out of his way to answer a bunch of questions a friend had and make some small talk.

Just picked up mine--$398, no problems with the coupon whatsoever. The guy scanned the barcode on the computer, scanned my coupon, I paid, and walked out the door a happy man with a new toy.

No usb 3.0, need wireless adapter.

Bought one in North Carolina. Manager accepted coupon right off, didn't exactly seem pleased, but no problems. Ended up being 401.

Anyone have advice on upgrading the gpu and if necessary psu?

Thanks.

Windows 8 kills this. so farking sad they made that shit

at Newegg this i5 is $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6819116781

Why does this not have the HD 4000 like the Ivy Bridge laptops?

Because it's not a laptop.

There are plenty of solutions out there to make windows 8 look and act like Windows 7.

I was concerned about Windows 8 at first, but now I love it.

No go in the store @ Snowden River Parkway, Columbia, MD. They said I can only use one or the other. ie either use the $56 Instant Off or the $75 coupon.

I haven't owned a prefab in awhile so I apologize in advance if this is a dumb question. What's the specific mobo and or form factor and how easy is it to unmount it from the case? I'm planning on swapping the mobo and CPU with my current microatx mobo and using my current gpu and psu. TIA!

Got one.
Thanks OP

I don't have a Staples in my town so I chatted with the online rep and if you do not have a Staples within 50 miles of your home they will take the coupon online.
They verified my address and took the coupon code 99842 for 75 off. My total was 401. (Had to pay taxes)

Got two (one for myself and one for dad) - thanks OP!

SO then photoshop is out?

Got last one at my local store. Witnessed the manager rejecting someones coupon on a different laptop, something about the the last 2 digits of the price meaning the computer was on clearance. As cashier if i would have the same problem, and he kindly replied "you wont".

It seems that this desktop does not include a keyboard and mouse. Is that correct? Most other desktop packages seem to. Just curious (I understand that I can buy them separately, I am just asking).

It is included. Why not upgrade to wireless?

Good to know. It was not clear from looking at the information here:
http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-H43...der-985090

$398 OTD .. the salesguy scanned the coupon. No problems.

nice deal, thanks OP .. just what I was looking for.

Picked one up at the staples in Paramus nj off rt 17. What I thought was weird was that the in store label mentioned an i3 processor.

I haven't checked the one which I purchased to confirm its i5, but did anyone else see that?

I saw an i3 version, 4gb ram and 1T hard drive at my local Staples on sale for 349.99...maybe that's the one you saw? The one I got was definitely i5.

Picked one up on Long Island, NY. No issues at all using the coupon, store still showed the $150 instant off so no conflict. Had 3 in stock, $404 out the door.
Seems a great setup, hopefully W8 isnt as bad as everyone says and will probably upgrade video card but otherwise amazing for the price.

Thanks and repped!

Picked up my at local Staples store. Haven't opened the box. Will check tonight.

picked one up last night for $398 total. my parents desperately needed an upgrade, they're gonna be thrilled about this one!

picked one up right now ONLINE with the new updated coupon. $406 shipped!

The deal is now available online with a coupon code that was released this morning. The instore coupon code remains the same. I reuploaded the in-store coupon as a JPG. My PDF converter butchers it, so I would appreciate if someone could help with a PDF printout.

^coupon code that was released this morning?

edit* reading is learning :0

Anyone used some Staples Rewards to pay part of this PC ?

If so, when you're in the store, where do you apply them: at the store kiosk or hand them over at the register ?

Here is the coupon info just released this morning. Works in-store and online/phone. Online/Phone code: 70921

got one, thanks OP...guess I need to find a deal on a monitor now :P

It is free if you want to downgrade the system to Win7?

anybdy know a decent graphics card for this ? i know it has a lower psu and i dont want to replace it because i'm only doing semi light gaming. (heroes of newerth)

Why would you want to downgrade ?

If you don't like the Win8 metro look, just install Start8 or any of the FREE start menu add-on programs. Windows 8 will then look and work just like Win7 except it starts and shuts-down much faster.

Just too many people don't like window 8, there must be a reason. If this has window 8 pro, we can downgrade to win7 free.

Why do I feel the need to buy this when I just built my own first computer...?

WMP video decoders etc. hardware issues.

Does anyone have the link to downgrade to Win7 is possible? I have a Win 7 CD with a legit CD Key from my laptop which I can also use.

I don't think it has the PRO version but I could be wrong. The only reason some don't like Win8 is because the start menu is missing and the computer boots to the METRO screen. Install Start8 and set it to boot to the desktop will make Windows 8 look and feel identical to Windows 7. It's that simple.

everything about this computer is great except for windows 8, not a big fan

in for one thanks

Video decoders etc ???
Hardware issues ???

Just install K-Lite Mega-Codec Pack and VLC Media Player. You will then be able to play ALL media

Does Win 8 support these yet? I'm not that familiar with it at all. Win 7 for me is so smooth with all my codecs for WMP.

just bought one online. Thanks!

Need this bad to run my server. I'm using blue iris to run about 10 IP cameras. Need something with processing power. My current core 2 is running at 100% cpu.

Just picked one of these up to replace my workhorse at home. Real tough to beat at this price!

$403.11 total in California.

Adding in a Asus Radeon HD 7750. The 7750 doesn't require additional power connection from the power supply, just uses the PCI-e slot. Got a Recommended Buy from TomsHardware.com.

Amazon has the 7750 for 107.99 - $20 rebate = $87.99. My son had been saving up for awhile and we were going to go the build route, but this seemed like a pretty good deal -- especially considering the Ivy Bridge i5. And it gave him pretty decent gaming for just under $500 including taxes.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-HD7750...B007RFYEQW

TomsHardware review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/revie...35-16.html

Passmark Benchmark:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net...750&id=321

Perfect. Had one on reserve yesterday about 50 miles away. Too lazy to drive and get it! This is better getting sent to my house!

How can I get wifi with this desktop model?

I'm able to apply the $75 off coupon at their website, checking out as guest.


Coupons & Rewards

-$131.00


Subtotal:

$374.99


Delivery:

Free


Estimated Tax:

$28.12


Amount Due:

$403.11

Of course...

I've been using Windows 8 for months now and I have had no problems with CODECs. I use CCCP ( a CODEC pack + MC classic) right now and I still don't have any issues.

At that price for those stats, I would jump on that PC. If it was heavily used previously, then I could see hesitating, but that is a ridiculous amount of RAM, and decent video card (definitely better than the integrated garbage Lenovo is giving).

Dont need one but I got one anyway

Woh brother! What do you need more then 8GB of RAM for? :D

Trying to find this build in a labtop form for under $600. Any ideas besides hardwiring it myself?

My parents need a new computer, but I think this is probably too much for them. I'd love to get them a comp with that coupon, though. Anyone have any suggestions for basic computer usage?

I've been reading up on that too - you are confident (certain, even?) that the 280w psu is going to be ok with that card in this PC? That's the route I'm considering going as well. Thanks for your input.

Is this a good PC to do some basic GoPro video editing? Enough RAM and good processor?

For $100 you get to extend your PC life replacement by 1 year, and you are getting at least a 30% boost in speed! So you decide! :D;)

This http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilio...uct_989663

Should be a decent "partents" computer. And good price too.

Nice deal!

How many hard drives will this support if I decide to move over my current assortment? I think I have 3-4 in my current box :)

Still have the last one reserved, wonder if I should pick it up.

Can you share links? Win 8 sucks :(. How do I downgrade to 7 for free?

would i be able to add an sdd drive with no problem?

You can download something for free like Classic Shell if you want it to resemble Windows 7 but actually keep Win8 for now.

Wanting to get into photography, would this be good for that? no games

quick question, can i uninstall Win 8 and install a copy of Win 7 that I have? One thing I would be concerned with is the drivers for this desktop?

Any idea if the mobo on this has a switch or jumper to disable boot EPROM flashing? Somebody destoyed my old mobo by somehow flashing crap to the boot EPROM.

There is an open bay available in H430 to add a second SATA hard drive.

What are you going to find under $400 that isn't used or 3+ years old off-lease?

This IS for basic computer usage.

Got one online, $386.80 shipped. Thanks OP!

Bought! Thank for your help!!!

I also want to know this. I can't see anywhere that says this has wifi capabilities / a wireless card. Does it? If not, how could I rectify that?

I can't access the coupon. If I try any of the links in the thread, it says it is an invalid attachment. Can somebody repost the PDF or provide an external link?

EDIT: Blueribb posted one. I added it to the wiki. I'm good to go.

Is this a better comp & deal? only $5 more and comes with keyboard and mouse I think... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenov...Id=8045173

Evotires set me up for $150 cheaper. My parents don't need much and $150 saved is excellent. :wave:

Nope, the specs on that one are significantly lower than the staples deal

The i5 (Staples) processor will walk all over the one from Best Buy.

It's a nasty little malady known as the "Slickdeals Effect" :D

Never mind :( We're sorry, the following item is out of stock.

Ok So I'm buying it. Quickly is this correct deal before I hit Submit?


Order Summary
Coupons & Rewards -$131.00
Subtotal: $374.99
Delivery:Free
Estimated Tax:$28.12
Amount Due: $403.11

Ummmm, no! That PC has a Pentium processor in it. :lmao:

And 4GB of Ram

Here is an easy solution [amazon.com]. It costs about 20$ and is easy to use/store/move to another pc. I have one of these and it is great, although I have abandoned it since I can use ethernet now.

Thank you

It says sold out :(

Coming up as out of stock for me.

Out of Stock

That is a nice find. I take back what I said Your parents will be happy with that.

However I have something similar to this at work and I love listening to the fan and watching the CPU util pegged at 100% most of the day.

OOS online.

My tax was a couple bucks higher, but yes, that's it. Go for it!

Well i'm glad it's out of stock because it's very tempting but it wouldn't be good for me in the long run because i going after a gaming computer.

Confident -- Yes. Certain -- No. But reading reviews and forum posts, the 7750 power requirements seem to be substantially overstated. Over at TomsHardware (again) they built an HTPC using the 7750 [tomshardware.com] as the graphics card. And while they were using a lower wattage CPU, they only came out to 120w draw with their complete setup. I put together a quick dummy system on pcpartpicker.com with the same i5 3330 CPU, 7750, 1333 ram and a motherboard and it estimated a max wattage of 221 watts. Pre video card it was 177 watts and going with the idea that the 7750 has a lower the rated power draw, it will probably be substantially less than that 221 watts.

Wow, I must have bought the last one or something. Because it went OOS right after I bought it. You can hate me. :)

fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

just added to cart then SOLD OUT

Ok..I hate you...:)

I don't get the pun. Please explain.

Damn, I'm abit too late. Asus hard drive to the nearest store the other bay just in case, but I was too lazy :(

For all of you with OOS online, some stores still have them for pickup. Keep checking!

Just got my email for reservation in store! Got the last one again!

Gone!

Excellent! I know nothing about computers so this community is invaluable for things exactly like this. :woot:

WTF!
NOOOOOooooooooooo

http://i.imgur.com/zAv7q.gif

I missed this by literal seconds. It said in stock when I opened the page, but when I clicked add to cart it changed to OOS :(

Check your local Staples stock online, if it says its sold out... that's because of me too. I don't want you to have any. :D

For $225 + tax, that's a good deal in itself!

my mobo fried but everything else worked, i just bought a new mobo and installed it, spent $70 instead of $375. took a bit of time to install, and it will take you longer if you haven't switched out pc hardware before.

Because people fear change! I used to hear the same argument when Vista came out. People chose to downgrade to XP. Crazy!:shake:

None of the attachment links work for me. Can you post it via an external link?

EDIT: Blueribb posted one. I added it to the wiki. I'm good to go.

Still have not seen answers on this being a good set up for photoshop,lightroom etc ? A tablet will take care of my gaming needs.

Out of stock.

Vista did suck though too. Vista and Windows 8 are bad.

Are you logged into SD ?

No pun intended. It was just a term for a very basic computer (generally most parents aren't into gaming/video editing/heavy computer use). :D:wave:

Yes. x

Trying to print the $75 off coupon also, with no luck. I googled the coupon and the ones I've seen do state expires on 2/21/13.

Ordered online no worries

Subtotal: $505.99
Delivery: FREE
Coupon1: -$56.00
Coupon2: -$75.00
Tax: $21.00
Total: $395.99

I then get a coupon in my snail mail for $30 off plus a coupon for a free video camera. Called support and they were very helpful. Would not apply the dollar off, only allowed one at a time. But she did apply the coupon for the free Twist Video Camera (value $69.99). If the camera turns out to be not very good, then the kids get it.

Thumbs up!

i got this pc last time they offered this price.

I decided to upgrade the processor so i can get 8 threads in video work.

I sold the i5-3330 on ebay for $170, and bought a i7-3770k from microcenter for $209.99 plus tax when they had the promo last month.

It works great, and I bought a 4-port NEC USB 3.0 card for $13 bucks on ebay, and it makes up for that limitation.

coupon link
 

Hope this link to the coupon works for you:

http://reg.e.staples.com/c/s/tagf...aWB8xASurV

It does/did. Thanks and repped.

EDIT: Added to the wiki and gave you credit.

ｗｏｗ,　ｃｐｕ　ａｌｏｎｅ　ｉｓ　ｗｏｒｔｈ　$２００

Here's a backup just in case: http://i50.tinypic.com/29av9me.jpg

Currently Out of Stock.

Thanks! Repped!

How many SATA ports does this have in it? Is there a page with the full technical specs for the machine?

Anyone know the full rundown on the PCI slots on this? PCI express x 16 2.0, right, and what, three more regular PCI slots? I have a pro audio soundcard that requires two PCI slots. Danke!

I find it amusing you are comparing Vista to Windows 8... :rolleyes:

too bad I just ebay'd my staples coupons the other day or I might buy it :(

Here's the coupon as a PDF if anybody wants it.

Sure, here are a few, but you can always use bing, google, yahoo to find more...

http://www.classicshell.net/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adria...windows-7/

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/softwar...-50009546/

I think you should give Windows 8 a couple of days or use one of the above methods before deciding to downgrade to Windows 7.

Again, I ended up really liking Windows 8.

got one in store! woo hoo!

what's the best way to add USB 3 to this?

PCI-E card

Guys, I need some feedback.

I bought my wife a refurb HP i3 in early January. It's been troublesome since the get go. First, it was missing a leg for the keyboard. It was like pulling teeth getting help from HP for a simple part. Along the way, we found out the serial on the computer didn't even match the serial on the receipt for a computer I had purchased just three days prior (we noticed it when HP asked us for the serial number for warranty purposes -- to which they replied it was out of warranty. I just purchased it just a few days prior and it said it had a 90 day HP warranty). Beyond that, the computer frequently hangs when restarting (in the restart screen) to the point where you have to power it down. A lot of Windows updates don't update successfully. They also hang to the point where you have to power down (which is not recommended) -- and I've even waited overnight at times, so it's not like I'm "impatient". It took multiple swings to Windows 8 installed correctly (upgrade from 7). I'm pretty computer savvy and had no issues upgrading my machine to 8. It's frequently slower than it should be, randomly/occasionally has issues with the homegroup network and it won't cleanly let me remove it from our homegroup to re-add it. Long story short, I'm fed up with it. I'm trying to get the store I bought it from to bend on their return policy and let me return it. If they don't budge, I'm going to try Discover's return protection (fine print says no rebuilt/used items, but they said they might be able to do something for me).

I really want to get this Lenovo -- especially since I can get Staples gift cards for 20% off face value (it'd make it around $325 out of pocket OTD for us). It'd be a nice step up from what she has and I have plenty of time on my hands to do the backing up of her vital documents to transfer to her new machine.

Would you roll the dice on the upgrade? I assume I can register her (purchased) copy of Windows 8 Pro w/ Windows Media Center on a new machine (a phone call to Microsoft would solve it, worst-case scenario, correct?). If the store I bought it from AND Discover both say "sorry", we'd be stuck with an extra computer (the HP) that I paid ~$360 for.

Would you gamble and get the Lenovo? What would you do with the HP? Try to sell it if you can't return it or have Discover help out?

Damn bro, give me your biography along with that wall-o-text. Lets get this straight, you aren't going to get it for around $325 because you aren't going to get it at all. Its probably sold out in every local staples in your area.

I reserved the last one at my local Staples! Score!!!

Here are pictures of internal for something similar.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6883255372

I think 4 Sata II ports.

Someone said the Hard drives can fit three sideways. Two SATA ports used by HD and DVD writer.

Can anyone recommend something cheaper? I got this desktop for my pops who is not a gamer but who wants to have the option and wants something better than the intel 2500.

Looks hot...Whats the motherboard? is it swappable?

double post. sorry.

I got this Lenovo the last time it was posted on SD. I use it as my htpc and web server. First I formatted the drive and installed ubuntu 12.10. This machine will run for weeks without a reboot. I just added a hdmi video card. Great PC and would recommend it to a friend, minus the windows8. it's horrific.