HP launches Pavilion h8 series: 'most powerful HP yet'

The HP Pavilion h8 - HP's consumer behemoth
The HP Pavilion h8 - HP's consumer behemoth

HP has announced its new desktop PC line-up in the form of redesigned Pavillion computers, complete with the h8 series which HP is describing as 'the most powerful HP PCs to date.'

The company is quite keen on the look of its new towers; each features clean lines and contrasting materials like a glossy black front panel and a metallic base, as well as hidden ports for that neat-as-a-pin computing look.

Sadly we can't say that they're exactly revolutionary designs, despite some models featuring a 'valet tray' with easy-access USB 3.0 ports for charging gadgets and transferring files.

All the Pavilion PCs also feature Beats Audio, a sound 'system' with the Dr Dre seal of approval.

Happy families

There are several series' to decide between in the Pavilion family:

The HP Pavilion p7 series is the value range; these come with 'generous' hard drive storage, Intel and AMD chip options and supports multi-channel surround sound.

HP pavilion p7

Meanwhile, the Pavilion Slimline s5 series is an incy wincy tower (below) which still offers (optional and as-yet unspecified) gangbusting processing power and storage.

HP pavilion s5

The Pavilion HPE h8 series might sound hateful, but actually features the most powerful HP PCs to date. These towers come with Intel Core i7 processors, Nvidia or ATI graphics processors and can support multiple displays.

HP has also knocked together the HP 2311x, a slimline monitor with HDMI connectivity and low power consumption.

All the new HP products come with a UK release date of 'early summer', at which point you'll be able to pick up the workhorse p7 series from £499, the powerful h8 series from £799, the slimline s5 series from £499 and the HP 2311x monitor from £159.

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Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.