
HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a desktop PC
A reasonably priced mid-range HP desktop PC
Pros
- Reasonably priced, good performance, comprehensive connectivity
Cons
- Difficult to upgrade hard drive, preinstalled software is largely unnecessary
Bottom Line
The HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a has a few design flaws and a lot of unnecessary software, which could irk tech-savvy users. However, as a basic homework and multimedia desktop PC, it's a well-priced option that delivers good performance
-
Price
$ 1,199.00 (AUD)
The HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a desktop PC is small and well-priced, though it doesn't come with a monitor. It's equipped with a mid-range Core i3 processor, which is more than enough for homework and even some light video editing, while its graphics card will handle older, DirectX 9–based games.
Enclosure
As its name suggests, the HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a isn't a full tower PC. Like the Dell Inspiron 545s, this is a small form factor desktop PC, which means it has an emphasis on looks and space-saving rather than upgradeability. It looks attractive, though it's likely to sit in a corner or under a desk rather than in plain sight, so its aesthetics aren't particularly important.
Connectivity, however, is important — and here the Pavilion Slim S5380a certainly excels. There are eight USB 2.0 ports (two are accessible from the front), Gigabit Ethernet, 6-pin FireWire, as well as DVI and HDMI ports. You can directly insert SD, MemoryStick and xD memory cards through a reader on the front. Audio outputs include a headphone jack on the front, as well as an optical TOSLINK port and surround sound 3.5mm jacks for a 7.1 speaker setup.
The HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a desktop PC has integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi. A wireless keyboard and mouse combo is bundled with the PC, though you'll need to plug in a USB dongle for the peripherals to work.
Though we understand the desktop PC's lack of expansion options, we would have liked swapping out the hard drive for greater storage (or in case of failure) to be easier. It's easy enough to open the side and front panels, but Torx head screws on the interior fan and optical drive brace make it hard to upgrade the hard drive.
Configuration and performance
The HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a desktop PC comes equipped with a dual-core Intel Core i3-530 processor clocked at 2.93GHz, along with 4GB of DDR3 memory. Like the Core i5-661, the Core i3-530 has an integrated graphics controller, and the enclosure even has a spare DVI port that could be used in conjunction with the CPU. However, HP has blocked this port and forgone the integrated graphics in favour of an ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics adapter with 512MB of dedicated memory.
The desktop PC also comes with a 500GB 7200rpm Seagate hard drive and a DVD burner with LightScribe capability.
Performance Benchmarks | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Model | Price | WorldBench 6 | 3DMark06 | 3DMark Vantage | iTunes Encoding (minutes) |
Blender 3D rendering | ||
HP Pavilion Slimline S5380a | $1199 | 121 | 3574 | P818 | 54s | 50s | ||
Apple Mac Mini | $999 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1m 33s | N/A | ||
Dell Inspiron 545s | $1199 | 88 | 1780 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
MSI CR620 | $1199 | 93 | 1665 | N/A | 1m 15s | 1m 9s | ||
HP Pavilion All-In-One MS212a | $1199 | 58 | N/A | N/A | 3m 5s | 2m 27s | ||
Medion akoya P4010 | $1299 | 87 | 1316 | N/A | 1m 21s | 1m 23s | ||
Apple iMac | $1599 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 37.1s | N/A |
The HP Pavilion Slim S5380a performed particularly well when loading cached Web pages and multitasking, but fell behind during processor-intensive tasks like 3D rendering. It also performed much better than computers with lower-specced Core i3 processors, like the one used by MSI's CR620 notebook, particularly when encoding media.
Graphics performance isn't too bad for a low-end machine. While the Pavilion Slimline S5380a won't cope with the latest games, it will be able to play older DirectX 9 games like Half-Life 2. Unfortunately, the low-profile enclosure limits expansion options for those who want a little more grunt.
Software
Like many current HP desktop PCs and notebooks, the Pavilion Slimline S5380a is littered with preinstalled software, most of which you'll probably never use. Some of it is useful; the MediaSmart software, for example, provides a good central dock for viewing multimedia and it even has a surprisingly good entry-level video editing suite if you just need to compile separate clips. However, the inability to choose which software is included when setting up the computer and HP's customised setup process itself initially make this desktop PC harder to use than it should be.
Conclusion
The Pavilion Slimline S5380a sits at a reasonable price point considering its performance. Though it doesn't come with a monitor, it's a great value option for most homes.
Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews and features. Sign up to PC World’s newsletters
Follow PC World Australia on Twitter: @PCWorldAu
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 2 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 3 Alienware AW3423DW review: Quantum dot OLED renders rival monitors obsolete
- 4 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
- 5 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 review: This gaming laptop oozes luxurious power
Latest News Articles
- Settings in iOS 10: Every notable change you need to know
- FBI faces lawsuit because it's stayed mum on iPhone 5c hack
- Early iPhone 7 reviews: You'll miss the headphone jack, but the camera and battery life are tops
- Toshiba's new SSD line features rock-bottom pricing
- Watch out: iOS 10 install is reportedly bricking some iPhones
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Best Unlimited Internet Deals in 2022
- Microsoft’s universal ‘One Outlook’ client just leaked out
- Liquid Retina vs. Liquid Retina XDR: Which display is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies