Most people buy their second personal computer because they need an additional seat -- so children can do their homework while mom or dad does the family finances; so more than one child can do homework at the same time; or even just to keep the youths from battling over who gets to use AIM, Facebook or MySpace.

Yet buying a second computer for your home is a bit different from buying your first -- because your needs differ. While you need to fully equip your first computer, you may not need all the same bells and whistles on your second.

A slimmed down system is just the solution for that second (or third) PC. The latest refresh of the Pavilion Slimline PC from Hewlett Packard fits the bill for that second PC. It doesn't take up much space, it can be configured for most household needs, and it easily networks with an existing PC.

The updated shiny black case with glowing blue power button reminds me of high-tech devices from years gone by -- and looks sleek.

But it's what's inside that makes a difference. Instead of just changing the appearance in the newest versions of the Slimline, HP has upgraded much of the system, from the core processor to the speed of the media readers (the slots where you place your flash memory).

The media readers accept most common flash memory cards, including Compact Flash, xD, Memory Stick, and Secure Digital, so it's compatible with almost any camera, and it's fast.

In my tests involving moving photos and videos between my digital camera and the Slimline system, I found the Slimline could read and write to these cards around 10 times faster than the readers on my own system. If you take lots of photos, this could be a huge time-saver, especially if you use high-speed flash memory cards. For instance, moving a full 2-gigabyte card from your camera to your PC would only take 2 minutes instead of 20 minutes on a standard reader.

HP also offers a compact external disk drive called the HP Pocket Media drive as an option for the Slimline system. About the size of a teenager's hand, this drive plugs into a hidden drive slot on the face of the Slimline system, giving you an extra 80 to 120 Gigabytes of portable storage. According to the HP specs, that could be enough for 55,000 photos or 27,000 songs. Then the Pocket Media Player pops out, and can be connected to other PCs using a USB cord.

Of course, you also can use it to archive memories and important documents that you don't want on your primary disks. When it's not in your Slimline PC, the Pocket Media Player slips into its own zipper case along with its USB cord, making it easy to move from PC to PC.

The Slimline configuration that I've been using included a large screen HP w20 monitor. The resolution of this monitor is terrific and shows off Windows Vista graphics very well. It seems, though, a bit out of place with the compactness of the Slimline system, since it takes up much more room than a standard monitor. It is actually bigger than the system.

If you're buying the system because it saves space, you might want to opt for a smaller monitor. But if the compact size of the Slimline is just a side benefit to you, then the monitor would be a good choice.

Available with either Intel or AMD processors, the Slimline starts at $430 online and at computer retailers.