Amazon.com Product Description

For the value-minded mobile professional with multimedia needs, Compaq offers its lightweight and lean Presario 2599US Notebook PC. Featuring a speedy 2.66 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor (upgrading from the 2596US's Intel Celeron processor), this notebook also features a combo DVD+RW and CD-RW drive, 512 MB of built-in RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, and integrated wireless LAN (802.11g, offering up to 54 Mbps connectivity speed). (The Compaq Presario 2598US offers the same PC hardware specs, but is a bit more affordable due to having just a combo DVD player, CD-RW drive.)

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 60 GB enhanced-IDE hard drive (4200 RPM) offers a premium amount of storage for a notebook PC and more than enough capacity for road warriors.
• Processor: The 2.66 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor offers enough speed for your work today and into tomorrow. Thanks to its Mobile features, the processor can save power when it's not needed, thus conserving battery life.
• Memory: The 2599US comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (DDR SDRAM, 266 MHz)--a good start for power users--with a maximum memory expansion up to 1 GB (2 x 512 MB). It also has an L2 cache of 512 KB.
• CD/DVD Drive: It is equipped with a combo drive that is capable of reading and writing of both DVDs and CDs (4x DVD+R, 2.4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-ROM, 16x CD-R, 10x CD-RW, 40x CD-ROM). It uses the DVD+RW format, one of two formats for rewriteable DVDs.
• Keyboard & Mouse: The 2599US has a 101-key keyboard and two-button touchpad.

The video/graphics card--ATI Mobility Radeon 4X AGP--offers 3-D architecture with 64 MB of shared video memory and can easily drive an external monitor. If you plan on working with professional design or graphics software, you'll want to consider upgrading this video/graphics card. The 15-inch XGA TFT active matrix screen has a native resolution of 1024 x 768.

You get a decent amount of connectivity options with the 2596US, including high-speed USB 2.0:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
• 1 RGB monitor port
• 1 TV-out (S-Video)
• 1 PS/2 port for connecting keyboard or mouse
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II compatible)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack

Preloaded System and Software
The 2599US comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Norton Antivirus 2003 (with 60 days of complimentary live updates), Quicken, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe, Adobe Acrobat Reader, InterVideo WinDVD SE (for playing DVD movies), MusicMatch Jukebox, and Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator (Basic).

Dimensions and Weight
The Presario 2599US Notebook measures 12.96 x 10.72 x 1.79 inches (L x W x H) and weighs a comfortable 7.5 pounds.

Power
The included rechargeable lithium-ion battery offers a standard amount of power for a Notebook PC (around 2 hours of typical use).

What's in the Box
This package includes the Compaq Presario 2599US notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

If you're looking for a super-slim, ultra-compact portable that you can easily slip inside your briefcase or handbag and carry around like a notepad, you've come to the wrong place. If, however, you want a beefy, full-featured mobile computer that might well blow the doors off your stay-at-home PC, the Gateway M675X Notebook may be just the ticket. Power-packed and beautifully equipped, the Gateway M675X is one of Gateway's most capable notebooks to date and perfectly suited to those who need a state-of-the-art desktop replacement.

Measuring 15.75 by 10.63 by 1.52 inches and tipping the scales at 8.8 pounds, the Gateway M675X is clearly larger than the norm yet not nearly as bulky as some competing desktop replacements. Yet it's just as potent. Driven by a high-end 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading Technology for more efficient CPU usage, 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 8x AGP graphics accelerator with 64 MB of dedicated DDR video memory, the system delivers ample power for even the most complex computing situations. Extremely sophisticated state-of-the-art 3-D computer games may exhibit slight frame rate issues, but not so much that they aren't playable. Using the Gateway M675X, you'll certainly never need to squint. Equipped with a massive 17.1-inch viewing screen -- one of the biggest in the business -- the system displays its huge images in resolutions up to a crystal clear 1440 by 900 resolution. The unit features several other hardware perks, including a modular DVD--R/-RW/CD-RW optical drive though which you can play and burn audio CDs, backup data to long-lasting digital media, play the latest Hollywood blockbusters and transfer your home movies to DVD. Gateway has also included an accommodating 60 GB hard drive to give you plenty of room for your applications, files and music or video library.

Connectivity is offered in a variety of forms, including a quartet of high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast interaction with external devices such as digital cameras and scanners, an IEEE 1394 FireWire port (typically used for downloading data from digital camcorders), SPDIF ins and outs for high-quality audio, and much more. Communication options include an integrated 802.11g wireless networking card for those times when you can't plug in, an ultra-fast 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN port for stunningly fast networking and Internet access, and a standard 56K dial-up modem. A full-size keyboard with a convenient EZ-PAD pointing device and several handy one-touch multimedia controls complete the hardware picture. Bundled software includes Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition and Microsoft Works 7.0. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for discriminating customers who desire the luxuries of a high-end desktop PC in a portable package, the HP Pavilion zd7100 series delivers commanding power and impressive versatility to the notebook environment. This model, the Pavilion zd7140us, doesn't offer all the ultra-high-end features of its upscale counterpart, the Pavilion zd7180us, but nevertheless is more than sufficient for virtually any level of user.

At a comparatively sizable 14.25 by 11.59 by 1.8 inches and 9.3 pounds, the Pavilion zd7140us may be a bit too cumbersome for those who commonly carry their notebook on their daily journeys. Yet HP has put that space to good use, loading the system with a power package that leads off with Intel's blazing 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor. Sporting a 533 MHz front side bus and Intel's new Hyper-Threading technology for increased performance during demanding operations such as complex multitasking, this is a potent CPU. HP has added 512 MB of RAM memory (half that of the Pavilion zd7180us but still perfectly acceptable) and a very respectable nVidia GeForce Fx Go 5200 graphics controller with 64 MB of dedicated video memory. With no serious bottlenecks anywhere in the processing pipeline, the unit will efficiently manage all but the most demanding tasks, including many of today's most popular 3-D games -- a real rarity in the world of notebooks.

You'll want to keep the Pavilion zd7140us nearby even after the business day ends. Sporting a massive 17-inch WXGA+ WVA TFT display (in widescreen format and supporting resolutions up to 1440 by 900) and built-in Harman/Kardon speakers, the unit is ready to lend impressive sound and visuals to everything from 3-D games to the latest DVD movies. Furthermore, its data handling options are solid. You can store oodles of programs and files on its generous 60 GB hard disk, and burn audio CDs, backup information and play the hottest DVD movies on its CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive.

With the Pavilion zd7140us, future connectivity is assured. The system features no less than four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for linking with external peripherals such as scanners and optical drives, one FireWire port for fast transfers with high-tech toys such as digital camcorders, an S-Video TV-Out, and an integrated 5-in-1 Digital Reader for transferring data from today's most common memory cards. Communication facilities are thorough, including a v.90 dial-up modem, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, and 54g Integrated 802.11 b/g Wireless technology for those times when you just can't plug in.

HP has bundled a wide range of pre-installed software, including Microsoft's new Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft's Works productivity suite, and a variety of multimedia and online utilities. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I love it
This laptop has been traveling with me in my tractor trailer for a while now and is everything that I expected if not more. It offers an amazing 17" wide screen and a full numeric keypad. These two items set this laptop into a field of its own. It is heavier than many others, but worth every pound. If you a looking for an ultra-portable this is not the system, but if you want a desktop replacement you have found the one.
The software package with this system is just standard, nothing fancy or spectacular. However, everything that was loaded has worked and it has not crashed once yet. HP designed this system for someone who needs a fully functional computer that can move with them as necessary. They succeeded.

Amazing
I have owned this system for 3 months & this system has ran everything i have thrown at it. This system is a must buy but keep in mind it is a true desktop replacement.

HYPER-SNAIL
I have owned it for a week and it's slower then my old P2 400mhz desktop,I was led to believe it has the 3.00ghz hyper-threading P4 but you dont mention it above??, the touchpad is impossible to control and the buttons are poorly positioned to click, I keep hunting above and below the dang thing, I have tried all the settings and reloaded the drivers but it quickly goes back to slow and erratic, its going back to not-so best buy for my ... refund what a rip for a piece of junk.
P.S. my old system is an HP Pavilion 7160Z that i changed boards to msi-6163 so I am very familiar with HP after 5yrs with one, should have learned the first time and built my own ... Read more