Amazon.com Product Description

Though its raw processor speed may initially seem average, Compaq's Presario X1360US Notebook PC will easily handle most typical leisure or professional mobile tasks and even some 3-D computer games and 3-D graphic design programs. In fact, the unit is not only more powerful than many bigger, bulkier portable computers, but also more efficient and nicely equipped too. For a compact, capable and well-connected notebook, you can't do much better than the innovative Presario X1360US.

The secret behind the Presario X1360US is Intel's new Centrino technology. Centrino refers to a trio of interconnected elements -- an Intel Pentium M CPU, an Intel 855 chipset, and an Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection -- all of which work together to make your notebook fast, lightweight, battery-friendly and wirelessly connected.

At the heart of the unit is an Intel Pentium M processor with a 1.4 GHz clock speed. Being a Centrino processor, it sports one full MB of Level 2 cache to greatly improve speed in frequently accessed applications. Compaq has added 512 MB of main memory (expandable to two full GB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card with 32 MB of dedicated (not shared) video memory. Though not a true powerhouse when compared to some of today's pricier, larger "desktop replacement" notebooks, the system has no serious bottlenecks and is therefore a respectable all-around performer.

Eminently portable at just 14 by 10 by 1.3 inches and 6.5 pounds, the Presario X1360US nevertheless features a variety of desirable amenities, including a surprisingly spacious 15.4-inch widescreen WXGA display capable of clean 1280 by 800 resolutions, a pair of JBL-designed speakers, a surprisingly beefy 60 GB hard disk for your files and multimedia library, and a DVD/CD-RW optical drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive files and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters. In its stock configuration, the Presario X1360US does not support DVD writing.

Communication options include all three modern standards -- a 56K dial-up modem for low-speed Internet and email access, a 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN for substantially faster connectivity, and integrated Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 802.11b wireless LAN for those times when you can't or don't want to plug in. The unit also features an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for quick data streaming with external peripherals such as digital camcorders, a trio of high-speed USB 2.0 ports for other plug and play devices, an S-Video TV-Out, and an infrared port to wirelessly exchange data with infrared-equipped gadgets such as PDAs, pagers and printers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect power portable
I purchased my machine pre-configured from a chain store. I usually do a lot of research on anything I purchase, but this was somewhat of an impulse buy. Luckly I ended up with what so far is a great notebook. The unit seems very well built and durable, and I find it asthetically pleasing. The keyboard has a great feel to it, very positive yet soft keys. The screen is big and terrific. My only complaint was that it came with XP Home. A computer this fast and powerfull should have XP Pro pre-installed. Intergrated wireless is awesome and the battery lasted a good 3-4 hours even with the Wi-Fi running. Very quiet and not hot at all.

Compaq X1360US Centrino an outstanding value
I purchased a prebuilt (retail) Compaq X1360US in late May 2004. The machine that is nearly identical in specifications but with a 1.5 Pentium M (and more expensive) is the Toshiba M35S320. I chose the Compaq as it was 150.00 less with the 1.4 Pentium M (when on sale and with rebates), it runs completely cool and silent when running normally, weighs 6.5 pounds with a very small and light A/C power brick, has an outstanding XGA 15.4" widescreen, and has a very good 3.5-4.0 hour battery life using the built in 54G wireless card. Note that www.x1000forums.com is an excellent resource when adjustments or bios/driver updates are needed for this machine. I really like that the touchpad can be turned off with a hardwired button as this makes it easier to type larger documents without hitting the touchpad. The integrated scroll function is very nice. The keyboard feel is outstanding and you will see this documented elsewhere. The lid is aluminum so the LCD is well protected. The 32mb dedicated graphics are great for normal games and DVD's. This also does not detract from your 512mb RAM like integrated RAM does. All necessary connections including firewire are here. The only small drawbacks are the power plug on the right side and the headphone jack on the front (if you hook up external speakers). I am very happy with the unit in use for mostly wireless wi-fi in front of my 57" HDTV as the computer is silent, has good battery life, and has excellent performance with the 1mb system cache. The new Dohan line has 2.0mb system cache but is priced somewhat higher. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Looking for a high-end portable computer with all the trimmings, one that will zip through any type of productivity application or entertainment software? The Compaq Presario 1520US notebook PC is sure to satisfy your appetite for elegant, high-performance portable computing.

A 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor will rocket through a wide range of productivity applications, games, DVDs, and digital music. A built-in combination DVD/CD-RW drive lets 1520US users view movies and listen to and create music CDs through the integrated JBL Pro Performance Audio with Bass Reflex speakers.

A 40 GB hard drive provides voluminous storage for data and music downloads, while 512 MB of memory--expandable to 1 GB--plus 512 KB of on-chip L2 cache run multiple applications smoothly. An ATI Radeon IGP integrated graphics card and 32 MB of shared video memory deliver high-resolution images of up to 1,024 x 768 on the 1520US’s integrated 15-inch TFT XGA display or up to 1,600 x 1,200 noninterlaced on an external monitor.

The 1.5-by-12.9-by-10.5-inch, 7-pound notebook includes an integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet port and 56K V.92 PCI modem. Expansion slots include one Type I/II PC Card slot with support for a 32-bit CardBus. The 1520US also includes two USB 1.1 ports, a FireWire digital video port, a parallel SPP/ECP interface (DB25 connector), a port replicator connector, a PS2 mouse or keyboard port, an RJ-45 Ethernet jack and RJ-11 modem jack, an S-video TV-out port, and an external VGA monitor port.

Installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia (one-year subscription), InterVideo WinDVD, and Norton AntiVirus 2002 on CD. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Notebook
This product is really great. It has everything embeded in it. Very convenient to use. It has all new technologies (depending on the version you but) Firewire, USB 2.0. Good ammount of hard drive (40G) and main memory (512) and 32M dedicated graphic memory. Great for games, programming and anything I can imagine. Good battery life (almost 2.5 hours) and no over heating (among all the previous notebooks I have used this is the only one which is not hot after several hours. It really has good perfomance. I am using it for .Net programming, Photoshop graphic generating and gaming :) It also has SVideo which is with good quality. And well DVD/CDRW combo and disk. It really has everything. good design for keyboard and mouse (horizontal and vertical scrollers)
The only thing which might be improved on this notebook is the monitor which has the maximum resolution of 1024*768 and just another mode 800*... (but thats for all XVGAs)... also it's a little heavy (7.5 pounds) . But I definitely recommend it... Thanks to compaq

Good buy
The configuration is great, especially for desktop replacement since it is a little on the heavy side and the battrey life is not good enough.

Upside:

Great performance for entertainment and games

Great layout of all ports and drives a separate button to scroll comes in handy for browsing

Comes with USB 2.0 and 1394 for digital video.

JBL Speakers are great for their size.

Down Side:

Heavy not very protable.

Battrey life is low

Display lets you down especially when you consider all the other cool features on the PC. The resolution is not great and fudges small size fonts.

Overall a good buy

Great Notebook Computer!
My Compaq Presario included two 2.0 USB ports and a 4 pin firewire (non powered). The video memory was dedicated it also included JBL Speakers that sound awesome for such a small size. The layout of the ports is very convenient and pleasing. Yes, it is a bit heavy, but so are most other companies Notebooks (other then Apple). Additionally Compaq had an offer for a wireless lan access port and connection point for a very good price via a mail in offer. This proprietary wireless connection point connected to the back of the monitor and did not use any of the USB ports or PCMIA Card Slots. I'm very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend this unit to anyone.

Almost ideal.
The HP 1500 series is similar to the 900 series, though this higher end line uses the far superior Intel Pentium 4 chip as its CPU. The 1520 looks great, though it weighs in a little heavy at 7 lbs. The HP genes are apparent in its design and the result is pleasing. The CPU is a potent 1.8 GHz P4, capable of almost any graphics intense task. System memory is provided by a very fast 512 megs of DDRAM. The hard drive is a generous 40 gigs. A DVD/CD-R/W combination drive is included. All the Compaq's connections are in the right place, though missing throughout the entire 15xx line is any USB 2.0 port. However, there are FireWire ports available, and these are quite fast for peripherals that are IEEE-1394 compliant (though it appears that USB 2.0 will be the winning technology in the high-speed peripheral connection protocol battle). The video card is an adequate ATI 32 megs (unfortunately, this is shared memory, not dedicated to video alone) driving a very sharp 15" active matrix display. (I am a fan of ATI graphics cards because they have been quite reliable over the long haul and because upgrading them from ATI's nice website is a snap. However, this machine should have been given 32 or 64 megs of *dedicated* video RAM) Overall, this is a very good machine that would be a great machine were it equipped with onboard USB 2.0 ports, a little beefier video memory, and were it to weight a pound or so less. Nonetheless, it's a winner made by a company that looks like it's here to stay. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

unreliable laptop
I'm writing this review about 3 years after I bought this pathetic laptop. Just as the other reviewer stated, I also had the same multitude of problems with this laptop. I finally put it away for a while and bought another laptop (Fujitsu, which rocks). Nonetheless, I recently brought out my Compaq Presario 1700 again just to use it for some word processing, but again had horrible unexplainable problems such as it freezing, overheating, taking forever to start up or shut down, losing the active desktop, suddenly shutting down for no reason, battery life is miserable, etc. and finally, it didn't recognize any drive (including the hard drive) and was completely inoperable. I finally just threw the useless piece of junk away tonight. I've owned five desktops and four laptops (including three with the same OS) and none were as bad as this machine, not even close; this was the worst by far. Of course, you can hardly buy these 1700 laptops anymore except on eBay or in used computer stores. But my advice is steer away from the 1700 series. They look great and are stylish but have horrible performance problems. The photo shown here does not look quite right, the machine is actually more sleek with a nice two-tone charcoal gray/black and silver. Nonetheless do NOT buy this machine if you see it used.

Buy anything EXCEPT this lemon!
Freezes, sudden reboots, lost data, overheating (you could fry an egg on the lefthand side of the keyboard, which probably explains a lot of other problems), modem failures, sudden touchpad malfunctions (or complete failure), and numerous other, unexpected, mysterious problems cropped up for me within a few months after buying this light, slick-looking, feature-packed -- but completely unreliable -- machine.

As many other disillusioned customers know, the phrase "Compaq support" is an oxymoron; you're on your own when problems arise, with only the restore disk at your disposal (and you'll want to keep that disk handy!).

Trust me, folks, and don't make the same mistake I did... and I'm not the only one frustrated beyond belief -- check the CNET.com reviews to read dozens of horror stories even worse than mine.

Lesson: If it says Compaq, run in the other other direction! ... Read more

Amazon.com

As a notebook for business or entertainment, Compaq's Presario 2701USoffers a combination of solid features and price that is tough to beat. Itboasts a 1 GHz Pentium III processor, 512 MB of RAM, a 15-inch, active-matrixflat-panel screen, and both an 8x (write) CD-RW and 8x DVD-ROM drive. Alsoincluded are a 30 GB hard disk, a 56K modem, and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet NIC. Toround out this Presario's versatile package, Compaq has pre-installed WindowsXP, Microsoft's new operating system that combines the stability of Windows 2000with better support for peripherals and games. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Excellent desktop replacement/supplement
I've had the Presario for a week or so, and so far I have been really impressed. My initial concerns about possibly inferior Compaq quality (judging by my experience with their desktops) have been proven unfounded: this is a nicely crafted piece of machinery, good design, great ergonomics, solid, sturdy, ports nicely located, drive bays function well. You get everything you could possibly want in the way of connections and options - double USB, Firewire, PS/2, built-in modem and NIC, docking option, and with the two optical drives plus the drive bay battery you're really set to configure yourself for anything.

This is *not* a Vaio killer - it has the heft of an old fashion laptop, but with that comes a sense that it'll last through a few hundred flights and being thrown around the office. If you don't mind the schlep you are rewarded with an incredible screen (with XP's Cleartype on it is simply astounding - I prefer it over my desktop's 15" KDS RAD5 LCD screen), excellent performance (the PIII and 512Mb RAM makes most everything I've thrown at it hum along happily: Photoshop, Premiere, Quark Express, software development tools, VPN internet connections - so far not a single crash). I'll let others rave or rant about XP, but contrary to other reviewers here I've had no problems what so ever with the configuration shipped - it works out of the box, no problems. My other choice would have been a Dell Inspiron, but having compared the two, I'm confident I made the right choice.

Solid Computer. Competitive Price.
I had some problems installing win2k server on this, but it may very well be because both w2k server cd's that I have are scratched. I wiped XPhome off and put on XPpro just fine. Compaq has [bad] customer service and finding drivers for certain devices if you want to deviate from XP may be troubling -- they only have some on their site.

I wish it could play CDs even when its not booted up (pretty common feature now).

Other than that, it's nice to have the dual optical drives rather than the combo drives that everyone has -- that way you can burn straight from one to the other and cut out a lot of time. Graphics are solid for it's price -- I'll have to upgrade in 9-12 months though. It can handle most any 3d games that are out right now if I take off the vSync option and optimize the card for performance over graphics in the control panel.

Good price. Looks nice (graphically and physically). Runs quiet. Very stable (I leave it on for weeks sometimes). Comes with an extra battery and swappable drive capability (swap a HD, floppy, extra battery or whatever). Great battery life! Woops my friends HP.

P.S. Be wary of any laptops with "good" native resolutions. This is 1400x1050...anything higher on a 15" laptop is almost unusable.

REVIEW UPDATE - 06/25/2004 CLASS ACTION SUIT TIME - ANYONE??
I wrote a review on here about 9 month ago - and have received over 50+ mails with the same complaint - melted standoffs.. and HP/CPQ is STILL denying any knowledge of this problem!!! (This was independantly verified from an email from HP C/S received 3 days ago from another guy having a meltdown with his 2710 and HP service (or lack of))... - Even though "the fix" and remedy is posted all over CPQ's own tech web site as well as HP's!! -- You doubt me? Call them up, and they'll give you the replacement part # for the needed standoff screws for this "unknown problem".... Sigh...

Anyway, it has been suggested to me, since I seem to be the unofficial point guard for this one - that we file a class-action lawsuit of sorts - I'm not big on this - and really don't have the time - But I am so pissed off at CPQ/HP and their plain ignorance and constant denial of "any problems" that I do think it's time we do something about this collectively.

So, if anyone else is interested in filing, write me at:

CLASSACTION@KAL-TEX.COM

Tell me your woes, what part of the country you're in (or abroad... as one chap from the UK has emailed me) - and we'll see what kind of headcount we'll get, and if it's worth going after?

I know personally that I am out the cost of the 2701 unit ($1900) + the bogus repair ($400) and the cost to replace - $1750 -- So, if we get enough folks together - I think that'll catch their attention.

GOOD LUCK!

Brent

A Suprising Exception to Compaq's Image
I bought this laptop in Feb. 2002 on a whim while browsing Best Buy's return aisle. It didn't have the Floppy or any of the CDs but it was about $300 cheaper than a new one. At the time I wasn't aware of Compaq's reputation for having probably the worse customer service in the known universe, but I was quickly introduced after finding myself in their 800 number black hole (a voice-prompt carousel designed to frustrate customers into hanging up); and all I wanted were the restore CDs!
Luckily I found out they can be downloaded from the HP Website.

However the laptop itself is suprisingly good. Key features are the seperate DVD & CDRW drives and the JBL speakers. I was playing a music CD & my friends had to go outside to hear themselves talk. There is minimal distortion at high volume - something that quality desktop speakers have trouble doing.

Now for the bad: Must boot up to have a music CD play but hey it's an 8lb laptop not a CD Player. Intermittingly the keyboard interface becomes hashed on some bootups - letters are numbers etc. unless I reboot & the mouse button became worn after a few months of left-clicking that I now use a USB Mouse & Keyboard. Other problems that were XP Home/Install related (driver searches on boot-up,etc) until I did a fresh install of Pro. Also for a time I had SuSe Linux 8.0 dual booting no problems except it ran very hot, uninstalled it because with a 20GB hard drive things got cramped real fast.

I started out with 8mb video and 256mb RAM and upgraded to 32mb video & 512mb RAM, bought the port replicator and a PCMCIA-USB 2.0 Card and have been using my 2700US as a desktop relacement for a little over a year now flawlessly, except for a problem using an external monitor until I upgraded the video driver for dual monitor support. I use several desktops but I keep going back to my 2700 because it's capabilities are evenly balanced -DVD viewing, web surfing, CD-Burning, & music with non-tinny quality speakers, but Compaq's Customer Service is by far the worse HP can't save them so I can only give 4 stars but this is truly a 5 star laptop for those who have taken the chance - like me - to own one.

Great - For awhile - then junk....
Like the many reviews before mine, I bought a 2701 loaded - 15 months ago... LOVED IT - BUT!!!!!..... in month 13 the "solder joints" that hold the CPU heatsink in place actually melted and so I called Compaq (now HP) and for $22 they sent me 4 screws to replace the soldered ones.... I don't know if anyone has torn one of these apart before, but it is not a 15 minute project... So, after reviewing the motherboard layout, I decided to let DEC, err Compaq, err, HP put their precious $22 screws in... Well, since I am 2 months out of warranty, NO ONE at Compaq or HP would even discuss this option with me - I had to go to "retail" i.e. Radio Shack (puleeeze) or CompUSA or Best Buy (choke) .. So since CompUSA has the only "tech dept." - went there... $330 later I had a new CPU fan/cooler and the 4 screws installed.. Fine... on with life... But no, the Tech there, shorted out my DC adapter or fried something on the Motherboard, for now it only runs in Batt. And of course, there are no battery chargers for these puppies... So I call the CompUSA back - Tech says "it worked fine when it left..." Sure, it works fine on Battery, but forget AC... So I call their HQ in Dallas - they kick it up to a unit manager - and they'd "get back to me"... Never happened... Meanwhie I have 40GB of data hanging out there... and no one is taking responsibilty.. My fuse shortens... I go into CompUSA - speak with the "manager".. He too promises a call back - NADA... So then I go back to CPQ/HP and have a chat with them - Finally get a sympathetic ear in Seattle - run the SN# and then she kicks me over to the "CPO" (custom products div?) and they blow a fuse because the gal prior was not even supposed to "speak with me" unless I was under warranty... Great Customer Service huh?

I've been in the Computer world for over 18 years - Worked for both DEC and Compaq... and have NEVER seen such a messed up orginization, let alone a @#$% product that melts down after 12 months... Don't believe me, look on all the tech boards or search Google under heat or fan troubles for the 2700 Presario - there are 100's of complaints, yet NO ONE will stand up to the plate...

Yes, the 2701 gives you much bang for the buck - but if you can't get anyone to work on it and/or it costs you more than it's worth, Whats the point???? Go buy a high-end Toshiba or IBM.... I spent the extra $280 for a 2.4 Ghz Toshiba - and it screams - and so far, so good...

By the way, "everyone's" answer to this is "buy the extended warranty" - fine, lesson learned, shame on me... $880 bucks for 1 year extended warranty...????? And they wonder why they are losing marketshare to Dell (hate Dell product, but their Customer Service is the aces) - So maybe CPQ/HP will wake up some day and take notice of those kicking their butts before they file BK or get bought up by IBM or Dell... (I'm 3 for 3 on mergers)

Needless to say, HP/CPQ will not be getting any more of my biz... Same for CompUSA.

Any specfic questions - write me at bjk@kal-tex.com ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's Presario 732US notebook hits the sweet spot between price, performance, and features. A high-quality, 14.1-inch display, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, and built-in networking are just a few of this notebook's first-class features. It's ideal for students or families looking for a portable all-in-one system.

At 1.64 by 12.4 by 10.6 inches and 6.39 pounds, this Presario is about average in size and weight for a system with a built-in floppy drive. Its 14.1-inch TFT monitor, powered by the integrated Via Twister K graphics accelerator, delivers high-quality graphics and text at 1,024 x 768 resolution. Using the video-out connector, you can output those graphics to your TV. The system's JBL Pro Audio speakers with Bass Reflex provide excellent audio for listening to music or watching DVDs.

Processing power comes from AMD's 1.2 GHz Athlon CPU, which features PowerNow technology for maximizing battery life. The Athlon offers more than enough power for typical home applications like word processing, Web browsing, and multimedia applications. The system's generous 256 MB of memory lets multiple applications run simultaneously without slowing down. The 30 GB hard drive provides plenty of space for storing applications, digital photos, or music files. A DVD/CD-RW combo drive lets you watch DVDs or burn your own CDs.

The Presario 732US is outfitted with a complete array of connectivity options. An integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter will connect you to broadband or your home network, and a 56K modem lets you dial up to the Internet. Two USB ports connect to peripherals like digital cameras or scanners, and a parallel port connects to legacy printers.

The system's keyboard section features a standard 88-key layout and a touch pad for cursor control. Pre-installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, a one-year subscription to the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, Roxio's EZ CD Creator, and Norton AntiVirus 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

very nice! i like it
It's very easy to use and not so heavy. Good for students.

Bad Power Supply
I loved this laptop when I first got it a little over 1 year ago. For the Price, it seemed unbeatable! However, I had to send it back to Compaq to fix the power supply, as it wasn't getting power. I'm not exactly sure what they did to fix it, however, it worked for about 3 months, and now, it has the same symptoms. I am one who has a desktop backup computer, however, I still miss my laptop. I used to have an old P166 Compaq desktop that is still kicking, however, I would not buy this laptop again. Good Luck!

Maybe try something else. . .
I have this one, and have read the reviews of the similar models, where people state they have all sorts of problems. My went back twice after repeated failures and reloading of the operating stytem until, both times, the thing couldn't even make it through the bios routine and had to go in for service. The second time, after I became Their Worst Nightmare, the motherboard was replaced. Now I think it's fine, but I wouldn't buy it or a similar Compaq again.

Even this one was an overheater, until yesterday, when I checked the CPU usage stats (control-alt-del, then the process tab) and discovered that the program for Net Waiting--moh.exe--takes up ALL the unused processor time ALL the time. As soon as I shut it down the fan went off. Now when it does come on, it's only half-speed and no longer blows my coffee cup off the table. So much for Net Waiting!

Great Notebook, Better than my sony vaio
I just bought this notebook last week and I love it. Its better than the sony vaio that I had. The speakers are much better than the vaio notbooks. In a word, the JBL speakers are KILLER. I listen to music and watch movies on my notebook when I'm on the road and with these speaker I really don't have to hook up any external speakers to them although if you do you'd better get ready for some serious home theater sound quality. AWSOME! This computer is light at only a little over 6 pounds. I haven't had any major problems with this unit either. It doesn't get that hot. It gets warm but not hot, and I''ve had it on all day working on it and downloading program and os updates. Unlike some reviews I saw regarding this product that said that it would crash when it got too hot, or that there was a "design" flaw with the cooling system. Here's a tip for those reviewer's, DON'T BLOCK THE VENTS ON THE NOTEBOOK OR YOUR ASKING FOR TROUBLE. There are 4 or 5 of them. Keep them clear. This notebook is a great buy and if in the future I decide to upgrade in another 5 years or so I'll probably purchase another Compaq.

great notebook, but not for a programmer
its great piece of work. dvd and cdwriter are quick and smooth. i tried to install win98 or nt workstation but i cant. i need a sql server destop installation but i cant do it with a xp home(neither xp pro). but this presario works fine for my dad and brother who works with office and internet.

buy is you need comodity and portability. but not for a desktop replace. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good computer for that not so on the road person.
The Goods:
DVD/CD player
External volume buttons
default DVD player
Easy access Internet buttons
Programable buttons for personal shortcuts on keyboard
The Bads:
Battery (4 hours if you just have it running on standby)
Video card is part of the mother board

Overall this is a great laptop. My main use for this computer (gameplaying, DVD watching, CD player) is probably not the ideal use for a laptop. But I believe you should be able to customize your computer the way you want it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Although Compaq generally markets its Presario lineup of notebookcomputers to the home and home-business user, some models will handle far moredemanding tasks and applications just as easily. Powered by a potent 1.13 GHzIntel Pentium III CPU and an enormous 512 MB (expandable to 1 GB) of RAM, thePresario 2710US notebook is one such machine.

Weighing in at a substantial 7.9 pounds and sporting an 11.02-by-13-by-1.65-inchprofile, the Presario 2710US is markedly larger than several of its competitors.Compaq does, however, put that extra size to good use. The unit is literallyloaded with drives, including a large 20 GB hard drive to handle permanentstorage needs, an 8X DVD-ROM drive to play movies, and even a 3.5-inch floppydisk drive for older or smaller programs. The 2710US also takes advantage ofCompaq's new FutureBay II technology, which allows users to install and swapadditional optical devices such as CD-RW and DVD drives or CD-RW/DVD combos intoa spare bay. In the case of the 2710US, that bay is already loaded with an 8X(write) CD-RW drive for reading and burning data and audio CDs.

There's one other reason for the 2710US being as big as it is. At a full 15inches, its TFT active-matrix XGA viewing screen is nearly a full inch largerthan the norm. That's good news for anyone who wants to get a better look attheir programs, but in particular for multimedia enthusiasts. Certainly anyoneinto movies or music will also enjoy the benefits of the unit's capable ATIMobility Radeon M6 graphics card and Dolby-certified JBL Pro Audio bass reflexspeaker system.

The 2710US sports enough ports to accommodate virtually any form of expansionand exterior connection. The unit features two USB ports for plug-and-playperipherals such as joysticks, an S-video, TV-out port for television output, aPS2-style port for an external mouse or keyboard, a single parallel port fordevices such as printers, a VGA port for external monitors, an internal 56Kmodem and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, a speaker-out andmicrophone-in port, a multipurpose PC Card slot, and a QuickDock connector forultrafast hookups of additional accessories.

The 2710US keyboard section offers 88 full-size keys, an array of one-touche-mail, Internet, and multimedia controls, a four-way Internet scrolling tool,and a touch pad. Power is supplied by a high-capacity lithium-ion battery andregulated by Intel's SpeedStep technology, which lowers processor speed and thusreduces battery drain whenever the unit is not plugged into an AC outlet.

To help get you started, Compaq has installed the Home Edition of the Windows XPoperating system and an assortment of useful software applications, such asMicrosoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001,Norton AntiVirus, Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.01, InterVideo WinDVD 3.0, and aone-year subscription to Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The BEST DEAL for this price.
I have owned a Dell Latitude, an IBM Thinkpad and a Toshiba Satellite and this one beats all of them to dust.

The display is awesome and the PIII rocks at 1.13 Gz. This laptop also has the most robust build among notebooks in this range. Every laptop has some issues, though this one is the best deal, there are a few issues with this one too, though minor.

1. The Floppy drive that comes with the 2710 cannot be used Externally. You have to swap it with something else. Most other laptops let you use the FDD externally.

2. The recovery disk works only when you boot with the disk on the DVD drive ! does not work when u use it from the CD-RW drive. Took me two hours to figure this out, the customer support was totally clueless.

3. Almost all hardware need specific drivers, including the display. The display[...]when you use standard drivers, so DONT LOSE the recover disk at any cost, its the only place to get all the drivers (unless you want to spend hours searching websites).

But yet, this is the best laptop out there for under 2K

Compaq 2710US - A great laptop at an equally good price
I shopped for laptops recently and had quite a bit of bad luck. The first machine I bought was an HP1170 whose sound car died a week after I purchased. I returned the HP for a compaq 2700 which had an overheating problem. I then got a toshiba 5005-S504 which was a nice machine but, it didn't have a mobile pentium so its battery lasted about 1.5 hours only.

Finally I got the Compaq 2710 and I have been thrilled with it. The build quality of this machine is superb and with 512mb of ram and screaming mobile pentium III running 1.13 GHz, this bad boy can easily replace my desktop.

The only negatives are the screen which is a little grainy but, not more than any other laptop I tried out. Also, Compaq service is the pits. It seems that Compaq engineers are very responsive when comes to getting patches out on the web site. Unfortunately, Compaq support seems to be completely unaware of these patches. The support organization gives advice designed to waste the maximum amount of your time and yield no results. If you have a problem, read the user forums. Chances are that someone has already had the problem you're experiencing and a patch already exists. That was my experience with a minor problem I was having.

If you're buying any laptop these days, you're bound to run into minor problems that you'll realize soon after getting it. Generally speaking, these problems are minor and I would say that this machine has fewer of them than most machines I've seen.

I heartily recommend this machine. It's built like a tank and runs like a top. Everything about this machine is quality.

Great keyboard feel
trackpad with easy scroll button (very convenient)
All the ports you need
15" screen
Great sound for a laptop
Good battery life about 3.5 hours with power management

A Smart Purchase

Last year's top pick at this year's low price!
What do I like the most about my new (2001 model) Compaq notebook?
The quality, workmanship, and features for the "end of the model" production price! Imagine--512 RAM, 20 gig hard drive, floppy drive (educational world still operated in this mode), DVD drive, CD-CW drive, and a 15" screen that is as big as my 17" desktop viewing area!! Not to mention the 1.13 Pent III speed. What? --you want the P-4M and have a battery life of about an hour??-- This beautiful machine has a battery life of about 3.5 hours!! ...
Now, if you plan to do some serious traveling- this model may be a bit too heavy to be lugging around! Because I only go between two schools- the 7 plus pounds of this unit is no problem. Thanks to Amazon.com and their reviews for introducing me to this outstanding laptop computer.

Best Laptop...
I've had 4 laptops in recent months and this is the one that blows them all away. It also has everything. Unlike most other 15" laptops available this one comes with hot swappable CDrom Burner and floppy drives. It also has a fixed DVD drive that you can use to copy cds from. The machine also has all the power and memory you'll probably need for a while, plus it's expandable to 1GB.

Unlike many machines that cost a lot more, the 2710 has impeccable build quality. Compaq really built this one right. The only coimplaint I have is Compaq support. Their support is no worse or better than any other manufacturers which is not saying much.

VERY TIGHT
I bought this laptop computer in January (2002). It is the greatest. Its screen is crystal clear, its speed is enough for anyone, and so are the drives. A lot of people don't like the swappable floppy drive but I think its better. But I must WARN you future purchasers of this computer to either get the 2715US model because it has 16MB of video ram, which will come in handy for like Microsoft Plus! For Windows XP. Or just wait a couple of monthes and get the new Compaq laptop with 64MB of video ram and the new mobile Pentium 4. But if you R A computer Freak like me, than just go ahead and get this cool one and don't wait!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Compaq Presario 906US notebook is a surprisingly solid mobile computing solution at an exceptionally affordable price. For cost-conscious users who don’t intend to run the absolute latest 3-D games or animated 3-D drawing packages, the Presario 906US is a capable option.

At 1.5 by 12.8 by 10.6 inches, the unit is not particularly space efficient. It is, however, quite lightweight at just 6.5 pounds. Compaq has fitted the Presario 906US with a Mobile AMD Athlon XP 1500+ processor, 256 MB of DDR SDRAM (upgradable to one full GB), and a 16 MB ATI Radeon integrated graphics processor. This setup should provide more than enough power for standard notebook and multimedia tasks, apart from high-end 3-D animation applications and games.

In fact, the low-cost Presario 906US is a very competent multimedia performer. Compaq has fitted the system with an internal CD-RW/DVD drive to burn and listen to music and play movies, a 14.1-inch XGA TFT display capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution, and a state-of-the-art JBL Pro Performance speaker array with bass reflex enhancement. A 20 GB 4,200 RPM hard disk is ready to handle your important files and programs.

The Presario 906US features a variety of ports to accommodate peripherals and connectivity, including two USB 1.1 jacks, an RJ-45 Ethernet port for high-speed Internet and LAN access, an integrated low-speed modem, headphones/speaker-out and headphones-in, and an S-Video TV-out. The unit does not sport an IEEE 1394 connection for high-speed camcorder downloading. Controls include a full-size 88-key keyboard, a scrolling touch pad for easy Web surfing, and external audio volume and mute controls.

Compaq has preloaded a range of software to help make your computing easier, including Microsoft’s Windows XP Home Edition, Works 6.0, and Money 2001, and Norton AntiVirus 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

unbeatable price.
got it from circuit city for the price advertised at bestbuy.
almost four hundred bucks saving from the list price. do your math. I can't say the price here.

originally aim for presario 1520us. it has faster processor, more RAM, bigger hard disk, and firewire port. but realistically, how many applications would be noticeble from it? (I think once computer reachs over giga hertz, work efficiency bottle neck lies along with the person rather computer delaying the task)

unless you are required to do video editing or 3d animation rendering on the road, this laptop is perfect for all other use.

Old presario I used at work, 2 years ago, didn't impressed me a bit. as it was bombard with 'illegal operation errors'

Looks like compaq finally got this one done right. every function is integrated perfectly without errors. Love the fact that they chose ATI graphic engine. also, JBL sounds the best among all laptops. all quick buttons on top of keyboard works like charm. DVD plays flawlessly (thoughfully included industry's best WinDVD software).

bought 906us and compaq PDA 3835 for the price of 1520us.

I think it was a wise decision.

Great value. Solid Performance
I'm pretty happy with this notebook. No more heat than normal and very quiet. Even the rarely active fan is quiet. And the JBL speakers provide the best sound in any notebook on the market at any price. I upgraded the RAM to 512 and I think everybody should plan for that. I was lucky the included RAM was in one 256MB stick. I hate losing RAM in order to increase it. The video performance is adequate, the DVD playback and CDRW works well. Most of all, I've found the AMD Athlon CPU to be a very hardy chip. Intel CPUs between 1 & 2ghz, be they Celeron or Pentium4 are total dogs. So the Athlon CPU here is a real plus. I don't sweat the lack of firewire. Don't need it. And for the complaint of it having only one PS2 port: Its called USB, look into it.

Complaints: I've found it heavier in practice than the specs lead me to believe. I wish it had a "real" video processor. That was the biggest trade off in getting this. But I did save several hundred dollars. And I've found that most games play well enough, at least with the detail on low. The screen is NOT the brightest. It is clear but can seem dim at times. Battery life is only 2.5hrs. The intractable Compaq software that takes up 6GB of space and is really difficult to remove. But it did come off and made the unit a much better leaner machine. It can take the integrated W200 multiport LAN module in the lid which is cool, but unless you need the one PC slot for something else, I would get a regular wireless card for much less.

Overall, a solid notebook and an incredible value with the rebates. Not sure what I would think about this compared to other models at its list price. But for what I paid for it, it's a winner.

Just wanted a laptop
I purchased this laptop just a few weeks ago. I'm not very computer literate. I have an old desktop but after moving to a new house I wanted something simple I could work with without the cords and cords and cords. I love to go online for recipes and travel information, etc. I love sending e-mails.I occasionally may use word processing. My whole point is, I didn't want the most hi-tech thing on the market because I couldn't afford it but I didn't want to ever go to a site and it say I didn't have enough "something". This laptop has been great. I can sit on my bed with it in my lap, unplug my phome, plug in the line and off I go. No heavy mess for the children to get tangled in or touching with dirty little hands. I hope this helps if you are looking for a fun, easy, adequate laptop.

Really happy purchase.
Running winDVD (U2 elevation tour), plus Live internet television feed at 99Kbit/sec on the side. displays flawlessly so I added yahoo messenger web cam and it's still going strong at 93% cpu usage according to task manager.
Yippy! love this thing.

Low price but it not the best value
The Compaq Presario 906US can't quite compare to the HP xt125 (same price) or the Toshiba Satellite 1415-S105 (cost just about 10% more).

Let's compare these three models to see how they stack up:

Compaq Presario 906US
CPU: 1.33 GHz Athlon XP Model "1500+" (I don't like this model number game AMD is playing).
RAM: 256MB DDR RAM - Good
20GB hard drive - Good enough
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon IGP 16MB Video ram - Out of date
Display Diagonal Size: 14.1 inches - Fine
LCD Resolution: 1024x768 - Good for 14"
Summary: Okay CPU, poor graphics chipset, everything else is okay.

HP Pavilion xt125 (same price as 906US)
CPU: 1.6 GHz Celeron (Built on a P4 core with a smaller cache)
RAM: 256 MB DDR RAM - Good
20GB hard drive - Good enough
Graphics Card: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 7500C w/32MB - very good
Display Diagonal Size: 14 inches - Fine
LCD Resolution: 1024x768 - Good for a 14"
Summary: Better CPU, great graphics, everything is the same.

Toshiba Satellite 1415-S105 (cost 10% more)
CPU: 1.6 GHz Celeron
RAM: 256 MB DDR RAM - Good
20GB hard drive - Good enough
Graphics Card: nVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go w/16MB - pretty good
Display Diagonal Size: 15 inches - Good
LCD Resolution: 1024x768 - Not great for a 15"
Summary: Better CPU, okay graphics, bigger display but lower quality, everything else is the same.

My vote on the low end is still for the HP xt125. It will probably phase out soon as HP rolls out some new lines for the year, but right now it's a great value. The HP xt125 easily the best low cost notebook offered on Amazon. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Accessories
I have a couple of questions, first of all are there any other accessories such as battery pack, charger, storage case? What about serial and parallel ports? What about compatability with scanners, printers, gaming software, shipping charges? etc. There were no comments on these items. Can you provide any information? ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's 700 series of Presario notebook computers may target the homeand home office user rather than the more demanding business professional, butthat doesn't necessarily mean it sacrifices performance. A perfect case in pointis the new flagship of the 700 series, the stunningly powerful Presario725US.

If speed is what you crave, the 725US delivers. Rated at 1.4 GHz, its AMD mobileAthlon 4 1600+ processor is one of the fastest you'll find inside any portablecomputer. This robust chip is equipped with AMD's QuantiSpeed architecture tofurther aid in the collection and distribution of data, and a generous 512 KB ofultrahigh-speed Level 2 cache to enhance performance during complex computingsituations. Factor in the system's 256 MB of 133 MHz SyncDRAM (upgradeable to384 MB) and 32 MB ProSavage KN133 video card, and you have a power plant capableof running just about anything thrown its way.

Sporting a sleek design and a futuristic two-tone, black-on-silver color scheme,the Presario 725US looks substantially more stylish than many of its notebookpeers. It tips the scales at a comfortable 6.4 pounds and measures in with aslightly larger than average 10.6-by-12.4-by-1.64-inch profile. Compaq has putthese dimensions to good use by installing several desirable perks, such as alarge 20 GB hard disk, a 3.5-inch disk drive, a 56K ITU V.92 PCI modem, and acombination CD-RW/DVD drive. The latter offers solid but not spectacularperformance, playing compact discs at 24x, recording and re-recording them at4x, and playing DVDs at 6x.

You'll watch your movies and other applications on a crisp 14-inch LCD displaycapable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and 16 million colors, and listen to your CDsand multimedia through a high-end bass reflex JBL speaker system that deliverssurprising bottom-end punch. And you won't have to press a bunch of keys to doit. The 725US keyboard is equipped with numerous one-touch multimedia, Internet,and e-mail buttons, plus a scroll wheel and touchpad for convenientnavigation.

The unit's roster of ports includes two USB jacks for plug-and-play peripheralssuch as joysticks and digital cameras, a single parallel port for printers, a10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, an all-purpose PC Card slot, a PS2 jackfor a mouse or keyboard, a VGA video-out for external monitors, S-video TV-out,and speaker and microphone ports. Microsoft's latest operating system, WindowsXP, and an assortment of Internet, multimedia, and information applicationsround out this impressive package. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

'Over heats,locks-up,and shuts down?'
Ya,I've had the same problem with my 'Compaq Presario 700',what I do is 'remove and reinsert the battery',and it boots up like new. I've played 'Shogun: Total War' and it either locks-up and over heats,or shuts down. So if your 'Compaq' shuts down and starts to run that little fan and starts to over heat,and your up til 2:00 am wondering what to do,save your self a heart ache by 'removing and reinserting the battery' located on the bottom. By removing and then reinserting the battery shuts down the 'Compaq',your laptop will and should go back to normal. I know,it's scary when you don't know what to do,and it puts you in a situation where your panicking,my god its overheating and I've pulled the plug on my Laptop,but its still on and running,and overheating. Don't panick,'remove and reinsert the battery' located in the bottom, there's a switch that pops out the battery,be cool,very cool. I hope this was helpful.

ABSOULTE JUNK!!
No sense in repeating everything that has already been stated what is wrong with this POS. Just do a Google search for Presario 700 notebook. IT'S A TOTAL LEMON! WHEN DO WE SUE ...? Overheats Constantly - it's a design problem. Slower than a 386! JUNK! AVOID! I WASTED (money) HARD EARNED DOLLARS DOWN THE DRAIN!

TOTALLY USELESS! DAMN IT!

Another extremely disappointed Compaq user
With a little searching, I'm finding that I'm not alone with having a COMPLETE LEMON of a computer! DO NOT BUY! DO SOME RESEARCH FIRST, it's VERY easy! ;)
In summary: I bought this in june 03 from compusa.com as 'refurbished' (NOTE: NEVER BUY REFURBISHED COMPUTERS!) thus it has no warranty... too bad, cause 6 months later, turns out i have the same overheating/shut off problem as others have detailed. I discovered this last wk, early Feb '04. Since then, I've spent about 6hrs talking to HP support...with nothing to show for it. ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS!!! FINALLY, I called HP HQ in CA... and they were VERY unsympathetic! Needless to say, they say "tough sh*t" and won't drop a dime for it. I wouldn't be so pissed off if this weren't obviously a DEFECTIVE MODEL!!! (This was told to me by SeattleLaptop, who've repaired "over a dozen in the last 7 months". I'm currently collecting other similar experiences. If you have any, please share: lclaroche at hotmail dot com

RUN AWAY FAST
Don't waste your time! I purchased this computer a year and
a half ago. Since then I've had nothing but problems.
Continuous overheating and shutdowns, the cd/dvd rom stopped
working, the screen broke, the battery never works for more
than ten minutes even if it's fully charged. I have taken it
in to be serviced 4 times at best buy. Every time something
new is fixed but the same problems still remain. It is incredibly slow, and too much hassle, not a good buy at all.
1500 of my dollars down the drain. Don't let it happen to you.

We're 0 for 2 with Compaq
Heed the advice of the others reporting problems related to system hangs etc. Just had the main board replaced due to a problem in power management and continuous shut down.(at my cost since it was 3 mos out of warranty). The laptop with the "new" board now hangs at random times during normal use.
HP has clearly taken the "low road" with their products, basically producing junk. We have another high end presarion in our small software business. It is also very problematic.
Unless they pay you to take this computer, you're paying to much! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoying digital movies and music--especially personalized CDs--on a notebook PC can transform business travel into a civilized experience. Compaq is doing its part for road warriors by offering the Presario 910US, a notebook PC that delivers these goodies affordably.

The 910US’s 1.33 GHz AMD Athlon XP 1500+ processor provides solid performance across a wide range of productivity applications, games, and DVDs. A built-in combination DVD/CD-RW drive allows users to watch movies and listen to and create music CDs through the notebook’s integrated JBL Pro Performance Audio with Bass Reflex speakers.

The notebook’s 30 GB hard drive provides substantial storage for data and music downloads, while its 256 MB of memory--expandable to 1 GB--and 256 KB of on-chip L2 cache make it easy to run multiple applications smoothly. An ATI Radeon IGP integrated graphics card and 16 MB of shared video memory deliver resolution of up to 1,024 x 768 on the 910US’s integrated 14.1-inch TFT XGA display or up to 1,600 x 1,200 noninterlaced on an external monitor.

The 1.5-by-12.8-by-10.6-inch, 6.5-pound notebook includes an integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet port and 56K V.92 PCI modem. Expansion slots include one Type I/II PC Card slot with support for a 32-bit CardBus. The 910US also includes two USB 1.1 ports, a parallel SPP/ECP interface (DB25 connector), a PS2 mouse or keyboard port, an RJ-45 Ethernet jack and RJ-11 modem jack, an S-video TV-out port, and an external VGA monitor port.

Installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia (one-year subscription), InterVideo WinDVD, and Norton AntiVirus 2002 on CD. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Does it all for great price !
Got this notebook a couple weeks ago from HP's Refurbished products. Paid less than $800 including delivery. This notebook has everything I need including a CD Burner, DVD Player, 1394 port, large/fast 30GB HD, and built in ethernet. The keyboard is great, especially the scroll device below the touchpad. As far as the CTRL key being in the wrong place, it's easily adjusted to - can't understand why anyone would make a big stink about it.

The performance seems to be very fast including digital picture editing. I haven't done any video editing yet so I can't comment on that. The display is more than adequate and seems very bright to me.

My only beef with it is all of the software Compaq preloads on it. Can't say that I wanted or use any of it.

For the $$$, I'd buy another in a heartbeat !

Good Combination
The 910 US combination by Compaq gives you almost all the power you need for most users. Ergonomic and sleek design, almost 6.5 lb. weight with one battery makes it a good elegant choice which will look good on your desk as well feels lighter on your pocket.

910US - Great value notebook with a bad keyboard design
This is a really solid low-end value notebook. Everything is perfect... EXCEPT the amazing fact that Compaq decided to place the rarely used "Fn" function key in the lower left-hand corner of the keyboard. This key is located exactly where the Ctrl key belongs. I absolutely guarantee that any experienced user will accidentally press this "Fn" key every single time that they attempt to press the Ctrl key. This is beyond frustrating. This design defect alone is sufficient reason to pay few hundred dollars more for some other brand.

The annoying "Fn" key is supplemented by an extra large Caps Lock key. Wow. yOU WILL BE TORMENTED BY ACCIDENTALLY PRESSING THIS CAPS LOCK KEY ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Other than these issues with the keyboard, this is probably the best notebook available for [the money]. Most people focus on the CPU speed when comparison shopping for notebooks. In reality, extra memory and hard disk space is the more beneficial element to be looking for. 256MB and 30 GB make this Presario superior to most competitors.

Tough call... A great notebook with a bad keyboard design.

The 905, avec CD burner.
To begin with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & reasonably svelte at 6.5 lbs. The HP genes are apparent in its design and the result is pleasing. The CPU is an adequate 1.33 Athalon XP; it's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as an Intel P4. System memory also just adequate at 256 megs, though this can be doubled easily enough. The hard drive is a generous 30 gigs. A DVD/CD-R/W combination drive in included. All the Compaq's connections are in the right place, though missing is any USB 2.0 port. The video card is in line with the other components, with a 16 meg ATI card onboard driving a very sharp 14.1" active matrix display. (I am a fan of ATI graphics cards because they have been quite reliable over the long haul and because upgrading them from ATI's nice website is a snap) Overall, this is a good, basic machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's Presario 2135US Notebook PC is an affordably priced portable best suited to budget-conscious users who don't need the incredible power and state of the art perks of today's top-level machines. For light to medium duty personal or business applications, general schoolwork, Internet browsing, or e-mail, the Presario 2135US is a wise choice.

At the heart of the Presario 2135US is a 1.8 GHz Intel Celeron processor. Compaq has complemented this cost effective CPU with a minimal allotment of 256 MB DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1024 MB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 4X AGP graphics chipset with 64 MB shared (not dedicated) memory. As such, the unit will efficiently run most common notebook applications but is not the best choice for 3-D games, animation or drawing packages and high-end, high complexity business apps. Sharing the data storage duties is a smallish 30 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data and watch your favorite movies. In its stock setup, the system will not allow you to record to DVD media.

At 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.57 inches and 7.25 pounds, the Presario 2135US is slightly below average size and therefore comfortably portable. The unit is equipped with a large 15-inch display screen capable of crystal clear 1024 by 768 resolutions. Other features include two USB 1.1 ports for plug and play peripheral connections, an 88-key keyboard, a Touch Pad with on/off and dedicated up/down scroll surface, and a pair of internal stereo speakers. Communication connectivity options include a 56K modem for low-speed Internet and email access and a high-speed RJ-45 LAN connector. Wireless communication is not offered, nor are FireWire or USB 2.0 ports for fast data interaction with peripherals such as digital camcorders.

Pre-installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2003, Microsoft Works 6.0, and a variety of multimedia applications. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great low-price solution
This notebook computer is certainly a great way to go for anyone looking for a low-cost, home laptop.
The processor is certainly fast enough to accomplish most anything typical home users are planning on doing. As long as you are not planning on running several RAM eating programs (e.g., Adobe Illustrator and Freehand) simultaneously you will never really occur to you to call your computer is "slow." I am running a full Microsoft Office Suite and programs like Adobe Photoshop (also Elements) and have not run into any significant memory or speed issues.

The computer runs a little slow at start up, but otherwise it moves right along. I would recommend not installing every little program that you can on this (or any machine) since doing so will chip away at your memory and create a slower and less stable system over time.

The touch pad isn't the greatest I've used, but there is a nicely placed mouse port so I can use my favorite mouse most of the time anyway.

Compared to other notebooks, the keyboard is certainly up to par, though not as nice as some desktop keyboards (which you could also easly plug into the notebook).

I'm not sure why the other review was unable to find an adequate CD burning utility. It has Roxio which is fine for music, data, or CD-RW burning.

The screen plays DVDs very nicely, while the computer has several DVD player pre-installed to choose from.

I am very happy with this machine. It's certainly not as powerful as comparably-priced desktop machines, but I'll the slight differences in performance to have the portablity. (The battery has about 3.5 hours of life when fully charged.)

Like any computer, getting rid of the pre-loaded promotional software (AOL et al) is annoying. But the money Compaq gets from these placements means I was able to secure a great quality notebook for [a great price]. It's a great way to go. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed to appeal to users who can't afford or don't require a cutting-edge machine, Compaq's Presario 2100US series of notebooks features budget-conscious processors such as AMD's Athlon and Intel's Celeron. This model, the Presario 2170US Notebook PC, lacks popular modern amenities such as DVD burning and high-speed USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 FireWire connectivity ports, yet will efficiently run common mid-level home, home office and leisure applications.

Driving the Presario 2170US is a 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron processor, 256 MB memory (expandable to 1024 MB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 4X AGP graphics chipset with 64 MB shared (not dedicated) memory. As such, it is clearly not intended as a portable gaming rig or a master of complex business applications. Sharing the data storage duties is an adequate 40 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data and watch your favorite movies.

The unit is equipped with a large XGA TFT 15-inch display screen capable of crystal clear 1024 by 768 resolution. Other features include two conventional USB 1.1 ports for plug and play peripheral connections, an 88-key keyboard, a Touch Pad with on/off and dedicated up/down scroll surface, and a pair of internal stereo speakers. Communication options include a 56K modem for low-speed Internet and email access and a high-speed RJ-45 LAN network connector.

At 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.57 inches and 7.25 pounds, the Presario 2170US is slightly below average size and therefore comfortably portable. Bundled software features Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2003, and Intervideo's Win DVD DVD player. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good system
i have alot computers around the house,all AMD based got this thing for christmas,and was scared to even turn it on because of the celeron,this is my 2nd notebook and my 1st on was AMD.well after a couple of hours i figure what the hell turned it on and holymolly this thing rocks,even blows my AMD 2.0 ghz desktop out of the water.did some searching and found that the new celerons are basicly a p4 with L2 cut down instead of 512 it has 256kb.i have always used AMD's but now when i build my next system it will be intel celeron or p4.if they would ratings,say 10 id give it 15.

Great laptop
I've had this laptop for a month and it is perfect for my needs. I left XP Home on the disk and also added Linux. The video quality is beautiful; I've played DVDs on it while traveling. The touchpad is easy to use.

Bad hardware, bad service
I do not recommend buying anything from HP/Compaq. I bought a Pavilion xt125 from them less than six months ago. It has cause me a lot of trouble. I've had to wipe out the hard drive and do a complete system restore back to factory settings and reinstall all my programs four times (almost once a month), and I know I'll have to do it again if I keep using the computer. According to HP, there is a bug with some of their laptop models and Windows that causes errors in the registry. To them it is a Microsoft problem. To me, they are still selling the computers, which state right on them that they are "designed for Windows," in spite of the fact that they know that Microsoft has not yet worked out this bug, so it is also, and perhaps more, an HP problem. As far as I'm concerned they are knowingly selling defective machines and they are stealing customer's money. They won't do anything to rectify the situation once you buy the machine. They suggest using a different operating system, but also say they won't support the product at all if you do. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Compaq Presario 700Z 1.2GHz Athlon
Firts of all - never buy this computer - new or used!
It gets so warm at the bottom, you can not hold it at all.
In addition it switches to 800MHz by himslef and there is no way you can switch it back to 1.2GHz. Imagine you render your home movie, you do not touch the keyboard or mouse for a few hours, and the CPU gets to the half of the speed! How nice!!! Also it eats the battery so fast, that you will not believe. Stated "up to 1.5" hour is OK, if you do not run any application and screen is off, and you don't do any keyboard or touch pad work. Otherwise it lasts less then 45 min of normal work. I bought mine new in Best Buy. In 14 month it gets broken -power switch doesn't power up the laptop up. I waited 53 days!!! until I've got it back from the "Best Buy --> Compaq --> Best Buy" repair center. And guess what!!! In few days I've got similar problem again. To switch the laptop ON, you have to wait until its completely cool down (approximately an hour after you switching it off). In addition they replaced the DVD drive (I didn't complain about fixing old one at all). Now drive gets stuck from time to time and do not lead out. Compaq says now that I have to contact Best Buy. Best Buy says: "Bring it in and wait for another few months". They thought me a good lesson NEVER EVER BUY EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM RETAILER.
The only good thing about this laptop - it has a cool design! But I better go for Sony for my next laptop. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As a notebook for business or as a desktop-replacement notebook,Compaq's Presario 2700US offers a number of appealing features. It features a 1GHz Pentium III processor, 256 MB of RAM, a 15-inch, active-matrix flat-panelscreen, and both an 8x (write) CD-RW and 8x DVD-ROM drive--all for a price thatcompares well with similarly equipped notebooks. Also included are a 20 GB harddisk, a 56K modem, and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet NIC. To round out this Presario'sversatile package, Compaq has pre-installed Windows XP, Microsoft's newoperating system that combines the stability of Windows 2000 with better supportfor peripherals and games. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Excellent desktop replacement/supplement
I've had the Presario for a week or so, and so far I have been really impressed. My initial concerns about possibly inferior Compaq quality (judging by my experience with their desktops) have been proven unfounded: this is a nicely crafted piece of machinery, good design, great ergonomics, solid, sturdy, ports nicely located, drive bays function well. You get everything you could possibly want in the way of connections and options - double USB, Firewire, PS/2, built-in modem and NIC, docking option, and with the two optical drives plus the drive bay battery you're really set to configure yourself for anything.

This is *not* a Vaio killer - it has the heft of an old fashion laptop, but with that comes a sense that it'll last through a few hundred flights and being thrown around the office. If you don't mind the schlep you are rewarded with an incredible screen (with XP's Cleartype on it is simply astounding - I prefer it over my desktop's 15" KDS RAD5 LCD screen), excellent performance (the PIII and 512Mb RAM makes most everything I've thrown at it hum along happily: Photoshop, Premiere, Quark Express, software development tools, VPN internet connections - so far not a single crash). I'll let others rave or rant about XP, but contrary to other reviewers here I've had no problems what so ever with the configuration shipped - it works out of the box, no problems. My other choice would have been a Dell Inspiron, but having compared the two, I'm confident I made the right choice.

Solid Computer. Competitive Price.
I had some problems installing win2k server on this, but it may very well be because both w2k server cd's that I have are scratched. I wiped XPhome off and put on XPpro just fine. Compaq has [bad] customer service and finding drivers for certain devices if you want to deviate from XP may be troubling -- they only have some on their site.

I wish it could play CDs even when its not booted up (pretty common feature now).

Other than that, it's nice to have the dual optical drives rather than the combo drives that everyone has -- that way you can burn straight from one to the other and cut out a lot of time. Graphics are solid for it's price -- I'll have to upgrade in 9-12 months though. It can handle most any 3d games that are out right now if I take off the vSync option and optimize the card for performance over graphics in the control panel.

Good price. Looks nice (graphically and physically). Runs quiet. Very stable (I leave it on for weeks sometimes). Comes with an extra battery and swappable drive capability (swap a HD, floppy, extra battery or whatever). Great battery life! Woops my friends HP.

P.S. Be wary of any laptops with "good" native resolutions. This is 1400x1050...anything higher on a 15" laptop is almost unusable.

REVIEW UPDATE - 06/25/2004 CLASS ACTION SUIT TIME - ANYONE??
I wrote a review on here about 9 month ago - and have received over 50+ mails with the same complaint - melted standoffs.. and HP/CPQ is STILL denying any knowledge of this problem!!! (This was independantly verified from an email from HP C/S received 3 days ago from another guy having a meltdown with his 2710 and HP service (or lack of))... - Even though "the fix" and remedy is posted all over CPQ's own tech web site as well as HP's!! -- You doubt me? Call them up, and they'll give you the replacement part # for the needed standoff screws for this "unknown problem".... Sigh...

Anyway, it has been suggested to me, since I seem to be the unofficial point guard for this one - that we file a class-action lawsuit of sorts - I'm not big on this - and really don't have the time - But I am so pissed off at CPQ/HP and their plain ignorance and constant denial of "any problems" that I do think it's time we do something about this collectively.

So, if anyone else is interested in filing, write me at:

CLASSACTION@KAL-TEX.COM

Tell me your woes, what part of the country you're in (or abroad... as one chap from the UK has emailed me) - and we'll see what kind of headcount we'll get, and if it's worth going after?

I know personally that I am out the cost of the 2701 unit ($1900) + the bogus repair ($400) and the cost to replace - $1750 -- So, if we get enough folks together - I think that'll catch their attention.

GOOD LUCK!

Brent

A Suprising Exception to Compaq's Image
I bought this laptop in Feb. 2002 on a whim while browsing Best Buy's return aisle. It didn't have the Floppy or any of the CDs but it was about $300 cheaper than a new one. At the time I wasn't aware of Compaq's reputation for having probably the worse customer service in the known universe, but I was quickly introduced after finding myself in their 800 number black hole (a voice-prompt carousel designed to frustrate customers into hanging up); and all I wanted were the restore CDs!
Luckily I found out they can be downloaded from the HP Website.

However the laptop itself is suprisingly good. Key features are the seperate DVD & CDRW drives and the JBL speakers. I was playing a music CD & my friends had to go outside to hear themselves talk. There is minimal distortion at high volume - something that quality desktop speakers have trouble doing.

Now for the bad: Must boot up to have a music CD play but hey it's an 8lb laptop not a CD Player. Intermittingly the keyboard interface becomes hashed on some bootups - letters are numbers etc. unless I reboot & the mouse button became worn after a few months of left-clicking that I now use a USB Mouse & Keyboard. Other problems that were XP Home/Install related (driver searches on boot-up,etc) until I did a fresh install of Pro. Also for a time I had SuSe Linux 8.0 dual booting no problems except it ran very hot, uninstalled it because with a 20GB hard drive things got cramped real fast.

I started out with 8mb video and 256mb RAM and upgraded to 32mb video & 512mb RAM, bought the port replicator and a PCMCIA-USB 2.0 Card and have been using my 2700US as a desktop relacement for a little over a year now flawlessly, except for a problem using an external monitor until I upgraded the video driver for dual monitor support. I use several desktops but I keep going back to my 2700 because it's capabilities are evenly balanced -DVD viewing, web surfing, CD-Burning, & music with non-tinny quality speakers, but Compaq's Customer Service is by far the worse HP can't save them so I can only give 4 stars but this is truly a 5 star laptop for those who have taken the chance - like me - to own one.

Great - For awhile - then junk....
Like the many reviews before mine, I bought a 2701 loaded - 15 months ago... LOVED IT - BUT!!!!!..... in month 13 the "solder joints" that hold the CPU heatsink in place actually melted and so I called Compaq (now HP) and for $22 they sent me 4 screws to replace the soldered ones.... I don't know if anyone has torn one of these apart before, but it is not a 15 minute project... So, after reviewing the motherboard layout, I decided to let DEC, err Compaq, err, HP put their precious $22 screws in... Well, since I am 2 months out of warranty, NO ONE at Compaq or HP would even discuss this option with me - I had to go to "retail" i.e. Radio Shack (puleeeze) or CompUSA or Best Buy (choke) .. So since CompUSA has the only "tech dept." - went there... $330 later I had a new CPU fan/cooler and the 4 screws installed.. Fine... on with life... But no, the Tech there, shorted out my DC adapter or fried something on the Motherboard, for now it only runs in Batt. And of course, there are no battery chargers for these puppies... So I call the CompUSA back - Tech says "it worked fine when it left..." Sure, it works fine on Battery, but forget AC... So I call their HQ in Dallas - they kick it up to a unit manager - and they'd "get back to me"... Never happened... Meanwhie I have 40GB of data hanging out there... and no one is taking responsibilty.. My fuse shortens... I go into CompUSA - speak with the "manager".. He too promises a call back - NADA... So then I go back to CPQ/HP and have a chat with them - Finally get a sympathetic ear in Seattle - run the SN# and then she kicks me over to the "CPO" (custom products div?) and they blow a fuse because the gal prior was not even supposed to "speak with me" unless I was under warranty... Great Customer Service huh?

I've been in the Computer world for over 18 years - Worked for both DEC and Compaq... and have NEVER seen such a messed up orginization, let alone a @#$% product that melts down after 12 months... Don't believe me, look on all the tech boards or search Google under heat or fan troubles for the 2700 Presario - there are 100's of complaints, yet NO ONE will stand up to the plate...

Yes, the 2701 gives you much bang for the buck - but if you can't get anyone to work on it and/or it costs you more than it's worth, Whats the point???? Go buy a high-end Toshiba or IBM.... I spent the extra $280 for a 2.4 Ghz Toshiba - and it screams - and so far, so good...

By the way, "everyone's" answer to this is "buy the extended warranty" - fine, lesson learned, shame on me... $880 bucks for 1 year extended warranty...????? And they wonder why they are losing marketshare to Dell (hate Dell product, but their Customer Service is the aces) - So maybe CPQ/HP will wake up some day and take notice of those kicking their butts before they file BK or get bought up by IBM or Dell... (I'm 3 for 3 on mergers)

Needless to say, HP/CPQ will not be getting any more of my biz... Same for CompUSA.

Any specfic questions - write me at bjk@kal-tex.com ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Take your work and multimedia on the run with the slim, powerful Compaq Presario 2596US. You'll be able to easily log into the Internet and e-mail with the built-in wireless LAN (802.11g, offering up to 54 Mbps connectivity speed). The 2596US also features a 15-inch screen, 2.6 GHz Intel Celeron processor, 40 GB hard drive, 256 MB of built-in RAM, combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, and a bevy of pre-loaded software (from Microsoft Works to Quicken).

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 40 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) offers plenty of space for most users, and is more than enough for typical data--from spreadsheets and word processing files to your digital snapshots. However, if you have a large multimedia library, 40 GB probably won't suffice.
• Processor: The 2.60 GHz Intel Celeron processor is on the low-end of process speeds these days, but it does offer fast and affordable performance that is suitable for everyday computing tasks--from making entries in Quicken to word processing to editing home digital video movies.
• Memory: The 2596US comes with a 256 MB built-in memory (DDR SDRAM, 266 MHz), which is enough to get you started--but you'll want to add more memory to take advantage of multimedia programs and higher-end graphics tasks. It has a maximum memory expansion up to 1 GB (2 x 512 MB). It also has an L2 cache of 128 KB.
• CD/DVD Drive: It comes equipped with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, which enables you to play DVD-ROM discs and DVD movies as well as burn data and record music to CD discs (at 24x speed).
• Keyboard & Mouse: The 2596US has a full-sized 85-key keyboard with 12 function keys and two-button touchpad.

The video/graphics card--ATI Mobility Radeon 4X AGP--offers 3-D architecture 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 2596US 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 2596US 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 2596US notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. ... Read more