Amazon.com Product Description

Though its raw processor speed is only average, Compaq's new Presario X1010US Notebook PC is a front-runner in most every other sense. Impressively lightweight and comparatively affordable, the unit is nevertheless fitted with enough top-flight amenities to satisfy even diehard desktop users.

The Presario X1010US sports an interesting selection of power components. At the heart of the system is a seemingly middle-of-the-road 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium M CPU. Yet this processor also features 1 MB of Level 2 cache, which, when combined with the unit's generous 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory allotment and powerful ATI Mobility Radeon video chipset (32 MB dedicated memory), keeps real time data access and computation speeds acceptably snappy, even when churning through 3-D applications such as games and graphic design packages.

The Presario X1010US is no slouch when it comes to file storage and movement. Sharing the data duties is a spacious 60 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW comination drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data, and watch your favorite movies on the system's oversized 15.4-inch WXGA WVA display screen (1280 x 800 resolution).

Communication options include a 56K modem for low-speed Internet and email access, a high-speed RJ-45 LAN connector and integrated Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 802.11b wireless LAN. Other important features include an 88-key keyboard with touch pad and scroll bar, an IEEE 1394 connection for quick interaction with external peripherals such as digital camcorders, a trio of fast USB 2.0 ports for other plug and play devices, and a pair of internal JBL-designed speakers.

At 14 by 10 by 1.3 inches, the Presario X1010US is relatively long but comfortably slim. It is also conveniently lightweight at a mere 6.5 pounds. Bundled software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2003 and Intervideo WinDVD. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

This isn't a "vaporware" review - I own this and love it!!
I bought our x1010 last month and I am still absolutely thrilled with it. Its very fast despite having a slow (4200 rpm) HDD. I have had zero problems with the wireless - in fact the wireless will be a no-brainer if your other wireless devices can "see" your network. I am very happy with the 32mb (dedicated) Radeon graphics. This machine will play Rainbow Six Raven Shield with no problems at all - try that on one of the Toshiba's or lower end Compaq's with shared-memory graphics!! The display is fantastic - bright and not at all "grainy" like the Toshiba's and low-end Compaq's and HP's. (Ok - the WSXGA+ would probably look even sharper). I don't know this for sure - but I think the dot-pitch on the x1000 series is .26 versus .29/.30 (mm) on the cheapie machines. Great display, great graphics power, very stable, super build quality, etc. Only a couple of potential downsides - one, its a little big to tote around the house and two, the DVD/CDRW isn't modular so you're up the creek (have to send it to Compaq) if your drive is damaged. Oh one last positive - the lid is made out of metal (aluminum I assume) so it isn't flimsy.

Great Machine!
Got this computer 3 days ago and can't praise it enough. I'd had a host of horrible experiences with older Compaq laptops at work and was more than a little nervous about this one...but I needn't have worried. Everything worked right out of the box. Battery life is exactly as other reviews depict it....3-4 hours, though I haven't watched an entire DVD on battery. CDs burn fast and reliably. DVDs look wonderful. Wireless connection is flawless from 20 feet and from 100 feet; I haven't tried from further away. The keyboard feels nice and solid. The touchpad scroller is an excellent feature. The display is outstanding. And while I wouldn't call the thing blazingly fast, it's more than satisfactory (and I'm pretty picky). I suppose the sound is okay, at least compared with other laptops I've heard, but face it...until they figure out a way to flatten out and miniaturize a subwoofer, a good set of headphones is a good investment.

Okay, nothing is perfect, so here are the few little things that rattle my type-A: the indicator lights, in their plastic housing on the front of the machine, seem kind of kitschy, bordering on "too much". Read the one-page inserts in the box and then scratch your head trying to figure out what's up with the software that isn't quite as installed as HP says it is (example: the utility for the Intel wireless card). The latch feels chincy and the seal between upper and lower halves is tighter on one side than the other on my machine....but not glaringly so.

I haven't had the chance to evaluate tech support and sincerely hope I don't have to. I also can't address the issue of games. I got out of that world a long time ago.

All in all, I would give it 4.5 stars....but they won't let me do that here and only God bats 1.000! Still, I recommend it wholeheartedly. Compaq has a winner with this line.

First day and very happy
I just got my x1010 in the mail today. It is a referb unit but everything seems to work just find. I am sitting in the living room writing this review online via the Wi-Fi network connection. Speed seems to be very good. I like the keyboard very much and the screen is bright and clear. It will take some time getting use to the size of the screen but I think I can live with it ;-) Overall the first day out of the box impression is very good. If any of this changes I'll try to be sure to give an update. You don't really think how big the 15.4 screen is until you start walking around with it. Wow this thing is big!

Excellent Value
I've had this laptop for two weeks now and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. It has everything I want: a large HD, plenty of memory, wireless connectivity, a BEAUTIFUL widescreen, a scrolling trackpad, good speakers for a notebook, no heat issues, and a decent battery life (approx. 3.5 hrs.). I've had no hardware or software issues so I've yet to experience the Compaq/HP customer service.

I haven't had any problems using Photoshop or my VPN and client, but this notebook probably isn't a good fit for more intensive applications or high-end games. Then again, I find that a lot of people think they need a more powerful configuration than what they really need. 1.3GHz with 512MB will get you pretty far.

The only complaint I have so far is that the the construction isn't the highest quality. One of the speaker grilles buzzes at higher volumes (though it doesn't bother me too much since other notebooks can't even get as loud). You get what you pay for -- if you're looking for solid construction, you're gonna have to spend much more (i.e. VAIO or Powerbook).

Overall, I think this notebook is one of the best deals you can get. And with $200 in rebates, it's a steal! Get this notebook if you're gonna use it for: surfing the web, watching widescreen movies, and/or using non-performance critical apps.

A Good Buy & Value for Money
This is a nice laptop but, I would advice the new owners to reformat and rebuild computer; re-install the OS (XP home) from recovery CD and re-install all the software. Install the Norton Anti-virus software first and do a scan on the hardisk straight after you have finished installing all the patch files and software. On my x1010us Norton Anti-virus pick-up a virus file called DLLHOST.DLL; this is from the compaq x1010us restore CD that came with the machine; I think this file was infected and stored on to the restore image CD. Don't worry. . . do a virus scan and delete or quarantine that file as soon as you start up the computer; otherwise you can't delete the file once it is running; unless you shutdown,restart and try to catch the file before it auto launches. If is did auto run before you can catch it, don't panick . . . . goto the "RUN" command and type "REGEDIT" and do a search for for that file and delete all the entries. BUT only do this if your Norton anti-virus picks it up as a virus file.

This appeared on my system and in the restore CD too. It doesn't mean that you have the same version of restore CD as I do. Just be safe and sure let your virus check scan you hard drive.

Otherwise, an excellent computer everything works great and found my home wireless network with very little effort. Definitely value for money if you can get it for $1,500 or less. Good luck . . . ... Read more

Amazon Product Description

The Basics
The Compaq Presario 3050US Notebook PC is a beefy mobile computer that's just a bit behind the technological curve in some areas but delivers plenty of raw power for a comparatively affordable entry fee. A strong business-oriented machine, the system features such amenities as a fast Pentium 4 processor, high-resolution 16-inch display, spacious 60 GB hard drive, and enough memory for efficient multitasking. The unit is a bit bulky when compared to some of today's ultra-lightweight notebooks and it won't burn DVDs or smoothly display complex 3D graphics, but it's priced accordingly and is ready for tasks that would cripple less powerful notebooks.

Processor
At the heart of any computer lies the CPU (or processor), a massive collection of miniature transistors that governs the speed and power of the entire unit. Some of today's notebooks are equipped with high-end CPU's on par with those found in top-of-the-line desktop PCs, while others are quick enough only for basic duties such as word processing, email and the like. The Presario 3050US sports an Intel Pentium 4 processor operating at a speedy 3.06 GHz. This is not a particularly attractive CPU in terms of battery efficiency, and it isn't one of Intel's most recent Pentium 4s that feature new performance-enhancing technologies such as Hyper-Threading and upgraded Level 2 cache. Yet it's clock speed is so high that most users won't need to upgrade for years.

Memory
Computers typically store information on their hard drive, but they keep frequently and recently accessed data in Random Access Memory (RAM) for faster retrieval. More RAM means more efficient computing, superior multitasking and less strain on your hard drive. The Presario 3050US incorporates 512 MB of 266 333 MHz RAM. This is a typical allotment for today's high-end notebooks, though its rated speed is not especially fast. Nevertheless, it will provide satisfactory multitasking and keep you moving quickly during demanding situations.

Video
CPU's are usually so busy doing basic calculations that they need assistance translating visual output to the viewing screen. This is the duty of the graphics card (or graphics controller). The best graphics controllers feature on-board "dedicated" video memory rather than "sharing" portions of the system's all-important main memory. This unit features an SiS 650 UMA Graphics 4X AGP controller with 64 MB of shared video memory, and thusly will have some trouble displaying high-end 3D applications such as advanced games and sophisticated animation. It is, however, perfectly sufficient for most 2D tasks and some 3D work.

Display
One of this notebook's most obvious attractions is its display, a roomy 16-inch SXGA TFT screen with 1280 by 1024 maximum resolution for clear, detailed images.

Hard Disk
The Presario 3050US features a large 60 GB hard disk. This level of data storage is a welcome perk indeed for those who require a smaller notebook but need to operate a broad range of applications and also keep a library of space-gobbling music and/or multimedia files.

Optical Drive
An optical drive is essential in today's computing environment. A "CD-ROM" drive allows you to install CD-based applications and play music CDs. A "CD-RW" drive adds CD "burning", so you can also backup your important files to long-lasting discs and create personalized music CDs. With a DVD-ROM drive you can watch DVD movies. And with a DVD-RW drive, you can "write" home movies to durable discs and archive files to DVD (DVDs boast more than seven times the storage capacity of a CD). Some drives allow you to do a combination of all of these tasks. This system sports a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive through which you can play and burn CDs and play DVDs. DVD burning is not offered in this stock configuration.

Audio
The unit is equipped with two miniature stereo speakers, a mini microphone jack and a stereo mini headphone jack.

Keyboard and Controls
You'll control your notebook via an 88-key keyboard and touch pad with on/off button and dedicated scroll.

Connectivity and Expansion
The Presario 3050US offers a wide variety of ways to keep in touch, including a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access, an RJ-45 LAN port for high-speed wired network and Internet, and integrated 54g wireless technology for fast cord-free e-communication at home, at the office or on the road via a public hotspot. Other key amenities include four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play devices such as external drives and digital cameras and an IEEE 1394 FireWire port (commonly used for quick data uploads from digital camcorders).

Operating System and Software
Compaq has stocked the Presario 3050US with a variety of software, including Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft's Works 6.0 productivity suite, Microsoft's Money 2003 financial centre, and a selection of helpful utilities and time-limited trials.

Dimensions and Weight
Notebook computers are manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and weights. Many of today's most powerful notebooks are also the largest, weighing ten or twelve lbs or more and therefore too big and cumbersome for extensive, continuous traveling. These are often referred to as "desktop replacements". On the other extreme are "thin and lights" or "ultra-portables", super-miniaturized units that typically aren't as powerful as their larger brethren but weigh as little as two lbs and will often fit comfortably inside a large purse. At 13.83 by 11.82 by 1.73 and 8.2 lbs, the Presario 3050US is of average size.

Power
The unit is equipped with a 12-cell Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

A true powerhouse in a portable package, the Compaq Presario R3260US notebook is powered by a 2.20 GHz AMD Athlon 64 processor and has all the amenities you need to take everything with you on the road, including Bluetooth connectivity. An 80 GB hard drive and 512 MB RAM help you store files and run multiple applications efficiently, and the DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive means you can perform a variety of application like backing up files on CD media, burning your own DVDs, making audio mix CDs, accessing CD- or DVD-ROMs, or watching DVD movies on the 15.4-inch widescreen LCD. It also features a built-in NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go graphics card, integrated JBL Pro Performance speakers, and a 5-in-1 Memory Reader to take care of your multimedia needs.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 80 GB hard drive has ample room to store all your files, including digital audio, video, and photos.
• Processor: The 2.20 GHz AMD Athlon 64 processor can handle the toughest applications and has a 1 MB L2 cache.
• Memory: It has 512 MB DDR SDRAM to help you multitask with ease and is upgradable to 1.25 GB.
• CD/DVD Drive: The DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive reads at 40x, writes at 16x, and rewrites CDs at 10x. It can also read DVD-ROMs at 16x.
• Keyboard & Mouse: It has a 101-key compatible keyboard and touch pad.
• Display: The 15.4-inch WXGA high definition LCD has resolutions up to 1280 x 800, making it ideal for watching DVDs.

Sound and Graphics
A built-in NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go graphics card with 64 MB dedicated video memory turns this notebook into a gaming machine. The integrated JBL Pro Performance speakers mean you can listen to crystal clear and bright audio right out of the box, whether you're listening to CDs or watching DVDs.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
An integrated 10/100 Base-T ethernet allows for convenient networking, and 54g 802.11b/g wireless LAN with Bluetooth connectivity means you can get online quickly, easily, and without wires. Additionally, there is a 5-in-1 integrated Memory Reader that reads SD MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and SmartMedia cards so you can share media with other people and devices. It also has the following external ports:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting to a wide range of peripherals, from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 parallel port for connecting to printers or cameras based on older technologies
• 1 IEEE 1394 FireWire port to connect to digital video cameras or other peripherals
• 1 notebook expansion port (Type I/Type II) for adding a variety of upgrades, including memory, modems, portable disk drives, and more
• 1 VGA video out port to connect to an external monitor
• 1 S-video out to connect your laptop to a television
• 1 audio-out for headphones or speakers
• 1 microphone-in jack

Preloaded System and Software
The Compaq Presario R3260US notebook is powered by Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. Windows XP Home Edition is packed with multimedia features to help you get your creative juices flowing. Windows Media Player lets you burn and play CDs, in addition to playing and organizing digital audio files. Windows MovieMaker is a basic video editing tool that helps you capture and edit digital video to save your memories and share them with others.

It also comes bundled with Symantec Norton Antivirus (with a complementary 60 days Live Update subscription), Adobe Acrobat Reader, RecordNow, InterVideo WinDVD, Apple iTunes and Apple iTunes Music Store, Adobe PhotoShop Album Suite, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Encarta Plus, and Intuit Quicken New User Edition.

Dimensions and Weight
It weighs 7.8 pounds and measures 14.25 x 11.18 x 1.8 inches (W x D x H).

What's in the Box
Presario R3260US notebook, 120 watt AC adapter, 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery, phone cord, user's manual, and warranty information. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Portable computers offering premium performance and features usually come at a pretty steep price. But the Compaq Presario 920US notebook PC delivers a high-end experience for mobile workers, students, and home users in an elegant, value-priced package.

A 1.67 GHz AMD Mobile Athlon XP 2000+ processor provides ample power to blaze through a wide range of productivity applications, games, and DVDs. A built-in combination DVD/CD-RW drive lets 920US 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 generous storage for data and music downloads, while 512 MB of memory--expandable to 1 GB--and 256 KB of on-chip L2 cache run multiple applications simultaneously with nary a hiccup. 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 920US’s integrated 15-inch TFT XGA display or up to 1,600 x 1,200 noninterlaced on an external monitor.

The 1.5-by-12.8-by-10.6-inch, 6.5-pound notebook includes an integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet port and integrated 56K V.92 PCI modem. Expansion slots include one Type I/II PC Card slot with support for a 32-bit CardBus. The 920US 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.

An 88-button keyboard includes oversize keys, separate cursor control keys, and a feature that allows you to easily scroll vertically and horizontally through Web pages and documents.

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 (5)

False advertising !
Its 1.79 inches thick NOT 1.5 inches. And it probably weighs more than 6.5lbs they claim...

Runs too hot and display is very grainy compared to other budget laptops. not to mention noisy hard disk from fujitsu and badly designed keyboard & useless ovalpad...

Compaq support is above average though.

HotPaq also serves as your winter heater!
You live in a cold area like Canada or Arctic? You might then love this as it can also double up as room heater. After an hr of demanding use like a movie and you may as boil you eggs on it. No seriously, I am yet to see a laptop running hotter than this one. And all this with supposedly PowerNow! technology from AMD.

Well I guess I should have realized that if desktop Athlons run so hot then mobile ones can't be very dfferent. HPpaq makes pathetic laptops to say the least. They couldn't even get proper cooling solution for the processor, chipset & memory.

Now back to the laptop under review.

The keyboard was certainly designed by morons. 10 keys on bottom row, out of which only 4 were really needed. and that to mostly wrongly placed. space bar is tiny, tons of junk Windows buttons around, Fn button in place of Ctrl, Caps lock too big size, a repeated | button the bottom row, and delete button at the farthest/obscurest corner of the laptop. To top it all off the whole thing shakes when typing & looks like some buttons would surely break off. Never seen a more pathetic keyboard.

The scroll pad and touchpad buttons again are designed to looks good but have no usability. The up/down keys are easier to use than the junk ovalpad.

Only one PCMCIA card slot, not 2 as in most laptops. HPpaq phone support is worst in industry, try calling them. HP doesn't even have a toll free phone number for consumer laptops.

All HPpaq 9xxus models have a shared memory ATI integrated graphics will max 3DMark2001 score of 1500 (no matter how faster athlon is or how much RAM you put in). Very poor performance. Get a laptop based on Intel chipset.

The colors are also not good, even with the latest ATI drivers and on A/C power. Although screen is bright enough.

The case looks very clunky and thick. More than 1.6" I expected.

HPpaq cheats you by not even including a full copy of WinXP to reinstall XP later on. Only a restore Cd to erase everything & put all nasty programs back. Yes that true, they bundled 12+ nasty promotional programs for which no one has any use. Like Disney Online.

Finally all useful ports are at the back and covered by clumsy cover. What a pain to connect anythign to it.

Two stars because it costs under 850 after rebates in some local stores and because it runs.

Shame on HPpaq for building such a laptop. I suggest you look at Toshiba/Dell laptops around. You (roughly) get what you pay for.

Caveat Emptor
Very good value for the price--AMD beats Intel any day of the week for tasks other than video editing. It's great for all that's there--a CD/RW combo drive, generous amounts of memory and hard drive storage space, but be warned that this latest incarnation of the Compaq Presario series comes without a 3.5" floppy drive. Fine if you've moved past it for things like CD-RWs and network-based storage, but if you still use floppies, consider either an external drive or contact HP to see if they have a swappable floppy drive that can go in the CD-RW drive's place when you need to use it.

There are some things you must know!
First, the Athlon XP 2000+ outperforms a 2Ghz P4 in most tasks. Second, the video card uses shared system memory. This means that the 16MB is taken from the 512MB used for normal memory. Third, you are not stuck with only 16MB of video memory. I keep mine set at 64MB which is equal to or more than any other laptop video card.

To change the amount of memory dedicated to graphics, press F10 at the beginning of the boot process. Under the "Advanced" tab you will see an option that says something like "AGP aperture size". It will have options for 16, 32, or 64MB. The integrated graphics are decent, but they are now oficially 2 generations old (The newest being the Mobile Radeon 9000). This card performs like a Radeon 7000 (the original Radeon) for the desktop.

I play Neverwinter Nights, Counter-Strike, and Unreal Tournament without problems on this laptop. UT 2003 works, but it is a little slower than I like.

Nice laptop.
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 1.67 Athalon XP; it's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as an Intel P4. 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 in included. All the Compaq's connections are in the right place, though missing throughout the entire 9xx line is any USB 2.0 port. The video card is a bit small for the other components of the 920, with a 16 meg ATI card onboard driving a 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 at least 32 megs of video RAM) Overall, this is a very good machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Though its raw processor speed is only a wee bit above average, Compaq’s new Presario X1015US Notebook PC is a front-runner in most every other sense. Loaded with many of the amenities you’d normally find on a desktop and featuring an enormous amount of memory to boost overall performance and ensure smooth sailing even during extreme bouts of multitasking, the Presario X1015US is ready for most any leisure or professional application.

The unit sports an interesting selection of power components. At its heart is a Mobile Intel Pentium Centrino processor with a seemingly middling 1.5 GHz clock speed. Being a Centrino processor, however, it also sports a full MB of Level 2 cache to greatly improve speed in frequently accessed applications. Sony has added a stunning 1024 MB DDR SDRAM memory and a potent ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card with 64 MB dedicated video memory. Proof that you shouldn’t judge a computer by its rated clock speed, the Presario X1015US is indeed a competent machine.

Nor is it a slouch when it comes to file storage and movement. Sharing the data duties are a massive 80 GB hard disk and a versatile DVD+RW/CD-RW optical drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data, record home video to DVD and watch your favorite movies on the system’s oversized 15.4-inch WSXGA WVA display screen.

Communication options include a 56K modem for low-speed Internet and email access, a high-speed RJ-45 LAN connector and integrated Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 802.11b wireless LAN. Other important features include an 88-key keyboard with touch pad and scroll bar, an IEEE 1394 connection for quick interaction with external peripherals such as digital camcorders, a trio of fast USB 2.0 ports for other plug and play devices, and a pair of internal JBL-designed speakers.

The Presario X1015US is comfortably slim and certainly lightweight at just 14 by 10 by 1.3 inches and a mere 6.5 lbs. Bundled software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2003 and Intervideo WinDVD. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Presario X1000: A Complete Package
The Lowdown: The Compaq Presario X1000 comes in several interations. The one I bought is officially the X1015US, which comes with an 80Gb hard drive, 1Gb of RAM, a wide format SXGA+ screen, a 64 Mb Mobility Radeon 9200 video chip, and a DVD+R burner. All of the X1000's also come with three USB 2.0 sockets, a socket for a secure digital card, Intel Centrio technology and are Wi-Fi ready with a built in antenna and software.

Advantages: (1)This computer has amazing battery life. Using the computer with demanding graphics programs I get an average of 3.7 hours. Word processing, I get an average of 4.5 hours. Not bad. (2) The X1000 is quiet, without all the annoying fan noise of the typical Pentium 4 laptop. Besides this, the Centrino technology creates much less heat making the notebook much more enjoyable to use on your lap if necessary. (3) The screen is nothing short of incredible. It is actually a joy to look at, which is more than I can say about any notebook computer I have owned up to this point. (4) The so called SuperDrive (CD-DVD-CD/DVD burner) works extremely well. The fact that it is a DVD+R was great for me because my Dell at work is a DVD+R also. (5) The Wi-Fi technology. Within minutes I was ready to go with T-Mobile and now when I visit Starbucks before my graduate classes, I can surf the net at T-1 speed! I love it! (6) The built in speakers are actually good to listen to. Most notebook speakers are lousy, but these are the first that I don't mind putting in a CD and listening to without getting out the headphones. (7) The keyboard layout, particularly the touchpad. Compaq (HP) smartly makes a special section of the touchpad for scrolling, separating it from the rest of the touchpad by a raised ridge. Nice, but the best part is you can easily turn off the touch pad when typing with a lighted button. This is a convenient feature I use every day to avoid those annoying occurences when my thumb causes my curser to wander around the screen. (8) The 64 Mb graphic chip runs games much better than my brand new Dell desk top. It is truly amazing to see.

Disadvantages: (1) It would have been smarter to place the socket for the power cord in the back of the unit. (2) The recovery time from hibernation is somewhat slow (3) The warranty is only for a year (though you can purchase longer).

Support: I have been pretty impressed of late by HP (Compaq) support. Both the online chat support and the phone support have been excellent, at least in my experience. Sure, you get someone from around the globe, but the people have been knowledgable and have actually called me back when they said they would! I purchased my X1000 at CompUSA and their support is also quite good.

Overall Feel: The X1000 is sleek and wide, but thin enough so as not to feel bulky. It easily slips into my padded notebook case. The 17" notebooks are too huge to be easily transportable in my opinion, but the X1000 is nearly perfect: offering a 15.4" screen and being only slightly over an inch thick. I highly recommend this notebook to anyone who does a lot of graphics work and wants a computer that is fast, silent and Wi-Fi ready. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

If enjoying a DVD movie or game on your notebook PC is often a lifesaver on an arduous business trip, it’s always more absorbing on a big, bright 15-inch display. The Compaq Presario 915US notebook PC starts with exactly that and adds enough processing oomph and features to deliver a sublime computing experience.

A 1.53 GHz AMD Mobile Athlon XP 1800+ processor smoothly powers the 915US across a wide range of productivity applications, games, and DVDs. A built-in combination DVD/CD-RW drive lets users view movies and listen to and create music CDs through the notebook’s integrated JBL Pro Performance Audio with Bass Reflex speakers.

The notebook’s 40 GB hard drive provides plentiful 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 simultaneously. 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 915US’s integrated 15-inch TFT XGA display or up to 1,600 x 1,200 noninterlaced on an external monitor.

The 1.5-by-12.8-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 915US 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 (7)

is the best notebook from 9xx series
its very easy to install and xp makes all setup work. dvd and cd burner work fine. displasy is sharp and clear. i use it with a mouse cause im not very fan of touchpad pointing device. it comes with 2 usb port too, so u can attach any device.

WinXP destroys performance
The Athlon XP1800+ cpu is very fast and 256mb DDR memory is quite adequate when run on all pre Windows XP systems (we have it on others),....but when combined with Win XP this system is left without resources to be of any productive value. Windows XP and the provided Office XP trial combined to use sufficient memory resources as to prevent an excel spreadsheet from opening in less than 2 minutes and then in processing it in less than 4 minutes. In comparision, these applications will take 1/3 as long on an identically prepared Windows 98SE system. The system runs times equivalent to an old Presario 450mhz P3 192mb (non ddr) system with Windows 98SE that we have here. We ran 500 timed tests in various Compaq suggested setting. Variances were in the single digits. IE: No gain.

Having no floppy drive is a little scary as well, as the CD does not act as a true boot drive, without performing some software and possibly BIOS changes as to how the system sees the CDRW drive. Compaq does not authorize this.

You are in the cradle (read that as grasp)of mother Compaq here. Don't think you can wonder off and add or remove or reinstrall as technology changes. Drivers are generally unavailable for the components unless Compaq posts them. Hardware manufacturers website driver updates won't generally be acceptable, if they can be found at all.

Support is generally vague and evasive, and of little use unless you have a lot of time on your hands to try and try and again. If you ask the same question enough times, you eventually get a support "specialist" that will answer "your" question inlieu of giving you the cut and paste generally nonrelavent response.

The price "was" right, but the price of the frustration can outweigh the savings. If you need a toy, buy it, but not at the current prices (you'll feel violated when you find that they went for under $ in December). If you need to be productive...add $ for the necessary memory to allow it to run serious applications.

If you have the nerve and the patience, Compaq does provide drivers and patches for Win2000 for this model. However you will loose the warm and fuzzy buttons and Compaq "officer friendly" screens.

As the story goes, in notebooks, the price and the performance do generally go hand in hand. We have no others to recommend, but based on our tests and lack of knowledgeable support, this one gets the award for the least bang for the buck, and the most frustration per minute we have run into lately.

False advertising !
Its not 1.5" thick, its like 1.75". And more than 6.5lbs. ...P>Its a desktop replacement mobile athlon, not the real mobile athlon. There is a big price difference between the types and you can see more on AMD's website. ...P>Not to mention that it runs very hot. Its not a fault of the Athlon which runs at 600MHz most of the time but a bad design by Compaq. The northbridge from ATI is too hot and so are the RAM modules. RAM get scorching hot and would burn your lap. Compaq couldn't even design proper cooling for this?

The laptop hard drive is very noisy and so is the flimsy keyboard. Think carefully before getting this. Not worth unless you get tons of rebates ...

HotPaq also serves as your winter heater!
You live in a cold area like Canada or Arctic? You might then love this as it can also double up as room heater. After an hr of demanding use like a movie and you may as boil you eggs on it. No seriously, I am yet to see a laptop running hotter than this one. And all this with supposedly PowerNow! technology from AMD.

Well I guess I should have realized that if desktop Athlons run so hot then mobile ones can't be very dfferent. HPpaq makes ... laptops to say the least. They couldn't even get proper cooling solution for the processor, chipset & memory.

Now back to the laptop under review.

The keyboard was certainly designed by ... 10 keys on bottom row, out of which only 4 were really needed. and that to mostly wrongly placed. space bar is tiny, tons of junk Windows buttons around, Fn button in place of Ctrl, Caps lock too big size, a repeated | button the bottom row, and delete button at the farthest/obscurest corner of the laptop. To top it all off the whole thing shakes when typing & looks like some buttons would surely break off. Never seen a more ... keyboard.

The scroll pad and touchpad buttons again are designed to looks good but have no usability. The up/down keys are easier to use than the junk ovalpad.

Only one PCMCIA card slot, not 2 as in most laptops. HPpaq phone support is worst in industry, try calling them. HP doesn't even have a toll free phone number for consumer laptops.

All HPpaq 9xxus models have a shared memory ATI integrated graphics will max 3DMark2001 score of 1500 (no matter how faster athlon is or how much RAM you put in). Very poor performance. Get a laptop based on Intel chipset.

The colors are also not good, even with the latest ATI drivers and on A/C power. Although screen is bright enough.

The case is actually designed for a 15" screen and if get a 14" version you unncessarily carry bigger laptop around. It really looks very clunky and thick. More than 1.6" I expected.

HPpaq cheats you by not even including a full copy of WinXP to reinstall XP later on. Only a restore Cd to erase everything & put all nasty programs back. Yes that true, they bundled 12+ nasty promotional programs for which no one has any use. Like Disney Online.

Finally all useful ports are at the back and covered by clumsy cover. What a pain to connect anythign to it.

Two stars because it costs under 800 after rebates in some local stores and because it runs.

Shame on HPpaq for building such a ... laptop. I suggest you look at Toshiba/Dell laptops around. You (roughly) get what you pay for.

Computer enthusiast
*Performance*
Everybody thinks that Intel is superior to AMD. This is not true for processors under 2.0GHz (Intel is the champion above 2.26GHz with 533MHz FSB). If you take a look at the tomshardware.com CPU benchmarks, you would notice that AMD XP1800+ even beats out the 2.0GHz of Intel in most applications (AMD XP 1800+ at 1.53GHz beating a Intel P4 at 2.0GHz?). However, Compaq does not make full use of the AMD XP power. The video graphics is good because ATI is the best, but it uses shared memory architecture (main memory - video memory = available memory), which is not very fast compared to embedded memory architecture. For example, if you have 256MB of memory installed on your laptop and use 16MB for your video, then you actually only have 240MB of memory. This shouldn't bother you too much since 240 is still sufficient. You can always add memory later. Furthermore, DVDs play great without any stuttering, and 3D games runs pretty smoothly.

*Accessories and software*
What amazon.com doesn't tell you is that it does not come with a floppy drive. Compaq is offering it free after rebate just to let you know. The installed softwares are a nuisance. Compaq put so much garbage on it, and they put their name everywhere. Just uninstall as much as you can. Also remember to visit Windows update to get the most recent patch for Win XP.

*Design*
The housing of the notebook is very impressive. The black and silver combination and modern style will make you want to clean and take care of it like a new luxury car. Very solid. The keyboard is smooth and allows comfortable typing. The touchpad is smooth as well as it is stylish. However, personally, I don't like where all the input/output ports are located. Everything is in the back except the PCMCIA port and DVD/CDRW drive. So, if you're a mobile person, you'll be reaching for the back a lot.

*Conclusion*
This notebook is a excellent value only if you get the rebates. I think people should reconsider if the rebates were not offered because it is not worth its +$[$$] price tag. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Decent laptop
My processor in my Compaq Presario 1200 is actually a Celeron 700... I've had this laptop now for about 3 years, and I am considering upgrading because I really want a CD-RW. But this little computer has given me 3 years of great use. I only give it 4 stars though because I've had to replace the hard drive and the battery, and I was not too happy with the original software configuration. I don't know why they partitioned the hard drive the way they chose to because it really does not make much sense in terms of backups. I prefer to backup on media that is complete separate from my HD. I've since installed XP on it and repartioned the drive so that it's all in one piece, so to speak, and I've been happy.

It knows how to handle itself
I have a Presario 1202 and it's been working a charm for me. I have 800MHz, 128MB RAM (with 320MB maximum), 10 GB hard drive running Windows 2000 Professional. I have to say that this laptop has been working wonders for me. I haven't had one single problem with this machine and it has been very efficiant and fast. My system has been stable, my hardware has functioned 110% my only problem with Compaq is their online chat support. I aksed them general questions about how to use my machine to its "best" and their chat window kept showing the start of the conversation with no way to scroll to the last said message.

It begins to make me wonder if they can't fix their own online chat support window, how will they fix a laptop if it fails? However, despite this minor issue with Their website, I have had nothing but good help from them. A particular consultant was first to give me a BIOS update for best performance. I have not had my system crash once yet, as I said. All functions work perfectly and the system has some intelligent speed system on it. I'm not sure what US models are like but I am told by the US Compaq/Hewlett-Packard supprt people that they can differ.

If you're in Australia, I'd feel very, VERY safe in buying this product. Value for money with quality to boot. For those having SOFTWARE related problems, quit blaming the HARDWARE. Just because you can't control a mouse properly, or fumble with buttons or can't configure your programs properly, that is YOUR fault, not Compaq's. I think they've done an excellent job and some people just need to set things up instead of thinking all is well.

stay away
this computer sucks! I can not stress that enough. I have had this dog now for 3 years and it is awful. My mother brought me a printer for Christmas last year it and it didn't work. In fact the computer crashed!And this was the printer recomended for this laptop!! Next things the keys began to stick after 6 months. of course Compac staff is NO help. First off they don't speak very good english, and then they get mad at YOU for not understanding what they are saying. Also, they have these keys around the mouse for retriving your mail and for shopping--very easy to hit these key by accident--only if you use companies associated with them, well if you hit these keys your stuck and you can't get out of the set up form without setting up an account and it is a major problem, if you have a dead line to meet and this computer won't let you out. Another thing when ever you get online suddenly Compaq pops up telling you to register once again and it keeps on doing it. Anoying really, even with the fact that you already registered 3 years ago. Do yourself favor and walk away from this dog. I just placed an order for a Sony laptop one of my coworkers has and they love it so we'll see. But this dog is a machine I will have it's memory wiped out and then I will smash it with a sledge hammer! Best to put it out of it's misery.

so many problems....
well, i agree with a lot of the people that have written about this computer and have not liked it. i've had mine for about three years and i started having problems with it after about a year and a few months. i get tons of illegal operation messages. my right mouse button got all messed up and is way too sensitive now. the whole mouse thing just gets sensitive sometimes even though i have a cord mouse now. the cursor jumps sometimes when i'm typing because of the mouse being so sensitive. it is so annoying sometimes. i have a small hard drive space and need to get it upgraded but the only way to do that is by bringing it back to where i bought it or sending it back to compaq. being a college student i couldn't do that during the school year because i needed it. but christmas of 2001 i had to have it reformatted because the stupid thing just died on me. it started having problems and then just died. i was so mad. trust me, don't buy this model. it'll be money wel saved and spent elsewhere on a better computer.

No Tech Support
I bought a Compaq Presario 1200. A few months after I had it the battery circuit and the motherboard crashed. I was told by Compaq that the warrenty would not cover the repairs. Now I am stuck with a laptop that is not worth spending the money to fix. I would encourage anyone considering purchasing this product to think twice. It's definitly not worth the cost. ... Read more

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

Get all the power you expect out of a desktop PC with the Compaq Presario R3120US laptop. Road warriors will appreciate its 60 GB hard drive for storing important documents and productivity applications, as well as its built-in 54g wireless connectivity. The R3120US also features a fast, battery-saving 1.6 Ghz Mobile Athlon XP 3000+ processor, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and a 15.4-inch widescreen display that's powered by Nvidia's GeForce4 420 Go video/graphics card with 32 MB of dedicated memory. For a step up in price, the Compaq R3140US offers a faster 64-bit AMD processor and DVD burner.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 60 GB EIDE hard drive is at the high end of the storage spectrum (with 80 GB being the current leader), and offers more than enough capacity for storing business applications and data for road warriors.
• Processor: The 1.6 GHz Mobile AMD Athlon XP-M processor is designed to extend system battery life using AMD's proprietary PowerNow! technology, as well as support a wide range of wireless LAN standards--including 802.11g (54g)--and Bluetooth connectivity. It also features a 256 KB L2 cache.
• Memory: The R3120US comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (2 x 256 MB modules, DDR SDRAM, 333 MHz)--a good start for power users. However, only one slot is accessible for upgrading; it has a maximum RAM capacity of 1280 MB (1 x 256 MB, 1 x 1024 MB).
• 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.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook PC has a 101-key keyboard and touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad.

The audio card is integrated into the notebook's circuitry, which helps save on cost. The R3120US features two built-in JBL Pro Performance stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The R3120US offers a decent variety of external connections:

• 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 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video out (for connecting to a TV)
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II compatible and 32-bit card bus)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack

Preloaded System and Software
The R3120US 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) and WinDVD Creator, and MusicMatch Jukebox.

Dimensions and Weight
Measuring 11.18 x 14.25 x 1.8 inches (L x W x H), it's not the thinnest notebook available. It weighs a moderate 7.8 pounds.

Power
The included rechargeable lithium-ion battery has 8 cells (which refers to the number of charge-storing components within the battery) and 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 R3120US notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, phone cord, and operating instructions. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Targeting the demanding home and home office computer user who can'tquite afford the absolute latest and greatest in state-of-the-art portablecomputing, the Compaq Presario 722US notebook is a good tradeoff between priceand performance.

At 10.6 by 12.4 by 1.64 inches and 6.39 pounds, the 722US is a bit larger thantoday's most recent examples of micro-miniaturization, yet substantially morecompact than many other comparably priced units. Outfitted with a cost-effective1.1 GHz AMD Duron processor (64 KB of Level 2 cache), 256 MB of SDRAM(expandable to 384 MB), and a Via ProSavage KN133 video card with 32 MB of videomemory, it will efficiently run most common notebook applications and even some3-D games. Hard-core gamers and anyone who plans to work extensively withcomplex 3-D graphics may wish to look beyond this model to the Presario 725USnotebook or Presario 6024US desktop.

Sporting a sleek design and a futuristic two-tone, black-on-silver color scheme,the Presario 722US is as stylish as it is functional. To handle your valuablefiles and programs, Compaq has equipped the unit with a 20 GB hard drive and a3.5-inch floppy disk drive. A combination DVD/CD-RW drive allows you to back uplarge amounts of data, burn and play music CDs, and watch DVD movies. A14.1-inch, active-matrix viewing screen capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and athree-way JBL speaker system with enhanced bass response help bring all yourmultimedia applications to life.

The 722US keyboard is equipped with numerous one-touch multimedia, Internet, ande-mail buttons, and a scroll wheel and touch pad for convenient navigation. Theunit features numerous ports and connections, including two USB jacks forplug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks and digital cameras, a singleparallel port for printers, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, anall-purpose PC Card slot, a PS2 jack for an external mouse or keyboard, a VGAvideo out for external monitors, an S-video TV-out, and speaker and microphoneports. A 56K modem delivers low-speed Internet and e-mail connectivity. To helpget you started, Compaq has preinstalled a number of useful software products,including Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP, Microsoft Works 6.0,and Microsoft Money 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Zero problems, excellent machine
I'm a network administrator, and I'm picky about computers. I've supported many laptops in the field, especially Toshiba, Compaq, Dell, IBM and Fujitsu. I give the Presario a 4 star rating for a number of reasons:
*Excellent Price/Value ratio
*enough horsepower to play the 3d games I like (I'm not super high end, but it plays good stuff.)
*Combo CDRW/DVD drive plays flawlessly, no skipping.
*Well-behaved. No hiccups starting, stopping or otherwise.
*Form Factor: not too big, not too small. Keyboard feels good, easy to type on. Screen image quality is excellent.
*Excellent customer support- with any company the help is only as good as the person who picks up the phone. I'd have to say Compaq is on about 80% of the time, which is good.
The sound system is excellent. Uses SoundMAX with Sensaura, very good full sound compared to most I've heard.
*I am going to use this as a replacement for my desktop computer so I can go wireless 100% of the time. That says alot about how much I like this unit.

Here are a couple of features I would have liked to see on this model that it doesn't have out of the box:
*Larger hard drive- 20GB is big, but my 60GB desktop PC's drive is full already!
*Better heat dissipation- the bottom gets pretty hot. Bearable on a bare leg, but barely! (no pun intended)
*2nd PCMCIA Slot. looks like they had room for 2 slots, but you can only use one card at a time. Pity.

I'd recommend this unit to about anyone. I purchased mine as a return/openbox, and frankly I can't figure out why someone would have returned it! No problems here.

EXCELLENT- it's a winner! I'm a happy customer
I bought this computer about 2 weeks ago with some graduation money. I needed a computer that was portable so I could carry it back and forth on the plane next year between school and home (so that basically ruled out an "old-fashioned" desktop computer), something with more than adequate hard drive space (don't believe those snobs that say 20 MB isn't enough... unless you want to load every single video game ever manufactured onto your computer, 20 MB is more than sufficient for all of the documents, programs, favorite games, pictures, music, etc. that you want on your computer, and more.) The screen is sharp and big enough to comfortably view your favourite DVDs on the DVD/CD-RW drive. My only complaint is that the CD-RW drive could've been a bit faster. The design of the notebook is great- not only does it look sleek and futuristic with the silver and black design, but it's rounded and not quite as bulky and boxy as many other notebooks in its class. It also weighs a bit less than many other notebooks- a helpful feature especially when you need to carry it through the airport. The headphone and microphone jacks are conveniently located on the side, and all of the cable plugs including the USB's, S-video, etc. are neatly arranged in the back. The screen is crisp and sharp (a characteristic that is especially noticeable and appreciated when viewing DVDs or pictures), the color is excellent, and I have yet to have a problem with the system overheating, even after leaving it on for hours at a time. The battery life is decent- I get about an hour and a half out of it. As I said before, the DVD/CD-RW is an enjoyable feature- I think everyone should have a CD-RW drive these days, they're very useful for everything from storing music, presentations, backing up files, etc.; and a DVD-ROM drive is a fun bonus. I think the floppy drive also deserves to be mentioned, because a lot of desktops don't come with them anymore but I'm glad mine has one because it's useful when you're on the run and want to quickly copy a picture or document to give to a friend or transfer to another computer. In all, this is an excellent system- I'm very happy and very satisfied with it. (Trust me- you don't need to waste your money on some notebook just becuase everyone says it's "better" or you'll end up with a lot of unnecessary features and extras... you will be more than happy with this one.) It is a fantastic desktop replacement, especially for a student or home computer user who just wants to have something a little more portable. It runs well (I have yet to have a technical problem) and it's an attractive, efficient machine that does everything I need it and want it to do, and much more.

Reasonable price but crash and overheated easily
A month ago, I bought this laptop for my wife as a gift for her daily office use. The price is good. However, the AMD CPU is so poor that it easily be overheated and the laptop sometimes die, even ctl-alt-del does not work. This is the first laptop I bought. I suggest if you want more reliability, choose Intel CPU laptop instead.

Look first - the LCD screen isn't the best
I just bought a notebook (went with a Sony) computer and I took a good look around before I bought. I went to Best Buy, Good Guys, Circuit City and so on. The price of this line got me interested but frankly the screen quality wasn't that great. It is an active matrix but it looks more like a dual scan LCD.

I think I know where they cut cost. Otherwise the machine seemed fine. The Duron CPU was my last choice for processors (it is about as slow as they come) but they are cheap and who really needs a lot of CPU horsepower in a note book?

So my advice is NOT to buy this notebook sight unseen. Go down and compare the screens first. I think you will find Sony and HP have much better quality screens. However if you are strapped for cash and don't mind if the color and brightness are a little washed out then you can't beat the price.

Good deal, very good computer.
To start with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & svelte (6.4 lbs), at least compared to my old HP (Omnibook 6000). All the Compaq's stuff is in the right place, with a 3.5" floppy drive & a PCMIA slot on one side, and an acceptable DVD/CD-RW on the other. All the other connections (including 2 USB ports & a network interface port) are on the back, where they should be. In fact, when not connected to its home-based wires, the whole panel hides behind a plastic hinged door, a effective solution.
The processor is the basic AMD Duron. It's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as the AMD Athalon or the Intel PIII mobile. Graphics are just okay, but the screen is unusually sharp. The 256K RAM is also okay for everyday stuff, and it can be increased to 384 megs. The 20 Meg hard drive is just adequate. Overall, this is a wonderful though soemwhat basic machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Breaking the 2 GHz Pentium 4 barrier and delivering virtually all the conveniences of a high-end desktop, the Compaq Presario 1510US notebook will efficiently and quickly handle even the most demanding computer-related tasks and applications. It may not be astonishingly lightweight at 7 pounds or especially diminutive at 1.5 by 13 by 10.5 inches, but the Presario 1510US is otherwise perfectly suited to true power users, multimedia buffs, and anyone who asks the most from a portable computing setup.

Running at 2.2 GHz, the system's Pentium 4 CPU is the heart of an extremely powerful processing engine, which also includes 512 KB of Level 2 cache and 512 MB of fast 266 MHz DDR RAM (upgradable to 1 full GB) for faster data transfer in complex computing situations, and a 32 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics card for smooth rendering of 3-D games and programs. The Presario 1510US features a large 40 GB hard disk on which to store your programs and files, a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for smaller applications and archiving, and a combination DVD/CD-RW to play and record audio CDs, burn data discs, and watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

No matter what you're doing, the 1510US will convey it brilliantly through its generous 15-inch TFT SVGA+ viewing screen (1,600 x 1,200 maximum resolution with 16 million colors) and powerful bass reflex JBL Pro Audio speaker system. The system's control center features numerous amenities geared to help make your computing easier, including a full-size 88-key keyboard, a touch pad pointing device, Internet scroll function, and a variety of one-touch media and e-mail control buttons.

With an impressive assortment of connectivity options, the 1510US is ready to adapt to virtually any situation and setup. Compaq has equipped the unit with two USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, an IEEE 1394 port for high-speed transfer of digital video files from a camcorder, a set of headphone/speaker-out ports, a microphone-in port, an S-video TV-out, an external VGA monitor port, a single Type I/II PC Card slot with support for 32-bit CardBus, an RJ-11 modem jack, and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack for high-speed network and Internet connections. Pre-installed software includes the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft Works 6.0, and Microsoft Money 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

NICE LAPTOP
I really like this laptop first of all it has 2.2 ghz which is really fast and 512mb ddr ram which I like alot. I have been using this computer now for 4 days and it hasn't crashed yet. It's really stable. I like the dvd/cdrw drive good for watching movies and making your own cd's. This computer is a little heavy as some other laptops and my battery lasts for 2 hours or so I don't know why, maybe it's because I don't leaVe it charged all the time but n e ways that's how long it lasts mostly all the time. It has a 15" display which is really nice. I give this computer an A+ because it is fast and I like it alot, I use it as my desktop replacement at home and enjoy it. Go buy it already! A++ :-)

Please do not buy it's not worth the money!
Please do not buy this laptop! It's noisy with the fan always on plus I find that the computer is always burning. I have some major problems with games that need 2KB or more with the computer always shutting down after I leave it on for a 1 hour and 30 mins. It also weights a lot with is ok with me but with the battery only lasting 45mins its unbearable. I can't even see one very short Walt Disney movie on the plane. But there are some good things about this computer. The screen display is great and it has a great keyboard but for everything else I don't think it's worth much.

Nothing but frustrating
I have the overheating problem too. If I have to do somthing cpu intensive, I point a fan at it. Once in a hotel I balanced it on top of an air conditioner. The fan is noisy too. I had it "fixed" once by Compaq under warranty, but when when it ran out and I called the service agency for which I bought the extended warranty, they told me to let it sit in the bios and see if it shut off there, which of course it won't since the cpu is idle. So much for my $400 extened service compaq. DO NOT BUY A USED ONE OF THESE!. I will NEVER buy a Compaq product again.

Disgrunted

Completely OUTRAGED and FRUSTRATED at this Compaq MISTAKE
This laptop has cost me more time and caused me more frustration than ANY computer I've ever owned. I am a high-level IT consultant and a student, someone who depends heavily on a tool that is not only powerful but RELIABLE. I invested in this laptop in summer 2002, and for the first few months it was like driving a Benz. Fast, powerful, robust with features and specifications that rivaled units that cost twice as much. Now I know why this machine cost less than others. Now every time I look at it I'm reminded of my TERRIBLE decision, and since I can't afford to drop another $2000 (on a Dell like I should have done to begin with) I'm stuck with it. I bought this unit because in my line of work Compaq has always been a name that carries with it a peace of mind. Compaq fileservers boast a benchmark of quality and dependability, something that I trusted Compaq to deliver in my Presario 1510US laptop. Boy was I wrong. Words cannot describe how disgusted I am at this LEMON of a computer, and how outraged I am at the way Compaq treats me after all the years of loyalty and business I brought them.

This laptop is WORTHLESS JUNK. Every time I do anything GPU or CPU intensive it shuts itself off and I lose anything I haven't saved. I've had it repaired twice now, under my $500 Best Buy extended warranty that was supposed to REPLACE (that was the whole sales pitch) a faulty unit. Needless to say they laughed at me, when I suggested replacing it after the second 1-month long mail-in repair service. They just want to keep fixing it, or so they call it. Every time it gets "fixed" it comes back from MicroMedics with cosmetic damage and things don't quite fit the same way. My screen falls open and closed now, as an example. Seems like just when the 1-year warranty from Compaq ran out, this computer started falling apart. My CD-R will not burn CDs (error message during burn), my volume UP button just smashed down into the panel, the fan howls away yet is still unable to cool properly, the battery life is pathetic (under 40 minutes), and it seems like I'm about to go on hard drive number three.

All of this said, I am not hard on this unit. It is always in its case, I use it only when I travel or go to class, I'm gentle with it and I keep it pristinely clean. I'm an MCSE and I know how to keep my Windows installation clean and properly optimized. There is no "user-blameable" excuse here that can justify how BAD of an expierence I am having. I have every intention of contacting the BBB and pursuing litigation against Compaq until I am satisfied with a NEW laptop computer that is worth my money and won't shut off whenever I try to use it. What a joke. Sorry Compaq, you just lost an important customer with MAJOR buying influence in corporate IT America.

Definitely stay away from this machine
I have the same problem with overheating...my system shuts down after about 1 1/2 hours. It began doing this shortly after the warranty expired, so Compaq support kindly told me to take the laptop to one of their authorized service centers. I've also begun experiencing problems with the screen. If the lid moves while I am using the system the screen fades or blanks out. I was told that small "feature" could be up to $700 to repair.

Wonderful. Thanks, Compaq. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

As Compaq's most affordable lineup of notebook computers, the Presario700 series delivers more bang for the buck than you might expect. At the highend of the 700 series is the Presario 715US, a capable notebook that lacks someof the perks of costlier models such as the business-class Armada butnonetheless delivers solid performance and desktop-level speed.

Featuring the same sleek design and two-tone color scheme seen throughout the700 series, the Presario 715US looks substantially sportier than many of itsnotebook peers. It tips the scales at a comfortable 6.4 pounds and measures inwith a slightly larger than average 10.6-by-12.4-by-1.64-inch profile. Poweredby a 16 MB Via ProSavage graphics card that supports resolutions up to 1,024 x768, its moderately sized 14.1-inch TFT XGA display is ready to handle all themovies you'll play on the system's integrated 8x DVD-ROM drive. A 20 GB harddrive offers plenty of storage space for all the MP3 files you may want tocollect and broadcast through the unit's proficient JBL Audio bass reflexspeaker system.

Its keyboard section offers 88 full-size keys, a separate cursor and touch pad,and a half dozen one-touch buttons for instant access to everyday functions suchas speaker volume, e-mail, and the Internet. A 3.5-inch floppy disk driveensures support for programs that have yet to find their way to disc, and a 56Kmodem delivers adequate on-the-run Internet access speeds.

Identical in most respects to the bestselling Presario 710US, the 715US isdistinguished only by its slightly higher price and superior processor. Compaqhas fitted the unit with a 1.2 GHz AMD Mobile Athlon 4 CPU as opposed to the 1GHz AMD Duron in the 710US, an upgrade that should move most applications at amarginally faster clip.

Of even more significance to power users and hard-core gamers is the largerLevel 2 cache. With a total of 512K of L2 cache (vs. 64K for the Duron-equipped710US), the unit's Athlon processor offers far more instantly accessibledata-memory storage space and therefore an improved level of performance duringparticularly complex computing situations. Although some may not fully benefitfrom the extra punch, hard-core users will quite likely benefit from dropping alittle extra cash for a lot more cache.

The unit's roster of ports includes two USB jacks for plug-and-play peripheralssuch as joysticks, a single parallel port for printers, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernetnetwork connection, an NTSC/PAL port for various video devices, a multipurposePC Card slot, an S-video TV-out for television output, jacks for an externalkeyboard and desktop monitor, and speaker-out and microphone-in ports.

Users will operate their system with the Home Edition of Windows XP, arguablyMicrosoft's most stable OS since Windows 98. Other pre-installed softwareincludes useful utilities such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, MicrosoftWorks 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Norton AntiVirus, Roxio's nifty Easy CD Creator5.01, InterVideo WinDVD 3.0 DVD player, and a one-year subscription toMicrosoft's Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Linux on this computer
I am a computer science major at Georgia Tech, and needed a laptop for my programming courses. I bought the 715us because it was relatively cheap compared to other models, and it was/is one of the most powerful notebooks I found on the market. I have been extremely happy with it so far. Windows XP works flawlessy, as do all the programs. But since I needed linux for my classes, I decided to dual boot it into Mandrake 8.1 IT'S AWESOME! Mandrake was incredibly easy to install, and detected most of the hardware for me. Things to note:

So far, the sound WILL NOT work under linux. I have seen others complaining about this on the internet, and so far no solution.

The hard drive does not support more than three partitions. If you are going to dual boot, keep this in mind.
All in all, it flies. The 200 mHz fsb makes an amazing difference. The only con I think I have with it is a short battery life, but hey, what laptop doesn't.

Good Deal
I have had the 715 for one week. For the money, I think it is a good buy. I had trouble finding any review (any) of this model. However, after a week I would say the following:

Pros: Price, DVD/CDr, keyboards, speed, portability
Cons: Screen, shared memory, chinsy plastic snap cover for ports in back

Bottom line- this is my 6th laptop in my life. I had a Compaq Presario 305 that I thought was [junk]... Battery "broke?" Performance was lousy. I am a systems analyst and work alot with computers. I am impressed with the 715 keeping in mind, I only paid $... My Dell Inspiron 7000 parked next to me, cost $.... This smokes the Dell. Plus, DVD play back has been nice as is the integrated CD writer. Fun! I have a minidisc recorder and wanted something to compliment my audio interest (habit).

I recommend this for anyone who does not need a really hardcore system. For most of us, this seems to be a really nice laptop. Looks cool too.
Regards.

Many problems
Lockups are being reported on every board on the internet. The other problem is with the plastic cases. The plastic cracks around the hinges making the display unstable. Compaq has discontinued the parts.

Always locks up within 15 minutes
We purchased two of these machines. Both freeze within 15 minutes of use. We speculate on a heat related problem. This problem is not OS dependent. Same results on Windows XP Home/Pro, Windows 2000 Pro/Server.

don't buy a Compaq
Compaq Presario 715US Notebook (1.2-GHz Athlon 4, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive)by Compaq is a peice of JUNK and the folks at Compaq are worse than their product. My warranty was for one year - parts & labor. I sent the Presaio 715 US Notebook and was told it would cost $690 and it is not covered under the warranty. It was a problem with the nick card slot and I was told I caused the problem.
Even if I caused the problem, and I didn't, the warranty should fix the problem. I own two other laptops (Dells) and have never had a problem getting support on the phone or repairs. Compaqs are junk and if you buy one, you'll be sorry. Mark my word! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's Presario 730US notebook delivers a surprising array of features for such an affordable machine. A high-quality, 14.1-inch display, DVD drive, and built-in networking are just a few of this notebook's first-class features. It's ideal for students on a budget or as a second family PC.

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. Combine that with the Presario's DVD-ROM drive to turn it into a portable DVD player. Or watch DVDs right on the display, enjoying the system's JBL Pro Audio speakers with Bass Reflex.

Compaq achieves this attractive pricing by using AMD's 1 GHz Mobile Duron CPU, which features PowerNow technology for maximizing battery life. The Duron offers more than enough power for typical home applications like word processing and Web browsing. The system's generous 256 MB of memory lets multiple applications run simultaneously without slowing down. The 20 GB hard drive provides plenty of space for storing applications, digital photos, or music files.

The Presario 730US 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, and Norton AntiVirus 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

WOW Super price!
This is very good laptop for the price!
I use it for Internet and DVD movies.
Battery life over 2 hours not bad!
This is the best price I have seen, well worth the money, no stability or tempeture isseus!
Best Buy!

GREAT FOR THE CASUAL NOTEBOOK USER
I bought this machine for a couple reasons. First I didn't want to be pinned to my desktop and second for a slight amount of business use. Performance has not been an issue at all with the exception of it running hot. The clarity of the screen is impressive. I upgraded the RAM to 384 MB and use a Linksys wireless network card. For what I use this for it's worked flawlessly. Obviously if you want a notebook for heavy-duty use, you might want to look at other ones, but for non-"power users" it's great.

Good starter laptop.
To start with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & svelte (6.4 lbs), at least compared to my old HP (Omnibook 6000). All the Compaq's stuff is in the right place, with a 3.5" floppy drive & a PCMCIA slot on one side, and an acceptable DVD drive on the other. All the other connections (including 2 USB ports & a network interface port) are on the back, where they should be. In fact, when not connected to its home-based wires, the whole panel hides behind a plastic hinged door, a[n inexpensive] but effective solution.
The processor is the mobile AMD Duron. It's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as the AMD Athalon or the Intel PIII or PIV mobile. Graphics are just okay, but the screen is unusually sharp. The 256K RAM is also okay for everyday stuff, and it can be increased to 384 megs. The 20 Meg hard drive is just adequate. The removal of the CD burner from its predecessor, the 720, is a bit irksome. Overall though, this is a "good enough" basic machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay.

Great mobile power for the average user
The Presario 730US is an excellent option for anyone who wants a balance between mobile power and price. The hard drive and memory are more than adequate for anything the notebook is capable of running; any media players (Winamp and WinDVD in particular) work smooth as silk, as well as Internet Explorer, Office, and a variety of other XP apps. While it won't be running today's hottest games with any reasonable speed due to the S3 Twister drawing from system memory (in actuality the system itself only has 240 MB of RAM available), it has no problems running fun games that are a year old or more. All in all,..., this is an excellent buy for studying or work on the fly. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed to appeal to users who can't afford or don't require cutting-edge components but need a reasonably capable 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 2195us Notebook PC, lacks popular modern amenities such as DVD burning and wireless communication yet will efficiently run common midlevel home, home office and leisure applications and features double the memory of its close cousin, the marginally more affordable Presario 2190US.

Driving the Presario 2195us is a 1.87 GHz Athlon XP 2500+ processor. While not a super-speedy Intel Pentium 4, an Athlon running at this speed is nevertheless an effective CPU. Compaq has added 512 MB RAM memory (upgradeable to 1024 MB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 4x AGP graphics chipset with 64 MB shared (not dedicated) memory. For your data storage needs, the unit offers an adequate 40 GB hard disk and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive your data and watch your favorite DVD movies. DVD burning is not supported in this stock configuration.

At 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.62 inches and 7.25 pounds, the Presario 2195us is of average size, midway between a bulky desktop replacement and a slim ultralight. The unit is equipped with a number of standard amenities, including a generous 15-inch XGA TFT display (1024 by 768 maximum resolution), an 88-key keyboard, a Touch Pad with on/off and dedicated up/down scroll surface, and a pair of internal stereo speakers. Connectivity options include an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, two conventional USB 1.1 ports for plug and play peripheral connections (the system does not support high-speed USB 2.0), a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email access and a high-speed RJ-45 LAN network connector. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Compaq 2195 Christmas Present
I bought this as a present for myself this 2003 Christmas Eve at Best Buy. There are always better processors and computers, but I am fairly happy with this computer. I build my own destop computers. As others have said the really only downside is the USB 1.1 ports. It would have been nice to have USB 2.0 ports. The weight at 7.3 pounds is not bad and the monitor has been great. I have been fortunate in that I have not had a single problem with my laptop. I use it at work and around the house on a fairly daily basis. The USB port is too close to the power adapter and makes the connection to a USB thumbdrive ackward at times. The wired network connection works great the majority of the time. The built-in wireless card is handy and can be touchy depending on the wireless network that you are trying to connect to. Netgear and 2-Wire wireless routers are fine, but I have had problems with Linksys. Overall, the wireless card is not bad. The battery life is great at 3 hours or more. I was really surprised and only expected 2 hours and sometimes have achieved 4 hours just doing word processing or spreadsheets. The 56K modem is not the greatest, but OK with a connection speed of about 44K most times. Yes, the 2 RAM chip slots are occupied with two 256MB chips. I knew this when I bought the laptop. Plays DVD movies fine. In short, I am happy that I bought this laptop for about $900. There will always be faster and better equipped laptops at a lower price, which I have already seen. Great computer for a great price.

Very attractive laptop
This was my first purchase of a laptop (...). Everything on this computer was pretty nice... dvd player, cd burner, VERY fast compared to my Pentium3 desktop (but I suppose everything is fast compared to that nowadays). The wireless connection was a little bit tricky to figure out how to enable, but after reading Compaq's integrated help menu, it worked like a charm and is pretty much hands-off when it comes to picking up a signal. The laptop itself is very user-friendly, with minimal assistance needed from my computer savvy friends (I needed to have some help setting up the tap function on the pad--it's GREAT having the mousepad right at the gentle touch of a finger).

The only downsides that I've found, so far, were these: First off, this doesn't come with a floppy drive, which sucks since I can't bring my 3.5" diskettes home from work to catch up, but I solved that by purchasing a thumb drive. My thumb drive is a USB 2.0, so the USB 1.1 just wasn't going to cut it for me, and I had to upgrade using the PCMCIA slot for a USB 2.0 port. Another issue was that this came equipped with 512MB RAM (with a shared 64MB video card--I'd have preferred dedicated), but instead of one 512MB chip, it was actually 2 256MB chips (and only 2 chip slots). So, needless to say, that irked me. Finally, the left click button on the laptop's pad was starting to get difficult to utilize after just 3 1/2 months of use (hopefully the tap pad won't have that lifespan before it starts faltering--and oh, by the way, make sure to restart your computer if the cursor doesn't want to drag with the pad anymore, another glitch I found to be annoying after playing a few dvd's and/or games without restarting to refresh the virtual memory cache)

Overall though, (...) this was a great purchase and I'm satisfied with its performance since I bought it 6 months ago.

Great laptop for the price
I purchased this laptop about 4 months ago. I have been using it almost every day, mostly around my house, using it with my wireless 54G router. I like listening to radio and tv streams over the net. It performs flawlessly. The high quality of the product, the neat design is surprising for the $899 I paid for it. I get about 2 to 3 hours of battery life with heavy use. Friends that have purchased Dell's are jealous of what I got for the price. I have used it for digital photography and it works great. Nice firewire port. Integrated wireless is great.

Do not buy from Compaq
The first laptop I bought didn't work, so I had to exchange it for a more expensive model--they were out of the model I originally bought. After a month I decided that I really needed some sort of floppy drive, which Compaq is supposed to provide, but they wouldn't do anything. Then, a couple of months after that, my cd drive stopped working. I'm still trying to get it fixed and it's been quite a while. The customer service people are in India, some of them barely speak English, and they were very rude. Also, the notebooks themselves are low-quality and break often. Everyone I know who has a Compaq is dissatisfied.

Technical support is really bad...
First of all technical service is really bad. I bought my notebook two months back. Sometimes (not always) my new laptop was not booting at all. I called up Compaq. The call went to India. I was told that I need to poke into the reset button located at the bottom of notebook and discharge static electricity. He said exactly "you need to do that once in two week, sir". Give me a break! That reset button is not regular use - once in a week. Anybody knows that. Then another day I called up, and the call went China. She asked me to give the list of softwares I installed. I gave her the list - Yahoo Dialup, Photoshop. She suspected that one of these softwares is causing problem. "Who knows, your Photoshop may be causing problem". Give me another break!!!! A software is causing system not to reboot (that is not even a system software or device driver, it's a imgae processing software)!!!! She asked me to format the disk and install Window XP again. I did that and as expected, the problem did not go away. Eventually after one months of ordeal, calling technical support more than 10 times (not to mention how long I had to wait for each call), they asked me to send it to Compaq repair service center. They found problem in hard-disk and replaced it.
Bottom line, Compaq technical support is bad. Thousands of people in India and China are recruited by Compaq/HP and given a month crash course, and suddenly within one month they become technical experts to solve the problems. But the real fact is that, their intention is not to support, but somehow convince the customers to live with the problem. Otherwise why on the earth someone asks me to use the reset button every week. Is that a responsible answer from the company who sold me the notebook? In that one month, I understood couple of things

-all the technical support guys are given a huge book problem list and their answers. They know nothing practical about the notebooks (probably they never saw the notebooks they are providing technical support for ). So whenever customer calls up, they go through the list and try to find the "matching" problem. Whatever the answer they get for that "matching" problem - that's the answer. Now they will ask you to follow few steps and "solve" (???) the problem. They really don't care if that is REALLY solving the problem or customer is satisfied. "Answer" is answer - problem solved. If you ask them again, then you will get some vague answers - "you have to use reset button one in a week".

- They try to avoid any repair at Repair Center. I believe all the technical support guys are instructed to avoid making service order as much as possible. They will try to avoid making a service order any possible way (I wild guess is that any service order effects their performance review). I think it's fair game to minimizing service order for repair. People should not send their computer to repair center for trivial reason that can be solved by technical support - especially all the software issues. But when it is not getting solved after calling three times (certainly not 10 times), and it's clear that the problem certainly not a software issue, then they should be forthcoming to make a repair order. But it was not the case. They simply try to avoid that, until you are fed up and frustrated.

-All the technical support guys are instructed to be VERY polite, but I don't think they are instructed to deliver good and effective support. You will hear "sorry for the inconvenience", but at the end you will get a vague answer. Ironic...cheap labor.

I paid [$$$] for warranty and I do not think that this kind of service worths that much. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

more that i expected for less money
this compaq notebook is real fast and has many other functionality like wireless networking among others like 512 ram, 2.4 Ghz processor, 60GB harddisk and many other. this dude is very kind and help me with many doubts so i could made a good purchase

Another Worthwhile Compaq
This is my second Compaq in the past two years. I was very pleased with my other one, but I downloaded too much on it, which makes it my fault for breaking it. I had to get another computer for school, so after much search I came upon this one.

I've only had this computer for a week, but I have been very pleased with it. I think the only problem with it is Windows XP, which doesn't include Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc. I've used it as a DVD player and I've attempted to burn a CD with it too.

It has a built in wireless card, so access to the internet at home and at my middle school is very easy and without cables. The large 60GB hard drive is wonderful to have and the multiple USB ports are helpful. The mouse pad can be turned on and off and it also has a scroll bar on the mouse pad. I haven't had any problems with the amount of sound it makes, for it only is loud on the first few seconds of start up. It also stays fairly cool for it has quite a few vents on it.

There are a few problems though. This is a thicker computer then most new ones, which is because it has a Floppy Disk drive, which most newer laptops don't have. Also, it is quite heavy, heavier then my older 1212CL model. I also very much dislike Windows XP. I even set my laptop's toolbar and such back to the basic windows style. I'd much rather have Windows ME, like my other computer.

Overall this is a great computer for a decent price. I recommend getting an extended warrenty on it though. Even with HP around, Compaq still isn't the best computer on the market.

Good value, but noisy
Overall, I've been pleased with this laptop. Downsides are that the cooling fan is very noisy, and it is HEAVY. The upsides are that the fan, while noisy, keeps the thing from burning your lap! Another upside is that it has everything in terms of PC interfaces. It is an all-in-one that is probably best used as a "portable" due to its weight, rather than as a laptop.

There's one feature that I **LOVE** and have been wanting on a laptop for a long time: The trackpad has a button above it that let's you turn the trackpad OFF!! This prevents errant mouse clicks while you're typing. Bravo Compaq for this feature!

Another good feature of the trackpad on this machine is that it has a dedicated scroll area which apparantly emulates a wheel mouse's wheel. This lets you scroll windows without having to find the PGUP/PGDOWN keys.

Mine has a stuck red pixel, like another reviewer's machine.

While the machine comes with Windows XP, I wiped the disk and I run SuSE Linux v8.1 on it instead. The ATI Radeon Mobility display chip is not supported by X out of the box (you can use the frame buffer driver instead, and its OK), but an X update exists from SuSE which apparantly supports the graphics chip with accelleration.

My 1st Laptop is impressive
So far so good. (knock on wood) Compaq is a brand I normally shy away from, but this time around they offered a good value ($... before the $... rebates [local retailer]). I love the power of this notebook. The built-in 802.11b works great with my home network after a very lengthy call with tech support. (hold time wasn't too bad, just the troubleshooting) All is well now. I like the features: floppy, CDRW/DVD,fire-wire port, 3 USB 2.0 ports,Wi-Fi, 1 PCMCIA slot, and decent 2.5hr battery. So far, I would recommend it!

Cheap, slow, and loud
The speakers blew out after 2 days, the fan is obnoxiously loud, and the speed is incredibly slow for a 2.4gh because of the slow system bus. The only good thing about this computer is the 60gig hard drive and integrated 802.11b. After a week I took it back and got a Sony GRZ630. The Sony is twice as fast with a quarter of the noise. The Sony also got better framerates in games even though the Sony only has 32MB of video, likely because it's a faster card, and I'm able to play music loud without blowing out the speakers. You can buy a 802.11b card from Sony that doesn't stick out. Its better off anyways when the 802.11b is outdated at least it won't be "integrated" into my notebook. Plus the Sony is much thinner than the Compaq.

I'm much happier with the Sony. ... Read more