We bought a 5900T over the DELL model for several reasons - with cost being the final deciding factor. The specs were about the same for both the Compaq and the DELL [I didn't compare the Gateway or Micron units].

From Circuit City's BTO (build to order) kiosk on Saturday 3/18/2000, we configured the unit exactly as we wanted (including our desire for a .24 pitch monitor). It arrived in 5 days - fast! Compaq must have their inventory/production systems running smoothly.

The Compaq quality is very good on my unit: nothing is damaged or discolored, and all the manuals are there.

The 733Mhz processor is VERY QUICK - I never thought cruising the internet on a 56K modem would be THIS fast...also helping is the (standard) 128Meg RAM. Remember that - internet speed is not only dependent on modem speed! (maybe the high cost of DSL or cable modem is not needed afterall in my household)

With my wife and I both AOL users, we wondered how AOL v5 would run - it is very fast indeed (even upon startup/loading, switching screen names, and shutdown).

The stand-alone JBL Pro Speakers sound clear and crisp. I don't think there is a real need for the higher-end speakers/subwoofer Compaq offers.

The internal 10x DVD is nice, but buy at least a 17" monitor if you wish to view DVD movies - anything smaller is too small to sit in front of for very long. Also, we opted for the .24 pitch monitor for the sharpest and clearest DVD viewing. A nice feature is the headphone jack on the front of the standa-alone speakers (for DVD viewing via headphones that doesn't disturb the others in the room).

So far, the 5900T is running very well, although the power-save feature doesn't always start back up when you move the mouse or hit a key. We've disabled it for now, and the unit still runs fine.

Overall, I think Compaq is back on track with every aspect of their PC order/manufacture/quality/distribution process. I would recommend this unit to anyone (I don't work for or know anyone working for Compaq either).




Recommended: Yes