Suprisingly Nice- for a Compaq...
Written: Mar 25 '01
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Pros: Light, well designed, stylish, nice display.
Cons: Cannot use CD/DVD and disc at the same time.
The Bottom Line: This is a very nice laptop. If you are looking for a laptop for school or work use, you may want to consider this unit.
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| WRC123's Full Review: Compaq Presario 1700-XL275 |
Bill's Review of the Compaq Presario 1700 Laptop
Hello everyone. Bill's back with yet another laptop opinion. This time I am reviewing Compaq's Presario 1700 laptop. When I first saw this unit, I must admit I was very skeptical. I had used a Presario desktop, and during the useful life of the unit there had been quite a few issues, including the "Compaq coma mode" where the unit does not correctly suspend. Fortunately, Compaq did a very good job when they put together the 1700.
The Chassis
First of all, this is a very stylish laptop. The metal case looks absolutely gorgeous. Another good point is the weight of this laptop. It weighs only about 6 pounds, which is excellent, compared to my Dell Inspiron 3800, which tips the scales at around 9 pounds. You may say "but Bill, it's only a difference of 3 pounds, it shouldn't matter" WRONG. The difference of 3 pounds makes the Compaq much easier to carry, especially when you have it in a carrying case. The Compaq also comes with the usual ports, including
Ports
The Compaq 1700 has everything you would expect a good notebook to have. It comes with two USB ports, which is nice, because a couple of other notebooks come with only one. Just trust me on this- a laptop with two USB ports is much better then a laptop with just one. There is also an S-Video out jack (great for presentations), an expansion slot (for docking?) underneath the unit. One flaw is that the laptop has only one PCMCIA port, but since I owned no devices other then a really old and unused modem, this was no big deal.
The Screen
The 1700's active matrix screen is a beauty. It is crisp and bright, and about 13" in size. The only complaint I have about the display (and the displays of the Dell Inspirons and IBM Thinkpads) is the fact that the displays cannot be dimmed or brightened past certain levels- sometimes a display can be too dim for car use, or too bright for nighttime use. Despite this problem, the display is still very, very good.
Input
The input devices on the 1700 are also very good. The keyboard is quiet, and unlike the new IBM Thinkpads, you don't have to push really hard on the keys. The trackpad is also very nice, and the included scroll controller (kinda like a Nintendo directional button) works very nicely for scrolling through documents.
Other Stuff
Ok- here's some last tidbits of info. The Lithium battery works well, and powers the unit for about 2.5 hours. The Celeron performs pretty good, and the Windows ME OS seems to be surprisingly stable. Another good point is that this system does not seem to suffer from the horrific "Compaq Coma Mode" that has plagued so many Persarios.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a very good laptop. I must admit I am quite surprised the Compaq put out a computer this good. Still, I recommend being cautious when buying a Compaq. They give (the last time I checked) a seven-day return period, so if ANYTHING seems rather unusual about the unit, I recommend getting on the phone immediately. Remember, sometimes when buying computers, one must remember the saying "Caveat Emptor" or "Let the Buyer Beware." Fortunately, I have a good feeling that users of this unit will have little to beware.
Thank you for reading this opinion. Check out my other laptop reviews, including the Dell Inspiron 3800, and the IBM ThinkPad.
-Bill
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1800
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 501-600
Screen Size: 13
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
WRC123
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Location: North East, Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 120
Trusted by: 18 members
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