Good Luck!
Written: Jun 07 '02
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Pros: Bought in 1998, haven't had a major problem yet. Great support, too.
Cons: Difficult to upgrade the hardware.
The Bottom Line: A wonderful machine with few problems and no compatibility issues...just prepare for a real project if you ever want to upgrade!
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| princesssuzy's Full Review: Compaq Presario 5665 (334833-003) PC Desktop |
Back in early 1998, my second computer seemed to be at the end of its life. I saved as much money as I could from my job at a convenience store and went out to buy a new computer. I wanted something top of the line from a good company, but I wanted it at a low price. I did some research and found this machine, the Compaq Presario 5665. It listed for $2500 with no monitor, but I was able to find the same computer at a wholesale club for $2000, 19" monitor included. I purchased it and brought it home that day. Back then, this machine was incredible. It was a breeze to set up, even with my extra computer hardware, including a Wacom pen tablet and Microtek scanner. It came with both a Zip Drive and 4x DVD drive, which were brand new features for home computers in 1997-1998. With its 32MB graphics card, 128MB RAM, 450MHz Pentium II and 13 gig hard drive, this computer was quick and painless to use. Even in late 2000, I found this computer to be decently fast and very reliable. I never had a problem with the hardware and never had a software problem I couldn't fix in less than a day. The only time I had to contact tech support was to request an upgrade for the DVD software that came with the machine. The people at tech support were wonderfully friendly and helpful, even giving me extra tips on how to get the best DVD playback. Now in mid-2002, I'm beginning to get aggravated at the overall speed of my machine. I'm an artist and love to spend hours on end creating graphics on the computer. For everyday use my machine is still wonderful, but for today's graphics it's a bit slow. I decided to start out by getting a CD-RW drive so I could save space on my hard drive. I quickly learned why so many people complain about Compaq computers. The upgrades are a b**** to do. From nearly impossible to remove slot covers to just-long-enough ribbon cables, the "simple" addition of a CD-RW drive took my computer savvy friend and I one night, two pots of coffee and three arguments to accomplish. But once the drive was in and the computer was turned back on, it accepted the new drive without a hitch. My next project is to upgrade the memory and video card. Needless to say, I now fear having to do these "simple" upgrades. I saw where the memory bank was located. It looks impossible to get to. Frighteningly impossible. So frightening, in fact, that it may actually be worth it for me to go out and spend $700 to build my own new computer from scratch.
But I digress...Other than the difficult upgrade, this computer has been a pleasure to use since day one. When I bought this computer and people learned I had bought a Compaq, they all said, "Heh, good luck!" Well I have had good luck with this machine and I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't care to do an upgrade.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $2000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium II
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
princesssuzy
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Location: AK
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
"It's better to try something and fail than try nothing and succeed."
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