A nice second computer...
Written: Feb 04 '00 (Updated Feb 06 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A lot for the price...
Cons: A few corners were cut to meet that price...
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| lastdragon's Full Review: Compaq Presario 1270 (104722-003) PC Notebook |
I bought a Presario 1270 mainly for use as a second computer - it doesn't take up much space, I can take it out on campus when working in my apartment gets too distracting, and it's much easier to take home than my main machine, which is housed in a monstrous full-tower case.
The processor (AMD K6-2 @350MHz) has more than enough muscle to handle the programs I throw at it (usually MS Word and Borland C++), plus with the 8MB of video RAM and built-in 3-D acceleration, you can even play a decent game of Quake III Arena on it, though this required me to upgrade the 32MB of system RAM to 96MB. People should do this anyway, regardless of whether they play games or not - running Windows 98 in 32MB of RAM is a form of torture in some cultures, and even 64MB leaves much to be desired.
The 12.1" TFT active-matrix display is a bit small by today's laptop standard, and only displays 800x600 resolution, but it is quite easy on the eyes, and after a long day you will be glad you opted against getting a passive-matrix screen. The built-in 56K modem is a nice touch, and I have connected as high as 46.6Kbps with it, though in a university setting built-in Ethernet would be more practical - adding a PC Card Ethernet adapter quickly solves this problem. The 4.3GB hard drive and 24x CD-ROM drive are both decent performers. You get all the standard ports, including a USB port - nice for hooking up a camera or game pad.
A few of the negatives - this is a BIG laptop, and your shoulder will not thank you if you have to lug it around all day. There is only 1 PC Card slot, though it is double height to allow the use of a Type III card. The drivers for the ATI 3-D accelerator aren't the most robust, and can cause lockups in certain 3-D games.
Overall, I am quite pleased with this product.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lastdragon
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Location: Albion, NY
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 2 members
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