Excellent Road-Trip Companion
Written: Aug 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great design, price
Cons: No Infra-Red
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| Slkyslm's Full Review: Compaq Presario 1600XL145 (A64028-003) PC Notebook |
I purchased my Compaq Presario with the idea that since I did not have $3500 to fork over for a true desk top replacement, I would have to deal with the limitations of a laptop. I was very wrong. True, if you are the kind of person who needs a separate keyboard, mouse, monitor etc. then this is not the computer for you. But based on raw computing power, it will give most desktops a run for their money. I am, however, talking about business applications. If you are looking to play games, buy a Sega Dreamcast. But if you are running true business applications and need to take them on the road, this computer will more than fit the bill.
My computer came with a 12.1" TFT screen. After having used a laptop with a passive matrix screen for quite a while, the TFT screen is more than welcomed. For those of you who may not know the difference, TFT stands for Thin Film Transistor. The difference between the two types of screens is tremendous. The cons to a passive matrix screen is that anything on the screen that is moving tends to appear very fuzzy. Also, the screen has to be viewed straight on and you really don't want to watch any type of video on a passive matrix screen (it hurts your eyes after a while). The TFT screen is clear, can be viewed from angles and watching a DVD is quite acceptable.
The keyboard layout is fine. Nothing exceptional to report but also no negatives. The touchpad is a plus. Laptops typically come with either a touchpad(a square pad in front of the keyboard that you rub your finger across to move the mouse) or a pointer (a small eraser looking thing in the middle of the keyboard the you put pressure on in different directions to move the mouse). In my opinion, a touch pad is by far the easiest to use. Yes it does take some getting use to, but so did a mouse the first time you used it. It is much easier to control than a pointer and much easier to customize to each individuals styles and preferences.
Let's face it, for most standard business applications, you are not going to see a marginal improvement buy using processors in excess of 450mhz. Yes, it may speed things up slightly but after trying out some ultrafast 800mhz processors (and even faster) I was not impressed enough to fork over an additional $2000+ dollars. The Compaq Presario 1600 comes with a 500mhz processor that is fast enough and efficient enough to do the job and not zap your battery too quickly.
Memory or more to the point, the need for it, can be debated until the cows come home. Personally I feel 128megs is enough. The Compaq Presario 1600 ships with 64megs. I bought an additional 64 megs and that has thus far been enough. Perhaps there are some programs out there so hungry that they may require 256megs but they are not standard business applications and as I said before, if you want to play games, buy a Sega Dreamcast.
The Compaq Presario ships with a 6xDVD. It works beautifully. I buy used movies from the local video store and keep a few in my computer case. On a long boring flight, pop one in, put on the headphones and enjoy. I can usually see most of a movie before the battery goes. But many airplanes now have laptop outlets to power your computer. My suggestion is that if you fly often, buy the optional cord. If you have kids, the DVD my just be a lifesaver on a long trip in the car or on vacation when it rains.
As far as the other pretty standard items on a laptop, the 3 1/2" drive, the hard drive and connections for keyboards/mouse, monitors, USB (Universal Stand BUS) support, the Compaq Presario 1600 is pretty standard. The one thing it is missing if Infra-Red. I had that on my old laptop and it was nice to be able to sit it down in front of an HP laser printer and print whatever i needed.
All in all, this is a great little machine. I said when I bought my first laptop that I would never again own a desktop. This computer has made my resolve even more concrete.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Slkyslm
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Member: Tony Hall
Location: Atlanta Georgia
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 2 members
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