Just not a bad word to say.....
Written: Nov 26 '03
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Pros: Thin, light, and powerful
Cons: I hear tech support is bad. But when you never had a problem, who cares.
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for desktop replacement that won't break your back, this is the laptop for you.
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| akshun172's Full Review: Compaq Presario 2800T PC Notebook |
Specs:
Pentium 4 1.6 M
256MB PC 2100 (2 x 128)
15in UXGA (1600 X 1200)
ATI Radeon 7500 32MB DDR
30 GB Hard Drive
8X DVD/CD-RW Multibay Combo
Windows XP Home
USB 2.0
Onboard LAN and Modem
Wireless Lan
I chose the 2800T because I didn't want to pay for things I didn't need and I wanted the ability to upgrade. Specifically hard drives and optical drives. The multibay feature of the 2800T gives me that option. I also wanted a nice screen. I opted for the 15in UXGA and it is simply beautiful. At $200 extra it was worth the price but I sacrificed speed. Even though 1.6 Ghz is plenty enough and I figured I could just throw in another chip if I felt the need. At the time, there weren't many laptops running with dedicated video memory. I was disillusioned by my previous laptop and it's shared memory architecture and I hated it. So the 32MB of dedicated video memory was important. Plus, it's a Mobile Radeon 7500. It plays everything I've thrown at it so far, flawlessly.
I also wanted something small and light. I looked at the Dell desktop replacement but at 8 - 9 pounds it was just too heavy. I liked Dell's multibay feature and especially their dual drive support, but again, it was just too big and heavy. When you do as much traveling as I do, it makes a difference. The 2800T is only 5.6 - 5.9 pounds. Not the lightest but not bad for a desktop replacement.
I did a lot of research and the P4-M was the way to go. Ask anyone with a 1500 series Presario or any laptop with a desktop chip and they'll tell you. A desktop chip has no place in a laptop. It's a battery hog. The P4-M was important to me for extended battery life.
I also like the way the 2800T looked. I think it's classy. Simple yet elegant.
There was quite a bit of preloaded software. All of which I deleted except for MS Money 2002. Does anyone really use MS Works?
I only opted for 256MB of ram because Compaq, and most proprietary vendors charge a fortune for ram. I have since upgraded to 512 (2 x 256) of Crucial ram.
Pros:
1. Upgradeability: The Multibay feature allows me to upgrade without buying a whole new laptop. I currently have two multibay hard drives at 30 GB and 40 GB. That gives me a total of 100 GB all together. You can even boot from the multibay. I'm currently running two OS's. WinXP Home on my main drive and WIN2K on one of my multibays. Now HP has a Multibay DVD burner available. I can buy this instead of a bulky external device. Remember, I like to keep the load light.
2. Size: The 2800T is thin and light. 12.5 x 10.1 x 1.3in and only 5.8 lbs. Not bad for a desktop replacement.
3. Looks: It looks just awesome.
4. Battery Life: I get over 2 hours of play time give or take depending on what I'm doing. Not great but not bad. With the addition of a multibay battery (optional). Battery life doubles.
Cons:
Tech support: I have not had to contact tech support concerning this laptop. This being my second Compaq laptop, I was already aware of their poor tech support. I however am a computer junkie so there is not a whole lot I can't figure out on my own.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1900
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
akshun172
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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