Oops, Compaq Did it Again!
Written: Apr 23 '03 (Updated Apr 23 '03)
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Pros: Fully featured, fast, XP 2000+, 512 MB DDR, 60 GB HD, DVD/CD-RW drive, $1099
Cons: No floppy drive, battery won't charge, mouse/keyboard pauses in Windows (will update)
The Bottom Line: Now, if only the problems would go away, I can fully recommend this system.
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Compaq Presario 2110US (DB382A) PC... |
Update Below
Being discontinued have it's advantages. You'd get a great price on a still realatively quick laptop. Strangely, though, this laptop still seems "current". HP bought out Compaq (and a few stickers on the laptop itself is self evident if the buy-out). But that's not going to influence my review. After all, a laptop is a laptop.
What it's Got (Specs)
With a mobile version of AMD's flagship Athlon XP running at 1.67 GHz (2000+), 512 MB of DDR266 CL 2.5 memory from Nayna, and a Toshiba 60 GB hard disk drive. To top the cake with icing, the XP is a Throughbred B stepping. JOY! However, it sure makes me wonder if I will be able to ever tap the power of a TBred B core (they are great overclockers in the desktop world).
What really surprised me was that ATI made a chipset! And this 2110US sports it. As rightfully so, it comes with an integrated Mobility Radeon that shares the main memory for it's own. "AUTO" set as default, it takes 64 MB of your main DDR memory, leaving only 447 MB for your active duties. Still not bad, but definately would have been worse if you only had 256 MB of RAM to begin with. Thankfully, not so in this case.
The built-in LAN (a part of the ATI chipset) as well as the sound are nothing to write home about, but they are there and provide full functionality without getting in the way. And that's the best news you can ever get out of built-in LAMs and sound. The built-in modem is from Contextant, and most of us hate them. However, with the right drivers, you shouldn't have any problems with getting it to work.
The large 1024x786 native 15" active matrix LCD screen looks beautiful. However, there is a bit of shimmer at the native resolution, which is very strange to see. Once I upped the resolution, it was better, but you have to scroll around in the virtual high res. Consequently, if you lower the resolution to 800x600, the display does not automatically fill in the whole screen. Instead, you get a small area that literally is a 800x600 rectangle in the center of the massive 15" 1024x786 LCD screen.
Sadly, it does not come with a floppy drive. A seperate one can be had for $50, with a $50 rebate as well. However, you if get in too late on the deal, you will have to just put up with the built-in (non-removeable) DVD/CD-RW drive. Informal tests shows that DVD and CD transfers were quick and swift enough. CD-R/W test were not given as of yet (will update) since I have to return the laptop (see "Oops, Compaq Did it Again (Problems)").
The only "extras" I see is the Compaq's "One-Touch" keys on the top of the familar keyboard. Help, E-Mail, Internet buttons adorn the front, allowing easy access to those functions. However, a seperate application is required to make these buttons fuctional. Like most users, I would never use these, and one less app to install sounds like music to my ears. This render these buttons for asthetics only.
Blam! (Performance)
So on with the benchies! SiSoft Sandra reports performances in between CPU models (slower than 2000+, faster than 1800+). Yes, it's a laptop, but it's not the only reason. I suspect that it takes a seconds for the CPU to realize that it needs it's full potential to work the benchmarks before it clocks itself up. The Power Now! feature definately works, as when you boot up, it starts at just above 700 MHz. Then in Windows XP Home, it idles at around 900 MHz. Once you pop in a DVD, it goes up to 1.4 GHz. A benchmark that demands full attention will get the full 1.67 GHz.
Memory was disapointing, however. At 457 MB/sec, that's a far cry from DDR266's offerings of around 900 MB/sec (or even the 1 GB/sec ceiling).
So it's not the best performer. I'm sure that other laptops with less steallar configurations won't fair any better than what they promise as well. But what about the promissing Radeon under the hood? Well, I fired up Mad Onion's 3DMark 2001 for the test. After countless games goes by without hitting anywhere in the 60s (from 10 fps to 30 fps), the final score was a mere 1537 3DMarks. Core/Memory were reported as 150/133 MHz respectively. That's a far cry from the original Radeon's spec for the desktop! (200/200 MHz). Stock speeds on the desktop version (non-integrated of course) were seeing around 4000 3DMarks. Again, clock speed does matter, but if you aren't a heavy gamer on the run, then this laptop should serve very well as an occasional WarCraft 3 LAN machine. :)
Oops, Compaq Did it Again (Problems)
Out of the box comes that new electronics smell. Get over it! Find the power supply, plug her up, and turn her on! (Um... the laptop, sir...). You will be greeted with the familiar Windows XP Home Edition splash screen, and the "already-been-syspreped" step-by-step registration process. You know...enter your name, the date and time, your computer name, how you want to connect to the internet, yada yada yada.
The battery was already in the unit, so I pulled it out to ensure that it was one of those batteries with a built-in self-test (you know, those little LEDs that light up telling you how much charge you have left if you push a button?). Definately got it on this one! Good. So I shoved it back in, and saw what seems to be charging action (amber light in the front blinks with a little lightning symbol).
On with the rest of the test, right? Well, for some reason, it doesn't seem right to me. I couldn't put my finger on it (felt uncomfortable for some reason). Out of frustration, I started moving my finger around and around on the touchpad (hey, I'm sure YOU would, too!). And I found the problem! Every so often, the mouse cursor would pause! The keyboard have this problem too! I opened up notepad and started typing as usual (and I did not look the the display). It definately skipped a couple of characters here and there. This is NOT acceptable!
After 8 hours with it, I thought the battery should be charged up by now, but found it still at 0%. I later found in the manual that blinking-amber-on-lightning-symbol means it's not charging, and that there is a problem with the battery!
Great... what do I do now? I did what every tech does - tried to fix it myself. First off, removing the battery and reinserting it only provided a solid amber light (charging) for a few seconds (as Windows XP reports that it's charging, too). Then the light starts blinking again (as Windows XP reports that it's not charging it anymore, but the battery is still inserted). Not good.
Then the mouse/keyboard problem. I decided to install my own personal copy of Windows 2000 Pro. During the installation, the same problem was still appearent! (Can you imagine trying to type out your Administrator's password like this? ARG!) So it had to be a hardware issue.
So I called a tech at Compaq, and he confirms my findings. Passed me a case number, and told me to go back to where I got it for an exchange (and told me to mention the case number).
Of course, I have to return everything back to factory, so I shoved in their massive 4-disc restore CDs in one-by-one to restore it. However, I found out that the mouse problem was GONE! I decided to use my own DOS boot CDs (no floppy, remember?), and under EDIT.COM, typing was just fine. WHAT!? So it's NOT a hardware problem - Windows just doesn't like the built-in inputs of the 2110US!
Of course, I wanted to make sure, and once restored, I went back into the registration "Welcome" screen, and same deal - pauses.
Final Words
It would have been a great laptop for the price if I didn't experience any problems. I will not ding it for the problems, as I may be an isolated case. After all, Compaq/HP can't do this to everyone, least they still want to be a profitable business. Final word is - none yet. Let's see how my replacement 2110US does before there is a final verdict.
As stand, I would still recomend it if all goes well. After all, for around 1G, you get more than other laptops offer in this price. The 2000+ CPU is a little more than expected, but the 512 MB of DDR RAM and 60 GB HD is what really sets it off as a bargin.
Update
As promissed, here's my update with a new unit. As expected, the problems were definately isolated - the new unit works flawlessly. It already came with a batteryt hat was 97% charged, and was reported to run for 3:40 hours. Of course, more update later on as to how long it lasts in the real world. Currently, it is being cycled a couple times before there is any verdict.
Perfomance, of ocurse, is the same as ever.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1099
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD Athlon (K7)
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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nad_masters
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Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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If you mind is in the gutter, where are your hands?
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