HP/Compaq Presario

[Ioanni]

hey everyone hows it going. i was looking on the net on futureshops site (best buys canadian store (best buy does exist here as well)) and i came across this this Hewlet Packard Compaq Presario. now can i get yur honest opinions, i kno its not the best system out there but its better then what i got and for the price its not bad

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10073081&catid=

$459.99 CND

AMD Sempron 3200+ @ 1.8GHz
512MB DDR SDRAM (Exp. To 4GB)
100GB (7200RPM)
48X CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive
Radeon Express 200 With 256MB Memory
56K V.90 Fax Modem
10/100 Ethernet
Compag Scroller Mouse & Keyboard
Windows XP Home Edition With SP2
Integrated Audio, 6 Speaker Configurable
1600MHz

I/O Ports: 6 x USB 2.0, 2 x FireWire IEEE 1394 (1 Front, 1 Back)

Software: Microsoft Works 8, Microsoft Money, Quicken 2006, Adobe Reader 7.0, Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, InterVideo WinDVD 5 Player

now it doent have a monitor but thats not a problem i can get a new one to match and until i do i have a 15" CRT laying around so i can use that, i have XP Pro SVP 1 and 2 so when it comes time to reformate thats what i would put as the OS, i would need to buy speakers, an external floppy drive and a external dvd burner (the burner to share with my couisn)

 

[talldude123]

Its got an OK processor, similar to Celeron. If you are just doing online banking/internet games, its adequate. Anything like video/audio editing, it will be slow.

Also, DVD/CD-RW drive is outdated. Even Dell offers the DVD-RW drive for free with their systems. If you need to burn DVD's, there are better choices out there.

Otherwise, that's a typical Compaq = you get what you pay for.

I would recommend an Acer from Future Shop, though.

 

[Jorsoft]

Good enough for the money, nothing too special though. Good for the basics: surfing, typing, music pictures, etc. Compaq's a decent brand I've got nothing against them. Basically they're HP but cost a little less.
I disagree with talldude about Acer, they are pretty low-end computers and tend to be pretty unreliable. They are made with the cheapest parts available and I've had nothing but trouble with them at my work.
I really can't recommend them to you.

 

[Ioanni]

well for now it would do. what im looking for in a computer (which i have priced to build myself, came to like 3 gran) is a system that is pretty fast 1.8 GHz is good for now i prefer intels 3.8Ghz P4 Extreme Edition LGA 775 or there 3.2 Ghz Dual Core PD Extreme Edition, but my friend has a 1.8 OC'd to 2.23 and for video editing it works pretty good (Using SOny Vegas 6 and Adobe Premeir). But i need something that can run my basic programs + 3D Studio Max 7 (for grapics), DJ Mixing/Editing Software, Architectural Programs (ie. CAD)

 

[talldude123]

I would recommend an AMD Athlon 3500+ at least for those programs. Also get 1GB of memory, and 80GB Hard drive at least. A video card is optional if you want the graphics on 3D Studio Max to render smoother.


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Don't touch AMD Sempron, or Intel Celeron. Both will just lag while running those programs. They are affordable, but pretty slow

 

[Trotter]

It will make a decent base for a system.

I'd replace the CPU ASAP. The mobo is socket 939, so that would be simple.

I'd bump the RAM up to at least a gig, two would be better.

DVD burners are nice, but I seldom use mine to burn DVDs. Usually CDs.

100 gig is a start, but I'd get a decent SATA2 drive later.

The mobo sports a PCIE x16 slot, so I'd definately get a decent graphics card for it.

The HP site doesn't list what wattage the PSU is, but you'd probably have to replace it in order to have enough juice.

While building a rig from scratch would be better, you can use this one as a framework to make one as well.

 

[Jorsoft]

I sell a similar system at my work, wattage is 300 or 350 I forget which.

 

[Ioanni]

of course i would upgrade the memory and the processor i would either upgrade or OC, im not too keen on OCing processor my buddie has done it on his (1.8-2.2) and it runs pretty smooth

I would recommend an AMD Athlon 3500+ at least for those programs. Also get 1GB of memory, and 80GB Hard drive at least. A video card is optional if you want the graphics on 3D Studio Max to render smoother.


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Don't touch AMD Sempron, or Intel Celeron. Both will just lag while running those programs. They are affordable, but pretty slow