A Machine for the Masses
Written: Sep 15 '99 (Updated Jan 21 '05)
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Pros: Newest Technology, Ease of Setup.
Cons: Shorter Warranty, Too Much 'Newbie' Stuff for Power Users
The Bottom Line: This was a great system and well worth the price 5 years ago: It's still running:
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| Carazariah's Full Review: Compaq Presario 5600 |
The Presario 5600 S that I purchased in June of 1999 came equipped for speed and necessity. The AMD K6III 450 processor (The Review Details didn't allow this option It is a K6III) rarely stumbles and operates quickly and efficiently. The system came with a 22 GB HD 6X DVD 56k ADSL Modem along with a built in Zip drive. I custom configured this system to my specifications. If you are a power user the custom configure option from Compaq is the only way to get exactly what you want.
The best thing about "Katy" as my wife and I call our Compaq Computer is the ease of use that she provides. Turn her on open the program complete the task. The Presarios are as easy to use as any other computer vendor out there better than most in fact. The quick start up fold out provides simple instructions to get you hooked up and online in minutes instead of hours. The back of the Compaq is well labeled in general with only the newer or custom options from other vendors lacking clear direction. Everything is Color Coded too! The Keyboard, Mouse, and Speaker connections matches cord to connection. Also for the new computer user Compaq offers a convenient wizard that sets up your Internet connection within moments and gets you online with the best of them.
Compared to other vendors the Compaq was about the same in cost but you can't forget the extended warranty. Compaq only supports their products for 1 year instead of the standard 3 year policy on parts. Of course with other major direct vendors you can't take directly to your local authorized repair center and have your unit fixed either, so all in all it's a trade off I was willing to take.
For the novice user or beginner Compaq is a great starter system and despite warnings to the contrary the upper end Presarios contain plenty of room for Expansion. Especially considering almost every Presario comes standard with 4 USB ports, with as many peripherals that are available on USB it seems like it will be a while before I run out of room for expansion. I nice touch is the Digital Port on "Katy" as well this IEEE "Fire Wire" port will allow for the quickest connections currently possible for digital digital camera's & camcorders it provides a seamless link for moving data between your Camera and Computer.
Technical Support, well as a person who does technical support I can honestly say I haven't actually needed to Call Compaq for anything "Technical" yet. Even though I did consult them when connecting my video card to my S-Video connector on my Television for watching DVD movies in Surround Sound on my 27" TV. I called at an off peak time and got a representative within 3 minutes who was both helpful and courteous, I have heard the rumors of the "Quick Restore" curse in Compaq's Tech Support and I consider the reports too numerous to discount I personally haven't encountered such a situation. Another helpful support option is the Online Customer support that's available on Compaq's Web Site. It is excellent because of the efforts of 'John P' and other helpful Compaq support personnel.
Remember the thing to know is buy as much computer as you can possibly afford, because once you have it it is a much more difficult to open it up and add more Memory, Hard Drive etc especially for a 'newbie'. Though personally My last 3 year old Dinosaur we called Camille 'affectionately named for Hurricane Camille' underwent major surgery including processor, hard drive, memory, and modem upgrades. I would not recommend such things for any new computer user.
Overall I consider 'Katy' a good buy and considering between myself and my wife's family I have seen 6 different Compaq Presario systems, I can definitely say Compaq is a good choice.
The Five Year Update
Wow its hard to believe its been 5 years but here we are and Katy is still plugging away with 192MB or RAM but the same processor and 22GB HD.
The Good over 5 Years
I still havent' had to contact Compaq for anything technical with the computer: They did replace the speakers once and the Monitor for a mike issue during the 3 year warranty period! I haven't had a Compaq related hardware issue, though I'm expecting several major parts to reach their end of life within the next 180 to 365 days
The Bad
Mostly the only bad experiences are related to Windows 98 inept handling of the hardware sleep: This issue is extensively covered in the past on MS and Compaq's/HP's support boards no reason to rehash it here: Let it be enough that its annoying and it causes daily reboots, but that's what people expect if their still running Win 98!
Overall
Katy has been an excellent system and one that is a credit to her brand and her builders. I've been careful to maintain scandisk's and defrags and tried to keep her updated and overall she's treated us right. :)
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2385
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD K-2
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: Zip Drive
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
Carazariah
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Location: Marshall, TX
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Greetings I'm married:
Live in Marshall,TX
Work in IT
Serve in my local church
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