My first new laptop
Written: Nov 15 '04 (Updated Jan 10 '05)
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Pros: Cheap price, nice features, powerful computer for the price AMD CPU
Cons: Too bulky and heavy for some laptop needs
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a cheap laptop with an AMD processor, many features, and a relatively large size is not a problem, go for this laptop.
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| danielsaddress's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Compaq Presario R3000Z (DP533AV) P... |
I had an old compaq armada laptop for school. When it broke, instead of fixing it, I decided it was time to upgrade, but I was on a low budget. At first I was considering an ECS laptop from Wal-Mart, but I decided to spend a bit more and get this Compaq R3000. Here is my opinion of the laptop:
Value
The primary reason I bought this laptop was because of it's value. I researched every laptop that I could find, and non offered the features of this laptop for such a low price. I bought mine for $880, with no taxes or shipping. The base price of the laptop, when customized at hp.com is (At the time I bought mine) $830, then upgrades increase the price. The only upgrade I found worth the money was the GeForce 4, an Althon XP 2800+ is nearly the same speed as the others, I can install my own ram for cheaper than hp.com sells the upgrades, and all the other upgrades were similarly not worth the money. However, for just $50 the laptop can play games such as Unreal Tournament 2004, with the upgraded video card. I would highly recommend upgrading the video card. So at $880, a laptop that can a game as new as UT, I find this laptop a great value.
Size and weight
This laptop is by no means a lightweight laptop. It is 1.8 inches thick, 11.2 inches long, and 14.3 inches wide; It weighs 7.94lbs (Information from hp.com). The laptop is mainly so large because of the 15.4 inch widescreen. But also it is heavy, and transformer on the power cord is also relatively large. I wouldn't recommend this laptop for extremely mobile users. However if someone needs a laptop that is taken from place to place, but not actually carried much, it makes a fine laptop.
Laptop features
This laptop, as do any, has many important features: external ports, buttons, cards, etc. Of interest are:
Multicard Reader: This card reader is extremely useful if your digital device uses one of the 4 supported card types, otherwise this is pretty much useless. It supports a Secure Digital, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, Multimedia Card, and SmartMedia.
PCMCIA: This slot, standard in almost any laptop, holds PC cards. Very useful for features the laptop didn't include. For instance I keep a compactFlash card reader in mine. Unfortunately there is only one PCMCIA slot, so if multiple devices are needed they have to be swapped.
USB ports: USB ports are always useful, so compaq supplied this laptop with 3 ports, 2 on the left side and one on the right side.
Disk Drive: The base drive is a DVD drive, upgrading can get you a CD or DVD burner instead. It's a typical laptop disk drive, with a small button that opens up a slender drive, with the CD eye in clear view when opened.
Sound: The speakers are JBL pro, located near the floor of the laptop. They are load and clear. However, as with all laptop speakers I've delt with, I doubt they will have a long life. I already hear a slight difference from when they were new. I know it's just a matter of time until they die. There is also a volume up,down, and mute botton on the side of the laptop. Additionally there is a microphone and headphone jack.
network devices: There is a 10/100mbs ethernet card, that works very well. I haven't had a problem with it so far. Also there is an integrated modem, which comes in very useful in areas where only a phone line is available. But the most useful is the integrated wireless B/G card. It has a button to turn it off or on as well, useful for making sure you don't connect if you don't want to.
Misc Ports: Some of the multiple ports on this laptop include an Svideo out, for displaying the screen on a TV, a compact firewire port, A monitor port, and a parralel port.
Touchpad: The touchpad is similar to any laptop's. However one useful feature is a button to temporarily turn off the touchpad. THis is very useful when typing something long. This makes it so you don't have to worry about accidentely hitting the touchpad while typing. Also, I notice at times if my fingers are dry that the touchpad won't register. I fix this by simply wetting my hands with water.
Battery life and charging I have never run out of my battery, therefore I can't give an exact time to how long it will last or how long it takes to charge. However, it seems to have a decent life. I can go through a 1 hour and 15 minute class on one battery and not have to worry about it dying. Charging isn't really slow or fast, seems about average. I currently have no problems with the battery. It still charges to 100%, and when full indicates it on the laptop. One thing I don't like however is the laptop doesn't have a battery indicator that I'm aware of. The only way to check is to go through Windows, and check the battery icon. Other laptops I've had have special function keys that weren't part of Windows that could check the battery life.
Performance
The performance of this laptop largely is based on the upgrades purchased. Obviously more ram and a faster CPU will make better performance. However, I bought mine base except the video card, and I am satistfied with it's perforance. The only problem I have is Ram delays, which can be easily fixed by upgrading, or if you don't know how to do that or don't want to deal with it, I'd recommend you get at least 512 mb ram with this laptop.
Shopping experience at hp.com
My shopping experience at hp.com was satistfactory. They clearly show you what options you are paying for, and give you follow up E-mails, and a tracking link. The link indicates that the laptop will not arrive for a lot longer than origionally indicated by hp.com. However, my laptop arrived much earlier than the estimated shipping date, and arrived before the estimated time by hp.com. My laptop had free shipping as well, a nice bonus.
Conclusion
While there are better laptops out there, for this price of this laptop, I couldn't find anything near the features offered by the R3000z. One thing I really liked was that it uses AMD processors. As a computer enthusiast, I want the best performance for my money, and AMD generally offers that. It can be hard to find an AMD laptop, but I feel that they are better for your money. The only downside I see to this laptop is it's larger size and weight. It's not a problem for me, I bring it to school and everywhere. However, for people needing something very light and small, look elsewhere; this is not the laptop for you. If I had to buy another laptop or recommend one, it would likely be this laptop.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 880
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD Athlon (K7)
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
danielsaddress
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Member: Daniel Goowill
Location: Dover, FL, USA
Reviews written: 57
Trusted by: 1 member
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