Compaq Presario 5410US Desktop (1.3-GHz Celeron, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive)

Rating:
Summary: Performance for Price
Review: I bought this comp Refurbished, so i didnt have to go through all of the registration n junk. The first thing i did was download an MP3 with WinMx, the modem in this thing works WAY better than my old modem. I normally connect @ 52Kbps and get more consistent downloading. Another thing is it is VERY quiet which is always a good thing. And the CD Burner, works like a charm. Ive only used this a few times but i tell ya, ive got no idea how to use up even 20 GB of space, let alone 40. The burner was quiet even when burning, the DVD drive is also quiet when being used. The only thing that keeps it down is on the RAM side, kinda low for upgradeability(but hey, we dont even NEED 256MB ram now) and bad bad integrated Intel Graphics(but hey, it has an AGP port so thats easily fixable). Otherwise, a speedy little Gem for just 750 bucks, you cant go wrong if your lookin to have a computer that runs you avereage programs nicely and can burn music good and provides you with nice upgradeability

Rating:
Summary: Much better deal than the 5400.
Review: This model addresses some of the short-comings of the 5400. It is, for just a little more money, already network/broadband-ready (it has a built-in network interface card). It also adds double the RAM, double the hard drive space and a little bit better CPU (processor speed), though this is still a Celeron-based computer and as such will not be great with complex graphics tasks (eg. gaming and CAD). In any case, for the price, this is more than adequate for most users and is clearly a great buy.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of positives, only a few drawbacks.
Review: You might read that this level of computer is for the "entry-level" and beginner. Well, I've had a computer of one type or another since PRE-Windows 3.1! Yes, DOS days. And this is an excellent choice for the money. Check around. Most others with a DVD and CD-RW drive are [price]. And these things could not be easier to set up. 10 min. out of the box, easily. And, it could not be easier to add memory (which is what I did today). Click a switch, pull the side panel off. Drawbacks? Personally, I don't like the CD holder out front. And Windows XP is still pretty qerky, despite the massive hype. It especially doesn't like older hardware (surprise, surprise). But with some tweaking, everything is working. And Windows XP is certainly the most stable OS you'll ever see.

Overall, a good deal.