Description:
A desktop PC for a price like this is a bargain in anyone's books. Granted, the economical Compaq Presario S6000NX is not suitable for demanding environments such as 3D graphic studios, multi-user offices or gaming and home entertainment setups. Still, for basic home and home office duties, this midlevel rig makes a great deal of sense. The Presario S6000NX is driven by a cost-conscious Intel Celeron processor operating at 2.7 GHz. Compaq has added enough RAM memory for most single task situations -- 256 MB -- though users will want to double that for more intensive workouts and serious multitasking. The enclosed Intel Extreme Graphics graphics chipset features 64 MB shared video memory and as such is not as potent as graphics cards with dedicated memory. Though suitable for general 3D tasks, it will not efficiently run most current high-end 3D games. The system sports average data handling capabilities. Its 40 GB hard drive is roomy enough for typical home environments but pales in comparison to the current 120-plus hard drive standard. Its optical drive allows you to play and burn audio CDs and archive your files, but doesn't support DVD functions. Yet its 3.5-inch diskette drive will allow you to back up or load smaller or older files to inexpensive diskettes. The Presario S6000NX features a variety of connectivity options, including serial and parallel ports, a 56K V.90 flex modem for low-speed communication, a high-speed 10-Mbps/100-Mbps Ethernet network port for high-speed LAN and Internet access, and a half-dozen fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals. Compaq has not included a FireWire port (normally reserved for fast data downloads from digital camcorders). Monitor and speakers are sold separately, thus allowing you to customize your desktop setup from the many options available today. The impressive software bundle includes Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft's Works 7.0 productivity suite, Microsoft Money 2004, Quicken New User's Edition 2004, and a variety of multimedia and e-communication utilities.
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