Description:
Although Compaq generally markets its Presario lineup of notebook computers to the home and home business user, some models will handle far more demanding tasks and applications just as easily. Powered by a potent 1.13 GHz Intel Pentium III CPU and an enormous 512 MB (expandable to 1 GB) of RAM, the Presario 2715US notebook is one such machine. Weighing in at a substantial 7.9 pounds and sporting an 11.02-by-13-by-1.65-inch profile, the Presario 2715US is markedly larger than several of its competitors. Compaq does, however, put that extra size to good use. The unit is literally loaded with drives, including a large 30 GB hard drive to handle permanent storage needs, an 8x DVD-ROM drive to play movies, and even a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for older or smaller programs. The 2715US also takes advantage of Compaq's new FutureBay II technology, which allows users to install and swap additional optical devices such as CD-RW and DVD drives or CD-RW/DVD combos into a spare bay. In the case of the 2715US, that bay is already loaded with an 8x (write) CD-RW drive for reading and burning data and audio CDs. There's one other reason for the 2715US being as big as it is. At a full 15 inches, its TFT active-matrix XGA viewing screen is nearly a full inch larger than the norm. That's good news for anyone who wants to get a better look at their programs, but in particular for multimedia enthusiasts. Certainly anyone into movies or music will also enjoy the benefits of the unit's capable ATI Mobility Radeon M6 graphics card and Dolby-certified JBL Pro Audio bass reflex speaker system. The 2715US sports enough ports to accommodate virtually any form of expansion and exterior connection. The unit features two USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks, an S-video TV-out port for television output, a PS2-style port for an external mouse or keyboard, a single parallel port for devices such as printers, a VGA port for external monitors, an internal 56K modem and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection, a speaker-out and microphone-in port, a multipurpose PC Card slot, and a QuickDock connector for ultrafast hookups of additional accessories. The 2715US keyboard section offers 88 full-size keys, an array of one-touch e-mail, Internet, and multimedia controls, a four-way Internet scrolling tool, and a touch pad. Power is supplied by a high-capacity, lithium-ion battery and regulated by Intel's SpeedStep technology, which lowers processor speed to reduce battery drain whenever the unit is not plugged into an AC outlet. To help get you started, Compaq has installed the Home Edition of the Windows XP operating system and an assortment of useful software applications, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Norton AntiVirus, Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.01, InterVideo WinDVD 3.0, and a one-year subscription to Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia.
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