Description:
Though not a top-of-the-line thoroughbred when compared to today's costlier upscale offerings, Compaq's value-priced Presario 2580us Notebook is nevertheless far more powerful than comparably priced models of just a year or two ago and quite ready to handle many of today's most demanding mobile applications. Measuring 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.79 inches and weighing 7.5 pounds, the Presario 2580us Notebook is of average size for a notebook. Compaq has loaded the unit with a powerful 2.3 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512 MB of DDR SDRAM memory (upgradeable to 1024 MB) and an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chipset with 64 MB of shared (not dedicated) video memory. As such, the system should suffice for all 2-D and many 3D applications, though it may have frame rate troubles when rendering ultra-complex 3-D games and animation/drawing packages. The Presario 2580us Notebook features several welcome amenities, including an oversized 15-inch XGA TFT display screen (maximum resolution 1024x768), an 88-key keyboard, a TouchPad with scroll bar and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad, and a pair of JBL Pro speakers. At 40 GB, the enclosed hard disk is sufficient for most purposes but may not offer enough room for today's true power users. The system's optical drive permits CD and DVD playing and CD recording but does facilitate the burning of DVDs. With the Presario 2580us Notebook, your communication options are virtually limitless. In environments with wired connections, you may select from a low-speed 56K modem or high-speed 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN. When hardwiring is a problem, you can stay in touch with the unit's integrated 54g wireless LAN. Other key components include a trio of fast USB 2.0 ports, a single IEEE 1394 port for interaction with devices such as digital camcorders, a single PC Card slot, and a standard array of connections. The impressive bundled software package includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Quicken New User Edition, Microsoft Works and a range of multimedia and Internet utilities.
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