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Rating: 
Summary: Computer enthusiast
Review: *Performance*
Everybody thinks that Intel is superior to AMD. This is not true for processors under 2.0GHz (Intel is the champion above 2.26GHz with 533MHz FSB). If you take a look at the tomshardware.com CPU benchmarks, you would notice that AMD XP1800+ even beats out the 2.0GHz of Intel in most applications (AMD XP 1800+ at 1.53GHz beating a Intel P4 at 2.0GHz?). However, Compaq does not make full use of the AMD XP power. The video graphics is good because ATI is the best, but it uses shared memory architecture (main memory - video memory = available memory), which is not very fast compared to embedded memory architecture. For example, if you have 256MB of memory installed on your laptop and use 16MB for your video, then you actually only have 240MB of memory. This shouldn't bother you too much since 240 is still sufficient. You can always add memory later. Furthermore, DVDs play great without any stuttering, and 3D games runs pretty smoothly.*Accessories and software*
What amazon.com doesn't tell you is that it does not come with a floppy drive. Compaq is offering it free after rebate just to let you know. The installed softwares are a nuisance. Compaq put so much garbage on it, and they put their name everywhere. Just uninstall as much as you can. Also remember to visit Windows update to get the most recent patch for Win XP. *Design*
The housing of the notebook is very impressive. The black and silver combination and modern style will make you want to clean and take care of it like a new luxury car. Very solid. The keyboard is smooth and allows comfortable typing. The touchpad is smooth as well as it is stylish. However, personally, I don't like where all the input/output ports are located. Everything is in the back except the PCMCIA port and DVD/CDRW drive. So, if you're a mobile person, you'll be reaching for the back a lot. *Conclusion*
This notebook is a excellent value only if you get the rebates. I think people should reconsider if the rebates were not offered because it is not worth its +$[$$] price tag.
Rating:
Summary: Computer enthusiast
Review: *Performance*
Everybody thinks that Intel is superior to AMD. This is not true for processors under 2.0GHz (Intel is the champion above 2.26GHz with 533MHz FSB). If you take a look at the tomshardware.com CPU benchmarks, you would notice that AMD XP1800+ even beats out the 2.0GHz of Intel in most applications (AMD XP 1800+ at 1.53GHz beating a Intel P4 at 2.0GHz?). However, Compaq does not make full use of the AMD XP power. The video graphics is good because ATI is the best, but it uses shared memory architecture (main memory - video memory = available memory), which is not very fast compared to embedded memory architecture. For example, if you have 256MB of memory installed on your laptop and use 16MB for your video, then you actually only have 240MB of memory. This shouldn't bother you too much since 240 is still sufficient. You can always add memory later. Furthermore, DVDs play great without any stuttering, and 3D games runs pretty smoothly. *Accessories and software*
What amazon.com doesn't tell you is that it does not come with a floppy drive. Compaq is offering it free after rebate just to let you know. The installed softwares are a nuisance. Compaq put so much garbage on it, and they put their name everywhere. Just uninstall as much as you can. Also remember to visit Windows update to get the most recent patch for Win XP. *Design*
The housing of the notebook is very impressive. The black and silver combination and modern style will make you want to clean and take care of it like a new luxury car. Very solid. The keyboard is smooth and allows comfortable typing. The touchpad is smooth as well as it is stylish. However, personally, I don't like where all the input/output ports are located. Everything is in the back except the PCMCIA port and DVD/CDRW drive. So, if you're a mobile person, you'll be reaching for the back a lot. *Conclusion*
This notebook is a excellent value only if you get the rebates. I think people should reconsider if the rebates were not offered because it is not worth its +$[$$] price tag.
Rating: 
Summary: False advertising !
Review: Its not 1.5" thick, its like 1.75". And more than 6.5lbs. ...P>Its a desktop replacement mobile athlon, not the real mobile athlon. There is a big price difference between the types and you can see more on AMD's website. ...P>Not to mention that it runs very hot. Its not a fault of the Athlon which runs at 600MHz most of the time but a bad design by Compaq. The northbridge from ATI is too hot and so are the RAM modules. RAM get scorching hot and would burn your lap. Compaq couldn't even design proper cooling for this? The laptop hard drive is very noisy and so is the flimsy keyboard. Think carefully before getting this. Not worth unless you get tons of rebates ...
Rating: 
Summary: is the best notebook from 9xx series
Review: its very easy to install and xp makes all setup work. dvd and cd burner work fine. displasy is sharp and clear. i use it with a mouse cause im not very fan of touchpad pointing device. it comes with 2 usb port too, so u can attach any device.
Rating: 
Summary: WinXP destroys performance
Review: The Athlon XP1800+ cpu is very fast and 256mb DDR memory is quite adequate when run on all pre Windows XP systems (we have it on others),....but when combined with Win XP this system is left without resources to be of any productive value. Windows XP and the provided Office XP trial combined to use sufficient memory resources as to prevent an excel spreadsheet from opening in less than 2 minutes and then in processing it in less than 4 minutes. In comparision, these applications will take 1/3 as long on an identically prepared Windows 98SE system. The system runs times equivalent to an old Presario 450mhz P3 192mb (non ddr) system with Windows 98SE that we have here. We ran 500 timed tests in various Compaq suggested setting. Variances were in the single digits. IE: No gain. Having no floppy drive is a little scary as well, as the CD does not act as a true boot drive, without performing some software and possibly BIOS changes as to how the system sees the CDRW drive. Compaq does not authorize this. You are in the cradle (read that as grasp)of mother Compaq here. Don't think you can wonder off and add or remove or reinstrall as technology changes. Drivers are generally unavailable for the components unless Compaq posts them. Hardware manufacturers website driver updates won't generally be acceptable, if they can be found at all. Support is generally vague and evasive, and of little use unless you have a lot of time on your hands to try and try and again. If you ask the same question enough times, you eventually get a support "specialist" that will answer "your" question inlieu of giving you the cut and paste generally nonrelavent response. The price "was" right, but the price of the frustration can outweigh the savings. If you need a toy, buy it, but not at the current prices (you'll feel violated when you find that they went for under $ in December). If you need to be productive...add $ for the necessary memory to allow it to run serious applications. If you have the nerve and the patience, Compaq does provide drivers and patches for Win2000 for this model. However you will loose the warm and fuzzy buttons and Compaq "officer friendly" screens. As the story goes, in notebooks, the price and the performance do generally go hand in hand. We have no others to recommend, but based on our tests and lack of knowledgeable support, this one gets the award for the least bang for the buck, and the most frustration per minute we have run into lately.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice laptop.
Review: To begin with, it looks great. It's black & silver, sleek & reasonably svelte at 6.5 lbs. The HP genes are apparent in its design and the result is pleasing. The CPU is an adequate 1.53 Athalon XP; it's quite capable of most daily, non-graphics intense tasks, but not as good as an Intel P4. System memory is also just adequate at 256 megs, though this can be doubled easily enough. The hard drive is a generous 40 gigs. A DVD/CD-R/W combination drive in included. All the Compaq's connections are in the right place, though missing is any USB 2.0 port. The video card is in line with the other components, with a 16 meg ATI card onboard driving a very sharp 15" active matrix display. (I am a fan of ATI graphics cards because they have been quite reliable over the long haul and because upgrading them from ATI's nice website is a snap) Overall, this is a good machine made by a company that looks like it's here to stay.
Rating:
Summary: The other review is wrong in some spots.
Review: You can adjust the video memory to 16, 32, or 64MB via the BIOS (press F10 at startup) and an Athlon XP 1800+ will outperform a 1.8Ghz P4 in MOST things. This includes graphics like 3DStudio Max. Don't listen to everything you hear.
Rating:
Summary: The other review is wrong in some spots.
Review: You can adjust the video memory to 16, 32, or 64MB via the BIOS (press F10 at startup) and an Athlon XP 1800+ will outperform a 1.8Ghz P4 in MOST things. This includes graphics like 3DStudio Max. Don't listen to everything you hear.
Rating: 
Summary: HotPaq also serves as your winter heater!
Review: You live in a cold area like Canada or Arctic? You might then love this as it can also double up as room heater. After an hr of demanding use like a movie and you may as boil you eggs on it. No seriously, I am yet to see a laptop running hotter than this one. And all this with supposedly PowerNow! technology from AMD. Well I guess I should have realized that if desktop Athlons run so hot then mobile ones can't be very dfferent. HPpaq makes ... laptops to say the least. They couldn't even get proper cooling solution for the processor, chipset & memory. Now back to the laptop under review. The keyboard was certainly designed by ... 10 keys on bottom row, out of which only 4 were really needed. and that to mostly wrongly placed. space bar is tiny, tons of junk Windows buttons around, Fn button in place of Ctrl, Caps lock too big size, a repeated | button the bottom row, and delete button at the farthest/obscurest corner of the laptop. To top it all off the whole thing shakes when typing & looks like some buttons would surely break off. Never seen a more ... keyboard. The scroll pad and touchpad buttons again are designed to looks good but have no usability. The up/down keys are easier to use than the junk ovalpad. Only one PCMCIA card slot, not 2 as in most laptops. HPpaq phone support is worst in industry, try calling them. HP doesn't even have a toll free phone number for consumer laptops. All HPpaq 9xxus models have a shared memory ATI integrated graphics will max 3DMark2001 score of 1500 (no matter how faster athlon is or how much RAM you put in). Very poor performance. Get a laptop based on Intel chipset. The colors are also not good, even with the latest ATI drivers and on A/C power. Although screen is bright enough. The case is actually designed for a 15" screen and if get a 14" version you unncessarily carry bigger laptop around. It really looks very clunky and thick. More than 1.6" I expected. HPpaq cheats you by not even including a full copy of WinXP to reinstall XP later on. Only a restore Cd to erase everything & put all nasty programs back. Yes that true, they bundled 12+ nasty promotional programs for which no one has any use. Like Disney Online. Finally all useful ports are at the back and covered by clumsy cover. What a pain to connect anythign to it. Two stars because it costs under 800 after rebates in some local stores and because it runs. Shame on HPpaq for building such a ... laptop. I suggest you look at Toshiba/Dell laptops around. You (roughly) get what you pay for.
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