Multi-media to go!
Written: Feb 18 '02 (Updated Feb 19 '02)
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Pros: Features and more features, dual CD drives, nice display, RAM, great CPU.
Cons: Drive juggling.
The Bottom Line: Great multi-media notebook value.
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| jumperless's Full Review: Compaq Presario 2715US (267919-001) PC Notebook |
My first notebook was the Compaq Presario 1010 P120/16MB/810MB HD/4X CD-ROM, purchased in 1997 for $2,299. It was a good notebook, never had problems, but I out-grew the 16MB of RAM and 810MB hard drive fast. Currently it’s still working great, I upgraded the RAM and hard drive and sent it to my sister for Christmas. Pretty impressive considering its 4 ½ years old, been through a lot of abuse and still working fine. Of course, the Presario series have changed a lot since then and now I’m researching the Presario 2715US for a customer. This model carries a high price tag of $1,999 by today’s standards and is packed with features. But is it worth it considering the cheaper models out there? Here’s what it’s packing.
CPU:
This has a Mobile Intel Pentium III at 1.13 GHz with SpeedStep Technology. A great CPU for any use. I recommend a Pentium III notebook if you plan to play games or do any kind of graphic work.
RAM:
This comes with 512MB of PC133 SCRAM and can be upgraded to 1GB of RAM with 2 DIMM slots. An impressive amount, great for running multiple applications and/or graphic work. Also, it won’t need to be upgraded for awhile with this much.
Storage:
The 2715US has a 30GB Ultra DMA hard drive. This is a good size for notebooks, has room for many applications and files, such as an MP3 collection. However, it’s it very important to back up any important files on a notebook hard drive on a regular basis. They still are not as reliable as a desktop hard drive due to size and cooling restraints, but they are a lot better than they used to be.
This is where the 2715US gets interesting. It has two CD-ROM drives located on the front. One is an 8X DVD-ROM drive that also works as a CD-ROM drive. If buying a new notebook, I recommend getting a DVD-ROM drive in it because it turns you notebook into a portable theater for traveling and other long waits by allowing you to watch DVD movies. Just be sure to pack headphones also. This is also a good combo for reading software on CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs.
The second drive is an 8X CD-RW drive that is also a CD-ROM drive. Having a CD-RW drive is great for backing up data to blank CDs and creating music CDs. Notebooks I have reviewed in the past have one combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW, this one has two separate drives. The major benefit to separate drives is you can copy CD’s without have to copy them to your hard drive first. Many desktops have separate drives for this reason. The second drive is in a FutureBay II bay, meaning it can be swapped out and a different drive can be installed.
The 2715US also comes with a 1.44MB floppy drive as well, but it has to be swapped out with the second CD-ROM drive, so you can either have both the CD drives or the DVD-ROM drive and a floppy drive.
Operating System:
This model only comes with Windows XP Home Edition in retail stores. You can order a customized version from Compaq at:
http://athome.compaq.com
With any version of Windows 2000 or XP.
Software:
Unlike the Sony VAIO series, the 2715US does not have as much preinstalled software. It has Norton Anti-Virus, MS Encarta (Encyclopedia software), MS Works 2000 (Word 2000 and a basic spreadsheet program), Money 2001 (home finances program), Studio DV (DVD playing software I think), Roxio Easy CD creator (for CD burning) and WinDVD (another DVD playing program).
All Presarios come with a Quick Restore CD. An easy utility to restore the operating system and all the preinstalled software in case something happens to it, like a virus or hard drive failure. It makes it very easy for home users to restore their system without being stuck on the phone with tech support, but it will delete any files stored on the hard drive so you should back up data before using it.
Display:
The 2715US has a 15” Active Matrix LCD that has a max resolution of 1600 x 1200. The display and will support around 16.7 million colors. 15” is about the max size for a notebook without getting too big or heavy.
Communications:
There is a built in V.90 56K modem and a 10/100 network card. It’s nice to see notebooks come with these. My first Presario did not and I had to buy them separately.
Input:
Of course it has a keyboard and a touch pad. The touch pad is my favorite of all notebook pointing devices because it’s easier to get used to and close to the buttons for faster navigation.
Size:
This is a slim notebook at 1.65” high, 12.99” wide and 11” deep. It weighs 7.9 lbs. The outside is good looking in dark grey plastic, lined with metallic silver.
Connections:
The 2715US has speaker and headphone jacks, a connector for a docking station if needed, firewire (IEEE 1394, great for many camcorders), a PS/2 connector for an external keyboard or mouse, printer port, serial port, one USB port, VGA connector for an external monitor and an S-video connector for a projector or other video needs.
Sound:
Believe it or not, the speakers are actually decent. Better than the Sony VAIO series. Still not the best for hearing over plane and car noise, but adequate for listening to music or other multimedia uses. It has JBL Pro audio speakers with surround sound and amplified bass.
Video:
The 2715US has an 4x AGP ATI Radeon video card with 16MB of RAM that is not shared with the system memory. A strong card for a notebook, but you can upgrade it to 32MB of RAM.
Upgrades:
This only has one type I/II PC card slot with support for 32-bit CardBus. Because it has a modem and NIC built in, this isn’t a big deal. You still have one open PCMCIA slot for future upgrades.
Battery:
It has a LiIon battery that averages about 3 hours, but I could not find the exact time on Compaq’s site. You can also buy a second battery and use it in the FutureBay II, instead of the floppy drive of CD-RW drive.
Warranty:
Like many, the 2715US has a 1 year warranty that includes parts and labor, pretty weak when you can get many years of use from it. I recommend getting an extended warranty on it that can add somewhere between 3 to 4 years. This can also add $250 to $400 to the price, but think of is as protecting an investment because laptop parts are way, way more expensive than desktop parts. At work, I have three dead laptops sitting in a cabinet for parts, they are only about 1 ½ to 3 years old, but not under warranty and the cost to fix them is much more than they are worth, so we just replaced them. They wouldn’t be there if a warranty was purchased and I make sure they are on all new ones.
Overall:
So, back to my original question, is it worth it? Yes, easily. The 2715US is definitely a multi-media notebook with nice speakers, dual CD drives, great video and display and a generous amount of RAM that can be doubled through upgrading. Many notebook owners usually have a desktop at home because the notebook can’t accommodate all they need. But with the 2715US, that’s not necessary because it’s as powerful and has as much storage as many new desktops PCs. Unlike my old Presario above, the 2715US will not be easy to out-grow. My only minor complaint is that you can’t have the CD-RW and floppy drive in at the same time. But, not a big deal considering the notebook would be a lot larger and heavier if it did and many people just don’t use the floppy enough to have it all the time. I would recommend this model for power home users, some businesses and college students and give it a 5 star rating.
I hope this was helpful, thanks for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1999
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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jumperless
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