Compaq Presario C552US 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel celeron M Processor, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive, Vista Basic) | List Price: $871.00
|
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Binding: Personal Computers
Features: - Affordable, reliable business notebook with 1.6 GHz Intel Celeron M 520 processor
- 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB installed RAM (2 GB max), DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
- Connectivity: 2 USB, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 headphone, 1 microphone
- 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet, Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 64 MB shared memory
- Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Basic
Great Cheap Laptop [Posted on 2007-05-16]
I got this when my cat knocked a vase of water over my cheap Acer laptop which ran really hot, needed the DVD drive fixed anyway and was not worth the money it would have cost to fix. Fortunately I had a Fujitsu ultraportable which I loved with a few minor problems (so I thought), but apparently it would have been over 200 to fix the broken mouse pad (for the second time) and the ac connection needed soldering there was no guarantee they could fix it but they wanted 80 dollars to find out. So I got this Compaq to the tune of $450.
For the price I paid I have no complaints, ok, a few complaints, but they are complaints I would have had with a more expensive laptop, at this price they certainly wouldn't keep me from purchasing it. Overall this is a good laptop for basic home or student use.
Vista is clunky and has some really annoying features which I won't get into read the reviews. Some of my software doesn't work with it, so instead of the free antivirus I was stuck buying one. There's no PC Card slot. I am not sure what I need a PC Card for at the minute but it is a little irksome that it isn't there. Most of the time I like the sharpness of the shiny screen, but it can be hard to see if you are outside. I like the feel of the keyboard too. Volume buttons are located above the keyboard and are quick and responsive. I would have liked a mouse scroll button but that is a minor thing.
Compaq C552 laptop [Posted on 2007-06-26]
Great low price laptop, display is very good and everything worked well out of the box.
Dee's Presrio [Posted on 2007-06-27]
This is my first laptop. It is easy to use, and I can set in my recliner and be comfortable while I use it.
Cheap but has problems [Posted on 2008-05-16]
My brother and I bought four or these for our families one year ago. They were cetainly cheap after rebates which is what we were looking for. But each of the four machines has its share of problems from minor to broken. Here are the highlights:
1) Really bad keyboard. The keys pop off this thing easy compared to any other laptop I have owned. Once off they are a bear to get back on. You can always use an USB keyboard so I guess this is not a fatal problem but it sure is damned annoying. Every one of our four C500 laptops has missing keys for us. That should tell you something.
2) Fragile. These machines don't take heavy bumps well. Their screens are prone to breaking if given abuse. I suppose this is to be expected given the inexpensive price. I would suggest
a) instruct your kids not to put anything on the top of the computer when the lid is closed. This causes the screen to flex. To its credit, it can take some amount of this without issue but why tempt fate. You should show them what not to do by doing it first. Cats favor sleeping on these because they can be warm. This does not seem to to break it though.
b) buy a good laptop bag that offers considerable protection in case of a drop. Kids will drop these, they are after all kids. A drop for one of these means broken screen unless you take precautions like this.
c) though I hate warranty packages from the retailer, this is one situation where such a warranty might be worth while. Make sure first that the outfit you are buying from is going to be around two years from now. COMPUSA as I recall is where we got ours. They were going out of business but the stores had no issue with trying to sell us a warranty they would not be around to service (geesh!). Next inquire as to the extent of the warranty. These warranties will ususally offer a full replacement on the screen once no questions asked and this covers a drop by your kid. But make sure you ask "does it cover a drop by my kids".
3) Low quality motherboard. These machines have a higher incidence of motherboard issues than the statistical average for laptops. If your C500?? runs hot, randomly shuts down, won't post, won't power on, or takes forever to boot/shutdown (talking 10 to 20 mintues or more each way), then you likely have a MB problem. After shipping, a MB repair might be a good deal, or more expensive than a new computer after rebates. You should consider cut and run using EBAY. Problem is, many MB issues are cumulative. A hot CPU can run for a year till it fries some MB component and then a computer that worked long enough to be out of warranty now starts giving you problems, or even no longer works at all.
4) It comes with Vista. Vista is I suppose a fast OS if you have dual core CPUs or better, and 2GB of memory of more, but these cheap machines will have neither. Fortunately they can be downgraded (with effort) to XP if you have an XP imaage. Make sure to turn off that NATIVE SATA SUPPORT or XP will blue screen you.
If this machine did not have such a crappy keyboard, and not so many MB issues, it would be one excellent deal. We got ours for 350 after rebates and they were as fast as any other compute we had owned. But they just don't last.
Kevin CT USA
Click here for more details and discount information...
|
){kind=link}