Compaq Presario Media Center SR1830NX Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor, 1 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-R/RW Drive) | List Price: $762.07

| Brand: Hewlett-Packard Binding: Personal Computers
Features: - Ensure system stability and enjoy a user-friendly interface with genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
- Get great performance from the 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor with enhanced virus protection, 2000MHz system bus, and 512KB L2 cache
- Organize photos and video clips plus edit, print, share, and store with HP's exclusive Photosmart Premier software
- Create your own DVDs and CDs with the double-layer DVD+-R/RW drive with CD-RW capabilities and LightScribe - Up to 16x DVD+R, DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+-RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CDR, 24x CDRW, 40x CD-ROM / Label your discs with HP LightScribe labels featuring your unique text, photos, and designs
- Store more music, videos, and data on the roomy 200GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive
Great deal fast ship [Posted on 2007-01-10] as described. Very nice package at a very good price.
As Advertised [Posted on 2007-02-22] I added 1 gb memory (before first use) since I had it on hand. Absolutely no issues or regrets. Would buy again in a heart beat.
Proceed With Caution! ZERO Stars. [Posted on 2007-03-03] When I received this machine, it simply didn't work. Worse, the online "support" consumed hours of my time for no result. And after I shipped it back to the factory, as instructed, it returned in exactly the same condition as when I sent it. So I called tech support again and, guess what, they took me through exactly the same steps as the previous time. Groundhog day indeed.
My biggest issue with the product is less that it didn't work and more that they utterly failed to fix the problem. I literally spent a total of about 10+ hours on the phone with support, who repeatedly insisted they could fix the issue. (After several conversations with serveral support people, I later realized this is just part of the script. News flash to Compaq: Most customers would prefer to be told the truth than to have empty, false promises made to them. The script, frankly, only compounds the damage by increasing frustration and falsely raising hopes.)
Ultimately, as the support people asked me to do the same things over and over again, I asked for a refund or replacement. Well, nobody was available to assist me with that; they would have to call me back. Nobody called. Finally I received an e-mail from a manager. I replied to that e-mail but never heard from them again...
Later on, I discovered that Compaq is the lowest-rated computer company in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. I see why. I might have bought from them again if they'd only resolved my issue and, well, returned my email.
Ultimately I bought a Sony laptop instead. Night and day. I had some Vista issues when I bought the machine. Sony support is fast and capable. Best of all, they actually assess the problem honestly and work it through--not keep on repeating something from a script. And--my computer works great.
For Compaq, I would put zero stars...but the system requires at least one. Actually, I'd put negative. I ended up worse off than when I started! My machine doesn't work, I wasted hours and hours,
and I had to hang around waiting for UPS to pick it up...
A piece of junk! [Posted on 2008-01-10] This computer is great for the home - if it works! Less than a year after we got it, the hard drive totally fried! And we are not a family of heavy users - we average maybe 2-3 hrs a day. Like the other reviewer, we found Customer Support to be a total waste of time. We wasted 10+ hours on the phone with them, all the while they tried pushing the problem onto us before (finally!) getting permission to return the computer so they can fix the problem.
Then, when the computer returned, we had to, of course, go through all the hassle, yet again, of loading and reloading software. Another 7 months went by and now, the computer's on the blink - again! This time, problem reading the CD/DVD drive! My question is - did tech support actually fixed the problem or just re-installed re-cond parts? Or is this an inherent problem in ALL Compaq computers? Can't wait to waste yet another 10+ hours with their lovely support people again!
Last word - "Should have bought a Dell!"
Unreliable [Posted on 2008-06-16] I received this computer as a gift two years ago, and now the USB ports are completely fried. I can't use my scanner or printer, my webcam, my controller for gaming, etc., because they all run through the USB ports. HP (which owns Compaq) was not helpful in resolving the issue, and many of their service personell were downright rude and disrespectful. I will never purchase an HP product again.
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