Compaq Presario R3230US Notebook PC (2.80 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

Rating:
Summary: Amazing notebook at a more amazing price!
Review: I'm writing a review because I knew that I really wanted to read one about this notebook, and I'm sure many of you guys are itching to read what someone thinks of the notebook too other than, "pretty outstanding notebook." Though my review might not be as credible being that I've only had this for one day (08/05/04 Thursday), it might give you a little insight into what you're getting into. First of all, I'd like to say that I am extremely pleased with what I'm working with right now. It's fast, it performs well and stuff like that. The price was excellent, at just a little over $1000 after rebates, after pulling a couple of strings here and there (nothing illegal of course).

Things I'm displeased with are the fans at the bottom. I never really liked fans on the bottom because it limits your options on where to put your notebook, like on a bed or something, because it sinks. It also doesn't really let you put it on your legs because the fans are around the sides, so I have to balance it with one leg. Another thing that ticked me is the false advertisement of 512 MB RAM. This computer has only 384 MB RAM right now and I'm going to complain sometime in the near future. The keyboard feels really nice but it's noisier than my old laptop's keyboard, and the touch pad isn't that nice when your finger skips around the touch pad (the old laptop didn't have that problem). One thing I also overlooked was the size of the laptop. Though it is a 15" screen, it's still a little bigger than your average 15" screen, so it doesn't fit in cases that are made for 15" screens. That was a problem that I encountered, so you might want to think about buying a case for 15.4" screens, or something. But all else said, these are just little things that really shouldn't take away from the greatness of this laptop in my opinion. That's why this still gets a rating of 5.

Rating:
Summary: durability is questionable
Review: This review doesn't pertain to this laptop, it refers to a Presario 2132 that I bought a year ago but from what I've seen of newer Compaq machines it applies.

The lid is made of soft plastic that's highly flexible. This means that if you carry around your laptop a lot, the screen gets pressed against the keyboard--I now have many visible scratches on the screen as a result.

The battery has also died after about a year of use. The computer will just shut off, with no low power warning / hibernation after about 15 minutes of use on the battery. I have only been running the computer off the battery regularly in the last month.

I have used AST and Toshiba laptops before, for about four years each, including a year each being carried around in a backpack / on public transportation in rural Africa, without any problems. I would not consider bringing this machine to the field--it doesn't inspire confidence...