Compaq Presario V2410US PC Notebook

I bought this Compaq Presario notebook because I was looking for a machine that would be very compatible with Windows Vista when it arrived. This machine was basically my choice over a iBook because of avaliability.

I was pleasently surprised with the performance of this little powerpack - The Turion 64Bit processor harnesses amazing power that is really unleashed during times of power use such as games and graphic detailing programs. The 512mb of RAM is quite enough for this machine however when Vista is released I think I will add another 512Mb - The graphics processer is one of few that is capable of making the new graphics part of Vista perform properly.

The 80Gb HDD is easily capable of anything you can throw at it and will hold more than enough data for all but the most demanding of users (that would probly use a desktop anyway). The machine itself is very well constructed and in a very smart move they have made it with a dark outer casing - this makes it much more scratch resistant than my Acer Aspire - Silver lids on a notebook is not a good idea. It seems as if it is very well put together - everything fits well, the ports are well positioned and everything is labeled VERY clearly.

The sound from the Altec Lansing speakers are the BEST I have ever experienced on any notebook - not tinny sounding but loud, clear and the perfect amount of non-destorting bass.

The screen - with the 'now standard' coating is a pleasure to view. Bright, Vivid colors almost jump out at you, it is very fast with a good refresh rate. The only thing I notice will ALL of these coated screens is that they seem to attract dust very easily and you really need to carry a cloth in your case.

As for the asthetics of the notebook - it is one beautiful article. It has nice bright orange lights as indicators and a striking blue wireless enabled light. one handy feature for movies is the touchpad 'on/off' button which allows you to interupt the use of the touchpad. The touchpad also has scrolling lanes (edges of the touchpad used for scrolling).

My only annoyance with the unit is the lip that is present when using a PCMCIA card - it is too close to where your arms sit on the left side of the notebook - on the Acer Aspire the PCMCIA card slot sits much lower and therefore doesn't get in the way.

The Notebook also has a memory card reader - which will read 6 types of memory card including the elusive xD card used by Olympus and Fuji.

The battery life isn't anything to write home about but it does last a good 3 hours under general use inc. maybe burning 2 dvds...

In conclusion this unit is a great notebook that could be used for a multitude of purposes but probly best as a business or study machine for a gamer (UNI STUDENTS TAKE NOTE).