Hewlett Packard Compaq Presario SR5010NX - Hard to find a better PC for the price.
Written: Dec 15 '07 (Updated Jun 10 '08)
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Pros: Hard to beat the price for all that you get and opportunities to expand.
Cons: Misses many of the bells and whistles of upper end PC's. Many can be added.
The Bottom Line: This PC has proven to be a good value. It is a great deal for someone that wants to get into adding stuff and learning how to work on PC's.
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| mongomad1's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Compaq Presario SR5010NX (RZ537AA#... |
First, let me reveal that I am not an HP Compaq fan and I prefer Dell as far as PC’s. However, Dells for personal use, most people purchase via the Dell Home/HomeOffice web site. I would never buy a thing from Dell other than through my Small Business Account rep. If you read my review on the Home/Home Office experience, you will see this is a gamble every time an order is placed. The consequences may land you in a long feud or, for those that tend to shy away from drawn out confrontations with unintelligible customer support, quite possibly end up with something they ultimately did not want.
This could make the Compaq Presario a more appealing option since you can go see it in a storefront and bring it home with you the same day. Since I have yet to have the first issue with this machine, except some irritating flaws in MS’s Vista Home Basic, I can not speak as to the helpfulness of HP Compaq’s customer service, so on to the review of this machine.
Out of the Box to Internet Surfing:
For the novice, this is a delight. Let us assume you are replacing a former tower that you have outgrown, since this is not part of a system, just the tower. All you need to do is plug in your keyboard and mouse or the ones that come with it. While technology is moving toward USB connections, this PC accommodates the P/S 2 plug-ins.
This comes with VGA onboard video, so connect your compatible monitor in the plug located in the back. The network/RJ-45 connector (from your DSL or cable modem) is labeled, so run your line to it. Use the power cord from the PC to the surge protector (yes you need a good one, though the PC may be cheap, items you may create could be invaluable).
Turn that sucker on and, there you have it. You will have to enter your user name, region and all that, but it is easy. I recommend a password with uppercase and lowercase letters with at least one number to protect you. Also, renew or purchase a different ant-virus software after the free 3 months of Norton expires. Can not afford it? At least get a trusted freeware like ClamWin (clamwin.com).
Now, what do I do with it?
Well, in my opinion, you need to make another purchase. I would go and get two 1GB sticks of DDR2 RAM (maximum of two 2GB sticks if you have the means). Place them in the two available slots after removing the one that is in there. You can sell that 512MB stick on ebay or sell it to someone you know that tinkers on PC’s. The reason I say two new ones, is that PC manufacturers and MS recommend that your sticks match in size as far as memory when you have two.
It will work to get a 1GB stick and place it in addition to the 512MB for 1.5GB’s, but optimal performance requires sticks of equal size. We did this and they installed without incident. You could just get one more 512MB for 1GB, but 2GB’s is going to prevent you from upgrading in a few months when you start really using that DVD burner (TssT corp CD/DVDW TS-H652M).
Miscellaneous Observations
I am pleasantly surprised with the design of this case. I do not care for the mini motherboards as I want 4 slots for RAM, but other than that, this PC is quite easy to navigate/add-on hardware. I remember an HP that an acquaintance of mine had and I tried to work on it. You had to remove just about everything to get to the motherboard. One of those cute, little towers. Steer clear of them unless you never plan to crack it or ask a friend to do it. You should be forced to pay someone since they are a pain.
You do have to remove the hard drive chassis if you want to add another hard drive for additional storage. This is a matter of removing two screws and sliding it out. You then attach your new hard drive with the settings recommended as far as jumpers with the chassis in hand. There are two extra connectors for power that will work in most CD/DVD drives and hard drives. You also could put a floppy disk controller in there with the necessary power adapter available and access in the front. Take the one off your old PC if you want.
The PCI-E x 16 slot available opens many options for newer hardware cards that require it. Check for compatibility with your system. The PCI-E x 1 available is a slot I have never used and wish it was another PCI or PCI-E slot. You can not have everything, I guess.
I added a double G wireless card (Netgear WG311T) to a PCI slot and a Dual Layer CD/DVD Burner with LightScribe under the existing one without the least bit of a problem. I was happy that Vista was kind enough to recognize them and make both functional.
The case is well-ventilated with fans for the power supply, CPU, one that blows out of the case and holes on one side of the box to allow cool air in, drawn by the fan pushing warm air out. They are SUPER quiet. You can barely tell it is on and may have to touch it to make sure. It is not warm, but you can feel a slight vibration from the internal workings.
Overall Looks/Workmanship
It is an attractive enough case and the tale of the tape is: 16" deep, 14.5" tall and 6.5" wide. It is predominantly black, with a silver plastic piece that covers the front and silver metal in the back. The front, about half way down the case, has the color coded mic, headphone and speaker jacks as well as two sideways USB ports (vertical).
For those that place their towers on or about at ground level, this is an improvement over those PC's that put such features at the very bottom, closest to the floor. Not only is that a pain to reach down, but it is typically hard to see what you are plugging in without getting on the ground, practically. Kudos to Compaq for realizing this!
My biggest complaint, however, is with the black plastic pieces that need be removed when adding another optical drive (CD and/or DVD); they can not be replaced. So, should you decide to move a component of this nature to another machine, you are left with the gaping hole. How much more would it have been to make them with clips so that they could be replaced? This will not be an issue for anyone not looking to add equipment to her.
The silver on black looks nice enough and overall, most would not say it is an eye-sore. I rather think it is sharp looking and well-engineered, save the irritating remove it and lose it plastic, front bay covers.
Tech Specs
I actually cracked the case and LOOKED to see what all is in there. Unless a change was made since my purchase in Mid-July 2007, this is what you get!
O/S: Vista Home Basic 32 Bit – In my mind, Vista is still a beta product, but good luck getting one new with XP Pro, my O/S of choice until Vista patches up its issues. We have only noticed it will just stop bringing up links when you click them, so says my wife when I find her working on mine.
PC Base: ACPI x86
Hard Drive: 160GB Samsung HD160JJ/P ATA. It is partitioned for your standard C: Drive for 145.369GB, a recovery D: drive at 7.256GB and 1MB unallocated (MB’s to GB’s inexact estimate makes up for the less than 160GB)
Optical Storage: TssT corp CD/DVDW TS-H652M
Processor: 3.33GHz Intel Celeron D
Network Card: Realtek RTL 8101 Ethernet
RJ-11/RJ-14 onboard connection: PCI Soft Data Fax Modem with Smart CP.
USB 2.0 Ports: 2 on front and 2 on back.
Motherboard: 945GCT-HM (for more than what I cover, full specs can be found by Googling 945GCT-HM).
Expansion Slots: 1 PCI-E x 16, 2PCI (one used by NIC) and one PCI-E x 1 (for network card, sound, TV Tuner).
RAM: DDR2 DIMM, only two slots.
Audio: onboard, 6 Channel High Definition, Audio CODEC ALC888, 3 ports on back and front for mic, speakers and headphones.
If you found this review helpful, please feel free to visit my other Computer System/Laptop Epinion Reviews:
Apple MacBook Pro 15-INCH 2.3GHz 2GB RAM Notebook - I Rated It: 4 Stars
Dell Dimension 4700 PC Desktop - I Rated It: 4 Stars
Dell Dimension E521 PC Desktop - I Rated It: 4 Stars
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
mongomad1
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Location: Actionville, FL (Jacksonville)
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 65 members
About Me:
I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
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