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10 things I like about my Compaq Presario V3000

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Ever since I got my new Compaq Presario V3000 laptop, a lot of people have been asking me for reviews about it. I thought I’d give it a couple more weeks before I’d post a more substantial feedback but I guess a Top 10 list of what I liked about it would suffice. Altec Lansing


1) It is fast! An Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.66GHz T5500 coupled with 1GB of RAM is the fastest rig I’ve ever had (desktops or laptop). I’ll spare you the details (that’s for AnandTech to work on.)

2) The built-in Altec Lansing speakers are just awesome. I’m an avid fan of Altec, having bought only that brand since I had my first PC back in college. The audio controls are simple and easy to use — mute, high and low. The sound quality and volume just rocks (ever tried playing DVD on a noisy Starbucks cafe?).

3) Built-in SD, MS, Pro, MMC and XD card readers to easily transfer files from my Ixus to the laptop in a jiffy. Wifi

4) Manual toggle to turn on and off the built-in wifi and blue-tooth devices. With Bluetooth 2.0, I can manage my N3230 with the PC Suite even if it’s tucked in my pocket.

5) Toggle to turn off the trackpad. You can lock it so it won’t respond if you accidentally touch it (rogue cursor movement). This allows you to comfortable use the keyboard un-interrupted even if your palm hits the pad while typing. Comes in handy if you’re using an external mouse.

6) 16x Dual-layer DVD Re-Writer. The store even gave me a whole stack of BenQ DVDs for free. Trackpod lock

7) A really bright 14.1″ WXGA LCD screen (1,280×800) — more display space to work on.

8) Reasonable battery life. This one is just over 3 hours (6-cell) though the store said they could get me a 12-cell battery (6 hours) for under Php8k.

9) Dual built-in microphones situated on the top lid part of the screen. Not really for high-quality podcasting but this is the first time I saw two on a laptop.

10) Elegant blank carbon finish. You’ll have to see and touch it to appreciate.

Port Of course, it doesn’t come in without any drawbacks. First, the same time that I appreciate the extra horizontal display, the added weight comes with the baggage (5.5lbs). The battery life can still be improved, but you need to shell out some more dough to get it to 6 hours. Storage is only 60GB and though I wish it were 100 or 120GB, the DVD-RW comes in handy if you want some more storage space. While it comes in with a PCI Express Card slot, the old but still trusty PCMCIA slot was booted out . And yes, I would have been more delighted if Compact Flash (CF) card reader for my Rebel XT was also supported.

All in all, IMO the Php73,500 I spent for this baby is well worth it.

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Written by
Abe Olandres

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

View all posts by Abe Olandres →

180 Comments

BU
butsoy101 · 19 years ago

shnaggy, hi, if you buy the v3525tu it has blue tooth for sure, downside slow starting because of the vista home premium, but after vista has been loaded ok na, actually its v3500 na, one of the keys of my unit was plucked out but hp in buendia replaced it for free and the whole keyboard na not just the “g” key. so ok naman ang after sales support


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SH
shnaggy · 19 years ago

hi janmiester,

my bro in dubai just told me to checkout this vista starter…it may not be compatible with ymessenger, office, flash disk, etc etc… but i really love it’s lightness. am not a heavy user though, just internet browsing, blogging, ym, email, pix storage, music, dvd…i just need a simple, light weight, and fast laptop cuz i bring it with me often.
so, would i not regret if i buy it tomorrow? hehehe…i just sold my hp ze2000 for 23k cuz it’s huge and slow. hope this is a good buy.

btw, this compaq v3000 doesn’t come with a bluetooth.


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JA
janmeister · 19 years ago

It’s not like something’s really wrong with it. I think it’s just a matter of how you intend to use the machine. Definitely not for gaming, but for general home and office use, it’s very worth the price.

Vista generally slows your machine down ’cause for one, it has lots of pre-configured settings that you don’t really need (Google “vista tweaks”). The Directx10 installed won’t allow you to play Directx9.0c games. Boo..


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SH
shnaggy · 19 years ago

hi all,

am about to buy this beauty for 37.5k. 80gb hd/ 1gb sdram/ vista starter…but i just read from all you guys that something is wrong with it? or the vista starter?…pls let me know…hu hu hu


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BU
butsoy101 · 19 years ago

I too wonder where they bought the unit at that price, market price as of today for a v3535tu is php49,950.0 and its the same price wherever you go iba iba lang ng freebies, maybe its not brand new kaya ganun ang price or slightly used


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JA
jay · 19 years ago

hi guys! i also want to buy Compaq V3525.. i saw that some of you bought the v3000 for less than 40K.. Can you advise me where to buy at a cheaper price.. Villman and PCX are selling at 54k++… tnx!!!!


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FE
feroz · 19 years ago

dude…i got mine for 31k …..and its awesome..
Amd Turion 2.2 ghz
2 gb ram
120 gb hd

but i wish my graphics was better than the given geforece go6150..
now i am gonna upgrde that ……hehehhe….without any serious consequences ofcourse …hehe


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CI
cirrhotic · 19 years ago

i got mine @ 34+++


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PR
Pretty Shopaholic Online · 19 years ago

Hi! I just got a Compaq Presario V3000 (Vista OS) a few months ago but it seems that most of the USB flash disk or usb receiver i use looks for a driver which cannot be found either in my PC or the web. Have you encountered this? I have always updated vista drivers but to no avail.

Thanks.


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JC
JC boi · 19 years ago

I think its possible to install a video card to a video card enclosure via express slot. kaso wala pa yata dito sa philippines.. ehehe


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JA
janmeister · 19 years ago

It cost me around PhP1400 to upgrade from 512 to 1GB. Google for Vista tweaks to make it run faster :) Question, is it possible to install an external video card on this laptop? And has anyone tried “downgrading” to XP?


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CO
confused · 19 years ago

I have the Presario V3431 version, 2.0 GHz but with 512mb only.. I think that’s why Vista’s not really fast here.. I’m thinking of using XP instead, but when we tried installing it, it was looking for more drivers and other sites say that it isn’t compatible with XP. What can be done?

And if there’s no way of using XP instead, is it possible to upgrade it to 1Gb perhaps? Around how much would it cost?

Thanks a lot. =D


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NK
NK · 19 years ago

I bought a presario v3000 a couple of days back. I have loaded Win XP software but the display is not clear inspite of installing all the drivers. Can any one tell me whether presario v3000 with AMD dual core will support XP


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BU
butsoy101 · 19 years ago

is vista home premium really is causing the system to slow down?


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JA
Janmeister · 19 years ago

I just bought my V3000 for only 43,000! V3000, 2.0 GHz Intel dual core. It came with Windows Vista Home Basic though. I upgraded it to 1GB RAM.

Cons:
1) Vista Home Basic :(
2) Onboard video Intel GMA not built for “heavy” gaming. It just won’t run my favorite games.


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BU
butsoy101 · 19 years ago

ei there! just bought my compaq v3525tu core 2 duo today for P54,950 0% for 12 months electroworld trinoma, with free flash drive and webcam. As a new user do you have any important info that u can share? god bless u all. Btw no installer for the vista home premium and a recovery disk was made instead c”‘)


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CC
CCC · 19 years ago

SORRY!MY v3000 AMD Turion 64*2 (1.66GH)SOUND DRIVER CAN`T WORK…CAN U TELL ME WHICH WEDSITE I NEED TO FIND,PLZ…:( THNZ


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LI
lia · 19 years ago

jevilo?
where did you buy yours?
i canvassed for like gazillion times and all i got is only as low as 42,950, that’s in php..512MB RAM/80GB HD, CEntrino Duo, Core Duo..
pls reply..


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JE
jevilo · 19 years ago

Hi! recently bought one… got it for 39,895php… it has intel dual core processor, 512 RAM, 80 GB HDD… thinking of upgrading it to 1gb ram though… my ms office 2007 eats up a lot of memory and lags the whole system…

The lappy is one good-looking unit!


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JA
Jamjam’s dad · 19 years ago

well i got mine just the other day… so sweeeeeet!
but where do i find drivers for windows xp. coz i find vista a bit funky!


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SN
sneakerboy · 19 years ago

jaye vista and shhh!! m getting he same loptop next thursday. would it be a good buy? how would you rate its general performance on 1-10 scale(10bein the highest)?


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SH
shhhh… · 19 years ago

jaye vista

yeah…mine’s 60k too..lol


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SH
shhhh… · 19 years ago

i just bought a Compaq Presario V3000 today and when i had it home..it won’t turn on even if i already charged the external power..any ideas? thanks a lot!


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JA
jasper · 19 years ago

how much did u buy that compaq presario v300?


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JA
jaye vista · 19 years ago

woah. i got mine for 60k.

its the v3525tu model. 120 gb hard disk and intel core 2 duo with 1 gb ram at 1.66.


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CH
Charlene · 19 years ago

Hi i wanted to ask… Where can I find a user’s manual guide (website) cause my mom bought her PC from her friend, which her friend bought it in China. Naturally the manuals is in Chinese. I’m trying to find where the DVD burner here. Cause I need to burn the videos i have here in the laptop and turn it into a dvd movie. Thanx hope you can help thnx


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KA
Katz · 19 years ago

Magkano na kaya yan ngayon? Need to know ‘coz I have to get a good laptop ASAP before I start with my FS.


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JE
Jeff · 19 years ago

i got this lappy less than a month ago,. i didnt realize a lot of people already has it, otherwise i wouldntve bought it :lol: as of today, i shelled out 60k for the base package + another 10k to bump up the memory to 2 gigs. mine’s got a centrino/dual-core 1.73

im satisfied with the expense, the thing is gorgeous and all that, but im looking forward to getting a macbook pro when leopard/10.5 comes around bwahahah


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CC
ccw · 19 years ago

hi, i just bought this brand’s notebook yesterday. but i wonder why the built in speaker still go on when i was connected the external speaker. how can i turn off the built in speaker when i connect to external speaker? who can help me thanks ya.


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MA
Manuel · 19 years ago

You can burn a partition or you can do what any computer user does. Before even using format the whole thing start from scratch it will run much better and u dont have all the needless crap on there tha the factory installs. All the drivers you need you can download from the HP website.


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MA
markku · 20 years ago

sirom, now you’ve got to tell us where to buy it at that price. ;)


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SI
sirom · 20 years ago

…and the good thing is i got mine for 50k. :) HUWAW!


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SI
sirom · 20 years ago

i own this laptop but yung me turion 64×2 dual core processors. :) it looks cool and works well. i got the one with the AMD processor becasue it had a better video card decent for gaming – nvidia geforce go1050 na 256MB. :)

asteg. this laptop looks better than the macbook pa nga. :) hahahaha.


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CI
Cio · 20 years ago

i bought one of those a couple of weeks ago
and i hafta say satisfied naman ako
although the one i got had only 512mb :(

im not a very heavy user din naman kasi
browsing, downloading, online games (utopia, nationstates), movies, dota and the occasional nba live hehehe


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

I keeping missing words ) I meant both laptops are good buy… 1 GB of ram is suitable kasi internal vga will eat i think half of that and will still have 512 Mb left which isnt bad hehe..


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

ah ic… i guess it is like choosing between creative mp3 players and apple’s ipod hehe.. you obviously will choose the ipod over zen because of it’s looks rather than its functionality hehe..

if i had the money i rather invest it on acer kasi masmabilis eh.. (separate vcard). But of them are good laptops.

but between ipod and zen, of course ipod hypocrite ako eh haha..


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MA
markku · 20 years ago

Abe, yes, the sad reality of buying computer hardware. :(


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AB
Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 20 years ago

@ kid

Exactly!

@ vance

Actually, the placed those 2 units side by side before I finally decided to go for the Presario. Yes, the webcam, separate video card and more disk space was obvious for Acer BUT I thought the beauty of the V3000 was enough for me to pick it over the other.

@ Markku

Yup, bumagsak ng 5k after 1 month. Pero lahat naman ng laptops bumabagsak every month lately.


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KI
kid · 20 years ago

the acer might be cheaper but it’s not as pretty as the v3000 ;)


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

I saw a better laptop than this hehe, no offense po:

acer travelmate 532 something .

Ang pagkakaalam ko about the specs which is the same as HP’s:
centrino core 2 duo 1.66 Ghz
Bluetooth
card reader
wifi
1.3 Megapixel web cam

except for this the differences:
1.) 512 MB DDR2
2.) 120 GB HD
3.) A separate VCard (Nvidia 7300 Go with 256 MB of ram or ATI Radeon VGA) this is the best part kasi hindi babagal ang system mo kasi hindi na ka share ang memory.

——————————————-
unknown:
bundled os
dvd rom drive that is included

————————————————
0% interest, 12 months to pay hehe

Price??? hehe the price is cheaper than Compaq presario V3000: P70,000


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MA
markku · 20 years ago

Abe, I was at Megamall and saw that your laptop (with 512mb) now goes for 64+++. ;)

But that’s one piece of hardware. :)


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JU
jun · 20 years ago

jp: yup, no cds and drivers included in the package. everything is on the partition. if something goes wrong you just need to restore


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

here are some sites if you want to learn about osx8:
http://www.insanelymac.com/

http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

of course it is illegal and only a few sites have an actual guide on how to install one hehe maski ako hindi ko pa alam kung paano, some articles i read was for dual booting osx and xp,


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

only problem is i don’t how to install one but a “p” version of mac osx for x86 is available on the internet (you know where it is), how to install one is the tricky part since only a few are telling how to…

here are some useful site to learn about osx x86 http://www.insanelymac.com/
http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

doing this is obviously illegal…

I saw one installed on an hp laptop on youtube


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MI
Miguel · 20 years ago

So they really said something about Macbooks and blogging?

Mac OS X has “the usual” Unix shells tools so you should be able to open a terminal window and ssh to your webhost.


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AB
Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 20 years ago

@ jaypee

You said to wait before the better ones arrive?

@ JP

Yup, do CDs, just that partition which you can also burn.

@ Migs

hahaha… I remember that interview with ABS CBN about Macbooks and blogging. I am not just a blogger though. Is there an SSH client for Mac?

@ Vance

Can we try doing that? hehhe


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VA
vance · 20 years ago

@jayvee but you can convert it to a mac if one it too, hehe… thats why it is much cheaper to buy a pc based laptop than buying a mac hehe..

btw from cnet.com it is only rated at 6.9 out of ten hehe.. and also they indcated that aside from intel’s core 2 duo processor it can also handle amd dual-core processor..

and also: The bad: Putting pressure on the case above the optical disc drive results in buzzing noise; – cnet

anyways looks good for the price.. if i’m in the market for one kahot yung intel dual core centrinos ok na sakain hehe icoconvert ko naman ito to mac eh hehe with OSX.. ooops bawala pala to,


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MI
Miguel · 20 years ago

Nice. And you have Intel Virtualization Technology there – efficient VMWare support!

But jayvee has a point… aren’t Macs more suited to probloggers?


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JP
JP Loh · 20 years ago

My dad has the same laptop. I’m curious, does this one come with the drivers and OS disc? Because my dad recieved the laptop without the CD/DVDs, there’s just a partition with an image of the OS with the drivers.

You’re allowed to burn a copy of the partition to discs though.


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JA
jayvee f. · 20 years ago

… but its not a mac!!!


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