Compaq Presario B1916TU

I have been looking for an ultra-portable laptop to replace my rarely-used desktop for the last few weeks. Today I was strolling past Abacus in the city and I noticed this little number, the Compaq Presario B1916TU, a 12.1" widescreen laptop.

Unfortunatly I have been searching the internet and have not yet located some of the information I was after, so if anyone has access to one of these your assitance would be greatly appreciated.

1- What Intel Chipset does it use? (ie 945GM?)
2- Is the unit/motherboard capable of running a Duo 2 Core CPU, which runs at 667mhz FSB as apposed to the current CPU which only runs at 533mhz?
3- I'm assuming if it can take 667mhz CPU's, it can also handle 667mhz RAM chips?
4- What components are accessible through panels on the bottom of the unit?

At only $1999AU retail, it is looking like a very attractive package to me, but any advice/comments are appreciated.

http://h50190.www5.hp.com/Store/storeModelDetail.asp?modelid=1702&familyid=407



Compaq Presario B1916TU Notebook PC
Specifications
Operating system: Genuine Windows XP Professional
Processor: Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2250 (1.73GHz) 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz Front Side Bus (FSB)
Hard drive: 80GB 5400RPM
Graphics: ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M
Maximum memory: Upgradeable to 2GB
Standard memory: 1024MB DDR2 533 (2 Dimms)
Audio: Stereo speakers
Battery: 4-cell Li-Ion
Cache: 2MB Level-2 Cache
Modem: High speed 56K modem
Network: Integrated 10/100 LAN, Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11 a/b/g WLAN, integrated Bluetooth
Display: 12.1" High-Definition BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Optical drive: Super Multi 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support
I/O interfaces: 3 USB 2.0, VGA, IEEE 1394, RJ-11 / Modem, RJ-45 / Ethernet, 1 Headphone jack, 1 Microphone jack, SPDIF (supported via adapter connected through headphone out), S-Video Output, AC Adaptor
Dimensions: 28.7 x 22.38 x 2.8-3.4cm
Weight: 1.79kg with 4-cell battery & Optical Drive
PC card slots: ExpressCard/54 slot (supports both 34 and 54 form factors)
Media Reader: Integrated 4-in-1 digital memory reader slot (SD, MMC, MS, MS-PRO)

 

1. The laptop does not use an Intel chipset. It is based on ATi 200m chipset and ATi X200 integrated graphics.

2. It should. I did some digging around and found that they have a BIOS update for the laptop which adds support to two Core 2 Duo(merom) processors(T5500/T5600)...
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...oduct=3255503&lang=en&softwareitem=ob-43114-1

3. It probably should but couldnt find any solid info. In any case the difference between 533MHz memory & 667MHz memory is minimal due to the fact that 667MHz memory tend to have higher latencies which makes the increase in clock speed less significant.

4. No idea, since the B series is only sold in the Asia Pacific region & a few other places. But usually the hard drive & RAM(depends some have RAM slots located underneath the keyboard). If you want to access other components you will probably have to disassemble the notebook.

 

If they have added support for Core 2 Duo, then they'll probably issue a new Bxxxx model with that CPU (Asia only of course).
Manual upgrade will void the warranty, plus you are not sure whether the cooling system can take a faster CPU.

 

Ahh excellent thanks! Well it looks like it can handle the new Intel Duo 2 Core CPU's (at least with a firmware upgrade). I have sent HP an email requesting the rest of the information (what ram it can handle and what components are accessible via the bottom panels).

 

Would someone with this laptop be so kind as to write us a review on it? Some further details then those I can scrap together around various web pages would be great, such as actual battery life and build quality of the unit!

 

I have just purchased this notebook as a second notebook. I know it is not as small as other ultraportables, (such as my Portege R100), but I believe that HP has struck the right balance between portability and performance. The ClearBrite widescreen is great, and its easy to stick 2gig of memory in it too. I got mine and the first thing i did to it was I upgrded the HDD to a 7200 RPM Seagate. Now the laptop is blazing fast. As a professional photographer is use it to run Photoshop CS2 and it is quite quick. The built in Bluetooth is also very handy. It has the Firewire also and three USB 2.0 ports. I feel that the build quality is fairly good, and the overall design is also attractive. Battery life is good, and it does'nt seem to run all that hot either. I would recommend it to somebody who is looking for a powerful and relatively lightweight notebook solution.

 

Thanks for the quick review

 

Yep, got this laptop last February, 2007, small but functional. My only complaint is its battery. When using wifi, its juice rans out after 1:20 mins.. Right now, just ordered for a 6 cell battery, hoping it can go for 3 hrs..

 

Look out for the latest refresh of this notebook (I think anyway).
Its retail is NZ$2k+GST but the site I'm looking at has it for NZ$1716+GST.
Model number is B1201TU and guess something similar should be available in Aus.
Specs:
PI DATE : JUNE 07(NZ)
PROC : Intel Core2 Duo Processor T5450 1.66 GHz 2 MB L2 Cache
667 MHz FSB
MEM : 2024MB DDR2 memory STORAGE : 160GB 5400RPM HDD
OPTICAL DRIVE : Super Multi 8X DVDRW with Double Layer Support
DISPLAY : 12.1" WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen Display
COMM : Integrated 10/100 LAN 802.11a/b/g WLAN Bluetooth
High speed 56K modem
OS : Windows Vista Business;SLOTS : ExpressCard/54 slot
MEDIA READER : Integrated 4-in-1 digital memory reader slot PORTS : 3 x USB 2.0 1 x VGA 1 x IEEE 1394 1 x RJ-11 1 x RJ-45
1 x Headphone jack 1 x Microphone jack
BATTERY : 4-cell Li-ion battery
DIMENSIONS : 287 x 223.8 x 34 mm; WEIGHT : 1.79kg
Microsoft Works 8.5
Roxio Creator Basic
Muvee AutoProducer Basic Edition (with 20 Day Trial Full version)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 7
Symantec Norton Anti-Virus (60 days live update)
Symantec Norton Internet Security (60 days live update)
Compaq DVD Play
HP Games by Oberon Media
HP PhotoSmart Premier
SoftThink HDD Recovery
Microsoft Office 2007 Home/Student (60 day Trial)

Availabilty in NZ is not until 4th August though.

Edit: Wouldn't have a clue what chipset it will use. There's no indication of graphics.

 

They should have upgraded the battery to 6 cells...