HP Compaq Presario V2317 - good buy?

Hi all, my first time to buy a laptop and I'm inundated with so many brands & models to choose from! Anyway, I've tried looking for something that I know would work for me, and I've chosen the Compaq Presario V2317.

Here's the specs:

• Intel Pentium M Processor 750
• Centrino Mobile Technology
• 512Mb DDR SDRAM
• 80Gb HDD
• Integrated Bluetooth
• 6-in-1 media card reader
• DVD Writer (dual format)
• 14" WXGA display
• JBL speakers
• 2.5kg

I think it's really good, but I have my apprehensions of course since this is my first time to buy something so expensive that I want it to worth every penny I'll be paying.

This laptop is made in China, do you think that's going to be a big issue or not? How about after sales service of Compaq? Have read on some websites that they hate Compaq because of poor service.

I'm not going to use the laptop for extensive computing or something, it's going to be a home computer. I know it might sound so powerful, but I want something that's the complete package, so I won't have to upgrade every so often.

Anyway, I'm hoping to hear your insights... this would make things easier.

Thanks!

 

Well, it is a pretty good laptop for basic everyday stuff. Compaq's are solidly built for the price and I have not encountered any problems with them. Older Compaq's before their merger with HP had some quality issues but they are on par with HP.

Almost every other laptop sold in the world today is manufactured either in China or Taiwan. You will be also surprised to know that many of these brand name companies(including Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway, IBM, Toshiba) do not manufacture the laptops themselves instead they contract it out other Taiwanese/Chinese companies who build them based on the design supplied. Sometimes they themselves design the laptops and the major manufacturers only put their brand names and do the marketing.

The V2000 is a fairly powerful laptop with good battery life.

 

Check out the AMD Turion version of that notebook first. Less money (no Intel marketing tax) and 64-bit capable. The HP L2000 Special Edition is up on the HP website and the Compaq V2000z series is starting to show up in stores (Best Buy has a stripped-down version). See some of the other threads here for more on that.

 

Just keep in mind it'll get mediorce battery life.

 

Not really. With the 12 cell battery, the Turion should only get about an hour less than the Centrino flavor (6 hours for Turion, 7 hours for Centrino).

 

I wouldnt call it mediocre but it is right up there with the life that the Pentium M would give. HP uses the Turion MT 35W versions and these are very close to the life given by the P-M's. The ML(25W) versions consume less power than the P-M's(27+). These would probably give better or equivalent battery life...

Mediocre is not the right word when it gives 85 - 90% of the battery life that a Pentium M would give.

 

Nitpick: ML is the 35W version, MT is the 25W version (that doesn't appear to be shipping yet).

But yeah, battery life is pretty close, especially in normal use rather than under high CPU load. Plus the Turion is 64-bit capable, the notebooks using them cost less (no Intel marketing tax), the ATI GPU is a few times faster than Intel's GPU, etc.