Performance of the Compaq X6000

Hi everyone

I am looking at getting the compaq x6000 and was wondering how good it performs as far as display battery life games/multimedia tasks and of course how quiet it is? If anyone can give me their opinion on this notebook who owns the system, I would really appreciate it. There isn't much in reviews for this notebook and I've heard its just like the hp zd8000 down to the core.

I used to own a I9200 from dell, but sent it back after seeing the display, it was really bad (being nice [ ]

Thanks for the help.

Soon to be X6000 owner

EX Dell I9200 Owner

 

I just recently got mine as a graduation present. I would easily recommend it for as much as you get out of it for the price.

Starting with the screen I can't comment enough about it. If anything about this computer I recommend going for the higher definition screen with Brightview. The fact you have more area on your screen and can fit multiple windows without overlapping is one nice thing but when it comes to the clearity and overall color quality, I'm still in shock over how great it looks.

i'm used to typing on desktops so everytime I got on a laptop with their smaller keyboards, I would constantly mistype. This is a full-sized keyboard with the keypad which in my case I take advantage of all the time in regards to numeric inputs. There is no bobble and doesn't feel loose or anything like that. The width obviously corresponds to the 17in screen. There is less then a centimeter from the side of the unit to the keys of the keyboard. They used all the available space they could so it wouldn't have to be any wider.

I went with the ATI X600 at 256mb. It's the best you can get in a notebook from ATI. Though the NVIDA GeForce 6800 is better, it isn't "twice" as better as some of the users say it is. It's still pretty high-end and if you want the gaming performance I would back this up.

HP/Compaq support is award winning. I have dealt with them before when I need to get a driver that I couldn't find online for one of my desktops. Also when purchasing this laptop and they were great to work with.

With the battery you get just over an hour and 1/2. You can buy a second battery when you order the computer which would take you to 3 hours of battery life. This is something where you need to ask yourself if you are going to be using the battery often or just keeping it plugged in even if you move it from point A to point B. For instance, I like the fact I can take the notebook out of my room and into the living room the browse the internet. And if I stay out there for an extended amount of time, I simply plug it in but still use the wireless connection.

The heat isn't bad at all. It isn't any worse than other laptops I have used really. It just as warm but not hot. It has three fans to make sure it won't over-heat and when it's not using them at all, it's usually just using 2 of them to conserve the battery.

Regarding the hardrive, if I was to do it again, I would atleast go for the 60gb. Though I keep my laptop clean of programs and only install games when I plan to use them and unintall them when I am not playing them, 40gb is somewhat small. This is where you need to ask yourself if you'll be placing a lot of programs, music, or pictures on it that will take away that hardrive space rapidly. In my case, I'll just go out and buy an external USB hardrive.

Go for the wireless. If you haven't experienced it before you won't understand just how great it is. Very simply to setup a wireless router also if you don't already have one.

The speaker quality suprised me just as much as the display did. I was also used to a little Toshiba Satelite which really stunk on speakers. Compaq has a contract with JBL and they make some decent speakers. You aren't going to feel the bass in your chest, but if you turn it up loud it enough, you can easily hear it when your not even in the room. For instance, my room sits in the front of the house. You can easily distinguish what the singer is saying from outside when you play a music file.

Any of the processors will do. I personally went for the largest I could get at 3.4ghz because that is just me. lol

As for the RAM, I recommend the 1gb. But if you want to blaze through everything you do and want to have plenty as programs require more and more of it, opt for the 2gb.

The unit weights just over 9lbs. HP sells a stundent bundle that comes with a travel mouse, Kensington lock, and a backpack carrier which fits the the 17in widescreen unit. Definitely a good buy since they cut the price down for buying it in bulk.

More than anything, is the price. The price is pretty unbeatable for the hardware that is included in this unit. If you were to build any other with the EXACT products, the price is hard to beat unless you get some special discount because of your work or something.

I would only go the HP if you need the $400 worth of extra media software options it comes with. Otherwise they are exactly the same hardware wise. The Compaq does look better regarding it's design in my opinion with it's silver finish, but you should ask yourself what you need and what you want before considering any investment.