Questions before getting the r3000z

I am concidering the Compaq r3000z notebook but I have some questions first.

1. Is it possible to change the CPU to the LV mobile Athlon 64 2800+ (35W max) instead?

2. After recieving the notebook, what kind of battery conditioning shoud I do? Is there an option for this in the bios?

3. What memmory should I get? I was planing on ordering it with the 256MB stick and then myself get either two 512MB sticks for a total of 1024MB or one 1GB stick for a total of 1.25GB. What brands will work and is it possible to mix diffrent sized memmory sticks like 256MB and 1GB? Is the 256MB stick under the keyboard and the user accessible memmory slot empty if ordered with 256MB? What brands will work?

4. Also I'm leaning towards the WVA WUXGA (1920x1200) screen. Is it sharp? This resolution is OK with me aslong as the screen is sharp enough. The price seams so low for this option so I feel have to ask first. Anyone else has this screen and can confirm if it is a good or bad chocie?

5. Will older games (DirectX8.0 and less) like Age Of Mythology, Warcraft III, Rise Of Nations, Neverwinter nights, Black & White etc play ok on this notebook in UXGA resolution? I read someone played DOOM III successfully at 800x600 with this notebook. I don't really care about new FPS games though, I have the XBOX for that, but I miss strategy games pretty bad since I got rid of my desktop and hoping this notebook could take care of that.

6. What program are best to use for testing the stabillity/memmory?

7. Also what rebates are available with HP? I can only find the $30 cash back.

Anything else I should think about before ordering or any other helpfull tips and thought regarding the r3000z is appriciated.

Thanks.

 

This sounds familiar...
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1. I don't think you'll be able to change the CPU to a LV model. I believe the unit's designed for a specific voltage/wattage and therefore it may not be compatible. (Guessing)

2. Yes, the system should have a Battery Conditioning option in the BIOS. From what I was told by HP support, fully charge and deplete the battery a few times or use the BIOS. This should do the job.

3. It depends on what your needs are for memory. if you're planning to upgrade right after you get your system, then get the least amount of memory and buy your own afterwards, it's cheaper. The 2 different sized modules should work fine together, just check to make sure the CAS speed is the same. Yes, the module is normally under the keyboard, but it's easily accessable by just removing a couple screws. Check out Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, but most ram should work fine.

4. the WUXGA screens are very sharp. If you've never seen any UXGA screens before, you must be aware that the fonts will be VERY small. The higher the resolution, the smaller the fonts (everything for that matter), but you get a lot more windows desktop real estate. Go to a store and checkout the UXGA screens on an LCD monitor or on a different notebook just so you can judge for yourself.

5. Yes, your older DirectX 8.0 games will play fine on the system, but most games may not be able to hit that resolution. If that is the case, you can play at whatever the max res of the game is.

6. There's a program called RamTest that is good to make sure your ram is working properly. I don't know of any specific programs to test the stability, but you can do a search in Google for burn-in programs. This will run tests on your system for X number of hours to make sure that the components will last.

7. Check the Notebook & Tech Bargains forum on this site for any rebates, etc....

-Vb-