Compaq Presario v2000z Review (pics, specs)

May be it is the batch. Newegg does not charge you the restocking if memory is defective. Infact you can call them tell them, they will listen and wont charge you for that if you get replacement

 

It doesn't matter if you paid extra for the 2 day or the regular shipping. It seems like Compaq treats them the same. I ordered a v2000z and a V2000 (I paid for the express shipping for this Jan 16th) and ordered them 2 days apart (jan 16 / jan 18th) and the scheduled delivery dates are also 2 days apart. I should complain to CS. So guys just be aware, don't shell out the extra $10 for shipping thinking you'll receive it sooner.

 

Great review Chinna. I think you've convinced me to go ahead and order mine. This thread has been invaluable in helping me decide whether to get one or not. And with the APP discount, I get another $40 off the base.
Anyway, I have a question for you all. I see that their extended warranty is only $130 after rebate for 3 years. Do you think this is worth it? Or are these Compaqs sturdy enough to do without extended warranty?

 

BIOS flash utility should let you save your old bios. You could flash back to f20 using same utility, if you wanted to give that a try. If it doesn't give the option to save then just cancel it.

 

Warranty is for defective parts, so it does not matter laptop is sturdy or nor. As I mentioned in my review, the built is just average( similar to dell inspirons I guess).

Generally if there are any technical problems, you should be able to see those within one year(atleast that has been my experience). Generally HDD is the one that goes bad in many laptops, but for $130 you could even get 7200RPM drive or 5400RPM drive with 5 year warranty.

So it is upto you. IMHO it is not worth.

 

I installed the OCZ ram today... 2x512 and when go to see the properties from my computer it says 896mb of ram, is that normal?

 

Yes, 128MB(1024MB - 128MB=896MB) is taken over by your video card since it uses shared memory.

 

hello everyone, I'd like to buy this laptop as well, but it seems that not all wireless minicard are compatible with this model due to HP BIOS limitation.
I'd like to have a A/B/G capable minipci card with Atheros chipset. Don't care much about superG.
Where can I find more info on this?
Thank You.

 

Okay I don't really know if this msg is in the right forum. but since i have this laptop as well. so here it is:

AMD's Turion spec claims the bus speed to be 1.6 Ghz. I've read somewhere AMD's bus is only 400 Mhz max. Then cpu-z declares the bus for my V2000z to be 200Mhz. I know I must haev mixed some of those terminology up.

Same confusion for me for Intel cpu's. CPU-z tells my other laptop's bus speed is 100, or 133 Mhz, then Intel's P-M spec sheet says it's 400 or 667 Mhz :S

Could someone care to explain to me or point me to the correct forum?

Thanks

 

200MHz is your base speed. The HTT(bus - technically there is no FSB in AMD cpu's. They are replaced by HTT links) and even your cpu clock speed is derived from this base frequency. To get the frequency of the HTT you need to have a multiplier, In the Turion's case it is 4. So 200MHzX4 = 800MHz. Since the HTT links can transfer data on the crest and trough of each wave it effectively works at the same speed as a 1600MHz(200X8).

Your clock speed is also derived from this base clock generator with the help of a multiplier -> 200Mhz X 8 = 1600MHz.

Intel cpu busses are Quad data rate, so their real bus speed is only 100, 133, 166Mhz but since they are QDR, they have an effective speed of 400Mhz, 533MHz or 667Mhz.

This is just basic explanation. But I hope it answered your doubts.

 

I am not sure what is CL2.5 or CL3.0 for the memory. By the way, ... CHinna or Others, ...... can you give me or let me know does the follow RAM is good /work for this laptop. Since I already bought from Amazon.com, but still not open yet.... Many Thanks!


ACP-EP Memory 512MB PC2700 200-PIN DDR 333MHz SODIMM (PC)


Price $908.00 *
instant savings $100.00
mail-in rebate $50.00
price after rebate $758.00 - 3% Cash Back

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
Processor AMD Turion(TM) 64 ML-37 (2.0GHz/1MB L2 Cache)
Display FREE Upgrade to 14.0 WXGA BrightView Widescreen!
Graphics Card ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M w/productivity ports
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM (1x256MB)
Hard Drive 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM/SpeedBooster(TM)
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money

I bought Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM from Amazon for $52.99 - $50(Gift Certificate) = $2.99 with free shipping.................8^)

 

It should work fine along with current 256MB memory. Both are DDR333 memory and should be fine.

 

I think I may return existing PC2700(333MZ) 512 back to amazon and reorder the new one PC3200(400MZ) 512 instead. I know even the existing 256 ram which comes wth the laptop only run 333MZ.

So that 256(333MZ) + 512(400MZ)

After reviewing this thread & your Valuable contribution to us, I may order another NEW PC3200-512(400MZ) when with any promotion & rebate coming up.

So that 512(400MZ) + 512(400MZ)

I think it will give me better perfomance when I am doing the programming/ play around the video editing.

BY THE WAY, .... Chinna, ...... do you know the speed for Processor AMD Turion(TM) 64 ML-37 (2.0GHz/1MB L2 Cache) will equivalent to what level of Desktop performance ...... like Pen 2.8 or ....?

Thanks
OWen

 

Roughly 3.0 - 3.2GHz Pentium4. In some apps it might be a little slower/faster, depending on how the application makes use of the cpu.

 

Yes, that is right. It is approx equivalent to Athlon64 3200+. If you see the bench marks it is in line with 3200+ for almost all benches.

In comparision to P4 average it is equivalent to P4 3.2, some faster and some slower than P4 3.2. Especially in Video encoding in lags behind P4( as is the case with Athlon64 3200+).

 

I got the $39.99 512M deal from bestbuy last week, and then pricematched another one from staples. I am thinking about returning one of them. There are only two memory slots in v2000z, right?

 

I just recently bought the v2000z
Turion 64 ML-37 CPU
2x512 DDR400 (128 for G Card of Course) (self installed)
80 GB 5400 HDD 5400 RPM
6-Cell


This computer is a really good choice, and for the most part I purchased it due to Chinna N's great review. I continuously read thru the forums for new things about this notebook, and one of the things i was curious about was extending battery life.

Im sort of afraid to "undervolt" (Im not that tech savvy) the processor, and wanted to know if there were any other fixes a person could do to extend bat. life (without buying the bulky 12 cell)
The setting for the computer is already on "Minimal Battery" but I am not entirely sure what that does. It could be simply just turning off the disks and monitor early, not really extending usable power.
I sort of fumble around with settings and see what works, nothing too crazy just brightness levels, some basic options, but nothing dramatic has been noticed.
If you have any ideas I am open to suggestion! (and im still looking for a more basic outline of how to undervolt, it still seems a little crazy for me!)

Gratsi

 

Does one know if the HP W500 minipci wireless network card with support for A/B/G will work on the V2000Z?
Thank You.

 

Yes, it has 2 memory slots( as with most laptops, expect few with 1 slot).

 

you know what I think?

 

This is snapshots of RMClock 2.0 Interface.
Gives idea on how to use, as it added new tree menu on left side, it is confusing many users.

First you have to select

Management and Profiles -->(on leftside) and select AC Power Profile and Battery Profile on Right dropdowns.

Now, Expand the " Management and Profiles" Tree,
You see, No Management, Power Saving, Maximal Performance, Performance On Demand.


Select Power Saving, you will see two tabs, one for AC and one for Battery.

Now, check use P-State Transtions, and right click on text area, select ADD, then select Lowest FID and stable known voltage for that FID( same for both AC and Battery). And it only let you select one P-State for Power Saving,


Now, Select Maximal Performance, it is exactly same as Power Saving, but it is meant for selecting Max performance, so you select Max FID you want for AC and Battery. NOTE: You may want to select lower than Max FID in Battery tabs. This also let you select only one P-State.


Now, Select Performance On Demand. This is the one we want mostly. Repeat the same procedure as above to ass P-States, but the difference is you can add as many P-state you want under each tab( AC and Battery) . So for example, when Performance on Demand is selected in Main Management and Profiles left menu, you many want to run max only 6x FID when on battery, you could do that.
This one let you select you Multiple P-States.

In the essence, you can set different P-States for each AC and Battery under each Power Profiles( Like Power On Demand, Maximal, and Power Saving) Though only Power On Demand allows you to use multiple P-States( as name implies Power On Demand).

 

Chinna ....... You are the man and thanks for your sharing. By the way, my laptop is in my home now......

 

Chinna: is it all PC2700 (333MZ) 200-pin memory is either CL2.5 or CL3.0 .... Since the one that I bought from without mention any CL specification. If it is no CL, will it be a problems sticking with the existing memory (256) that come with the Z2000.

Because I am not quiet sure what is the benefit for CL (CAS Latency)?

ACP-EP Memory 512MB PC2700 200-PIN DDR 333MHz SODIMM (PC)

 

I order the V2000Z with AMD Turion(TM) 64 ML-37 (2.0GHz/1MB L2 Cache). Do anyone can explain why if I click on the System icon from Control Panel, the speed ONLY show 758GHz. It is right ..... ? Or something I can set in the BIOS adjust it back to the normal.

 

That's windows! Go to "control panel" click on "power option" and switch to "presentation".
I'll see that the CPU will stay at max speed all the time!!!

 

melopll .... Thanks GOt It!

 

YAY, RAM that finally works.

On my previous post, I mentioned ordering some faulty OCZ ram ( OCZ400512VSO ) from newegg. Yes they were still faulty. But I managed to get another set as a replacement from newegg.

Im glad to say they are compatible inspite of what the OCZ website memory configurator says

Though this experience has left me skeptical with the integrity of OCZ products (as this is my first OCZ purchase).
2/4 SODIMMs success rate. :|

Already, I have noticed some improvement on my laptop. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

 

@ owen, You welcome

@ strider. OCZ became famous because of marketing, but there are company that produce better products, it is just that they are harder to find, like mushkin, patriot and g.skill to name few.
With OCZ there is also the exclusivity factor which plays an important role.... they have so many different models with so many different memory chips that is very difficult to find a friend with the same mem same chips and same speed.
This exclusivity factor makes the mem more valuable and attractive than others, but this doesn't mean that the mem is actually better.... sure they offer lifetime warranty, the question is: how many people have RMA OCZ's mem? More that You could expect.

 

Using almost a week, .... I like this laptop, specially, nice brite screen, good Altec Speaker & easy typing (Big key) keyboard.

 

Are you undervolting? If yes, it should stay at 758mhz. If you have RMclock loaded your power scheme has to be Always on for 1.8 version and the seperate Rmclock powerscheme for 2.0version

 

Finally ordered my new v2000z!! I have a question for j0hn00. I saw that you ordered one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834998612

Is that Sumdex sleeve working out for you??

I need a sleeve that will do a good job of protecting my laptop while it's in my backpack. I was also considering the Tom Bihn Monolith, but the proper size isn't coming out until late March. Also considering this:

http://www.kelty.com/Kelty/index.cfm?fuseaction=Packs.ShowProduct&type=pack&ID=226

Any opinions & help highly appreciated!!

 

Does anyone have the BIOS unlock for V2000z? I want to change the broadcom b/g wireless card to Atheros abg card with superG and eXtended Range. BUt right nwo the BIOS is locked to that particular broadcom b/g card. Thanks.

 

Did you try with Atheros and it did not work? or you are just guessing it would not work?

 

so i put the Atheros 5006XS card in, it boots to BIOS, then says "Unrecognized wireless card". I know the card itself work, because it worked in IBM T42, whoes BIOS was unlocked.

 

What happend after going to windows? Did it show up in device manager? if so did it take the drive for it?

 

sorry i didn't explain myself clearly. so after putting in atheros mini pci card. the BIOS stops at the error message about the unrecongnized wireless card. and it asks to replace the card and restart. so basically, the computer would not go through the entire bios (the windows XP loading screen never comes up).

 

What bios version do you have now?

 

The Sumdex sleeve was fine, but I thought that it felt a bit cheap. I originally bought it so that I could stick it in a messenger bag. But with all the crap I carry, I ended up getting a backpack. The Sumdex sleeve wouldn't fit in the padded compartment of the Victorinox Oxford that I got. So, I bought a Tom Bihn Soft Cell, which fits perfectly and does a great job.

 

i have the latest version, f.13. I talked to hp tech support, they told me it's impossible to unlock compaq bios. i don't knwo if that's really true or they just don't want ppl to unlock their bios. anyway... i think i'll stick with broadcom for now.

 

First post, so thanks to chinna_n for an amazing review which influenced my decision to buy one. I bought 2 x 512 MB OCZ memory from newegg and like Strider70, neither worked. In fact, I could never even boot up Windows--either Windows system file corruption errors or blue screens. BIOS did recognize the RAM though. Returned both and still no luck with the new batch. My notebook came with F.22 version of BIOS and I flashed the currently posted F.23 version; tried the defaults, still no difference. Since it won't even boot up Windows, I can't give you any CPUz snapshots with the faulty RAM, only a snapshot with the original OEM 256 stick, shown below. I haven't tried Memtest86 and Prime95 yet, but in the meantime, perhaps you kind folks could offer up a suggestion or two? Thanks in advance.

CPU-Z version 1.32
CPU(s)
Number of CPUs 1

Name AMD Turion 64 ML-37
Code Name Lancaster
Specification AMD Turion(tm) 64 Mobile Technology ML-37
Family / Model / Stepping F 4 2
Extended Family / Model F 24
Brand ID 10
Package Socket 754
Core Stepping SH8-E5
Technology 90 nm
Supported Instructions Sets MMX, Extended MMX, 3DNow!, Extended 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, x86-64
CPU Clock Speed 797.3 MHz
Clock multiplier x 4.0
Front Side Bus Frequency 199.3 MHz
L1 Data Cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L1 Instruction Cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L2 Cache 1024 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64 Bytes line size
L2 Speed 797.3 MHz (Full)
L2 Location On Chip
L2 Data Prefetch Logic yes
L2 Bus Width 128 bits

Mainboard and chipset
Motherboard manufacturer Quanta
Motherboard model 3093, 47.0F
BIOS vendor Hewlett-Packard
BIOS revision F.23
BIOS release date 02/06/2006
Chipset ATI RS480 rev. 10
Southbridge ATI SB400 rev. 80
Sensor chip FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF

Memory
DRAM Type DDR-SDRAM
DRAM Size 256 MBytes
DRAM Frequency 159.5 MHz
FSB RAM CPU/5
CAS# Latency 2.5 clocks
RAS# to CAS# 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge 3 clocks
Cycle Time (TRAS) 7 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (TRC) 10 clocks
DRAM Idle Timer 16 clocks
# of memory modules 1
Module 0 MOSEL DDR-SDRAM PC2700 - 256 MBytes

Software
Windows version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX version 9.0c

 

Can you try to MIX 256MB DDR333 and one OCZ stick and see if it works. I am wondering if Lappie has some issues.

Also run some Memtest and Prime95 tests with OEM RAM to see if it is problem with RAM or MB.

 

thanks for the suggestion. mixing OEM (Mosel) 256 MB and OCZ 512 MB works! Ran memtest86+ version 1.65 and no apparent problems when OEM RAM is in or in mixed. So it seems that the OCZ RAM is ok but why cant it work alone without the OEM there?

CPUz with mixed RAM types:
Memory
DRAM Type DDR-SDRAM
DRAM Size 768 MBytes
DRAM Frequency 159.5 MHz
FSB RAM CPU/5
CAS# Latency 2.5 clocks
RAS# to CAS# 4 clocks
RAS# Precharge 4 clocks
Cycle Time (TRAS) 7 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (TRC) 10 clocks
DRAM Idle Timer 16 clocks
# of memory modules 2
Module 0 MOSEL DDR-SDRAM PC2700 - 256 MBytes
Module 1 OCZ DDR-SDRAM PC3200 - 512 MBytes

 

I've had my V2000z for about 2 months (ML-37)...my girlfriend also has one (ML-28).

I'm pretty happy with how mine works with "normal" power management (I have the 12-cell), but my girlfriend's computer goes into "crazy fan mode" rather a lot. I was thinking or playing with some of the settings. Are there "recomended settings" for the ML-37? I've found lists of settings for the ML-28, which I guess it a bit more common.

I was thinking of swapping to MT-40's on both machines. How difficult is this? My previous laptop was an HP ZE 4300, and when I tried to replace the CPU, I ended up breaking the CPU socket...it was a pain to disengage the CPU. Have they made the CPU socket any easier to pop open? Is the only problem associated with this swap a non-working Microsoft power management (that can be replaced with RMclock?)

Also, I've read somewhere (can't find the link again) that you can actually clock the ML-37 up to 10X without problems....for max performance, how much can the CPU typically handle?

If anyone is interested, I recenty ordered a V4000 for someone and swapped the 120gig 4200 PRM drive out of it. The power draw on this drive is HALF of the V2000z drives. Also, I was able to swap the DVD drive from the V4000. I ALWAYS had problems with my DVD drive. When using no-brand DVD's the drive would only recognize them at 2X and even though the DVD software reported "successful" burns all I even managed to make were coasters. Same goes for DVD-DL's. The drive from the V4000 works just fine, so yes, you CAN swap the drive, all you have to do is re-use the metal bracket on the back of the drive, and swap the faceplates (the ARE removable, you just have to be careful).

My battery life (with screen up to full brightness) lasts about 4 hours, but I read that someone with a swapped MT-40 was getting close to 8 hours (!!!) WOW.

 

I know this is from a while ago, but the "ghost" partition you're referring to (about 8 MB) is reserved by Windows XP for Dynamic Disks. Most of the time, even if you "remove" this partition, XP will put it back. And if you DO manage to really get rid of it by deleting it, and expanding your partition to take up the space, you will NOT be able to convert that volume to a dynamic disc. However, there is VERY little reason to convert your laptop HD to a dynamic disc, since all the reasons for doing so have to do with being able to span partitions across multiple drives. The ONLY way this could be useful, is if you buy an adaptor that lets you install a second hard drive into your CDROM slot. Then you could create a striped disk set and speed up your hard drive performance...but WAY more trouble than its worth on a laptop.

 

If you see when you mixed OEM DDR333 RAM with OCZ then everything runs at DDR333 speed instead of DDR400. Since OCZ is running at lower speed it is not problematic I guess. Either your MB is no giving enough voltage to OCZ to run at DDR400 speed, or someother issue.

Did you try single OCZ stick each time and see if it is a problem with two OCZ sticks?

If not try Corsair(which I have). Latency is little slower on this one at CAS3, bit chances are it is more compatible.

Anyways, let us know the outcome.

 

Would a slim DVD writer fit in the V2000z?

 

Most slim drives will fit, but you have to take out rear bracket from OEM drive and fit it on new one.

But remember face plate, you may not be able to fit. So, it will not be in level that side of the laptop. There would not be a functional problems, but that may not look great.

Chances are only few Toshiba models have those locking tabs to fit original face plate that came with OEM drive.

 

To gcat8888

Yeah, fortunately for me my second batch of OCZ ddr400 DIMMs do work, but are unstable. The new batch boots up fine. I get the blue screen at random times during use.

For example, I can play counter-strike for hrs straight with no problems.
Ive even tried other software (mostly games) that stress the ram, and has worked fine. But simple stuff like internet use and mundane stuff can give me the blue screen and forced restart.

Probability of blue screen and restart during laptop use is 1/15. Keep in mind that my laptop has been on for at least 1 hour and for random uses.

This is my first and last product I'll purchase from OCZ. Perhaps I should have bought the OCZ ddr333 instead...

 

to: chinna n

I need some quick advice, and you seem like you would be able to help me out. I have an hp pavilion a350y, that despite being 3 yrs. old, is in very good shape and still seems very competitive for light gaming and my other college needs. In 3 weeks I am traveling to Germany to study abroad for 5 months and need a laptop to take with me. I dont need a supercomputer, but at the same time I dont want to be obsolete by the time i get back. I found a compaq v2000z at Office Depot at a good deal. Here are the specs:

AMD Turion 64 ML-32
14.0 WXGA Widescreen
512 MB Memory (2x256MB)
Microsoft Windows XP Home w/SP2
40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 M w/ productivity ports
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

The cost is only $599.00 after rebates and it includes a decent hp all-in-one printer for free. Finally my main question...

Here are some available upgrades and corresponding costs. Which are really worth it, considering my main needs are school work, watching DVDs, and perhaps some gaming if it can handle it, such as Counterstrike: Source???

AMD Turion 64 ML-34 +$24.95 Will doubling up to the 1mb of L2 cache really help me out that much?

14.0 WXGA Brightview Widescreen (same resolution) +$25.95

60 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive +$24.95 Do I need the extra 20GB? Once I get back, I have 120 GB to store things on my desktop HD.

DVD +/-R/RW Drive - Double Layer +50.95 I have a DVD burner in my desktop, is it worth $50 for the double layer burner?

I really appreciate any advice you could give me on these topics, as well as any additional upgrades you think might be necessary, or that I should leave room for. I hope this is as good a deal as I hope it is!

 

ML-32 is fine for what you will be using, but for $25 ML-34 is tempting and worth( if you want to keep the price down, leave it).

BrightView-- That is very subjective, some people really like it, some hate it. I like it for DVD viewing and Photo viewing, but for development and browsing I did not like the glare. You can leave it if you want to keep the cost down.

60GB-4200RPM drive. I would say no. If offered I would get a 5400RPM drive, not 4200RPM drive. I would pass.

DVD+/-RW upgrade is good price, but if you do not need for sure, you can skip it. Price is good though, because if you want to upgrade later, it will cost you fortune.( Other NEC, Pioneer drives fit, but face plate does not match). So if you think you will need it future, just take it.

About the games, I have no idea. There is another thread about what 200M can handle.( it is better than my MX440 8x 64MB dedicated, Radeon 7500 dedicated, and even GeForce Go F5100/5200). So, that gives you a relative idea.