Compaq Presario 1525US Laptop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive)

by Compaq

Product Details

Product Manual [7.48mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 10.5 x 1.5 inches ; 7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006LU7E
• Item model number: 470046-473
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 13, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

If nothing but the ultimate performance and features will do in your next portable computer, shop no further than the Compaq Presario 1525US notebook PC.

A 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor glides through a wide range of productivity applications, games, DVDs, and digital music. A built-in combination DVD/CD-RW drive and a 15-inch TFT SXGA+ display let you enjoy movies in crisp, sharp style. The combo drive also makes it easy to listen to and create music CDs, and they sound great through the notebook’s integrated JBL Pro Performance Audio with Bass Reflex speakers.

A 40 GB hard drive provides roomy storage for data and music downloads, while 512 MB of memory--expandable to 1 GB--plus 512 KB of on-chip L2 cache run multiple applications with ease. An ATI Radeon IGP integrated graphics card and 32 MB of dedicated video memory deliver high-resolution images of up to 1,280 x 1,024 on the integrated 15-inch display or up to 1,600 x 1,200 noninterlaced on an external monitor.

The 1.5-by-12.9-by-10.5-inch, 7-pound notebook includes an integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet port and integrated 56K V.92 PCI modem. Expansion slots include one Type I/II PC Card slot with support for a 32-bit CardBus. The 1525US also includes two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire digital video port, a parallel SPP/ECP interface (DB25 connector), a port replicator connector, a PS2 mouse or keyboard port, an RJ-45 Ethernet jack and RJ-11 modem jack, an S-video TV-out port, and an external VGA monitor port.

Installed software includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Works 6.0, Microsoft Money 2001, Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe Encyclopedia (one-year subscription), InterVideo WinDVD, and Norton AntiVirus 2002 on CD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in this price range, December 28, 2002

By 

Dave (Portland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Compaq Presario 1525US Laptop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

There are two very comparable notebooks close enough in price to call a tie: the Compaq Presario 1525US and the Toshiba Satellite 1905-S303. On paper they look very similar: 2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, 15 screen, ATI Radeon graphics chipset (AKA M6-P). However a closer look gives the Compaq a slight edge.

Screen: Both 15 but the Toshiba is 1024-by-768 pixels while the 1280-by-1024 pixels. To your eyes the Compaq will be sharper because there are more and smaller dots on the screen. This matters a lot more than you might think (the Compaq is much easier on the eyes).

Weight: The Toshiba is 8.3 pounds, while the Compaq is 7.0 pounds. While neither is a lightweight, you will notice that extra 1.3 pounds if you carry your notebook around a lot.

On other issues they are pretty much the same: great for any use other than high-end 3D games (very few notebooks are).

Both are a little power hungry and dont have the best battery life (2-3 hours of good use). For more than that you need to spend a bit more on a notebook using a true P4-M processor (hands down the best notebook CPU ever made but it cost more). However these are very powerful mobile desktops that work great for those who have their notebooks plugged in most places they go. These machines will handle high-end computing tasks for many years to come, but the Compaq wins by virtue of its superior display.

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost great., November 10, 2002

By 

Rheumor (New Orelans) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Compaq Presario 1525US Laptop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

The HP 1500 series is similar to the 900 series, though this higher end line uses the far superior Intel Pentium 4 chip as its CPU. The 1525 looks great, though it weighs in a little heavy at 7 lbs. The HP genes are apparent in its design and the result is pleasing. The CPU is an awe-inspiring 2.4 GHz P4, capable of more multi-tasking and graphics intense applications than most users will ever have a need for. The system memory is provided by a very fast 512 megs of DDRAM, easily doubled with another 512 slice. The hard drive is a generous 40 gigs. A DVD/CD-R/W combination drive is included. All the Compaq's connections are in the right place, though missing throughout the entire 15xx line is any USB 2.0 port. However, there are FireWire ports available, and these are quite fast for peripherals that are IEEE-1394 compliant (though it appears that USB 2.0 will be the winning technology in the high-speed peripheral connection protocol battle). The video card is an adequate ATI 32 megs (unfortunately, this is shared memory, not dedicated to video alone) driving a very sharp 15" active matrix display. (I am a fan of ATI graphics cards because they have been quite reliable over the long haul and because upgrading them from ATI's nice website is a snap. However, this machine should have been given 32 or 64 megs of *dedicated* video RAM) Overall, this is a very good machine that would be a great machine were it equipped with onboard USB 2.0 ports, a little beefier video memory, and were it to weight a pound or so less. Nonetheless, it's a winner made by a company that looks like it's here to stay.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DESKTOP replacement, January 29, 2003

By 

"kaitai99" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario 1525US Laptop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

I've had this mobile laptop for one month and two weeks now. I've traveled overseas during that time without running in to any major problems. This laptop weights around 7.0 lbs, which is not light if you ultimately have to do a lot of walking... so be ready to shop for a nice carrying case. My carrying case is a multi-function style design where I can hoist it on my shoulder or flip out the backstrap and turn into a backpack.

There were other laptops that I compared to this one and the only one under (at the time) US$2,000.00 was the Toshiba Satellite 1905-S303. My cost through special pricing and company connection resulted with the Presario 1525us to be cheaper than the lesser featured 1905-S303. Brand name recognition-wise, Toshiba has Compaq beat hands down. The features that Compaq 1525us has over the 1905-S303 is a bit more superior. Both laptops are made in China.

Main differences between Compaq Presario 1525us and Toshiba 1905-S303:

1) Compaq - 7.0 lbs, Toshiba - 8.2 (approximately)
2) Compaq - USB 2.0, Toshiba - USB 1.1
3) Compaq - 512 DDR SDRAM, Toshiba - 512 SDRAM
4) Compaq - 32mb DEDICATED ATI 7500 graphics chip
Toshiba- 32mb ATI M6 graphics chip
5) Compaq - SXGA 15" screen, Toshiba - XGA 15" screen
6) Compaq - Max res: 1400x1050, Toshiba - 1024x768
7) Compaq - JBL Pro speakers, Toshiba - not sure

Pros and cons:
Toshiba has a very sensitive touchpad, which Compaq's touchpad is grooved that makes it more difficult to accidentally touch. Compaq's resolution under 1400x1050 is fuzzy. The keyboard keys are manufactured better. The air exits the rear of the laptop, Toshiba's air exits UNDERNEATH the laptop... you essentially can't put the laptop on your lap. Compaq's laptop was easy to find a carrying case for, that was not the case for the Toshiba 1905-S303's bulky, extra-thick design. Compaq does come with a 3-prong power cord, while the Toshiba comes with the more common 2-prong cord. I prefer 3-prongs because it offers you grounding, but going overseas or some places do not offer the 3-prong outlets ... so I have to use an adapter. Only one PC Card slot, but I only use it for wireless connection so I don't need an extra slot anyways. I would prefer XP Professional as pre-installed OS, but it only comes with XP Home Edition.

This Compaq Presario 1525us mobile "desktop" uses the "desktop" version Pentium 4 microprocessor. This means that you will not get the 4 hours+ usage time without hooking it up to a power cord. Maximum time on a single battery will probably be around 2.5 hours, even less if you watch DVD movies. Someone mentioned how the speed is decreased, but that is not true. The speed for this processor is not decreased as it is not designed to do so like the true mobile-version processors that are available now.

With that being said, this laptop really can replace a desktop easily. The system is fast, but I haven't ran any games on it to test out. I mainly use this laptop for communication purpose (e-mail, web browsing, MSN, ICQ, YAHOO, AOL, etc), graphics design and programming. I have watched DVD movies on it and I have to admit the graphics is fantastic. The JBL outputs very good quality sound for something that is built-in. The DVD/CD combo has been great, burning CDs have been easy without running into any problems. I have not experienced any dead pixel on the screen. Around the house, this laptop is very mobile and combined into a wireless network makes it extremely convenient to use around the house. Overall, this notebook is very nice and suits my daily activity perfectly. For the price, you really get a great deal of latest features and components (ATI, DDR memory, P4 2.4ghz CPU, 15" SXGA, USB 2.0), I'm just lacking an extra battery.... Oh, my laptop came with a free HP mobile mouse (smaller mouse than normal for portability) and I love using it when I'm stationed.