Compaq Presario 2545US Laptop (2.40-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

by Compaq

Product Details

Product Manual [6.54mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008X3SD
• Item model number: DC970A#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,182 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 4, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Just as powerful as most models in Compaq’s upscale 3000US series of notebook computers but featuring a marginally smaller viewing screen and slightly reduced weight, the Compaq Presario 2545US Notebook is a great trade-off for those who require speed, portability and wireless connectivity but wish to avoid a case of sticker shock.

Considering today’s rapidly evolving standards of micro-miniaturization, the Presario 2545US is average sized at 12.96 by 10.72 by 1.79 inches and 7.5 lbs. It is, however, speedier than the notebook norm. Incorporating a powerful 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512 KB of Level 2 cache, 512 MB RAM (expandable to 1024 MB), and an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chipset with 64 MB shared memory, the system will outperform many desktops. It should suffice for most 3-D applications too, although ultra-complex 3-D games and animation/drawing packages may exhibit frame rate slowdowns.

With the Presario 2545US, you’ll have little trouble storing and handling your data. Included in the unit is a large and accommodating 60 GB hard disk, a 3.5-inch diskette drive for older or smaller programs and quick backups, and a combination DVD/CD-RW drive for burning audio or data CDs or watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters. In its stock configuration, the system will not allow you to burn DVDs.

Compaq has equipped the Presario 2545US with several top-notch amenities, including a comfortable 15-inch XGA TFT display screen capable of 1024 by 768 resolution, a full-size 88-key keyboard with embedded numeric keypad and Touch Pad, and a high-speed IEEE 1394 port for fast data transfer to and from external peripherals such as digital camcorders. USB support comes in the form of a trio of fast USB 2.0 ports. Communication options include a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet LAN connection, an RJ-11 modem and a high-speed RJ-45 LAN networking port.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Multimedia powerhouse, slow hard drive, SXGA is too much, April 27, 2003

By 

DealHunter "Dealhunter" (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario 2545US Laptop (2.40-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I'll give the bad news first:

BAD
1)one thing they don't tell you in the general specs is that the hard drive operates at only 4200 rpm -- which is noticeably slower than my previous laptop for copying files.

2)SXGA: it sounds great to have such "HIGH RESOLUTION." However, I find this resolution to be *too high*; I'm only in my early 20's and I consider my vision to be pretty good. The text and icons are way too small for me at such high resolution. And, when you set the resolution to 1024x768, it looks quite bad. This is because the monitor is designed with the optimal resolution in mind (mine looks best at 1400x1050). However, Windows XP Pro does allow you to change some advanced settings to make things appear bigger by increasing the dpi of the screen. So, if you're comfortable playing with those settings, it's generally not so bad.

GOOD

Fast processor, plenty of USB ports, firewire is a plus. Everything seems to work, for now. Luckily I have a firewire drive with all of my multimedia content on it, which makes a big difference in the speed since the hard drive is so slow. It's definitely tolerable for the average user.

All in all, a pretty sweet machine for a reasonable price compared to other brands with similar specs.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Noisiest laptop I have ever heard, July 13, 2003

By 

"slui59" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario 2545US Laptop (2.40-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

It was very disappointing when I first got the Compaq Presario from Frys Electronics. It was extremely noisy. And this noise from the fans never turns off. Each time when I turn on the computer, I cannot wait to finish my work and turn it off to gain my peace back. However, my husband liked the fast processor and the multifuntion capabilities. Therefore, I did not return it back to the store right away. Unfortunately, when I try to burn a CD for the first time with the preinstall software, the CD writer broke. Now, it is too late to return to the store. I really regret buying it.