Compaq Presario R3230US Laptop (2.80 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

by HP

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002G6W7M
• Item model number: PF135UA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 14, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A true powerhouse in a portable package, the Compaq Presario R3230US notebook is powered by a 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor and has all the amenities you need to take everything with you on the road. A 60 GB hard drive and 512 MB RAM help you store files and run multiple applications efficiently, and the DVD/CD-RW combo drive means you can perform a variety of application like backing up files on CD media, making audio mix CDs, accessing CD- or DVD-ROMs, or watching DVD movies on the 15.0-inch LCD screen. It also features a built-in ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9000 IGP graphics card and integrated JBL Pro Performance speakers to take care of your multimedia needs.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 60 GB hard drive has ample room to store all your files, including digital audio, video, and photos.
• Processor: The 2.80 GHz Pentium 4 processor can handle the toughest applications and has a 512 KB L2 cache.
• Memory: It has 512 MB DDR SDRAM to help you multitask with ease and is upgradable to 1.25 GB.
• CD/DVD Drive: The DVD/CD-RW combo drive reads CDs at 40x, writes at 16x, and rewrites at 10x. It can also read DVD-ROMs at 16x.
• Keyboard & Mouse: It has a 101-key compatible keyboard and touch pad.
• Display: The 15.0-inch XGA LCD has resolutions up to 1024 x 768.

Sound and Graphics
A built-in ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9000 IGP graphics card with 128 MB video memory turns this notebook into a gaming machine. The integrated JBL Pro Performance speakers mean you can listen to crystal clear and bright audio right out of the box, whether you're listening to CDs or watching DVDs.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
An integrated 10/100 Base-T ethernet allows for convenient networking, and 54g 802.11b/g wireless LAN means you can get online quickly, easily, and without wires. It also has the following external ports:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting to a wide range of peripherals, from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 parallel port for connecting to printers or cameras based on older technologies
• 1 notebook expansion port (Type I/Type II) for adding a variety of upgrades, including memory, modems, portable disk drives, and more
• 1 VGA video out port to connect to an external monitor
• 1 S-video out to connect your laptop to a television
• 1 audio out for headphones or speakers
• 1 microphone in port

Preloaded System and Software
The Compaq Presario R3230US notebook is powered by Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. Windows XP Home Edition is packed with multimedia features to help you get your creative juices flowing. Windows Media Player lets you burn and play CDs, in addition to playing and organizing digital audio files. Windows MovieMaker is a basic video editing tool that helps you capture and edit digital video to save your memories and share them with others.

It also comes bundled with Symantec Norton Antivirus (with a complementary 60 days Live Update subscription), Adobe Acrobat Reader, RecordNow, InterVideo WinDVD, Apple iTunes and Apple iTunes Music Store, Adobe PhotoShop Album Suite, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Encarta Plus, and Intuit Quicken New User Edition.

Dimensions and Weight
It weighs 7.8 pounds and measures 14.25 x 11.0 x 1.8 inches (W x D x H).

What's in the Box
Presario R3230US notebook, 120 watt AC adapter, 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery, phone cord, user's manual, and warranty information.

Manufacturer

Looking for a great value notebook to make easy work of your daily computing tasks? You've found it with the Compaq Presario R3230US Notebook PC. Powered by the Intel Pentium 4 processor, 24X DVD/CD-RW coMBo drive and featuring the wireless freedom of Integrated 802.11b/g Wireless LAN, this notebook is ready to work and play all at the right price.

Advanced design to move you ahead
The Compaq Presario R3000 series notebook delivers all the power you need from a desktop PC without tying you down. With high-performance processors, large screens and integrated high-speed wireless LAN - all at a great value in a streamlined design - you'll be ready to take on the ultimate challenge: a day in your demanding life.

Engineered to perform

• Intel Pentium 4 processors deliver the processing strength for today's demanding applications and provide performance headroom for tomorrow's technology innovations.
• Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz processor enables great system performance for productivity and multimedia applications.
• Enhanced IDE 60 GB (4200 RPM) hard disk drive stores demanding productivity applications with room to spare for up to 10,000 music tracks, 10,000 photos and 5 hours of video.
• 512 MB DDR SDRAM (2 DIMM) enables running several several applications seamlessly at the same time or excellent support of a demanding multimedia application.
• Full-size keyboard and touch pad with scroll on/off buttons allows you to work comfortably and accomplish more.
• Windows XP Professional Edition provides the advanced wireless 802.11b/g networking support and security demanded by your school or business.

Visual impact

• 15.0" XGA screens help you surf and work fast by making content highly visible through great contrast contrast and clarity.
• ATI MOBILITY MOBILITY RADEON RADEON graphics with 8X AGP and 128 MB of user-configurable shared video memory delivers sharp, life-like images for accurate photo editing and enjoyable DVD viewing experiences.
• Integrated JBL Pro Performance speakers support sharp sound effects for presentations and great audio quality for DVDs and music.
• Integrated DVD-ROM/CD-RW coMBo drive enables you to quickly store and share up to 650 MB 650 MB of data on CDs.

Fast Connections

• Integrated 54 G 802.11b/g WLAN with 125 HSM / SpeedBooster support enables you to stay connected and productive on the go. Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN modem provides DSL or cable cable support for always-on, high-speed surfing at speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• Conveniently-placed integrated USB 2.0 ports provide provide fast connections to external devices.
• The S-video port enables you to share multimedia presentations on TV.

Work/life acceleration

• Less is more: move through your day in exceptional style with the clean, minimalist design created created for maximum impact. Quicken New User's Edition enables you to manage your money efficiently freeing you to do more.
• Included Adobe PhotoShop Album photo and imaging software makes it easy to edit your digital photos and put your best face forward.
• Join the digital music revolution! With Apple iTunes you can easily import songs from your favorite CDs, organize your CD and MP3 collection, create custom playlists right on your computer and much more. Expand your collection with the Apple iTunes Music Store offering more than 500,000 tracks from the five major music labels and 200 independent labels. Enjoy free previews for every song in the store, then buy songs or entire albums with one-click, buy-and-download convenience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing notebook at a more amazing price!, August 6, 2004

By 

Amazon Customer (Long Beach, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario R3230US Laptop (2.80 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I'm writing a review because I knew that I really wanted to read one about this notebook, and I'm sure many of you guys are itching to read what someone thinks of the notebook too other than, "pretty outstanding notebook." Though my review might not be as credible being that I've only had this for one day (08/05/04 Thursday), it might give you a little insight into what you're getting into. First of all, I'd like to say that I am extremely pleased with what I'm working with right now. It's fast, it performs well and stuff like that. The price was excellent, at just a little over $1000 after rebates, after pulling a couple of strings here and there (nothing illegal of course).

Things I'm displeased with are the fans at the bottom. I never really liked fans on the bottom because it limits your options on where to put your notebook, like on a bed or something, because it sinks. It also doesn't really let you put it on your legs because the fans are around the sides, so I have to balance it with one leg. Another thing that ticked me is the false advertisement of 512 MB RAM. This computer has only 384 MB RAM right now and I'm going to complain sometime in the near future. The keyboard feels really nice but it's noisier than my old laptop's keyboard, and the touch pad isn't that nice when your finger skips around the touch pad (the old laptop didn't have that problem). One thing I also overlooked was the size of the laptop. Though it is a 15" screen, it's still a little bigger than your average 15" screen, so it doesn't fit in cases that are made for 15" screens. That was a problem that I encountered, so you might want to think about buying a case for 15.4" screens, or something. But all else said, these are just little things that really shouldn't take away from the greatness of this laptop in my opinion. That's why this still gets a rating of 5.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Completely unportable, far too hot, April 26, 2008

By 

Elaise - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario R3230US Laptop (2.80 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I mostly like this laptop: it has a nice-sized keyboard that's easy to type on and wide screen. It's so far done everything I've wanted it to more or less satisfactorily. For my own preference I upgraded to 1 GB of RAM, which has improved my performance.

However, I can't help but consider it an irritating behemoth of a computer. It's ridiculously heavy. I thought perhaps that was the fault of the battery, as those tend to make a noticeable difference in laptop weight, but when I had to replace it, I noticed the battery-less laptop still weighed far too much. It really is not a very portable laptop for this reason. For that matter, the wide screen and keyboard seem nice until you're trying to stuff it into a laptop case or a backpack. There are no contours to this laptop to narrow it down at any point in its frame. Even the power brick for the cord is massive and heavy.

It also runs very, very hot. Don't expect to comfortably use this as a literal "lap"top. I've not had problems (yet) with it overheating and shutting down, though, but I also mainly use it while its propped up in its docking station, which keeps the fans and vents in mid-air.

So, while fairly nice, this laptop is not physically user-friendly. If Apple can make a laptop with better specs at a fourth of the weight, I see no excuse for this one to be so monstrous. Look elsewhere if you actually want your laptop to be portable, as I will when I replace this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Laptop - will do it all!, August 24, 2005

By 

Chris Meirose "Big Chris" (Waseca, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Compaq Presario R3230US Laptop (2.80 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I got this laptop originally to replace an older Dell laptop that served me well. I have now had my Compaq for over a year, and am ready to write a review for it.

Problems: I had the computer for only 4 months when the connection where the power cord enters the computer broke (inside the computer) which means no charging of the battery. It was under warrenty, so I shipped back my computer, and within 4 days I had a repaired computer back on my lap. There is a small secondary quirk from that repair (my screen black outs from time to time, but it's an easy fix) that wasn't worth me returning the computer for service.

Pros: This screen is beautiful. I use it for many hours each day as a student, then also as my primary home computer. Having the extra wide screen is great for DVD's, but it's most useful when using word processing, as I can fit quite a bit of text on the screen at a single time if I am bouncing around in my notes. The screen is very impressive. The keyboard has great sensitivity and is full sized. The sound from the speakers exceeds 95% of all other laptop speakers. The integrated wireless works flawlessly. There are ample USB ports, and a firewire port. The hard drive is fast and quiet. The processor works like a champ. The fans that cool it all are incredibly quiet, which is very important in class. Nothing worse than when a classmate's computer has a fan come on and it sounds like an remote control plane trying to take off. I love the vertical scroll function of the touch pad.

Cons: It's heavy, really heavy. The touch pad generally works great, but I think it could be better placed to the left another half inch and it would eliminate a lot of unintentional mouse movement when typing. The button that ejects the DVD/CD-R is easy to bump and trigger. I think it would make sense to have your batteries be able to connect directly to the power cord, outside of the computer itself. This would allow recharging a second battery, and would be a life saver if/when the connection where the power cord enters the laptop breaks. This is a weak link on all laptops, and I wish they would redesign it universally.

I highly recommend the Presario 3000 series. It has served me well, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one when that time comes. This laptop has made me turn on my desktop maybe once a month. I hadn't intended/expected it to be a full replacement for my desktop, but it quickly became so.