Compaq Presario S3200NX Desktop PC (2.0-GHz Athlon XP 2400+, 256 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, CD-RW Drive)

by Compaq

Product Details

Product Manual [7.74mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 35 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008X3RH
• Item model number: DC479A#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,852 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 28, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Although Compaq's inexpensive Presario S3200NX Desktop PC is geared primarily for less demanding environments and applications, it is far from a low-end computer. Featuring a CD burner and DVD player, a massive hard drive and a surprisingly gutsy processor, the Presario S3200NX is a great choice for those who need solid computing at a price that won't break the bank.

Powered by a cost-effective yet very capable 2 GHz AMD Athlon XP processor 2400+ with QuantiSpeed architecture, 256 MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1 full GB), and an integrated ProSaveageDDR KM266 graphics chipset with 32 MB shared (not dedicated) memory, the system is ready for most typical home, home office and business applications. Due to its relatively conservative allotment of RAM and mid-level 3-D graphics support, it cannot be considered an ideal high-end gaming or 3-D design platform unless upgraded. HP has installed an impressively large 120 GB hard disk, a 3.5-inch diskette drive, and a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive through which you can burn and listen to audio CDs, archive your data and enjoy the latest movies.

The Presario S3100NX features a variety of amenities to enhance everyday computing, including six high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, a convenient Presario Internet keyboard with hotkeys, a PS/2-style scrolling mouse, serial and parallel "printer" ports, an integrated 56K modem for basic Internet and email access, and a 10/100 Base-Y Fast Ethernet port for speedy network interaction and e-communication. The system is not equipped with a monitor or external stereo speakers, thus allowing users to custom select these components.

To help get you started, Compaq has pre-installed a variety of software applications, including Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition operating system, Microsoft Money 2003, Microsoft Works 7.0, and Quicken Financial Center.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great computer ..., June 25, 2003

By 

tea drinker "oh yea" (Mars) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario S3200NX Desktop PC (2.0-GHz Athlon XP 2400+, 256 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I bought this computer at a local retail store on ... At the time there were no product specs on the HP/Compaq website. Now there are. I finally found out what memory to buy to upgrade to 512mb... I also added a PNY GEForce MMX 440 64 DDR with TV out video card .... I downloaded the latest Microsoft Nvidia driver. Now the computer is increadibly fast. I played the "Die Another Day" DVD on the computer and it was flawless even in full screen. I plugged in a pair of SONY headphones (not powered) and the sound was fantastic!!. I loaded Medal of Honor Allied Assault and played the game for 4 hours. No lockups whatsoever. I have copied and burned numerous songs from cd to cd. The audio tracks sound great. I have never had a better performing or faster computer than this one. Now all I have to do is upgrade to broadband internet and I will have the total package. Huge hard-drive that operates at 8.9 ms seektime and extremely quiet. This computer is definitely a good buy for the price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent buy, June 8, 2003

By 

stombs (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Compaq Presario S3200NX Desktop PC (2.0-GHz Athlon XP 2400+, 256 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

Fast processor, huge hard disk, DVD & CD-RW. (The pre-installed XP includes software for both.) No speakers, however, and it only supports the powered variety. RAM is a little low for gaming/graphics, but that's still a cheap upgrade (and the system will support up to 1GB). There are more powerful machines out there, but this has more than 90% of users will ever need. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Old computer I've had for ages, and it still runs well, July 18, 2010

By 

Uncle Joe (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Compaq Presario S3200NX Desktop PC (2.0-GHz Athlon XP 2400+, 256 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

This product has long since been discontinued, but I thought to put up my own review to give you an idea of how dependable and durable these COMPAQ rigs are.

I got this system back in August of 2003. It could easily play all the games of its day, and served me well after a few upgrades for over five years. I've maxed out the memory at 1 Gb, and threw in a RADEON 9200SE besides, when the performance for the newer offerings started to decline.

For the last two years or so, the machine has been inadequate to play any of the newer titles, but the computer is still going strong and is fine for all of my legacy titles. The only hardware malfunction was with the DVD-ROM player, which was fairly easy to replace. What was once a huge hard drive is now inadequate for my needs, but an external .5Tb USB hard drive solved that problem. The original drive is still running strong, however.

I've finally got myself a bit of money, so I've decided to go for something with a bit more performance than the standard COMPAQ offering. But if I were still on a tight budget, and needed a dependable work computer and gaming machine, I'd have gotten another COMPAQ. Very satisfied.