Compaq Presario C769US 15.4-inch Laptop (1.73 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

Amazon Customer Reviews

(4 out of 5)

A Nice Low Cost Laptop

I like my Presario f761us. I upgraded the RAM to 4GB using two 2GB chips. The weakest thing about it is the graphics card as you can see from the performance rating below.

Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TK-57 4.7
Performance Rating determined by lowest subscore = 3.0

Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB - Performance Rating = 5.8
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 7000M / nForce 610M - Performance Rating = 3.3
Gaming graphics 1071 MB Total available graphics memory - Performance Rating = 3.0
Primary hard disk (138GB Total) - Performance Rating = 4.9

(3 out of 5)

Nice little laptop for the price, but...

For the price you get plenty of ram hard drive space. Performance is decent. Haven't notices any regular processing delays.

Cons
1) comes with Vista. You need to really adjust the settings to get it optimal. It tries to install windows updates when you shut down. When I shut down, I want my computer to shut, and I can slap the lid shut. The default setting means I cannot close my lid, as that suspends the system.
2) sound is weak, sometimes I need to have all audio setting on full, and it is still very low. I have since discovered this a known issue with Vista and the sound card and can be fixed by reloading the driver. However, a known issue should be addressed before the laptop reaches the consumer, or the consumer should be alerted.
4)Bloatware. They pre-install tons of useless software, mostly demos. Some of the HP software can only be installed via the registry.
5) Customer service consists of people who are rude and do not speak English.

I would have given this a five rating, except the pre-installed software and lack of help from customer supprt to remove it. These are two things HP could easily fix, but laziness and incompetence make these a bigger issue for me, especially since some of the bloatware I never use has gotten infected.

(4 out of 5)

Awesome laptop

For the price and specs, this laptop is great! The unit was a bit too hot while charging the battery, but since we hardly use it on battery, that does not bother me.

(4 out of 5)

The Best Laptop For Me

My model number is a little different (F767NR) but the specs match and my model may differ only in that I bought it from a bricks and mortar store near my office. Instead of Intel, mine is outfitted with AMD Turion64. The store cleaned up most of the advertising and set it up for me. This may improve the performance. I had someone to take it to when I needed to ask a question.

I wanted a laptop because I write and I hate being tied to a desk. I didn't need huge capacity but I wanted MS Word because that is compatible with most of my document files. I needed to make the jump to the hated Vista...what was wrong with XP?

Except for hating what Microsoft has changed in the MSWord interface, I'm very happy with the computer. It weighs less than six pounds and fits in a laptop case I already had. It's sleek. The screen is big enough to read easily. It boots up reasonably fast and is extremely responsive.

I really like the keyboard. The keys on the keyboard operate quietly but have a nice sensation of "travel" when you hit them. The delete key is in the extreme upper right hand corner making the CTRL ALT DELETE dance rather awkward if you are balancing the computer on your knees on the Metrolink, but I can adjust.

The battery seems adequate, but I have not really tested this yet. I have been able to transfer files, set my personal templates and have even started a new creative project. Normally it is months before I feel comfortable with a new computer to "trust" it this way.

I admit to enjoying the pre-loaded games package. It seems very complete and all my favorites including Mahjong, Freecell, Spider Solitaire and other time-wasting favorites are available while I am thinking what to write next.

(1 out of 5)

Review of Compaq service

This is not a review of this specific model but of Compaq service. I purchased a Presario F762NR four months ago. The screen has now failed. I returned it to Compaq for repair and they refuse to honor the warranty unless I buy an additional warranty. The cost to replace the screen is $2 less than what I paid for the laptop. I have owned many Compaq products in the past and currently have 4 in the house. Compaq service used to be excellent; things have changed. I will no longer purchase any Compaq product and recommend that you consider the risks involved.