Compaq Presario 6029US Desktop (1.73-GHz Athlon XP 2100, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB hard drive)

Product Description

At Compaq, it is believed that a personal computer is more than a productivity machine. It's a tool, or set of tools, to unleash the imagination and connect to the world. So when people buy a Compaq Presario PC, they're making a very personal statement. Compaq presents a family of Presario PCs that will give you the power to create and the tools to explore a whole new world of opportunities. With incredible power, performance and convenience features, the newest generation of Presario desktop PCs makes it easy to get started and to keep going. Whether you want an affordable, uncompromising first computer, an expandable, powerful multimedia minitower, or an explosive, outrageous next-generation PC that gives you the ultimate powers of self-expression, there's a Compaq Presario desktop PC that's just right for you.The Compaq Presario 6000 Series is the practical solution that's just right for you. Utilizing the perfect blend of technology and innovation, it helps you get the most out of today's rapidly changing world.

Amazon.com Product Description

Some consumers don't mind paying a little extra for the privilege of owning the absolute latest state-of-the-art gear. For the rest of us, there's the Compaq Presario 6029US desktop. Fast and powerful, while just a notch or two removed from the cutting edge, the Presario 6029US is an affordable yet proficient machine that should handle all but the most demanding applications.

For this model, Compaq has selected a 1.73 GHz AMD Athlon XP processor with 256 KB of Level 2 cache. This speedy CPU is the brains of a capable processing engine that also features 512 MB of fast DDR DRAM (expandable to 1 GB) and an integrated 32 MB nVidia GeForce2 chip. The system bus speed is a reasonable 266 MHz. In plain English, the Presario 6029US is ready to run virtually any application currently on the market, although ardent gamers or animators may want to add a faster graphics card at a later date.

Sporting a substantial 80 GB hard disk, the unit offers plenty of onboard storage space for all your programs and files. It also features a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for your smaller applications and a 24x (write) CD-RW drive through which you can record and play audio CDs and transfer and archive your data. Compaq has not included a monitor or speakers, allowing you to select such components separately or perhaps make use of your existing audio-video setup.

The Presario 6029US is packed with amenities to enhance your everyday computing, including six USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, a serial port and parallel "printer" port, an integrated 56K modem for basic Internet and e-mail access, two free PCI slots for future expansion, and a scroll wheel mouse. The system's Compaq Internet keyboard features several one-touch buttons for convenient access to various Internet and multimedia functions.

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 2002, Microsoft Works 6.0, Quicken Financial Center/Quicken New User Edition, Microsoft Encarta Online Deluxe 2001, and plenty of Internet and multimedia tools and utilities.

Customer Reviews:

Great buy, Geforce 2 on bard!.......2002-08-29

This is great computer DVD-R you can store up to 4.7 GB on the disc.
This PC is fully loaded, if you want everything this is it.
Almost perfect.
Runs 24/7 non stop for 3 weeks , and no problems.
Highly addicted PC

Nicely Designed PC for Video Editing.......2002-08-11

This PC has several things going for it and is an excellent deal.

It has a built in DVD-RW (a Pioneer A04--good choice). You'll be hard-pressed to find a machine with similar specs including a DVD-RW at this price (as of August 2002). It also has a powerful processor for encoding video quickly. It has conveniently placed IEEE1394 and USB1.1 ports up front so you can hook up your camcorder so easily.

I like the mid-size box, and find the silver/black look appealing. I really like the clean front for the optical drives and connectors (no goofy doors like HP/Sony/etc.) It even comes with a reinstall disk (unlike HP labelled products). Even the keyboard is respectable.

The graphic chip set with shared memory helps keep the price reasonable and if you really need high-end game graphics, you can add a graphics board easily enough. For video editing and everything I ever do, the graphics are fully adequate.

Drawbacks: There is only a single open mounting slot for an additional drive inside. I have placed an additional drive just laying inside. Also, the machine includes some persistant Compaq shopping software that takes a couple steps to disable.

Also of note. The PC comes with no speakers. This is not convenient but at least lets you get just the speakers you want since most included speakers are usually disappointing anyway.

Overall, this is a lovely machine for video work and general use. I'm very pleased with mine after a month churning out videos and homemade DVDs.

Okay for entry level but the graphics are weak.......2002-07-21

For an AMD system this one is pretty high end - except for the graphics. Based on the Nvidia Nforce chipset, this system is aimed at entry level users. An otherwise nice machine is hobbled by week graphics. If you even intend to play games, stay away from this machine. Not only is it based on a graphics chipset that is about to be discontinued (can only be found on very low end graphics cards today), but it uses system memory, which is slower than graphics cards with their own integrated memory. So it is slower than your standard GeForce 2! If you are an entry level buyer there are cheaper systems, if you are a power user this isn't for you. Therefore it is hard to reccomend this system to anyone.

Electronics:

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Electronics