New R4000 arrived

by nino88 May 13, 2005 9:19PM PDT

Just to share my novice opinion on this new laptop I just got in case someone was looking into buying this one. The spec I have is AMD 4000+, 1Gig RAM, 128 MB ATI Rad Video card, 12 cell battery and the brighview screen.

Overall design : Similar to other new Presario models. It's like the big brother of my V2000 Compaq (larger and heavier). It feels more solid than my smaller V2000 though. I think there is an change in structure internally since the pad where you rest your hands (when you're typing) doesn't get too hot like many laptops including the other HP or Compaq notebooks. It really feels great.

Speed : I'm not an expert who can test it scientifically buy it feels as fast as my P4 (3.4G) laptop.

Noise : Quite impressed. Can't hear the processor and hard drive running at all (those soft clicking sounds). The fan is running as often as my P4 laptop but the noise level is acceptable. If you hate fan noise, get the pentium M.

Battery : This is very dissapointing part of this notebook. I mean, I did not expect it to run as long as pentium M notebook but this one pretty much as bad as P4. When I compare the 3 notebooks I use (without dimming the screen and 12 cell battery):
Pentium M : +/- 6 hours
P4 : 2 hours
AMD 4000+ : 2-2.5 hours.

Weight : Well, I bought a new Samsonite notebook case with wheels to drag this thing. I'm not saying it's really heavy since it has a large wide screen. But they really should make the dam charger smaller. That's the biggest charger I've ever had in the last 8-12 years(2x as big as my V2000 charger and 1.5x bigger than all other notebook chargers I've ever owned).

I haven't played with it much yet but the 2 things that dissapoint me so far are the battery life and the charger (ac adaptor).

Discussion is locked

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Thanks for the review!

by culture_of_one May 14, 2005 1:26AM PDT

Warts and all!

JDM

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My Take on the R4000 (so far)

by dane_62 May 17, 2005 2:11PM PDT

I've had my new R4000 for just under a week now. I pretty much went all out with an AMD 4000+, 2 gig of ram, 80 gig 5400 rpm hard drive. The performance is great I can't seem to multi task enough to get into my second gig of memmory. Videos reneder in about 1/4 the time they did on my AMD athlon 2100+ desktop with 512 memmory. As far as the battery life, I was actually pleased I have a 12 cell batery ( actually 2 12 cell batteries) I seem to get between 2 and 3 hours oout of the battery. It really seems to depend on what I'm doing. I think one of the coolest things about this laptop is how cool it is. Most laptops are joke for really keeping them on your lap, they get so hot they burn. This laptop, even after several hours of battery use the laptop is at most a bit warm.

Now my only warning at this point is do not get this laptop if weight and size are a concern the laptop it's self is about 9 pounds add the power supply and you're up to 12, if you need more then a couple hours of batter life add a second 12 cell batter and you're at 13 or 14 pounds. I esitimate when I'm all loaded up my laptop bag weighs about 25 pounds. Not something I'd want to carry around a whole lot.

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(NT) Can't agree more

by nino88 May 17, 2005 8:51PM PDT

This is only for desktop replacement purpose. In my bed, I'm still using my Pentium M instead of my new R4000. Nothing beats Pent.M if mobility and convinience are the issues. Not to mention, it's totally dead silent. The fan hardly running.

And I totally agree with the fact that this R4000 is really cool to place on your lap. Even my Pentium M runs hotter (the casing) than this one.

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Mine is on the way

by Cbeck527 May 31, 2005 8:43AM PDT

I orderded my R4000 in may, and it was recently shipped today (may 31). I was very excited to find out that compaq was using AMD. I am a gamer, and a student, and i think that amd meets my needs for games and also for work. It seems that you guys didnt like the battery life. I intend to have it plugged in whenever i have to do some "heavy gaming." Thanks guys for your "reviews," it made me feel better about going with the AMD instead of the Pentium M

Chris
Cbeck527@gmail.com

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Compaq R4000 Review

by terb Jun 1, 2005 1:17AM PDT

Thanks for your review Dane. I received my R4000 with pretty much the same specs as yours 2 weeks ago; AMD 4000+, 2 gig of ram, 80 gig 5400 rpm hard drive, ATI 128mg video card, 15.4 brightview screen.

What surprised me most was the price and how quickly Compaq got it to me. Frankly, it was the best deal I could fine after researching 5 manufacturer's. HP's version was $400 more. Alienware doesn't offer AMD in a laptop - too bad for them. Same for Dell. The Dell laptops of comparable performance are way overpriced ($900 more) and the ones I have had in the past just don't hold up. Tried a Sys with the same specs ($200 more) but the motherboard fried after 3 days. I placed my order and received it a week before the estimmated ship date.

So far the R4000 has been great. The Brightview screen really is! In bright daytime conditions, the picture is outstanding whether I'm working with a Word document or watching a DVD. The wide screen makes it very easy to multi task. Having two programs running side by side without having to minimize one while working on the other is a real time saver. The speakers surprised me too. Good full quality sound for a laptop. Battery life, I have to agree with the other reviews. So far 2.5-3.0 hours with a 12 cell battery. Weight about 10#s - I carry the R4000, an extra 12 cell battery and the charger in a nylon case. Durability - I travel a lot so it gets beat up pretty quickly. It has been dropped twice in 2 weeks by airport security and it is still running. They dropped by last Winbook; the case cracked and it wouldn't boot.

Would I recommend this laptop? Absolutely! Get yours before they figure out they have a winner and raise the price.

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Where did you get yours?

by bluelove73 Jun 1, 2005 1:33AM PDT

I was looking into getting the R3000Z but it seems like the R4000 is the big brother of the R3000Z. I need a good deal because I'm in college, haven't worked in three weeks because I was studying abroad and my pc just died on me (the processor did).

Please let me know where you got your laptop. Thanks.

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guess it has...

by melt8 Jun 1, 2005 4:21AM PDT

what does it means then??
128MB ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory(TM)
isnt that a separate radeon graphic memory???

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sorry

by melt8 Jun 1, 2005 4:22AM PDT

sorry for the post...
m just tired...trynna post somewhere...postin somewhere..
really sorry guys

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OD building

by arch8300 Jun 1, 2005 5:10AM PDT

i bought mine a week ago and want it now
darn build times
Specs
athlon 64 3200+ 2gz
512ram(1 slot) putting in 1 gb when it arrives
80gb hd
128mb ati 200m
15.4 bright screen
wireless b/g with speed boost
free printer
$900

New R4000 arrived

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