Compaq Presario
If you’re looking for not only performance, but value in a laptop as well, look no further than the Compaq Presario series of notebooks. Starting at fewer than five hundred dollars, this line represents an outstanding value in an era when most decent laptops are still priced at over a thousand. Compaq has a long history of producing quality laptops, so it comes as no surprise that the company has done things right with this particular series.

The Presario comes two main varieties, the 3000 and the 6000, the main difference between the two being the size. The 3000 series comes with a 14.1 inch LCD display, and the 6000 series has a 15.4 inch display. Consequently, the weight is different between the two as well, with the 3000 weighing in at 5.3 pounds, and the 6000 at 5.84 to 6.6 pounds. Certainly there are lighter laptops out there that actually weigh around four pounds, but the weight range for the Presario isn’t too terribly heavy that it would make much of a difference, especially in this price range.

Among the two series, each has a “Z” and a “T” model, the difference being the maker of the processor. The entry level configuration of both the V6000Z and the V3000Z features a Mobile AMD Sempron 3400+ processor, clocking in at 1.8 gigahertz, and the V6000T and V3000T contain an Intel Celeron M 430 that runs at 1.73 gigahertz. These are definitely not the fastest chips available today, but they are prefect for basic computing needs such as home office applications, internet browsing, and emailing. Again, at these prices, it’s hard to complain about a lack of power in the chipset.

And if more computing power is needed, it’s possible to go all the way up to a Turion 64 X2 in the Z series, and an Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 in the T series, both running at 2.0 gigahertz. This is a huge improvement due to the dual core configuration of both of these processors, but note that this option can really drive the price of the laptop into the stratosphere.

So, if you’re looking for a great value in a laptop for basic computing needs, you can’t beat the price of the Compaq Presario. As a high performance laptop with all of the upgrades and add-ons, the Presario is average, but its low price in the basic configuration makes this model an outstanding buy.