Q for you Compaq users.

[zacdl]

I am looking to buy a laptop and the Compaq R4000 caught my eye.

I have a few Qs before buying.

I notice for $25 more you can get a 12 cell battery rather than an 8 cell. How long does this extend my battery life?

When your battery is dead and you plug the laptop in to the AC, will it charge the battery while you work? Or only when it is idle?


Now as for the CD/DVD Drive I dont need anything special so the 8x DVD drive is fine for me (I hardly ever burn anything as is, and if I ever needed to I can use this desktop)


Now onto the screen...
Which of these three should I get?
15.0" TFT XGA (1024x768)
15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)

Whats the diff between BrightView and "regular"view?

That little .4" doesnt make me a differance, was just wondering what you all prefer and such.



This looks like a nice laptop for me, I just need to clear some things up before I go too far.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

When your battery is dead and you plug the laptop in to the AC, will it charge the battery while you work? Or only when it is idle?

I don't have a Compaq, but have researched them before and have been through Gateway, Sony, and Dell laptops through work and school over the past couple of years. The battery will charge while you work, but at a slower rate than what it would charge if you turned the laptop off. It will charge ALOT faster if the machine is turned off.

Which of these three should I get?

Do you plan on watching DVDs or gaming on the computer? If you are basically doing just the standard computing (ie: word processing, internet, and such), you wouldn't NEED the widescreen. Personally I opted for a standard 15"screen just because of the cost difference.

I notice for $25 more you can get a 12 cell battery rather than an 8 cell. How long does this extend my battery life?

I'd get the 12 cell battery. It's hard to try and determine how much longer the battery would last because there are several factors that lead to decreased battery life. $25 isn't a bad price for the extended battery. Basically it will be 50% larger than the standard battery. I know, you already know that, but I would go ahead with the 12 cell. You can't beat that price.

Whats the diff between BrightView and "regular"view?

I can't help you on this one. I'll try to do a little research and see what pops up.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
great for viewing two applications side by side, working with digital imaging, creating multimedia presentations, working on extra wide spreadsheets, or watching DVD movies. Plus Wide Viewing Angle (WVA) technology gives 55% percent wider viewing angle for more accurate, wide-aspect viewing from any angle just like in a movie theater. Twenty percent brighter and with greater contrast than standard notebook displays, these screens also give you richer, sharper images and truer colors. Plus, choosing a higher resolution assures crystal clear text, images, and video.

15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)
This 15.4-inch WXGA Widescreen BrightView panel provides even brighter, more vivid and color-rich images than ever before. Its widescreen aspect ratio and high resolution make it ideal for viewing multiple documents or when working on multimedia presentations. And its BrightView display brings images and movies to life.

I pulled this from Compaq's website. If you don't plan on doing any gaming or photo editing, or watch DVD's, I'd say you can go without the Widescreen or the BrightView. But, that's JMO. I hope this helps.

 

[zacdl]

Yea I am just doing the basics. Anything like that (which I dont do anyway) I can use this desktop for.

I was just wondering the differance (Hoping someone had experiance with both non-brightview and brightview)

 

[zacdl]

Oh and can anyone reccomend a wireless router to use?

 

[Bhunsucker]

I would go with the Linksys WRT54G wirless router.

 

[zacdl]

Here is what I would like to get:

XP Home (OK with me)
AMD Sempron(TM) 3200+ (1.8GHz/256KB L2 Cache)
15.0" TFT XGA (1024x768)
512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)
40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive (Only using 10 on this one now)
8X DVD Drive (I never burn anything and if I need to I can use the desktop)
54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM/SpeedBooster(TM) (Gotta get the wireless)
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

After all rebates and such that is a $700 laptop.


Now should I upgrade some of those to this?
AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3200+ (2.0GHz/512KB L2 Cache)
15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

That tacks on another $100.

I just dont know how much faster the Athlon 64 is compared to the Sempron, never having used AMD.

What are the advantages/disadvantages to the widescreen?

Is the 12 Cell worth another $25?

Now there was another update I was considering, it is to the wireless card. For another $25 I could get bluetooth on there too, but since I dont think I will ever use it I desided against it.

 

[shawmutt]

I would go with the Linksys WRT54G wirless router.

Agreed, I just bought and installed this for my father-in-law, it's a great router. If your laptop needs a wireless card, I would recommend the newer Linksys cards with the speedbooster--it does make a big difference

The router is now 47.99 from Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124010

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Upgrade the battery definately.