Product Description

Compaq Presario C500 series Notebook PC is an affordable notebook with a neat design and powerful performance. Mobile computing brings more flexibility and convenience to use this PC on the move, whenever and wherever.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1402 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Hewlett-Packard
• Model: C502US
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Dimensions: 10.20" h x 1.77" w x 7.60" l, 67.10 pounds
• Display size: 15.4

Features

• Affordable, reliable business notebook with 1.86 GHz Intel Celeron M 440 processor
• 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB installed RAM (2 GB max), DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Connectivity: 2 USB, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 headphone, 1 microphone
• 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), 10/100 Ethernet, Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 64 MB shared memory
• Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Basic

Amazon.com Product Description
Wherever your hectic schedule takes you, you'll stay productive thanks to reliable Compaq Presario C502US notebook PC, which offers all the basics at a nicely affordable price. Optimized for mobile performance, this 6.6-pound laptop is powered by the battery sipping 1.86 GHz Intel Celeron M 440 processor and features 54g wireless networking (802.11b/g), enabling you to stay connected at coffeeshop and airport hotspots. Its 15.4-inch WXGA BrightView display supports High-Definition playback enhanced by Altec Lansing audio. Other features include an 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), Intel GMA 950 video processor with up to 64 MB of shared video RAM, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.

This laptop also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, which delivers a safer, more reliable, and more productive computing environment. It integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: The Intel Celeron M Processor 440 is designed specifically for mobile computing, offering a balanced level of mobile-optimized processor technology, good mobile performance, and exceptional value. The 1.86 GHz speed is complemented by a speedy 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB) and a 1 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) This processor sits near the top of its class (as of January 2007).
• Hard Drive: The 80 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM) has become the average size for notebook PCs. It provides enough capacity for storing documents, digital media files, and productivity software. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
  
• Memory: The 512 MB of installed RAM (1 x 512 MB DDR2) is enough to get you started, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a 2 GB maximum RAM capacity. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.
  
• DVD/CD Drive: With the included DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, you'll be able to watch DVD movies as well as burn data and your favorite music mixes to CD. It has a 24x write speed for CDs.
  
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a full-sized 101-key keyboard and touchpad with four-way scroll zone on/off button and dedicated vertical scroll up/down pad.

Screen, Video & Audio
The 15.4-inch LCD offers a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The widescreen display gives increases the width of the notebook's display while giving the computer the form factor of a smaller computer, so it takes up less space on your desk or in your briefcase. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 64 MB of shared video memory. It also offers an integrated audio card and built-in Altec Lansing speakers.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. You get a very basic offering of connectivity options:

• 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video port for connecting to a TV
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Basic is the operating system for users with basic computing needs, such as surfing the Internet, corresponding with friends and family using e-mail, or performing basic document creation and editing tasks. Additionally, Windows Vista Home Basic integrates new search tools throughout the operating system to help you quickly find the precise file or program you need.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee autoProducer DVD Edition, Sonic Digital Media Plus, PC Recovery, and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 14.1 x 10.2 x 1.38/1.77 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 6.6 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 6-cell lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which provides between 1.5 and 2 hours of battery life (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Compaq Presario C502US notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 30 days from date of purchase.

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Customer Reviews

Starts our great, but not a product that lasts
My brother and I bought four (4) of these about eighteen (18) months ago. Today all are broken in some fashion. These laptops are not durable and will not survive even normal use. Additionally they suffer from inferior motherboards and have a common overheating problem. Here is a summary of issues we have had:

1) keyboard keys fall off: every one of the four laptops lost keys within the first six months. One of the cheapest keyboards I have ever used. They say the keys are easily snapped back on but they are not. Once a key pops off, it stays off. You will need a replacement keypad (check ebay, they sell lots of them (hmm... wonder why?)).

2) screen issues: one laptop had broken screen hinges, one has dead pixels, and one has a broken screen from rough handling (ok maybe this one not all their fault).

3) broken power supplies: the adapters have cords that break and split easily. Have gone though six of them to date. The first three were free because of warranty from our four different computers, but now they refuse to send more so we have to buy them. Maybe not so bad, I might be able to something that won't break so easily.

4) motherboard overheating: bad parts in some motherboards cause overheating that frys components on the board. One of our computers is dead from this so we cannibalized it to keep the others going longer (screen to one, keyboard to another, adapter to a third (you get the idea).

Todate of the original four, we have only one that is still usable. What a dissapointment. You would figure Compaq products would last.

Good luck with yours.

I NOW HAVE A RATHER EXPENSIVE LAP DESK
My wife and I purchased this laptop a year and a half ago. It was our first laptop after years with the desktop models and we thought we had done pretty good research. Within a month the CD/DVD drive quit working altogether, then the earphone housing completely fell apart and 1 month after our extended waranty ended the screen began doing really strange things. Now it is no longer doing strange things because it is doing nothing at all. To fix the screen would cost more than it would cost to just buy a new laptop, so this pile of junk now serves as my dinner tray. To sum it up, we purchased a back pack carrier for this at the same time we bought this expensive computer and the back pack is still in great shape a year and a half later despite constant use. I recommend the Swiss Gear back pack but not this laptop.

Unexpected crashing and customer service is horrible.
I got this laptop as a graduation gift, and I had it for under a month when it crashed. I took it in to Frys Electronics to have them look at it and try to figure out what was wrong with it, and the hard drive was bad. I emailed and called HP/Compaq many times, and I finally got them to send me a new hard drive. I had to wait almost two weeks for the hard drive to arrive, and when it did, there was no operating system. I then called HP again and they said they "Forgot to put the recovery cd in with the hard drive." So I finally get that and now my laptop is working fine (for now).

I will never tell anyone to buy an HP/Compaq product ever. They have absolutely horrible customer service, and it's just completely not worth all the trouble.