| Product: |
Compaq Armada M700DCT |
| Date: |
01.10.06 (78 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Screen, durability, battery life, Compaq/HP support, speakers, cheap now!
Disadvantages: Only 1 USB port. Would run Windows XP slowly.
I believe you can't have too many laptops (within reason). They're useful things. At the very least, you can continue using an old laptop with one accessory performing a specific function (e.g. a USB digital audio port may let you record straight out out of a DAB radio, mini disc, CD, DVD player etc. to your hard drive) . Even an old laptop running Windows 3.11 can have a scanner, printer and modem attached to it making it potentially a very reliable and powerful "fax / copier / scanner / multiple mail box family answering machine all in one solution".
For various reasons, I've never thrown away a laptop but bought my Compaq Armada M700 used from Sterling XS when my existing Hi Grade / ASUS (which I'd bought new) tended to be occupied with other jobs. My idea was to use the M700 for duplicating CDs, whirring away in the background whilst my Hi Grade and I did most of the work. I'm only writing this review because I think the laptop deserves a bit of praise since it's still very useful to me in late 2006 (my Hi Grade is poorly right now).
My M700 is obviously pre-owned and I had a problem with it that resulted in me taking it apart as much as I dared. The problem turned out to be the hard drive caddy (and this is where Sterling XS get their plug. They were great dealing with this problem!).
Unfortunately, by the time I really got going with my M700, I'd bought a Packard Bell EasyNote which has plenty of irritating niggles I might write about one day even though I use the machine happily most of most days.
My M700 has a Pentium 3 processor and 128Mb of Ram. If you get one (used most likely), fill the RAM bay with as much as you can stuff in there. Files aren't getting any smaller and it will help future proof your machine.
What's good about it?
1 Battery life is better than my Packard Bell which is only 18 months old.
2.The M700 is tough (bearing in mind it was used / reconditioned when I bought it and I've had it apart a bit).
3. Compaq's web site and support. Any drivers I've needed I've found on the Internet.
4. The keyboard's nice. The Packard Bell's shift button leaves me sometimes, in conjunction with certain other keys, having to go back and edit capital letters.
5. The speakers are OK but compared to those on the Packard Bell, they're great (I wonder how the Packard Bell made it into production with such terrible speakers). I listen to podcasts on the M700, not on the Packard Bell unless external speakers are connected to it. the slightest background noise obliterates what comes from the speakers.
6. It has an infrared port. The Packard Bell doesn't.
7. It's got a parallel printer port!!! Remember those? Charity shops and auctions are heaving with good parallel-ported printers working just fine going for peanuts. The Packard Bell insists you buy a shiny, new USB printer or get a Parallel to USB cable (which I did and spent a week trying to get it to work before giving up and putting the cable in a drawer).
8. The screen's good too!
What's bad about it?
1. It has just 1 USB port which makes life difficult though I bought a PCMCIA to 4 x USB port adaptor which seems to work fine and fixes that problem.
I run Windows ME on the M700 which, as long as it's got all the plug ins and updates is FINE (even though it's reputation is appalling).
My particular incarnation of the M700 features a CD burner which, for those of you used to laptops with DVD burners in, may appear a bit dated. The drive won't play DVDs either but it may be easy to rectify that by fitting another drive.
I'm not suggesting you don't bother with a nice, new laptop that can run Windows XP or another more up to date OS but, since ALL PCs seem to break down or need upgrading at sometime, whilst that work's being done, do you just pretend there's no work to be done online or on a computer? I'll be using my M700 for some good while yet as a very useful back up machine whilst my Packard Bell is, for example, scanning 5 external hard drives with up to date anti virus scans and spy / adware detection software.
If you see one for £100 - £150 used and can see it working, it's worth more than a second thought. If it has been well looked after, it should go on for ages. make sure you get all the online updates and drivers from the Compaq web site whilst they're there.
It's not a spectacular machine but works and won't give up the ghost!
Summary: You need more than one laptop anyway so use this when your Win XP machine's busy
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