Compaq sucks

[Gibaholic]

I didnt know anything about computers before I bought this computer for 500$. I thought it was okay hence me not knowing but little did I know....
The specs that it came with where
Amd sempron 3000+ (2.0ghz)
256 mb of ram and integrated via s3 graphics. Ive had problems with this computer since the day I got it. Ive formatted like 3 times and im fucking sick of it. No one buy from compaq or any pre built company like dell or alienware or hp becuase there all shit and they all rip you off. You can post hell this now :l

[Kinkyfriend]

I cant spell u said:

I didnt know anything about computers before I bought this computer for 500$. I thought it was okay hence me not knowing but little did I know....
The specs that it came with where
Amd sempron 3000+ (2.0ghz)
256 mb of ram and integrated via s3 graphics. Ive had problems with this computer since the day I got it. Ive formatted like 3 times and im fucking sick of it. No one buy from compaq or any pre built company like dell or alienware or hp becuase there all shit and they all rip you off. You can post hell this now :l

They probably rip you off but alienware at least is considered top notch.

[Gibaholic]

This computer has so much useless crap preinstalled like walmart shop helper and compaq helper and aol and other crap.

[Kinkyfriend]

I cant spell u said:

This computer has so much useless crap preinstalled like walmart shop helper and compaq helper and aol and other crap.

If you say that you do not know much about computers couldn't you be wrong about it having lot's of crap? Afterall it does take experience to come forward and say "this is crap" Which you've stated you do not have? I may not be a completely piooner myself but I've spent over 12-13 years like with computers.

[Bucket]

A little education goes a long way. Building a PC from scratch is a pain, but worth it in the end. However, if you'd rather have some company build your computer while they have partners' (money) interests in mind more than yours, then this is what you get.

I suggest another formatting and the purchase/installation of a hand-picked OS. Oh, and more RAM. And a video card.

[Kinkyfriend]

yup get at least 512 mb more ram or two 512 mb ddr 3200's and ditch the 256.
Plus get either an old ati radeon 9800 pro or some geforce gt series (6600, etc)

[Graf Zahl]

I cant spell u said:

256 mb of ram and integrated via s3 graphics.

These 2 points alone should have made all alarm bells ring at full volume. With crap like this in the system there is no chance of it ever working decently - no matter how often you format it.

So the system was advertised as crap to the informed customer and that's exactly what was sold.

[Amaster]

To be honest I'd say that's not bad for $500. It's no gaming rig but it'll serve most people's needs. What were you really expecting for that amount of money?

It's not impossible that you could upgrade that though and turn to into something more respectable. However Im not sure about the availability of the AGP slot (I once had a compaq where he card was soldered into the AGP slot). If it's inaccesable you'll be screwed in that regard.

Also what kinds of problems are these that you've been having.

[Bank]

I cant spell u said:

This computer has so much useless crap preinstalled like walmart shop helper and compaq helper and aol and other crap.

Then get rid of it, if it doesnt easily uninstall, try searching the internet or talking to the people who sold it to you.

[ducon]

Comiclez said:

Then get rid of it, if it doesnt easily uninstall, try searching the internet or talking to the people who sold it to you.

Or better: format it and install a Linux distribution. What? Someone smells a troll here?

[Gibaholic]

Amaster said:

To be honest I'd say that's not bad for $500. It's no gaming rig but it'll serve most people's needs. What were you really expecting for that amount of money?

This is what id expect with 500$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16883102651

[spank]

Buying your own computer from parts you bought yourself isn't necessarily cheaper. In fact the opposite might happen, because when you buy a prebuilt computer, the price at which you buy each of the components might be lower since they were bought in bulk by the manufacturer, and sold in packs (cf. you pay less per roll the bigger the toilet paper shipments are). Also, you might get good software bundles or extras, such as joysticks or webcams, as a bonus.

This isn't to say, however, that it's not a better investment to do that. You'll always have the added bonus of choosing exactly what is going to be inside that box - including software - besides not having to put up with cases that are painfully difficult to open or whatever.

[Amaster]

I cant spell u said:

This is what id expect with 500$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16883102651

THis is kind of a rare deal. Pretty good though. In fact Im kinda considering buying it right now.

It's not exactly miles ahead of your machine though with the exception of the processor, so dont feel too bad. The xpress 200 is more capable than the S3 but it's not exactly top of the line either so you pobably would have ended up replacing it anyway.

[Regen]

Thats a pretty kick ass lookin case in that newegg deal.

Going with dells $299 deal would have left you $200 less screwed but pretty much in the same boat performance wise -but thats just rubbing it in.

We have all been there (the computerly aware) the beginning/first purchases are easy to be takin' by a nice price tag and a good sounded sales pitch (wether it be on box/ad/or sales person) atleast now you will know what to do next time. and maybe even build your own!

[-_DLD_-]

I cant spell u said:

This is what id expect with 500$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16883102651

Heh, that's roughly twice as good as my computer in pretty much every field, and about half the price, though this machine is 5 years old (it's a Dell...good build too, just shitty RAM).

My advice for computers: do as much research as you can after identifing exactly what kind of computer you want. Usually anything pre-built (except godly places like Voodoo) will not be what you're looking for if you want a really good machine, though it's good to check packages out for price ranges.

Next, go to as many computer stores as you can, giving them a rough list of what kind of parts you want in your custom computer and ask them to write up a free quote for you.

Custom jobs are always the best (I'm buying a computer for over $3000 Canadian, but it's got a 3GHz AMD Processor, 2 Hard Drives (160GB and 250GB), 2GB DDR2 RAM (dual channel, with room on the motherboard for 2 more sticks), GeForce 7800 GTX-256MB Graphics Card (motherboard supports ALI), TV-Tuner, 24" Acer LCD monitor, a very nice Aspire case, a 16x dual-layer DVD/CD Burner, and a DVD ROM, plus probably a few other goodies I've forgotten).

I've learned that it's best to get something that can run anything on the market, but not using the best parts, as that would be expensive. If you want longevity in your machine, make sure to allow room for upgrades in every area (I'll be able to at least double my RAM, throw in up to 5 more Hard Drives if I want, SLI my video card, replace my processor with a very good dual-core when they come down, get a better sound card, etc).

When buying from places, make sure to buy the kind of machine they're used to selling, because they'll have the best experience with that type of computer, such as one shop dealing in Intel only, and another swearing by AMD. Also make sure they don't have to special order anything (just order it yourself if this happens), so everything you get from them you'll get for cheaper, since they'll get it from their manufacturer for cheap and can sell it to you for a lower price than you'd be able to get off the net.

That's my rant for the day/hour/minute.

[Scabbed Angel]

Trash it. Most likely there's no onboard AGP slot like amaster said. Consider yourself screwed. : (

[Csonicgo]

Computers just cost too damn much for them to fuck up like that. I'm afreaid to upgrade-not only is it too expensive, the quality of peripherals has gone down the shithole. my 200MHz IBM has lasted longer than my friend's dual core bullshit. In my opinion, companies shouldn't get away with shoddy products like this.

by the way, I've heard Alienware's customer service is a mass of monkeys typing Shakespeare's Hamlet.

[Rotting Corpse]

I will never buy a pc form a big corperation. I dont know about Alienware but dell, gateway, compaq and hp all refurbish parts and put them in a "new" computer. Ya they look them over and "fix" any problems but that still dosnt mean that they have problems. Your best bet is to have some one you trust build a pc or build it your self.

[Gibaholic]

Heh there is an agp slot infact I got a geforce 5500 for it awhile ago, its better then the s3 card that was in it. And yeah maybe when I save up enough money ill build a computer next year or so.

EDIT:I was gonna replace the ram with one gig and a geforce 6600 256 mb but would it even be worth it?

[Regen]

If it will take a gig of ram and that 6600 thats not gonna be that bad of a system at all as a matter of fact. go for it.

[OldMan]

Hey U, The 5500 vid card, or some other 5000 series card, might be all you can put in that rig without upgrading the power supply unit. The geoforce 6000 and 7000 series cards need a lot of voltage and two power connections for the AGP versions. I went through the same thing with my HP. You can easily overload a cheap system and cause overheating problems also, so an upgrade to the cooling is sometimes necessary. Live and learn. You can only tweak a proprietary system so much.

Currently buildling my next rig myself piece by piece when I find cash for components.

[Gibaholic]

I looked at the video card and its just an agp slot, no power connecters or anything, if you wanna look at it, its right here:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145112

[pilottobombadier]

When I was 19, I bought a computer for 700 bucks. had XP Home, 128 MB ram, no AGB slot, and a Celeron 1.3.

I went with a PCI Radeon, dumped in half a gig of RAM, and it was all good to go. Then I wiped and installed W2k. Best fucking computer I've ever owned, despite lacking AGP. And when I was inspecting the motherboard to see how the caps were doing, not only were they looking fine, but they are all the same quality of capacitors that I'd find in a $4,000 workstation.

So not only do I not feel screwed, I'm very happy with my machine. Sometimes what feels like a total screw-over isn't.

So, it's not a gaming computer, but I can still make Doom mods on it, and that's abotu all that matters to me because my XBox is my gaming machine.

[Jehar]

If you are considering an agp 6600 256mb, experiment a bit and go for the 6800 128... I am beginning to think I made a bad choice getting the 6600. They are similarly priced, so go for it.