A Critical Review of the Compaq Presario SR5450F Desktop PC - A Basic PC at a Good Price

Sometimes all that is required is just a no frills hardworking desktop that has a great price. That is where desktops like the Compaq Presario SR5450F come in. It is more versatile than it may appear at first glance. In this review I'm going to let you know what you can expect out of this inexpensive desktop and what sort of computer user will be satisfied. First I'm going to start with a few of the basics.

Hardware:

Processor: 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Pentium E2180

Storage Space: 500GB hard drive

RAM: 2GB (expandable up to 4GB)

Optical Drive: CD R RW burner with integrated DVD +/- R RW

Graphics Accelerator: Nvidia GeForce 7100 (with 128 dedicated video RAM but can scavenge up to 831MB of system ram)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Premium

Includes: Mouse and Keyboard

Again at first glance nothing really strikes me as awesome however it is strong enough to play most games at least on a medium setting. The 2GB of RAM is adequate for running vista, and multitasking. The graphics card does have some of its own dedicated memory which is nice and not something your always see, although it doesn't have all the spiffy outputs some more expensive cards offer. The hard drive is rather large at 500GB so you can hold plenty of data whether it is work related or even, movies, MP3's really whatever.

Connectivity:

Ethernet port (to connect to your LAN)

6 2.0 USB (use these to connect to any number of devices like printers, mp3 players, flash drives etc)

1 VGA (use this to connect to a standard monitor)

Audio out / Mic in

15 in 1 memory card reader

The connectivity is really standard. I like the USB placements, the ones in the front are easily accessible and there are plenty around back to satisfy the needs of more sedentary peripherals the likes of printers. I like the 15 in 1 card reader, just about everyone should be satisfied with that, I don't know of a solid state memory made that won't be accommodated by the Compaq Presario SR5450F.

In the end I think this is a bit of a sleeper. It is easy to quickly overlook a desktop because of its lower price but this is a great little desktop. As is it will make just about anyone happy, it would be great for a student because of its ability to do work as well as have a little fun. Even with a few inexpensive upgrades it could be taken into the living room as a multimedia unit. I think the Compaq Presario SR5450F is a winner at $450. I don't expect it to dip much below that, it is probably nearly a loss for the retailers at that price point as is.