Grahatechno

Overview:

The following is a review for the HP Compaq nc8430, a business oriented mainstream notebook with a 15.4" screen. The nc8430 is currently one of HP's best selling business models with its great combination of power and portability.

HP Compaq nc8430 (SKU #: EY688AA) specs as reviewed:
OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
PROCESSOR: Intel T2500 Core Duo (2.0 GHz)
GRAPHICS: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB of discrete video memory
SCREEN: 15.4-inch WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050)
HARD DRIVE: 80 GB 5400RPM SATA
MEMORY: 2GB DDR2 667 PC2-5400 (upgraded; originally came with 1GB)
OPTICAL DRIVE: DVD+/-RW

This notebook also comes with a few nice bells and whistles like Bluetooth, Intel's Centrino Core Duo mobile technology, biometric fingerprint sensor, an ambient light sensor, a wireless on and off button, as well as a presentation mode button, integrated smart card reader, and a SD media slot.

Reasons for Buying:


The warranty ran out on my old Dell Latitude D600 which is about 3 years old now and currently needs a new motherboard. I decided to just go ahead and buy a new computer as my Dell's hardware always seems to be failing. I wanted something with good build quality, the ability to play some of the latest games, and something that was mildly portable. First I looked to IBM because I have had great experiences with them in the past, but the graphics cards they offered were not as powerful enough for the games I wanted to play. So after some research and much help from the notebookreview.com forums I decided that the HP Compaq nc8430 was the best fit for me. There is an overwhelming amount of mainstream notebooks out there today and making a decision is very difficult. I decided to purchase the HP nc8430 over all its other competitors like the Dell D820, Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi, Compal HEL80, and the Asus Z96J because of the following features the that nc8430 offers:
business class quality
magnesium chassis
shock mounted hard drive,
matte WSXGA+ screen,
pointing stick (which seems to be a rarity on notebooks nowadays)
its relatively light weight
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card