good grief! Computer madness

[kengr]

I'm checking out a Compaq Presario that Lin & Kermit were given by a friend of theirs.

The more I look into it, the more amazed I am. To start with it steals video RAM for the onboard video from the system RAM. So the 256 Meg system only has 248 meg available.

Next, it came with Windows XP pre-installed. And 248 meg is just a *bit* on the lean side for that.

I finally figured out how to open it uop, and I was amazed to disvoer that though it has 3 PCI slots and 1 AGP slot, you can only *use* 2 of the PCI slots, because there's no slot cut in the case for the third slot, thus, any card that has a "back" won't fit, and ones that don't would be hanging loose. And it's not like there isn't room on the case for the third slot.

Then I started looking for menory online. And found that one of the *major* memory companies doesn't even list this model. And it's *not* that old (the manual has a copyright date of 2001).

Sheesh.

Comments

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

yep. trademarks of the lower end.

I'm on a presario now (laptop) and even with the maximum extension ram installed I only have 96, and yeah, 8 of that is stolen by the video system.

The more they can integrate on to one chip, the more they will. Next thing you know, they'll have a modem/video/sound/lan/bus/processor chip and they'll be in hog heaven.

[kengr]

Thing is, it wasn't *that* low end...

But hey, I still have my old Tandy 1000 TL/3. 10 MHZ 286, 640 K of RAM, stealing RAM for video, but it also let you install 128k of *dedicated* RAM. Built-in sound, joystick ports, serial, paralell and mouse. And an XT-IDE controller on the MB. Also had the floppy on the MB.

But it also had space for two 3.5 drives, and a 5.25. And 5 XT Slots (though they couldn't take longer than 3/4th length cards.

So while it had everything integrated, you *could* do considerable expansion on it.

That's my gripe. The lack of capability to upgrade. And that bit with having one of the PCI slots unusable? That's just *stupid*.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

exactly. There's nothing I like better than a mid to tall tower paired with a well engineered motherboard.

Nice rig, you've got there, though! I bet when it came out it cost close to $10K.

I still remember how excited we were to upgrade our trs80 "color" computer from 4k to 16k memory. We were big time, baby!

One thing I'd like to get my hands on is an old portable Osbourne computer. Those rocked.

[kengr]

No, the TL/3 was never more than about $1500. The built-in Video was the Extended Tandy graphics (which was 640x240x16). Used a VGA monitor.

And "stock" it came with one floppy and no HD. But it had DOS 3.3 in ROM. Very useful that last. Esprecially when I get infected with a Virus. :-)

No osbourbes, but I have several Model 4p systems. more or less the same size, but bigger screen.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

oh, and a Timex Sinclair rig that still works! I really want one of those! :)))))

Oh, and one of the original macintoshes that still runs. The ones with the integrated little monitors.

[kengr]

I've got several MC-10 units. Aka MicroColor Computer. Tandy's "answer" to the Tinex Sinclair. :-)

And I've got a bunch of compact Mac systems. No "originals", but several SE and SE 30 systems. And some older 128k units.

I'll keep you in mind when I start thinning out the storage locker. :-)