HP Compaq Presario V3000z Screen:
Our Presario V3000 test unit had a 14.1-inch wide-screen display with a standard 1,280×800 native resolution. Configured with HP’s BrightView technology, which is just a glossy coating that overlays the display, the Presario V3000 delivered acceptable video quality; while the screen was considerably brighter than the ThinkPad Z60t’s, the picture wasn’t as crisp as we would have liked. The leakage is only visible in the bottom of the screen and is only apparent when looking at a screen with black background. Do remember that light leakage is individual to a particular screen and some others might not have the same amount as mine.
The screen is almost perfect, I had no issues with any dead or stuck pixels. It has good horizontal viewing angle but the vertical angles could be better (this is typical of most notebook screens). The 14" widescreen is a very popular format and is perfect for everyday use. The text looks clear and sharp and the screen viewing area is perfect for surfing and typing documents. The only negative against the screen would be the light leakage. Some amount of leakage is to be almost expected in any laptop and the v3000 isn't any different.
The Presario V3000’s keyboard has relatively large keys that are comfortable enough to type on for extended periods, though the ThinkPad Z60t’s keyboard, which is a bit less jammed together, remains our favorite in this class. The Presario V3000’s touch pad and mouse buttons are sizable, but the glossy touch pad felt a bit slippery for our taste. That said, we appreciate the touch pad’s vertical and horizontal scrolling functionality, and we approve of the Presario V3000’s touch pad on/off button, which eliminates rogue cursor movement when working with an external mouse. The Altec Lansing stereo speakers, located above the keyboard, deliver audio that’s moderately loud and of decent quality, though lacking on the low end; unfortunately, the sound becomes hopelessly muffled when you close the laptop lid. The Inpsiron E1405, whose speakers sit along its front edge, delivers superior audio whether its lid is open or closed. While we like the Presario V3000’s new light-touch multimedia controls, which offer audible feedback similar to the iPod’s clickwheel, we prefer the Inspiron E1405’s more complete set of controls, which, again, are conveniently placed along the front edge for closed-lid access.
Our Presario V3000 test unit had a 14.1-inch wide-screen display with a standard 1,280×800 native resolution. Configured with HP’s BrightView technology, which is just a glossy coating that overlays the display, the Presario V3000 delivered acceptable video quality; while the screen was considerably brighter than the ThinkPad Z60t’s, the picture wasn’t as crisp as we would have liked.
HP Compaq Presario V3000z Processor and Performance:
The Presario v3000Z came equipped with the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL52 running at 1.6GHz. This is the new range of dual core processors by AMD aimed squarely at the Intel Core Duo's. It has one distinct advantage of being able to run 64-bit operating systems and applications. Of course currently this is not of much use to the general public since there are hardly any mainstream 64-bit operating systems and applications. But the future of computing seems to be headed towards 64-bit and it is nice to have a processor which is capable of handling such instructions. Being dual core it performs best when multitasking and I was able to run my antivirus in the background and not notice any slowdowns as I was surfing the web, typing this review and also listening to streaming music.
