Compaq Evo D510 Ultra-Slim

When Compaq was bought out by HP, there was some concern as to the loss of the Compaq brand and a reduction in quality of desktop and server machines.

I am pleased to say that this has not happened. The Compaq Evo D510 is a worthy machine and packs a lot of power into a small space.

The basic specs of the machine are:

2.4GHz Pentium 4, 256MB, 40GB, CD-ROM, onboard sound, AGP Video, LAN, Modem, black case, ...
...make sure you ONLY buy Compaq 3 year Care Packs. This will mean that the machine will be dealt with by fully trained Compaw engineers, rather than generic PC engineers, and the part used will be genuine Compaq.

By far the greatest use for this machine will be in the business world. In fact I have used this machine myself in 2 organisations, and have never had any major problems. The small form factor is one of the smallest available, ... more

When Compaq was bought out by HP, there was some concern as to the loss of the Compaq brand and a reduction in quality of desktop and server machines.

I am pleased to say that this has not happened. The Compaq Evo D510 is a worthy machine and packs a lot of power into a small space.

The basic specs of the machine are:

2.4GHz Pentium 4, 256MB, 40GB, CD-ROM, onboard sound, AGP Video, LAN, Modem, black case, TFT monitor

Available from £600+vat (even PC World are keeping prices on this quite low) the machine definitely has a lot of features for the price. Although not designed as a gaming machine, the PC will perform (though you may want to change the graphics card for the more demanding games).

The machine comes with a return to base warranty and this is a good all round solution for most people. If you want to upgrade the warranty, make sure you ONLY buy Compaq 3 year Care Packs. This will mean that the machine will be dealt with by fully trained Compaw engineers, rather than generic PC engineers, and the part used will be genuine Compaq.

By far the greatest use for this machine will be in the business world. In fact I have used this machine myself in 2 organisations, and have never had any major problems. The small form factor is one of the smallest available, and this allows for a lot of deskspace to be available to the end user.

The 17" TFT monitor is among one of the best TFT's supplied at the current time. There is good contrast, great tilt and swivel, and again a small form factor for space saving.

Benchmarks for 2D and office performance are amongst the best available, though 3D benchmarks are a little slow for complete gaming.

Now I have said that the upgrade options are limited. This is partially true. Memory can be upgraded to 2Gb at 400DDR (plenty for most people) and it is very unlikely the processor will need an upgrade in the next couple of years.

The CR Drive can be chanded for a DVD-ROM, or a DVD Writer, or even a CDR or DVD/CDR combo. so pleany of choice there.

Unfortunately, there is limited space of the inclusion of extra hard drives, or additional PCI Cards. However, this machine is not aimed at the upgrade market.

It is squarely aimed at the small form factor market, and the machine exceeds all expectations.

Unlike so many manufacturers who seem to beleive that small form factor machines must be "feature crippled". Compaq (or HP if you prefer) have proved that this is not the case. With the sleek styling and quiet operation, this machine would not look too out of place in a living room, or anywhere else in the house.

Even if you do not want to see the machine, it can be very easily hidden in a cupboard, or behind a few pot plants, books etc.

All in all this is a very capable machine which I can heartily recommend. I myself have rolled out over 1000 of these machines across 2 separate organisations, and have never had any complaints. My only gripe would be a slightly low spec on memory (only 256Mb) but otherwise a fine machine.
 

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