HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX (Sempron 2GHz, 512MB RAM, 160GB HDD) (11/05/2005)

1. Manufacturer's description
2. Product summary
3. Editors' review
4. Users' opinions
5. Keywords

Manufacturer description

Product summary

Editors' review

• Editors' Choice: No
• Reviewed on: 12/21/2005

It's fair to assume that any $500 PC will require a few compromises. The HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX is no exception, but that doesn't make it a bad system. It's surprisingly well equipped for a budget PC, with adequate horsepower for home users, students, or anyone with basic computing needs. The Presario SR1620NX combines features such as a double-layer DVD burner, a nine-in-one media-card reader, and a generous software bundle with futureproof technologies such as a 64-bit-capable CPU and an x16 PCI Express graphics slot, making it a good choice for budget buyers and second-PC seekers.

A fixed configuration that costs an even $500 without a monitor or speakers, the Presario SR1620NX features an eye-catching black midtower chassis with gray accents and a large, green power LED. At 15.3 inches high and 16.5 inches deep, it's compact enough to sit on a cluttered desk; Dell's budget Dimension E510 is 1.5 inches deeper and 1 inch taller. Despite its relatively trim dimensions, the Presario SR1620NX still offers room for expansion. Inside we found space for a second optical drive (the system includes a double-layer DVD burner) and a second hard drive. Two of the four RAM slots are free, as are two of the three PCI-card slots. There's also an x16 PCI Express slot for users who want more graphics horsepower than the onboard ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chip affords. That's a welcome perk in an entry-level system, one that's lacking, for example, in the more expensive Gateway DX200X.

The Presario SR1620NX also has generous external expansion options, with seven USB 2.0 ports (three in front) and two FireWire ports (a six-pin port in front and a six-pin port in back). While many budget systems stock the front end with only microphone and headphone jacks, the Presario SR1620NX goes the extra mile with a third jack for line-in connections.

The Presario SR1620NX's specs are your typical budget affair: AMD's inexpensive 2.2GHz AMD Sempron 3400+ CPU, 512MB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. While we've seen more memory and bigger hard drives in other low-cost systems, this one is more than capable of meeting the basic needs of budget buyers. Plus, the Sempron 3400+ offers 64-bit support, which will become more important next year with the release of Windows Vista and subsequent 64-bit apps. On CNET Labs' BAPCo SysMark 2004 application benchmark, the Presario SR1620NX and its Sempron chip held up well against systems with Intel's budget Celeron chip. It cruised to an easy victory over the Shuttle XPC K6200h, which features a Celeron D 335 processor, and HP's own Pavilion s7220n Slimline PC, which uses a mobile Celeron M 370 CPU. It predictably trailed PCs with mainstream CPUs, including the excellent eMachines T6524, which features an Athlon 64 3500+. Not only did the T6524 best the Presario SR1620NX by a healthy 20 percent on SysMark, it costs only $100 more and gives you more memory and a larger hard drive; it's still our pick for budget buyers.

We didn't have high expectations for the Presario SR1620NX's cramped-looking, low-profile keyboard, but we found the keys surprisingly comfortable and responsive. The mouse, however, earned a definite thumbs-down: It's an old-fashioned ball mouse, not an optical model. We appreciate the nine-in-one media-card reader but suspect the 56Kbps modem will be useless to most.

Likewise, we predicted an anemic software bundle but instead found Microsoft Works 8, Microsoft Money Standard 2005, MSN Encarta 2005 (including a one-year subscription), Quicken 2005 New User Edition, InterVideo WinDVD 5, and Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, a disc-burning suite. Compaq Organize is a nifty Windows front end for organizing data, applications, Web links, and so on. All the PCs in the Windows XP Home except the higher-end SR1650NX, which comes with Windows Media Center Edition.

Compaq provides a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor, similar to the basic warranty from Dell. Recent budget systems from Gateway have cut coverage to 90 days. Tech support is available 24/7 via a toll-free phone call or online chat. Although onsite service isn't included, you do get a special 90-day tech-support window for the software included with the system.

Application performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo's SysMark 2004 rating

SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating

SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating

eMachines T6524 (2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)

175 

194 

157 

Gateway DX200X (3.06GHz Intel Pentium 4 519, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz)

159 

170 

149 

HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX (2.0GHz AMD Sempron 3400+, 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)

146 

162 

131 

HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline PC (1.5GHz Intel Celeron M 370, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz)

125 

138 

113 

Shuttle XPC K6200h (2.8GHz Intel Celeron D 335, 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz)

120 

134 

108 

Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations:
eMachines T6524
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+; ATI Radeon RS482 chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; WDC WD2000BB-22GUC0 200GB 7,200rpm EIDE

Gateway DX200X
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.06GHz Pentium 4 519; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; integrated Intel 915G graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Seagate ST3160023AS 160GB 7,200rpm SATA

HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline PC
Windows XP Home SP2; 1.5GHz Intel Celeron M 370; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; integrated Intel 915G graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Samsung SP2004C 200GB 7,200rpm SATA

HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX Desktop PC
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.0GHz AMD Sempron 3400+; ATI Radeon RS480 chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip using 256MB shared memory; Seagate ST3160021A 160GB 7,200rpm EIDE

Shuttle XPC K6200h
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.8GHz Intel Celeron D 335; ATI 9100IGP chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; integrated ATI 9100 graphics chip using 128MB shared memory; Western Digital WD1600JB-00GVA0 160GB 7,200rpm EIDE

User opinions

User Rating:

4.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

What can i say? I love this old heap!by Quiet_Killer - December 27, 2011

Pros: * nice media support
* built-in ethernet
* lots and lots of usb ports
* Great with linux
* firewire ports (Do not be decieved! Firewire is slower than usb2.0!)
(But it is nice to have it. Anyway...)

Cons: * Initial XP install loaded with HP crapware. Pitch it, and install something else (Like win2000! - that is, if you prefer windows)

* Not modern - you can get much better with more money

Review: (Pros cont.)
* SD card writer
* Pretty good onboard sound
* DVD writer! Oh, i love that. (I used to have to go out and buy that, or else i just got a plain-old cd reader)

I arrived in DC to visit my my dad and he said his friend gave me an
his old compaq. Windows xp loaded with compaq crapware. Woohoo (sarcasticly) Anyway, i kept the windows in the original HD, and installed another hard drive with ubuntu on it. Since the BIOS had a thing where you could press esc to choose boot media, i didn't have to set up the bootloader ****. Which was a plus. It was only 2GHz, but considering that i have never owned a desktop as fast as 1GHz (Nobody throws that **** away, and since childhood i built computers from recycled parts - mostly P1s and P2s, with the occasional P3, and the almighty fabled P4 (Pentiums)) Anyways, for all you rich folk that have money to blow, you can do better. But for me it was a godsend. But it aint half bad when you put some better memory in it (I get my parts from garbage, and even I can do better than 512MB) Remember to wear your ESD strap and dive in! Anyways, for those without patience, i do not reccommend this PC, but for people who want more power but do not need it (like me) this is a good one. Also added some case mods (little window over processor - still not sure what LEDS to buy and where to put them. Ah well... Also, mounted the floppy drive on the outside of the case to make room for the 80gb HD and added a new hole for a dust-filtered fan (not to cool down any particular part, just for more airflow) I named it the tardis, after doctor who's time machine! I just got some money for xmas and i think i'll upgrade the processor.

User Rating:

3.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Good, Solid computer hasn't crashed.DVD has issuesby cowboyfand - November 5, 2008

Pros: It has never crashed and even though I filled the 160gb hard drive with movie3s and music and whatever else for 2+ years, it still works as originall packaged.

Cons: It's slow as a snail now and i need help upgrading cheap cuz i'm poor.....HELP!

Review: Very solid computer, need help upgrading and need it quick cuz i feel like i'm using a dinosaur! HELP!!

User Rating:

4.5 stars

out of 10 user reviews

The compaq presario sr1620nx is the best deal ever.by krazer5 - January 18, 2008

Pros: The price,so many usb slots inputs(you can put in memory cards flash drives everything) upgrading is easily possible and can be done to your likeings,160gb of memory,cd drive that you can burn n read

Cons: not the best processor although it can handle lot of tasks but what do you expect from this price,cant play current games unless you upgrade.users have reported problems with cd/dvd drive .

Review: The compaq sr1620nx is a amazing computer.IT comes with so much cd burner and reader,160 gb hd,so many damn usb slots,although it cant play current games like need for speed carbon it can play halo. some users have reported problems with cd/dvd drive i have the problem too. i had this computer for an year know and its still going strong and fast just like day one. you just need to know how to take care of your pc

User Rating:

4.5 stars

out of 10 user reviews

good computer for the priceby david beaver - May 7, 2007

Pros: reliable, compack for space, extra add ons.

Cons: doesn't come with a flopy drive.

Review: i purchased the computer over a year ago, only problem i had was when i attempted to add a wireless card which caused my computer to crash and stop responding. HP tech helped me solve the problem by removing the wireless card, and reinstall the drivers and op system with the recovery software. iam not a business person or a game player to want a power house computer but this one is great for down loading movies, pictures with all the different types of card readers. added more memory which made it more speedy. like the seven usb ports which allows me to use alot of different items at once. my high speed internet dsl works great, for $518.00 its a good computer to have. i have seen more higher priced computers preform less the the one i have now. I am happy with it.

User Rating:

3.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Decent computer for basic useby jimbothedriver - August 4, 2006

Pros: Can be upgraded easily

Cons: Fry's Electronics sells CRAP and HP customer service is TERRIBLE!!! Software bundle comes with too many junk programs that are stupid and worthless.

Review: I bought my machine from Fry's in Feb '06. It was a refurbished unit that cost about $360 out the door. I declined the extra warranty and wish I hadn't.

I ditched the keyboard and the mouse right away.

The computer was fine for the first couple weeks or so, but after that it started to act a bit strange. I like to stream music online while I'm asleep and when I woke up one day there was a "ping" sound coming from the hard drive and the computer was frozen up. Rebooted it and it was fine.

Well that would happen every now and again for the next couple weeks until one day Windows would just not boot up. Since the computer was out of the 30 day return for Fry's I was stuck with having to deal with HP's customer service line. They had me do a couple "tests" and determined that I needed the recovery cd's to start the computer over again. That didn't make any sense to me because it was obvious that there was a physical problem with the hard drive, and I also feel that I shouldn't have to pay for recovery cd's. Seems to me that those should just come with the computer. Well since I don't have a credit card of any type I wasn't able to get the cd's. So a friend of mine was able to get the computer started again using recovery discs from his laptop.

Everything was ok for few days but than the "ping" sound from the hard drive started up again so I was back on the phone again with HP. I had to explain everything to them again and again what was going on and they still insisted that I needed recovery cd's. So I just kept calling back until FINALLY I got someone that realized that when the hard drive is making noise then there's obviously something wrong with it and it has nothing to do with Windows or recovery discs. So they sent me a new hard drive and I returned the old one. The first thing I did of course was make the recovery cd's.

Haven't had any problems at all since installing the new hard drive and everything seems to be working just fine. Next year after I have purchased some other gadgets (cameras, mp3 players, etc etc) I'll be upgrading the computer so that it runs faster and responds better.

Despite the grief with the hard drive and HP service, the computer was a good choice especially considering the price. I'm hesitant to buy anything at Fry's anymore though and I've also heard from other people having problems with their purchases at Fry's. If I do shop there again I won't purchase anything that's been refurbished and I'll be sure to purchase whatever extra warranty they offer. I learned my lesson. Better safe than sorry.

User Rating:

4.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Great starter PC. Has alot of expansion potentialby DarkSideMoon - February 21, 2006

Pros: Ran BF 2 out of the box. That is a huge feat.

Cons: none really, except for the pitiful mose that came with it.

Review: This is a great starter PC. It comes with 4 RAM slots for a total of 4 gigs, although it only comes with 2x 256. It also comes with a very handy PCI-E port, and empty expansion slots. I run BF2 with this online on a 64 player map with the settings on low. The only upgrade I bought was a 150$ Radeon x700 pro graphics card.

User Rating:

1.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Not Recommended at all !by madboxy - February 16, 2006

Pros: Price and upgrade options

Cons: Quality and Tech Support

Review: I bought this CPU at Best Buy for $500. I upgraded the Graphics Card, bought a nice Klipsch Audio system and Flat panel Dell monitor. I was excited!! I had to create by own Recovery Discs b/c the computer does not come with them. After a month, Windows XP would not start after pressing the Power button. I contacted Tech Support. Here is the story:

CALL 1 (about 2 hours - about 30 minutes on hold): I was told there was a problem with how factory workers loaded Windows XP on my computer. They did not obtain a new Windows XP CD once the "copying capability" expired. I was told the only solution would be erase/reformat hard drive using the Recovery Discs I created. The discs did not work and I spent 2.5 hours attempting to use them. HP told me would send me a new Hard Drive. I asked for the Recovery Discs, but my request was declined because I would have to pay for them. I never got the Hard Drive.

CALL 2 (40 minutes - 20 on hold): I complained I never received the hard drive. They apologized and sent one, which I received within 3 business days.

CALL 3 (2 hours - 45 minutes on hold): I installed new Hard Drive and called them to walk me through using my Recovery Discs with the new Hard Drive. My Recovery Discs did not work and I spent another 2 hours doing this.

CALL 4 (45 minutes - 20 on hold): I called to inform them that my Recovery Discs did not work. The Tech Support guy wanted me to spend another 2.5 hours trying to use the same Recovery Discs again. I refused. Tech Support transferred me to Service. Service took 30 minutes to analyze the situation and decide they would send me their Recovery Discs for FREE. I felt blessed by HP.

I'm back to using my old PC. I'm glad I did not donate it after I got my Compaq Presario SR1620NX. I am now waiting for the Recovery Discs.

Bottom Line: I'm stuck with this computer for now. It stopped working a month after buying it. I will NEVER purchase another HP or Compaq PC. I'm done. Hope you find this review useful.

Updated
So I replaced the Hard Drive and received "FREE" Recovery CDs from Compaq. After all that, the computer worked well for a couple of months. Then the same problem returned.

After pushing the start button, the computer fan would turn on (remain on "high mode"), the green light on the power button was on, the monitor power light would remain amber. I tested the monitor wiht another PC and it worked fine. Performed all the suggestions on Compaq's troubleshooting website. Nothing worked. Out of 7 months, I can say the computer has worked for a solid 2 months.

I just spent $1200 on a DELL. I called COMPAQ to let them know. Since my SR1620NX is still under warranty, I convinced HP to take it back to fix it (it took a while). Once they fix it I will sell it for whatever amount I can get for it. ANY TAKERS? Email me!

User Rating:

3.5 stars

out of 10 user reviews

A solid budget desktop for home usersby MassCompUser - January 30, 2006

Pros: Good features for the money, plenty o ports, expandibility

Cons: Integrated graphics not good for gamers, cheap mouse

Review: I bought my 1620NX at Best Buy at a discount, and had an easy time setting it up. After the initial whoosh of the energy saving fan upon startup, the system quiets down almost immediately. The heat sink on the AMD chip seems like overkill, since the fans, vents, and large interior design should keep it nice and cool. Nice feature is the single screw-down clamp for the PCI slot covers. Easy to add memory and other components. Mine came with an IDE 160MB Western Digital, 7,200 RPM hard drive, which seemed odd since SATA is available.
Already added 512MB of RAM, and plan to install a dedicated graphics card soon. Overall a very good and cheap PC that can be expanded and upgraded. Toss the mouse and modem card unless you still have dialup.

User Rating:

1.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Not Recommendedby jonathangdy - January 14, 2006

Pros: Good Custumer Service

Cons: Doest Work Since Beggining

Review: about 2 months ago i purchased my sr1620nx desktop pc at bestbuy and i was thinking i was investing in something worththeprice 700 bucks but results were bad, i have had to file over 6 complaints in the compaq hp servers due to many problems on day 3 of having my pc it would flicker on and off, i called customre assistance and they told me that somefuncin destructive restore wast woriking on my comoputer, they made me wait for 2 weeks because recovery disks were not out yet and nothing so they decided to take my computer in for repairs in their manufacturing plant i received it one week later and while i was using it it flickered on and off again, i called them so they sent me a recovery cds they wanted to charge me 26 and i was like no! not only my pc has been having problems!! so they sent me the cds for free but when i tried them they didtd work!! so now on thursday there technitians will comeover to my home and they going to install a new motherboard and new harddrive!! what a waste of a new computer thats 2 mothns old that i have used for only like 5 days in total because all its lifetime has been problems

[Edited by: admin]

User Rating:

4.0 stars

out of 10 user reviews

Good deal for basic machineby mghotbi - January 13, 2006

Pros: Sempron is Socket 939 - Dual Channel Memory. Firewire.

Cons: Terrible mouse. Awkward drive bay access.

Review: This machine is based on a Socket 939 version of the Sempron, which is exclusive to HP. You can't buy this chip in retail outlets yet. It's exactly like an Athlon 3400+ except with reduced L2 cache. It is 64 bit enabled as well as SSE2 and SSE3. Has dual channel memory controller (socket 754 chips are single channel). Motherboard has PCI Express slot available. Upgradeable to Athlon X2 procesors if you are willing to void your warranty. System looks good and runs without a glitch so far. Very quite case fan. Cetainly no gaming machine but quite adequate at everyday business tasks. I bought system with 17" CRT monitor for $450 after rebates - not a bad deal. Buy yourself an optical mouse - the old rollerball mouse is terrible. Also, CF card reader on front of machine is slower than my older Belkin USB 2 adapter card reader - not sure why. I added a PCI 802.11g card without any problems.

I usually build my own systems, but this deal was too good to pass up.

Keywords

sr1620 nx^sr 1620nx^sr 1620 nx   |  

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HP Compaq Presario SR1620NX (Sempron 2GHz, 512MB RAM, 160GB HDD) specifications

• General
• Type Personal computer
• Product Form Factor Tower
• Built-in Devices Stereo speakers
• Localization English / United States
• Processor
• Type AMD Sempron 3400+ / 2.0 GHz
• Installed Qty 1.0
• Max Supported Qty 1.0
• Mainboard
• Chipset type ATI Radeon Xpress 200
• Data bus speed 800.0 MHz
• RAM
• Installed Size 512.0 MB / 4.0 GB (max)
• Technology DDR SDRAM
• Memory Speed 400.0 MHz
• Memory Specification Compliance PC3200
• Form Factor DIMM 184-pin
• Configuration Features 2 x 256 MB
• Storage
• Hard Drive 1.0 x 160.0 GB - Standard - 7200.0 rpm
• Hard Drive (2nd) None
• Optical Storage
• Type DVD±RW (+R DL) - IDE
• Graphics Controller
• Type Integrated
• Graphics Processor / Vendor ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Shared video memory (UMA)
• Max Allocated RAM Size 128.0 MB
• Audio Output
• Type Sound card - Integrated
• Sound Output Mode 5.1 channel surround
• Compliant Standards AC '97
• Keyboard
• Keyboard interface PS/2
• Input Device
• Type Mouse , Keyboard
• Mouse
• Mouse technology Optical
• Mouse interface PS/2
• Mouse features Scroll
• Telecom
• Modem Fax / modem - PCI - Plug-in card
• Max Transfer Rate 56.0 Kbps
• Protocols & Specifications k56Flex
• Networking
• Networking Network adapter - Integrated
• Data Link Protocol Ethernet , Fast Ethernet
• Printer
• Type None
• Expansion / Connectivity
• Expansion Bays 1.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x Internal - 3.5" x 1/3H , 2.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x Front accessible - 3.5" x 1/3H , 2.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x Front accessible - 5.25" x 1/2H
• Expansion Slot(s) 4.0 (total) / 0.0 (free) x Memory - Socket 939 , 3.0 (total) / 2.0 (free) x PCI - DIMM 184-pin , 1.0 (total) / 2.0 (free) x Processor , 1.0 (total) / 1.0 (free) x PCI Express x16
• Interfaces 1.0 x Audio - Line-in - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ( 1 in front ) , 1.0 x Hi-Speed USB - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - 25 pin D-Sub (DB-25) ( 3 in front ) , 1.0 x Headphones - Generic - RJ-11 ( 1 in front ) , 2.0 x Microphone - Line-out - 4 pin USB Type A ( 1 in front ) , 1.0 x Parallel - VGA - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ) , 2.0 x Keyboard - Input - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style) , 1.0 x Modem - IEEE 1284 (EPP/ECP) - RJ-45 , 2.0 x Network - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm , 7.0 x Display / video - Phone line - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style) , 1.0 x Mouse - Generic - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm , 1.0 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - Mini-phone 3.5 mm , 1.0 x Audio
• Power
• Device Type Power supply
• Operating System / Software
• OS Provided Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Software Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition , Adobe Acrobat Reader , Microsoft Money 2005 , Apple iTunes 4.8 , MSN Encarta Standard , Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2005 , Quicken 2005 New User Edition , Sonic MyDVD Plus 6.13 , RealPlayer , Sonic DigitalMedia Plus 7.02 , Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition , Microsoft Office 2003 Student and Teacher Edition (Trial) , Microsoft Works 8.0
• Manufacturer Warranty
• Service & Support 1 year warranty
• Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
• Card Reader
• Card reader 9 in 1 card reader
• Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick PRO , Memory Stick , xD-Picture Card , MultiMediaCard , Microdrive , SD Memory Card , CompactFlash Card type II , CompactFlash Card type I , SmartMedia Card

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