HP Compaq Presario SR5610f review

However, the results are generously in favor of Acer Aspire x3200. It sticks out as the best multitasker amongst the rest of the budget comparison systems, but as with all budget desktop computers, your final shopping decision should be influenced by two major factors: extended features and how you plan to use the computer in your home. If your budget just can't afford the $50 boost, the Presario will keep you happy running light programs, but the Acer offers a definite improvement in overall performance, as well as more versatility in where and how you use the system.

The Compaq Presario comes with HP's Total Care Advisor software, a customizable desktop toolbar that constantly feeds you system-resource information, shopping information, and purchase recommendations, and support for troubleshooting minor issues. In addition, Compaq includes a one-year limited warranty that includes 24-7 phone and online-chat support. You can also upgrade your warranty with different packages to increase coverage for two or three additional years. There's also HP's Total Care Extended Service Plan with Next-Day Exchange that gives you exactly what it says: more service and next day delivery of your replacement computer. Finally, technical support is conveniently available in either English or Spanish.

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System configurations:

Compaq Presario SR5610f
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit); 2.5GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800; 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics chip; 320GB 7,200rpm SATA hard drive.

Dell Inspiron 530
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 1.8GHz Intel Pentium E2160; 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB Nvidia GeForce 8300 GS graphics card; 320GB, 7,200 rpm hard drive.

Dell Inspiron 530s
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.2GHz Intel Pentium E2200; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Intel GMA 3100 integrated graphics chip; 3200GB 7,200 rpm Western Digital hard drive

Acer Aspire X3200
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.1GHz AMD Phenom X3 8400; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 8200 integrated graphics chip; 320GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive.

eMachines ET1161-03
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit); 2.3GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400; 3GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics chip; 320GB 7,200rpm SATA hard drive.