Compaq Presario SR5710f Budget Desktop PC

Apr 22 2009 - The Compaq Presario SR5710f takes a very different approach at producing a low cost desktop. Rather than using more modern processor, it looks back at the AMD Athlon X2 serise for a more energy efficient CPU. While this helps the system come in at under $400, the system falls far behind desktops costing just $100 more. A few other items are also sacrificed in order to make the system more afforadable including peripheral ports and hard drive space. The end result is a system that is above a nettop but below a modern budget desktop.

Apr 21 2009 - The goal of the Compaq Presario SR5710f was certainly low cost. This is very evident not only from its under $400 price tag, but also from its apparent lack of performance. This is most clearly detailed by the selection of an older AMD Athlon X2 4450e+ processor compared to most running the Pentium Dual-Core. While the processor is certainly more energy efficient, it is not going to run programs as quickly. At least they included 3GB of DDR2 memory so the system wouldn't be held back by too much virtual memory usage.

Another area where the Presario SR5710f reduces overall costs is by reducing the amount of hard drive space available. Rather than using a larger 500GB hard drive standard to most budget systems, it uses a 250GB drive that provides less than half the space for programs and data. At least it still retains a standard dual layer DVD burner for playback and recording of CDs or DVDs. The drive also supports burning labels directly to LightScribe compatible media.

One drawback to using an older AMD processor is that it also uses an older chipset. This chipset includes the GeForce 6150 SE integrated graphics solutions. This is a fairly dated graphics solution that is just suited for basic graphics. It isn't really up to handled high definition video decoding like newer GeForce or Intel GMA graphics.

With some limited features, one might hope to expand the system by using a wide range of peripheral devices. Unfortunately, the Presario SR5710f only includes six USB 2.0 ports for external peripherals. This means that it can't be connected to FireWire or eSATA periperhals and it does not have a card reader for use with common flash media types.

The net result is a system that has sacrificed too much performance and features for price.