Compaq Evo N800w Review

Hewlett-Packard has also certified several high-end CAD and DCC applications for use with the Evo N800w. These include Autodesk AutoCAD (pre certified) and Inventor, Dassault Solidworks, EDS/PLM Unigraphics, PTC Pro/Engineer, Catia, Bentley Microstation, and ICEM Surf. For DCC and digital media applications, the following applications are certified: Avid Xpress DV 3.5, Pinnacle Edition, Discreet 3ds max and combustion, Alias|Wavefront Maya, Softimage XSI and Softimage 3D, Side Effects Software Houdini and Houdini Select.

The Compaq Evo N800w Features

The Compaq Evo N800w mobile workstation features an Intel Pentium 4-M CPU running at 2.4GHz with 512k L2 cache and a 400MHz front side bus, running Windows XP Professional. This unit shipped with 1GB RAM (2GB maximum via 1GB memory modules) and a 60GB hard disk drive spinning at 5400rpm. Its 15-inch UXGA display is powered by a 64MB ATI Mobility Fire GL 9000 graphics adapter (with full 3D OpenGL support) that supports 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution at 32-bit color. One of the two upgradeable bays is filled with a combo DVD/CD-RW optical drive. It features a built in Type III Mini PC 56k modem and an integrated 10/100 network interface card. Audio is provided by a pair of JBL Pro speakers with bass reflex and 16-bit stereo sound.

The right side of the unit features a drive bay for optical drives and a Type II PC Card slot, where you can attach various PC card slot devices that support both 32-bit CardBus and 16-bit PC Cards. This unit came with a VST Technologies FireWire CardBus card. Also on this side of the unit is a headphone and microphone jack. The rear of the unit includes a 56k modem port, a 10/100 NIC card, infrared port, a parallel port, a VGA port to connect an external monitor, S-Video port for connecting to a TV monitor, and two USB ports. The left side of the unit features the battery port and the MultiBay. The MultiBay currently accepts either a 30GB or 40GB hard drive, a second battery, 24XCD-ROM, 8XDVD-ROM, floppy, 16X/8X/24X CD-RW, or 24X DVD/CD-RW. A recordable DVD drive is expected in the near future. A wireless adapter that attaches flush to the side of the screen is also available as an option if you wish to go the wireless route. Wireless connectivity is achieved via an optional 802.11b MultiPort Wireless LAN module or a Bluetooth MultiPort module as well as the Compaq WL110 Wireless LAN PC card. Infrared is also supported via the Infrared Port 1 port which supports 4 Mb/s, and is IrDA 4 MB compliant.

Compaq Evo N800w Mobile Workstation
The Compaq Evo n800w serves quite well for those who need to work with large data files on the go. Running digital imaging and 3D animation applications on this system are no problem. The display, powered by the ATI Mobility Fire GL 9000 does not disappoint, and those apps that require full OpenGL support have it with this graphics adapter. The display is quite bright and supports a maximum 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution, so your finer details show up quite nicely on the screen. The keyboard is well laid out with all the keys you would expect in a mobile unit, as are the two input devices. The system features a trackpad as well as a PointStick that is shaped like a pencil eraser, made famous by IBM's ThinkPad units. This is a nice alternative for those who don't really enjoy the feel of trackpads and want the more precise feel of the PointStick that sits in between three keys on the keyboard. The wrist rests have a rubber-like, non-skid compound attached to the base, giving you extra traction as you type. This is a pretty neat feature for a notebook.

Compaq Evo N800w Cooler Features
The Compaq has several indicator lights on the keyboard area that tell you if your system is plugged in as well as the condition of your battery. It also features lights that detail hard disk activity as well. Another interesting feature is the notebook's power management feature. I had been compressing videos all afternoon and hadn't realized that my power supply was not fully engaged with the system. The system then worked via the battery, and because I had been doing some pretty processor intensive tasks, the battery had drained significantly. But the system's power management features automatically sent the computer into hibernate mode, enabling me to plug the unit back in. The system's audio is quite good, and is represented by a pair of JBL Pro speakers located on the front of the wrist rests.

Compaq Evo N800w First Impressions
I like the engineering of this notebook, as it makes it quite easy to perform RAM upgrades or add a second battery, and the little touches like the indicator lights are user-friendly. The capability to add a second hard drive via the available MultiBay is also a nice touch, as is the port replicator capability.

The port replicator is $149, $249 for the advanced option

At first I didn't like the fact that FireWire is accessible only via a third party PC Card Slot, rather than built into the motherboard on the notebook like some of Compaq's consumer notebook models. Then I got to realize that this solution would facilitate an easier upgrade, via the PC Card slot, to higher speed FireWire, such as FireWire 800 and beyond. It isn't really much of a difference because the PC Card stays put in the slot and the only accessory you'd have to worry about losing is the connection cable that attaches to the card, and this could stay hooked up to your FireWire cable anyway.

I didn't care for the plastic door at the back of the system that hides the S-Video, parallel, VGA, and USB ports as it felt out of place vis a vis the metal and magnesium components on the notebook. It just feels cheap, like it could break off easily. Battery power was quite impressive. I was able to get just shy of four hours of battery life with this system, doing some video compression and watching two full length DVD movies (Star Wars Episode 2 and Lilo and Stitch), before the system went into hibernate mode. A second battery housed in the available bay would easily keep the system powered during a flight to Hawaii. I like the feel of this notebook. Its metal, chromed latches are cool looking yet functional at the same time. The magnesium enclosure is an added plus.

Compaq Evo N800w laptop