Compaq: The Best-Selling PC Brand in the Late 1980s and '90s

[Tirinium]

I still use a Compaq keyboard like shown on 2 of the photo's here, on my main PC, of 1.5 years old. You can say one thing about compaq they delivered quality, no fading letters no weak keys in use for over 16 years.

 

[p51d007]

My first computer was a compaq portable. With a blazing fast 2400bps external modem.

 

[psycros]

Why do these ancient articles keep popping up in my "new" RSS feed? Was there an update somewhere?

 

[neeyik]

Why do these ancient articles keep popping up in my "new" RSS feed? Was there an update somewhere?

Part of our Throwback Thursday initiative, where we 're-publish' popular articles or those are pertinent again. This happens every week

Julio edit: We also go through the articles again before the bump, sometimes updating or adding new context or facts as we see fit.

 

[axiomatic13]

I loved working there.

 

[nnguy2]

Part of our Throwback Thursday initiative, where we 're-publish' popular articles or those are pertinent again. This happens every week

You guys should post old hardware reviews for giggles. I'm serious.

Post this: https://www.techspot.com/review/36-intel-core2-quad-q6600/
Then follow up with https://www.techspot.com/article/1313-intel-q6600-ten-years-later/

 

[Vanderlinde]

Compaq was affordable but difficult at the same time. Pre-installed software that gave them large discounts, but also propertary hardware, difficult to fix let alone repair, because compaq had it's own standard(s) in regards of hardware. Motherboards often not ATX compliant, or boards that had their own layout, power delivery and such. Also it was a horror for games since it most of the time was shipped with integrated graphics or cheap add-ons. Very rare you'll find a good GPU inside of it.

I bought a compaq laptop one day, a nefty 2000 euro, which had a mobile pentium 4 at 2.4Ghz inside of it, but a quite slow 40GB HDD that ive replaced myself with a larger, 120GB one. One day the board cracked, likely due to bad solder joints, filed it for warranty, got told "You replaced the harddrive with a non compaq so your warranty is voided" and that was that lol. Gone 2000 euro.

 

[RudyBob]

Had to buy 4 MB RAM to play Doom on my Presario

 

[yannus]

The rule has always been : build your own PC. No proprietary hardware, good quality motherboard and PSU, and above a lot of learning. I don't regret Compaq but I do regret S3, Cyrix, Matrox, Via and the likes.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

and years later turned out to be the one thing that SAVED AMD. THAT was hectors vision and reason why he bought ATI in the first place, he knew AMD needed graphics. And yet, the short term thinkers at AMD at the time fired him because of that purchase. In Hectors mind, he knew long term that purchase would save the company, and it did just that. Sad they fired him, he was back then their only true visionary.

The only reason they needed saving was because AMD bought them in the first place.

That isnt vision, that's blind luck.

 

[PEnnn]

Compaq was affordable but difficult at the same time. Pre-installed software that gave them large discounts, but also propertary hardware, difficult to fix let alone repair, because compaq had it's own standard(s) in regards of hardware. Motherboards often not ATX compliant, or boards that had their own layout, power delivery and such. Also it was a horror for games since it most of the time was shipped with integrated graphics or cheap add-ons. Very rare you'll find a good GPU inside of it.

I bought a compaq laptop one day, a nefty 2000 euro, which had a mobile pentium 4 at 2.4Ghz inside of it, but a quite slow 40GB HDD that ive replaced myself with a larger, 120GB one. One day the board cracked, likely due to bad solder joints, filed it for warranty, got told "You replaced the harddrive with a non compaq so your warranty is voided" and that was that lol. Gone 2000 euro.

In other words, it's like today's Dell!!.

That why I never cared for either company.

 

[Vanderlinde]

In other words, it's like today's Dell!!.

That why I never cared for either company.

The idea is buying a all in one computer pretty much for people who cant work or dont understand computers in the first place.

 

[OortCloud]

One of the first PCs I developed on was a Deskpro 286. It was built like a brick sh1thouse.

 

[Fulljack]

The only reason they needed saving was because AMD bought them in the first place.

That isnt vision, that's blind luck.

the AMD vision are called Fusion initiative, by integrating both CPU and GPU in one package. it what helps them stay afloat in early 2010s by providing both Sony and Microsoft chips for their console.

AMD knows where the market are going, knows what to buy, and successfully sell their products. that's not blind luck, that's business.

 

[zamroni111]

I met several ex compaq employees
they hate the mergers