PDA

View Full Version : vpr-I'm in love!


Madgenius
09-05-2003, 12:03 AM
Today I traded in my compaq X1000 and bought a 220A5. Now I should come out and tell you that I'm the type of person who trades in his notebook about every 6-12 mo. I've had 6 NB's before the vpr is my seventh. Lately I have been going with compaq's for the unbeatable value vs. features. But, since the HP merger I have seen compaq go the way of a unwanted step child. Anyway, I'm getting off subject. THIS VPR IS WHAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED, and never knew it. Sleek good looks, high quality, slot loading drive, no dummy software to uninstall.

Now I did do my research before buying, here's how it went. I've read alot about the issues w/ these NB's on board's such as this. So I had them open it in the store before I bought it. everything looked fine. No dead pixel's. No strange sound from the monitor either. I've developed a small quality test for NB's, press the back of the monitor screen, does it distort the picture? Nope vpr passed that (few do). Pick it up, does it feel solid, like it can survive alot of handling? Yep. So on to step two, while I'm uploading my files to the new PC, I check the CD drive... no problems very low noise the same as the X1000. I read about alot of complaints about heat from the system, mine only get's a little hot on the left side (right sides a cucumber) but it's not at all bad or unacceptable, since I know there's a 2.2gig chip working inside ( I've read some posts comparing this to the emachine's NB which is a AMD, if you think intel runs hot wait until you put that on your lap. I had a AMD 1800 presario that got absoluetly UNTOUCHABLE when it got going, Intel's run much cooler. Especially the new centrino's which the X1000 had , and it ran very cool by the way). Then the keyboard, while not the best far from sloppy. It does have some bad area's but in general it's a 4 out of 5. So far everything works and works well, it is a fast PC. Which is why I picked it, I can't find another NB on the market (aside from 2k+ priced Apple) w/ (2) 1394's this is great for my video editing. My only gripe so far, and this is a small one, is the tiny slivers of click buttons. It seems alot of proper thought went into this NB, finally I here's one I can use for years to come.

solgae1784
09-05-2003, 04:51 AM
Glad to hear that. Their service (VPR, not BestBuy) is one of the best too. I have sent my 200A5 several times for repair and my experience was very good.

:sponge

Madgenius
09-27-2003, 11:28 AM
I've had the vpr for about a month now , so I've come to know it fairly well. I did a few upgrades. 1. Added wifi card. 2. Enhanced the keybaord. 3. XP PRO. Soon I'll be upgrading the HD to a 5400rom 60 gig. With that said my NB is still going strong, NO serious issues, the rubber feet are chipping away a little, I called tech support and they sent out a new set but it was the wrong part.
I use this NB EVERY DAY just about ALL DAY. Sometimes it gets hot after extended periods of time in use. Mainly I use it for video editing, I love the dual firewire ports perfect for editing. I see this is not the PC for novice users. Tech support is foolish, so don't even bother (pass the buck philosophy). All in all this was a good purchase for me at a great price.

-S

kahleeb
11-03-2003, 11:05 AM
How did you "Enhance the Keyboard"?

Also, if I call and ask for new rubber pieces on the bottom because the machine rocks back and forth and is not steady, will that fix the problem?

Madgenius
11-03-2003, 01:42 PM
I took the key board off then put some padding, like a foam tape. on the right side and a thin metal plate (preforated holes) glued to the left making it much more firm, and quiet. Simple paper tape under the tabs in the front keep the clicking down when you type. I use the keybaord alot, thats kind of a priority for me.


My rubber feet are chipping a little, but the system doesn't rock unless it's on an uneven surface. new one's might help but not if the chassis is warped.

I still love this machine more and more every day I use the hell out of it. It's on for, at the LEAST 16 hours a day average and used daily. Dual 1394 is a dream, widescreen is a must, mini pci is a great feature. I have no heat issues unless the fan vent is covered up on the bottom of the NB, keep it breathing and the case stays cool. I need a faster HD tho, I hear the 7200 rpm drives are out now.

flecrone
11-03-2003, 04:01 PM
Something you may want to consider before upgrading your hard drive -- I just put a Hitachi 60GB 7200 rpm in my VPR 200A5. While I do see some improvement in speed, I only get very slight improvements in benchmark tests. According to another poster on this forum, the IDE controller limits the performance of the system, so faster drives don't realize their full potential. That may be why VPR went with the 4200 rpm drive in the first place.

However, having more space in good, and the fluid bearings in the new drive provide nearly silent HDD operation (if you download and use the Feature Tools to adjust the acoustic setting). It almost feels as if something is wrong, because you see the HDD light flashing but don't hear the usual clickety sound of HDD access.

Still, I could have saved about $100 by going with the 5400 rpm version, or saved $50 and gone with the 80GB 4200 rpm drive, and had even more space. In short, I'm not convinced that going to 7200 rpm really offers a great advantage on these computers.

Unregistered
11-03-2003, 06:17 PM
Ahhhh, very interesting flecrone,

So maybe I should just do the 5400 and save some loot. I wonder whats limiting the drive, isn't it suppose to be ATA 100 that should be enough for a boost? The only issue w/ vpr is that it's such a small company. They don't seem to do any bios updates or anything.

BTW, if you don' mind could you post your benchmarking results?

What about fan upgrades? mine gets kind of noisy sometimes, I'd like to upgrade that too if possible.

spankers
11-04-2003, 04:29 AM
Take a look at the Toshiba MK-6022GAX. It has a 16MB buffer, 60 gig, 5400 rpm. Love having a 16MB buffer... it helps make up for the relatively slow IDE controller.

vpr matrix is owned by Best Buy. Don't hold your breath waiting for BIOS upgrades... vpr/Best Buy/Quanta (the OEM) really and truely suck when it comes to driver/BIOS upgrades.

flecrone
11-04-2003, 04:47 AM
See the thread "200A5 Hard Drive Speed " for more information about the hard drives.

adam_G
11-06-2003, 06:32 AM
Does anyone know VPR's technical support numbers? Or email address?
This phone # 1-800-332-4800 on their website directs you to BEST BUY!! ARRR!
See link:
http://www.vprmatrix.com/customer_notebooks_200A5_warranty.asp

Are they canning their tech and warranty support and letting Best Buy pick up the slack???

adam_G
11-07-2003, 11:09 AM
Originally posted by adam_G
Does anyone know VPR's technical support numbers? Or email address?
This phone # 1-800-332-4800 on their website directs you to BEST BUY!! ARRR!
See link:
http://www.vprmatrix.com/customer_notebooks_200A5_warranty.asp

Are they canning their tech and warranty support and letting Best Buy pick up the slack???

adam_G
11-10-2003, 01:10 PM
any clue? contact info? is vpr dead?

Madgenius
11-10-2003, 02:15 PM
the best buy number has options to get to vpr tech support.