TYPE: 500MHz Pentium III Desktop Computer

- Takes up limited desk space
- Relatively low shipping cost
- Low power consumption, quiet
- Reliable, easy to set up

COMPUTER DESCRIPTION:
Conveniently located on the front are the power button, microphone jack, and headphone jack. The USB ports being located on the back makes a USB extension cord useful for some devices. Other ports include two PS/2, a standard VGA monitor port, two serial ports, two other audio ports, and an Ethernet/RJ45 jack. It does not have a built-in modem or joystick/game ports. There are two expansion slots, one of which can be used for a modem if necessary.

MEASUREMENTS: 14.5" long, 12.5" wide, and 3.5" tall.

INTERNAL PARTS:
It is designed so that the metal housing can be opened without the use of a screwdriver (two buttons on either side are pushed down while the housing is pulled off; it is somewhat harder to replace the housing properly), and the unit which holds the drives in place can be lifted up (to access the motherboard area under them) without using any tools. Wires are kept to a minimum (they are short and the CD-ROM only has one wire attached to it, carrying both data & power), making it easier to work inside but limiting the upgradability. It has two memory slots; the unit used for this article has a single 64MB memory card, but this is upgradable. The computer's fan runs quietly. A drawback to this computer is that most internal parts have to be replaced with Compaq parts (there may be other brands that are compatible with Compaq parts), not cheaper generic parts. However, this is typical of many brand name computers. It is possible to use non-Compaq ISA expansion cards and hard drives.

OPERATING SYSTEM:
A sticker on the front indicates that this computer is "Designed for Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or Windows 98." Windows 95 will also work (starts up and runs rather quickly), but some of the onboard devices will not function properly (esp. sound); installing an ISA video card with drivers available for W95 is recommended for using Windows 95. The DOS operating system can also be used on this Compaq computer.

POWER CONSUMPTION:
With a modem and video card installed, the ENS C500 uses 50 watts while starting up, 33W running, 29W idle, and 45W while opening a program. It uses 50W while opening a CD-ROM program, and about 4.5W while turned off but plugged in. A sticker on the internal power supply reads "120W Max."

MODEM RECOMMENDATION:
The Best Data 56FQ/56VFQ is a 56kbps 16-bit ISA modem which will work in this computer. It transfers data quickly and has a faster initial connection time than most other modems when logging on to an ISP.

SUMMARY/EVALUATION:
Overall, if you don't mind the potentially higher costs for replacement parts, the Compaq DeskPro ENS C500 is great for most tasks, including web browsing, word processing, programming, games, spreadsheets, and digital photography, despite its small size and inexpensive cost.